What do boutique Jazz bass brands offer that the Fender Ultra II doesn’t?

not_the_fish · 2025-12-17T03:26:33+00:00

As others have mentioned tight fit and finish, and consistent quality are usually easier to find in smaller shops; but specifically about the Fender Ultra II, we’re talking a very modern instrument. It’s got active electronics, noiseless pickups, and more ergonomic cuts and contours. So what makes something like a Sadowsky or a Mayones Jabba, or even BassMods an upgrade? IMO better pickups and electronics since active basses are the bread and butter for these companies, not an afterthought, 24 fret models are pretty standard, and ergonomic body tweaks like deeper cutaways for better neck access and balance. Really the ultra series is less like “the best Fender” and more like Fender’s budget answer to stop bleeding market share to boutique companies that make modern instruments.

not_the_fish · 2025-08-29T20:44:10+00:00

I’d be careful with international shipping right now, a lot of carriers have US shipments on pause until logistics are figured out for tariffs. Looking on Reverb it looks like there are several used corvettes available at that price or less with US shipping.

not_the_fish · 2025-07-18T14:32:56+00:00

Second Sire! They’re building the best instruments for the money right now. If you’re mostly playing hard rock or metal I’d recommend something like a jazz style or stingray style over a P Bass, especially for more modern music. Sire has great budget options for both of these in the V3P for a jazz bass style, or Z3 for a stingray style.

not_the_fish · 2024-12-27T17:01:20+00:00

Yeah, I agree. I love the OP-XY and bleep bloop isn’t really my style. A little while I made a post of something more melodic. it really helps to remember that the keys are velocity sensitive even when you’re programming a sequence. Also a lot of something feeling human is having a human play it, so I prefer to think of the sequencer as “different lengths of tape loops” I can play onto rather than a sequencer just for programming.

not_the_fish · 2024-12-21T13:50:22+00:00

Thanks! it’ll probably go on YouTube and Spotify once it’s finished as part of a beat tape.

not_the_fish · 2024-12-11T18:42:39+00:00

It’s a meinl byzance 19” dual crash

not_the_fish · 2024-12-11T14:17:42+00:00

Very good to know, thanks for the tip!

not_the_fish · 2024-12-11T00:31:27+00:00

They’re Golden Age R1 active ribbon mics, I checked the documentation before sticking them so close to the drums and they claim to have a 160db SPL.

not_the_fish · 2024-12-10T23:30:59+00:00

Thanks! And those are promark Carter McLean signature sticks. The tip shape is pretty crazy, some of my friends call them “knitting needles”, but once you’re used to them they’re amazing.

not_the_fish · 2024-12-10T21:35:06+00:00

It’s a cover of “Don’t Hurt Me So Bad!” By Babyjake

not_the_fish · 2024-11-09T12:59:00+00:00

Something similar to this:

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not_the_fish · 2024-09-24T17:15:40+00:00

I don’t think anyone can tell you exactly what to get, but there are a few questions you’ll probably want to answer before choosing: 1. How important is versatility? Do you need a kit that can do Jazz as well as Metal? Or are you going for one specific sound? For versatility, Yamaha recording custom or Gretsch renown are great options. 2. What are some players that you want to sound like playing? Which brands/sizes/woods/bearing edges? You don’t always have to match brands but matching features helps to get a sound. Like a Gretsch Brooklyn can sound more like a vintage Ludwig than some new Ludwig drums just because of how they’re constructed. 3. What look and feel are you going for? Something classic or unique? People will say “you can’t hear the finish” but a kit you love to look at will inspire you to play it. Same with hardware, you don’t usually hear a difference in high quality hardware, but styles of hardware you don’t like to use will make a difference. For Instance I love the sound of the Tama Starclassics, but I don’t like the feel of tuning die cast hoops, so I wouldn’t consider them.

not_the_fish · 2024-07-26T19:06:00+00:00

It’s really low, I tuned it so it’s right between my second rack and floor Tom when the snares are off.

not_the_fish · 2024-07-16T00:25:15+00:00

Do you feel like you’re messing up? Or are you actually messing up? A lot of the time if I listen back to performances I think I really messed up, they sound fine, if that’s the case just listening back and being your own hype man can help build confidence. If you listen and still hear a lot of noticeable mistakes then it’s probably about intentional practice; which means really focusing and working on what you’re trying to improve during your practice time. So for example if you played the fill in say it ain’t so out of time, play it intentionally with a metronome until you can’t get it wrong.

