Newark Street Starfire Bass

SFIV1967

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Also, there is still the "buy vintage" option! Even if that is a more expensive option, especially being in Europe.
Ralf
 

fronobulax

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Also, there is still the "buy vintage" option! Even if that is a more expensive option, especially being in Europe.
Ralf

Well mavuser seems to have some kind of animal magnetism that attracts sunbursts, but naturals, black and the elusive green are comparatively rare, especially compared to the iconic red.
 

lungimsam

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Well, if it sounds as good as I am hoping it will, I don't think I will have a problem buying a sunburst or a II later.
I am thinking Sweetwater, because none of my local shoppes carry it to try. At least I can see pics on Sweetwater.
I like the 1.5 nut width and 30.75 scale length. Hoping it will be more comfy than my Pbass neck.
 

fronobulax

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FWIW, my hand would cramp up playing my roommate's P bass - way back when. I stuck to my JS and thought my problem was with the long scale length. Fast forward, I play a Pilot and end up buying one. No cramps. Conclusion - neck profile is more important to my hand comfort than scale length. So I would expect others who find the P bass uncomfortable would be happier with the Starfire (or JS or M85) neck.
 

fronobulax

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Put in several hours of playing time with the NS over the weekend - a combination of accompanying singing, practicing, rehearsing and jamming with a couple for guitar players. In this context I am often seated 5 to 10 feet from my amp and so will use the volume control on the bass to adjust levels. For whatever reason, the bass was barely audible until the knob was at 7. Since it tops out at 10 there is not a lot of range to play with. I feel like the '67 gave me a little more to play with in similar situations so, until I investigate further I am going to chalk this one up as a case where the vintage clearly wins.

I understand that there is a used set of TI Flats headed my way so the PU questions may soon be answered.

Did anyone play one at LMG IV or have comments about KK's sound when he was playing?
 
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Hey all,

I played the demo model at LMG IV, and I was quite impressed. I just did a quick run through of a few Airplane tunes with the treble on the bass turned completely off, amp set flat with a slight drop on the highs (10K+) to try and emulate flats. I had to play upside-down, because I'm lefty, but it sure sounded good to me.
 

fronobulax

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Hey all,

I played the demo model at LMG IV, and I was quite impressed. I just did a quick run through of a few Airplane tunes with the treble on the bass turned completely off, amp set flat with a slight drop on the highs (10K+) to try and emulate flats. I had to play upside-down, because I'm lefty, but it sure sounded good to me.

Welcome and thanks.

I'm coming to the conclusion that with the tone at max and the roundwounds, I just don't like the sound of the NS bass. My initial (in the store) reaction was "thin" and I keep coming back to that conclusion. There is a set of flats incoming which should assist me in forming or revising my opinion.

In my fantasy world I can sometimes believe my '67 in my hands sounds like Casady on Bless Its Pointed Little Head and I have yet to recreate that fantasy with the Newark Street. Sounds like a project for the weekend.
 

Happy Face

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Frono - From an old book I have enjoyed since childhood, called "Father Goose, His Book." As I recall it, "Tic-tock, tick tock. Can't you hear our friend the clock?"

Just getting a wee bit curious, ya know. But then, life has a way of getting in the way of things now & then.
 

gilded

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Does anybody know what the tone cap value is on the NS Bass?
 

fronobulax

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Last week was not the weekend I planned on. But the flats are here so what is missing is my time. Washington has a bye week so I won't be distracted by football this weekend. As for tone cap, I don't know but if I have the right mirrors I might be able to see something.
 

fronobulax

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Frono - From an old book I have enjoyed since childhood, called "Father Goose, His Book." As I recall it, "Tic-tock, tick tock. Can't you hear our friend the clock?"

Just getting a wee bit curious, ya know. But then, life has a way of getting in the way of things now & then.

Actually, I did record the NS w/rounds and the SF with flats last weekend. What slowed the project down is when I played back, there are all sorts of extraneous sounds that come from bad technique that I never hear with an amp or with an ensemble but stick out in a painful fashion when recording just a bass with the PU wide open. It is taking me some time to convince myself that folks will ignore my sloppy playing if I just get something out there that starts to answer the question.
 

Happy Face

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I harken back to a quote I first read on the old DudePit.


The quote:

"Good bass players' tracks always sound noisy when soloed. Chuck Rainey's tracks sound like someone's working on a Buick in the background. But plug it into the mix, and the magic is there."
 
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gilded

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Chuck Rainey has a Buick? That's how rumors get started, you know. :)

Veer aside, I completely agree with Mr. Happy's comment.
 

mgod

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Well, I played one through an actual bass amp finally, and I'm disappointed.
 

fronobulax

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Well, I played one through an actual bass amp finally, and I'm disappointed.

Would a string change vary that opinion? I almost left it in the store because "tinny" was the word that kept coming to mind and most everybody here agrees that the comparisons would be more useful with flats.
 

guildman63

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Hey all,

I played the demo model at LMG IV, and I was quite impressed. I just did a quick run through of a few Airplane tunes with the treble on the bass turned completely off, amp set flat with a slight drop on the highs (10K+) to try and emulate flats. I had to play upside-down, because I'm lefty, but it sure sounded good to me.

That was my Henriksen Jazz Amp you were playing through, and I thought it sounded great as well! So good, in fact, that I am tempted to buy one...even though I have never played bass :hypnotysed:
 
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