Cissy Strut Jam: Jeff Middleton (drums), Emily Wallace (bass), Brad Wallace (guitar)

One of our mid-week jams to our version of  The Meters 'Cissy Strut' 

Emily Wallace (bass)

Jeff Middleton (drums)

Brad Wallace (guitar)

Last Bass of 2020: Fender Player Fretless Jazz Bass (Pau Ferro Fingerboard)

The last bass I acquired in 2020 was the Fender Player Fretless Jazz bass with Pau Ferro fingerboard in 3 color sunburst. If you've read any of my previous posts about fretless basses, you'll know that I have sold most of the ones I've bought in the past...with the exception of my Gold Tone Microbass. 

I've owned two other full scale fretless basses (aside from upright basses) and both were a little disappointing in the long run for a variety of reasons. They either didn't sound like a fretless bass at all or the pickups weren't right. So, I swore off fretless basses for a long while. 

Then, last fall, I ran across Fender's Player Fretless Jazz bass. It was affordable at $699, but not so cheap that I questioned its quality. (I only say this because I once bought an Ibanez SR300 fretless about 11 years ago. It was only $300, but it was an Ibanez so I didn't question the quality like I would've with another brand. But, as I write about in my review on that bass, I ended up selling it because it didn't meet my expectations.)

Once the new Fender fretless arrived, the first thing I noticed was the strings. Fender actually put flatwound strings on this bass. The other fretless basses I had bought (other than the Gold Tone) had come with roundwound strings on them (to save money, I know). I had already ordered some Fender flatwound strings before I ordered the bass because I figured they wouldn't send the bass with flatwounds on it. 

(This may not seem like a big deal, but if you play with flatwounds, you know the expense. It's enough to pay hundreds or thousands of dollars for a new bass...then you have to spend another $40+ on strings to replace the roundwounds that come on it.)

After a little minor tweaking of the action, this bass was ready to go right out of the box--not something typical for the other Fender basses I've bought in the past. 

And, low and behold, this fretless sounded like a fretless--along with having that smooth jazz bass tone too. 

I was a little concerned about the neck before playing it because I'm used to the thinner necks that you normally get on the short scale basses that I typically play, but I've not had any problems with this bass. It's not one I could play for hours on end--mostly because I'm not comfortable playing long scale basses for long periods of time anymore. My shoulder tends to start hurting, which is why I switched to short scales in the first place. 

Overall, I'm pleased with this fretless--and it's nice to have a jazz bass again after all these years. 

Player Fretless Jazz Bass Pau Ferro Fingerboard Specifications:

Neck

• Shape: Modern C
• Wood: Maple
• Neck joint: Bolt-on
• Scale length: 34 in.
• Truss rod: Standard
• Finish: Satin

Pickups

• Active or passive pickups: Passive
• Pickup configuration: SS
• Middle: Single-coil Alnico V
• Bridge: Single-coil Alnico V
• Brand: Fender
• Series or parallel: Parallel

Fretboard

• Material: Pau Ferro 
• Radius: 9.5 in.
• Fret size: Extra-jumbo
• Number of frets: Fretless
• Inlays: Dot
• Nut material: Synthetic bone
• Nut width: 1.5 in. (38.1 mm)

Body

• Cutaway: Double cutaway
• Construction: Solidbody
• Body wood: Alder
• Top wood: Alder
• Body finish: Gloss
• Orientation: Right handed

Controls

• Control layout: Volume 1, volume 2, master tone

Hardware

• Bridge type: Fixed
• Bridge design: 4-Saddle adjustable
• Tuning machines: Open-geared
• Color: Nickel/chrome

Other

• Number of strings: 4
• Pickguard: Yes
• Special features: Pickups
• Case: Sold separately
• Country of origin: Mexico

NEW GEAR (June 2020): Ibanez SRMD200 Mezzo Bass (medium scale)

Fast forward to June 2020. I had seen the Ibanez Mezzo bass every time I went to Guitar Center and noticed that it was a shorter scale bass too. Technically, it's a medium scale bass (32" inch scale length), something you don't see that often. 

I rarely buy instruments from the Guitar Center sales floor (for reasons I won't go into), so I found this one online on Reverb through Cream City Music. AND, I got it in a bundle deal for the same price I would pay for only the bass at Guitar Center. 

Ibanez basses are known for their quality (in every price range), so I didn't worry that the low price would mean a low-quality instrument. This bass plays and sounds great right out of the box. Plus, with the bundle deal, I got a nice Gator gig bag, a cable, and cleaning cloth. I chose the Sea Foam Pearl Green color, but it's more of a blue color in person. There are several color options, however, if greens and blues aren't your preferred colors. 

"A departure from the usual SR Bass design, the Mezzo features a Poplar body, 32" medium scale neck, and a B10 bridge for plenty of tuning stability and adjustable intonation. With its Dynamix pickups and Ibanez Custom Electronics 2-band EQ, you have full control over your amplified tone. This is an excellent bass all around for the beginner or experienced musicians." Cream City Music description on Reverb. Buy the bundle here for $299.