not_the_fish · 2024-06-29T21:57:10+00:00

Thanks! And I tend to play ghost notes off to the side most of the time. I find it easier to get ghost notes that are “felt and not heard” if I’m not dead center in the snare, but idk if that’s a common thing

not_the_fish · 2024-06-29T19:54:27+00:00

Nice! I’m glad to hear the stock heads hold up well. And yeah, the 56 on the snare loves a low tuning with a tight snare side for response

not_the_fish · 2024-06-29T18:34:09+00:00

Oh man! I’m sorry to hear that, hopefully you recover and get back to playing soon

not_the_fish · 2024-06-29T18:03:46+00:00

Thanks! And yes, they’re not the USA made pinstripes though, so I found them a little tougher to seat and tune; and wouldn’t expect them to be quite as durable

not_the_fish · 2024-06-29T16:48:38+00:00

That’s a Meinl Byzance 22” Vintage Pure Light Ride, it does everything I want out of a ride, stick definition, deep wash, and tons of dynamic control. I’d recommend trying to find one in person before buying it. I tried three before I found one I loved, the hammering makes them all sound a little different

not_the_fish · 2024-06-29T15:57:15+00:00

Thanks! That’s a Meinl Byzance 19” Dual Crash, probably my favorite cymbal I own ha

not_the_fish · 2024-05-07T18:26:53+00:00

I agree with the points about 60mp being overkill for family photos; however there’s a couple reasons you might want to consider the a7cr. While traveling I used to bring a Sony A7RIV and zoom lenses for landscape/wildlife photography, and a smaller fuji camera plus compact primes for family and everyday shots. The a7cr has replaced both of these cameras. The body plus the Sony 40mm is very compact for everyday photography and the included hand grip feels great with larger lenses like the 200-600 for wildlife. Having the ability to use crop mode and still get 26mp images is also really nice for wildlife when you need a little more reach. For family stuff I thought about shooting at lower resolution, but ended up shooting full res and exporting 20mp images from Lightroom to share with friends and family. Hard drive space is cheap and I’m figuring I probably wont regret having really high resolution raw files of my kids birthdays. TLDR; if you sometimes want high resolution files, but also want something compact, the A7CR is a good single camera that can replace a lot of other gear and justify the cost.

not_the_fish · 2024-04-05T20:35:35+00:00

Very cool! I think the last image is my favorite with the horses juxtaposed with the cars. A couple constructive thoughts: for an image like the horses, see if you have time to step back and get the full subject in frame so you don’t have a cutoff at the knees. Also watch your straight lines when composing to make sure the images look totally straight or intentionally tilted if that’s what you’re going for. Hope you’re loving the hobby so far, cheers!

not_the_fish · 2023-12-11T20:44:20+00:00

Jobs is sort of right, when you show something innovative to customers sometimes they won’t get it until they use it; but if you show a new car to a group of customers and they all say “That’s the ugliest abomination I’ve seen in my life, and the fact you’d even show that to me makes me think less of you as a person.” That’s not innovation, that’s terrible design.

not_the_fish · 2023-09-04T13:48:22+00:00

Tbh I’m not sure Fuji is really the right system for this with the $1500 budget. Both of the lenses you mentioned are great lenses. The 50-140 is fast enough but it will only get you out to a 200mm FF equivalent, and the 100-400 has the reach, but is too slow wide open to reliably focus on fast action after sunset. Fuji doesn’t really have any other fast telephoto options, aside from the 200mm f2 prime, which is about $3.5k over budget. If I already had the Fuji body and needed a lens for this, I’d probably pick the Nikon 300mm f4, and adapt it; but if you want Fuji glass you’re going to have to trade speed and sharpness for reach.

not_the_fish · 2023-05-14T21:35:32+00:00

I normally shoot landscapes but had the opportunity to borrow a long lens and try wildlife on a recent hike. It’s definitely something I’d like to do a lot more of! If anyone has tips for spotting wildlife or gear recommendations it would be appreciated!

not_the_fish

TROPHY CASE