NEW Gear Coming! Christmas basses and a pedal

This year, I asked Santa for some new gear! I won't be posting any reviews until after Christmas since these new items are gifts.

Both basses are short scale and were less than $300, so I'm interested to see how they feel and hear how they sound with my current amp setup.

I played the Ibanez parlor bass briefly at Guitar Center and then ordered one through Reverb (for 15% less than GC price).

I've never played Luna Guitars, so their short scale bass will be a first for me. (I can say that it is a heavy bass for being a short scale!)


Stay tuned!

Here's what's coming:

Great FREE website for Beginner Bassists: Online Bass Courses.com

https://www.onlinebasscourses.com/free-bass-lessons/

Since I've started teaching bass guitar, I'm always looking for free online resources to pass along to my students. I ran across this site today, Online Bass Courses, and after watching several videos and getting the free ebook, I can definitely recommend it for not only beginner bassists, but also intermediate bassists as well.

We can all learn something new to improve our playing, so I'll be a frequent visitor to this site myself.

New Gear: Hofner Ignition Club Bass

Body of the Hofner Ignition Club Bass with Rotosound Jazz flatwound strings

Club bass beside Violin bass

Curiosity got the better of me and I ended up ordering the Hofner Ignition Series Club bass to see how it differed in tone from the Hofner Violin bass... since it looks like the same pickups are being used in both basses.

The only difference I've noticed (so far) is the body shape between these two hollow body basses. The Club bass is more comfortable to play sitting down because the body shape isn't awkward like the Violin bass. It also seems a bit more balanced.

Tone-wise, these two pretty much sound identical to me, although I did use Rotosound Jazz flatwound strings on the Club bass and LaBella Beatle Bass flatwounds on the Violin bass. Not sure how much I like the Rotosound flatwounds yet, so I may do a separate post on those in the future after I've gotten a little more mileage on them.

Specs can be found on the Hofner site. Sound Demo video can be found below.

New short scale bass: Gretsch Junior Jet II

 

Anyone who has read my previous blog posts knows I'm a sucker for short scale basses. And, as it turns out, I don't even have to leave home to find a new one to buy. My husband (against his better judgement) sent me a link to a Facebook listing from the Shoals Guitar Boutique (Muscle Shoals, Alabama) for a Gretsch Junior Jet II bass that had just come in on consignment. Knowing I couldn't get up to the shop for another week, I called Don Parker, the owner, and asked him a few questions about this 'like new' short scale bass before buying it over the phone for $225 (MSRP price $429/ Street price $300). The bass came with a nice padded Gretsch gig bag and all original documentation and accessories. 

I picked it up the following week, and after a few minor adjustments to the neck to lower the action (and a new pair of D'Addario nylon tapewound strings), I had this bass up and running. 

I'm always a sceptic when it comes to cheaper basses, but I've been pleasantly surprised with the last few less expensive short scale basses I've purchased (i.e. Hofner Ignition Series Violin bass), so I figured I'd give this one a chance too...and I'm glad I did. This little bass puts out some growl with its humbuckers and is super light--always a plus in my book since I have so many heavy basses. 

What Gretsch says:

“Sporting classic Gretsch appointments, the G2220 Electromatic® Junior Jet Bass is easily capable of filling a room with massive subsonic tones.

Features include a shorter scale (30.3"), walnut fingerboard with 20 medium jumbo frets, two Gretsch mini dual-coil bass humbucking pickups, four-saddle bridge, black pickguard with Gretsch logo, synthetic bone nut and die-cast tuners.” (www.gretschguitars.com)

Find specs on Gretsch Guitars website: https://gretschguitars.com/gear/build/bass/g2220-junior-jet-bass-ii/2514730552

Latest gear: Córdoba Mini ll Bass MH-E

Around 2007, I saw Nathan East playing an acoustic/electric bass guitar at the Crossroads Guitar Festival for the blues song, "If I Had Possession Over Judgement Day" with Eric Clapton. I hadn't ever tried one of these basses, having only played electric and upright bass, so I found a lower line Ibanez model online to try it out. When it arrived, I was more than a bit disappointed. It was big, bulky, and didn't have the sound that I expected from an Ibanez. (That being said, I love Ibanez basses in general--even the cheap ones sound great 99.9% of the time).

So, after only a short period of time, I decided to sell the bass on Ebay...and that was that.