See the specs from Ibanez here. 

NEW GEAR (May 2020): VINTAGE 1976 Fender Musicmaster Bass

 

 

    After my disappointment with the Ibanez Artcore bass, I found an amazing little gem at the Shoals Guitar Boutique (Muscle Shoals, AL) when I took the Ibanez up there to place on consignment. 

I spotted the short scale Fender Musicmaster right away--mostly because there are only a few basses in the shop and because I can spot a short scale bass from a mile away at this point. It was my husband's turn to buy some gear, but he didn't find anything he was in love with (in his price range, anyway), so my 16-year-old son (who is an avid guitarist now) and I took home vintage gear instead. 

This 1976 American-made Fender Musicmaster short scale bass has an alder body and maple neck...and is ridiculously comfortable to play. The action was set low (how I like it) and it already had flat wound strings on it, so I was set. It also came with its original case, so that was a plus too. Oh, and I payed less than $1000 for it--so there's that. 

Over five months later, I'm still loving this bass. It plays a lot like my Fender Mustang bass, but is lighter in weight. Technically, this is my first vintage bass, so I plan on hanging on to it forever. 

NEW GEAR (March 2020): Ibanez AGB260 Semi-Hollow Body Bass (Short Scale)

 

Like everyone else on the planet, I've had a lot going on since March, so I'm just now updating my blog. I bought an Ibanez AGB260 Bass (30" short scale) in March, mostly because I didn't have a semi-hollow body bass in my collection, and this one happened to also be a short scale bass. 

After replacing the round wound strings with flat wounds, I could start getting an idea about this bass' potential. I played it off and on for a month or so before deciding I didn't like it-- at all. 

Out of all my short scale basses (12 total, to date), this is the ONLY one I haven't liked.

 Here are the reasons: 1) The large body hurts my right arm when I'm sitting (which is mostly how I play). 2) The neck is wider than I like and my fretting hand starts cramping quickly when I play complicated bass lines. 3) It really doesn't sound that great--even with D'Addario Chrome flat wound strings on it. 

Those are all deal breakers for me, so I'm attempting to sell it at the Shoals Guitar Boutique in Muscle Shoals, AL (as of May 2020), but no bites yet.

This bass is beautiful...and I really wish that I didn't hate everything else about it, but there it is. 

Specs from Ibanez can be found here. 

Are Short-Scale Basses Having a Moment? 7 Awesome Options | Reverb

New Gear for Valentines Day: Ibanez Talman TMB30 (short scale) Bass

For Valentines Day, I picked up an Ibanez Talman TMB30 short-scale bass in mint green (one of my favorite colors). Other than the Mikro bass that they make (which my daughter has), I didn't realize they made any other short-scale basses until I saw this one on a Youtube video.

My first bass was an Ibanez SDGR SR500 (with Bartolini pickups) and almost every Ibanez bass I've bought has been incredible right out of the box. In fact, for several years, I only played Ibanez basses because of how fast the necks were (in the SDGR series) and the quality of the instruments in general.

I bought multiple Fender basses that I was very displeased with--quality-wise--and all of them cost more than my Ibanez basses. (Until I bought my Fender Mustang bass a couple years ago, I had lost all faith in Fender.)

The Ibanez Talman Series basses start at the TMB30 model and end at the TMB2000--ranging in price from $189.99 to $1599.99

I bought mine during a sale for $179.99. I've mentioned this several times before, but up until a few ago, I wouldn't have considered buying an instrument this cheap--for the most obvious reason: you get what you pay for (usually) when it comes to instruments.

I've played basses this cheap before and 99% of the time, the quality (and sound) just didn't cut it. After starting my short-scale bass collection, however, I've started shifting my way of thinking. Does that mean that all cheap basses are quality? That's a big heck no, but some are worth taking a second glance at.

Ibanez is known for producing quality instruments--even in their lower line series, so I took a chance and put the Talman TMB30 in my Musician's Friend cart.

True to Ibanez standards, the bass arrived set up perfectly and was playable right out of the box. (I will be replacing the round wound strings with tape wounds, however).

My only complaint about this bass is the neck thickness and width.

A SDGR neck has a width of 38 mm (at the nut) and a 19.5mm thickness (at the 1st fret)--while the TMB30 has a neck width of 41mm (at the nut) and a 21.5 mm thickness (at the 1st fret). This may not seem like a big jump, but it beefs the neck up just enough to be uncomfortable for those of us with not-so-large hands (which is half the point of playing a short-scale bass). I'm not sure if this larger neck is to help balance the instrument or what...but I sure wish Ibanez would've had the neck comparable to the SDGR series.

(Spec-wise, Musician's Friend has the body of the TMB30 listed as mahogany, but when I check the Ibanez site for this bass, it says the wood is poplar, so that's what I'm going with.)

Body: Poplar
Neck: Maple
Fretboard: Jatoba
Passive Pickups: Dynamix P, Dynamix J
Scale length: 30"



(Bass demo starts at 2:31 on the video)