I had a new addition this week. My Kingston Super 5 was getting lonely, or maybe it was upset because people had to comment on the big humbuckers!
It’s only been here like 2 weeks, and I’ve been playing it A LOT., but I want to keep it very happy. So, when a ZX5 shipped in from New York the family morale really boosted up.
The Bartolinis are much slimmer, and they are very sensitive too… please don’t make fun of them until they’ve had some time to acclimate.
I think I’m set on fretted Basses for a while. My Peavey TL5 is probably going up for sale if anyone’s interested.
GAS in full effect. I have had my Squier Affinity for 3 weeks and came across this Mustang. I tried it out and it felt right. I have small hands so the short scale feels very good to me.
does it have the adjustable mutes on the bridge? My sister had a mustang when we were teenagers and it had the mutes, small foam pads on the bridge and you could raise and lower according to how much ringing out you wanted.
About 1 month ago, I started my shopping for a new 5 string. I don’t live in a place where I can test instruments very easily, and in these recent times I’m unlikely to drive 4 to 8 hours to a city. So, I spent a lot of time on the phone and internet checking things out. I thought I was going to purchase a Spector, or a Warwick with about a $3k budget. (Modulus, Ken Smith, and Alembic —even used are still out of budget or super hard to find)
I couldn’t quite stomach the thought of spending that much without playing one first, and I really wanted the 3 band active EQ. I discovered MTDs Kingston series., and the Super 5 fit the bill. I love the neck and body shape and reach /feel are great. I do have pretty large hands.
That gave me the confidence to find a ZX, and make the plunge.
I’ve done setups on both and have put the same DR Pure Blues on each. I’m trying to keep them playing/feeling basically the same. So, now I can switch between either for travel or gigs, or outside play. Both basses seem to be amazing instruments. The Super 5 is basically half the price of the ZX, so I don’t mind putting some more wear and tear on that one.
Both basses offer a variety of tones that will play in an any genre of music I need.
I can only imagine what a MTD US made bass plays like, and I’m anxious to try one when the chance presents itself. It might be the next upgrade unless I find the right double bass or fretless!
I’ve had a lot of Fenders over the ages … still have 4 (3 MIA and 1 MIM) and I can say there’s nothing wrong with most MIM ones. I had one very bad one (Telecaster Classic 50) but I don’t think it was because it was made in Mexico, just a bad instrument, it happens. most MIM Fender are good instruments, except for the pickups (but I don’t like the MIA Fender pickups neither) in my opinion. there are a few (rare) exceptions, some models with very good pickups. but really it’s an exception.
I Finally got the pearlized pick guard that @BassFaceDisgrace recommended, and I’m loving it. I decided to skip the bridge mod and pickups for now. @Terb shared rigorous research and high quality data in a thread about high mass bridges that helped with my decision to forego the mod (at least for now): https://forum.bassbuzz.com/t/fender-and-bridges/3471/32. Couple that with YouTube videos that aren’t convincing to me about tone improvements, as well as Geddy Lee’s Big Beautiful Book of Bass testimony, it may not be necessary for a hobbyist like myself (page 397: “…I started using Badasses to solve an intonation problem with my Rickenbackers, and got some extra sustain in the bargain. For the longest time I believed that Badasses would add sustain to every instrtument I put them on, but more recently, with such a wondrous array of Jazz Basses at my fingertips, one of the things that Skully and I have learned through close comparison is that strictly in terms of sustain, there’s not that much difference between the Badass and the traditional Fender bridge.”).
As for pickups, I really enjoy the tone that I’m getting out of the MIM player series P-ups, so for now, I’m going to wait until I grow tired of them. I did raise the bridge to get more quack like @JoshFossgreen did with his vintage modified jazz bass, and I also installed strap locks on the bass cause I like to jump around a bit
Next up, I’m going to try some flatwound strings! I like what @PamPurrs says about them, and being that I’ve only tried rounds, you never know until you try… Of course, tapewounds after that
Haha, thanks! I just read what you wrote previously about the MIM pups. One day, I’ll change them For the pups, I’m thinking Seymour Duncan quarter pounders, since I like heavier music, and they’re still extremely versatile.