Then, I found the Gold Tone acoustic/electric M-Bass (Microbass) with its rubber Aquila "Thunderguts" strings. I decided on the fretless version of this bass and bought it on a whim. It's super fun to play and ridiculously light. But I don't always want to play fretless, so I felt that I was a bit limited with this bass.

Right before my birthday this year, I noticed that Córdoba had just released an acoustic/electric mini bass. Having owned a Córdoba classical guitar, I knew the quality of even the lower line guitars they produce, so my husband bought me one for my upcoming birthday. I decided on the mahogany version because I lean towards a darker sounding wood...and it was $100 cheaper than the natural spruce option. The bass features an onboard tuner...which is pretty sweet when you consider that it only costs $199.

Sound-wise, the Córdoba Mini ll Bass defies its name. There's nothing mini about the tone or output of this bass. It's great for practicing without an amp...and works just fine in a band setting plugged into an amp. Even with the smaller body, the mahogany body resonates just enough to know you're playing an acoustic.

It doesn't come with a bag/case, but I bought a Córdoba classical guitar padded gig bag for a 1/2 or 3/4 size guitar and that works perfectly. (I think it was around $50).

Full specs for this bass can be found HERE.

New short-scale bass: Fender Classic Player Rascal (Made in 2014)

After over two weeks of moving (not to mention dozens of trips to the dump, donation store, and storage unit), we are finally settled in our new (temporary) digs--which means I can get back to real life--and blogging. 
Last Saturday, we decided to make an impromptu trip to the Shoals Guitar Boutique in Muscle Shoals, Alabama-- a cool guitar boutique about an hour away from our home and right up the street from the legendary FAME Recording Studio. We met the super cool and friendly owner, Don Parker, right after he opened the shop several years ago and we do our best to get up there for visits whenever we can.As usual, I had no intention of buying anything. I just needed a break from the past few weeks' intensive physical labors--and looking at new (and vintage) gear seemed the perfect way to recalibrate. We arrived just as members of the Little Rock, AR band deFrance were about to leave. (I found out a few minutes later that the bassist, Connor, had just bought a vintage Teisco short scale bass--something I definitely would've been interested in). Basses are scarce for the most part when I visit the boutique and this time wasn't much different with the exception of three five-string basses, and a couple of 4-string basses that didn't strike my fancy. Then I saw it--a teal-blue ("Ocean Turquoise" is the official color name) short scale Fender bass with Pearloid pickguard. I already owned the only short scale bass that Fender currently produces, so I quickly looked up this Fender Rascal on my iPhone as Brad plugged it into the closest bass amp. (I always get Brad to test run any bass that I'm looking at. Even after fifteen years, I don't entirely trust my judgment when trying out an instrument in a music store). After a brief search, I learned that the Rascal was indeed a short-scale (though the neck was a bit longer than my Fender Mustang) and that they were a limited Custom Shop design run made in 2014. This was the determining factor for me. When a bass is no longer available, difficult to find used, plays great--and a short scale to boot-- I want it. (Plus, I recently sold my Stagg upright electric bass, so I figured there was no reason not to). Brad replaced the strings with some D'Addario Chrome flatwounds as soon as we got home, cleaning up the fretboard and body with our Dunlop guitar cleaning kit, making this bass play and sound sweeter than it did before. I'm pretty convinced that this will definitely be the most versatile bass (with its five-way switch) that I've ever owned--and did I mention that it's a short scale bass? (Yes, I'm a little obsessed with short scales). 

Here are a few links and videos about the Fender Rascal: Fender's description via Sweetwater

Fender Classic Player Rascal Bass Designed by Master Builder Jason Smith (video)

Fender Rascal Bass Review by Premier Guitars (video)Fender Rascal Bass Review by Premier Guitars (article)

Fender Classic Player Rascal Bass Guitar

Fender Classic Player Rascal Bass Features:

• Custom Shop designed short-scale bass with a wide range of tones
• Seymour Duncan Lipstick pickups deliver a unique, full-range tone
• 5-way switch and push/pull volume knob give you seven pickup choices
• Guild Starfire bridge with barrel saddles provides excellent intonation
• Shorter scale length plays fast and intensifies harmonics in your tone
• The compact alder body
• C-shaped maple neck 
• Rosewood fretboard