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My basses all have a different feel and playing character to them. This helps to push me in different playing directions depending on which instrument I'm using.
Clockwise from bottom: Music Man Dargie Delight II Big Al,
1965 Fender Precision, Dave Maize ABG,
Peavey Foundation, Music Man Stingray,
Warwick Corvette, Lightwave Saber, Pedulla Buzz,
Ibanez BTB575.
Frets? The Fender, StingRay, Big Al, and Ibanez
have frets; the others are fretless.
This bass has a beautiful cherry sunburst finish. Bought new in 1991. It's equipped with Bartolini PJ pickups and their TBIBT active buffered circuit. Active controls are volume/blend/bass/treble. This bass really sings with a clean fretless tone. Weighs 9lb9oz.
I bought this new in 1996 as a replacement for the Pedulla Buzz which disappeared in August 1996. (The happy ending is that the Pedulla was taken accidentally by another player, when I was at a busy music-jam party; its case looked like one of his, and the instrument ended up in storage for 13 months. When I got it back I paid back the insurance company.) Weighs 8lb10oz.
This instrument plays wonderfully and has a deep, solid fretless tone. Typically with a mass-produced instrument — especially one at a low price point — there can be quite a variation between samples. I was lucky to have found a great one. With its passive soapbar pickups, it's like a fretless Fender Jazz on steroids. Passive controls are volume/volume/tone like a Fender.
I bought this bass used in December 2006. This bass is unique because it uses an optical pickup system; there are no magnetic pickups at all. There are also piezo pickups in the bridge, which can be blended with the optical output. Active controls are volume/bass/mid/treble, and "Ice Tone" piezo level. A toggle switch alters the tone much like a neck/bridge pickup selector. Weighs 7lb2oz.
Strung with Thomastik-Infeld JF344 flatwounds, the bass has a bit of an upright tone. They're low-tension strings, so it isn't an instrument for digging in hard.
For further info about the instrument, see the Lightwave web site.
The "growling beast" in the stable, acquired used in Jul 2006. I replaced the original MEC passive single-coil pickups with dual-coil passive DiMarzio Model-J's in Sep 2008. These pickups stay faithful to the original Warwick tone without the single-coil buzz. I can play lightly or really cut loose on this one. The bubinga body is fairly heavy; it weighs 10lb4oz. Passive controls are volume/blend/tone.
The Corvette Standard is now made in Korea; mine is one of the German-made ones.
This hand-made instrument looks and sounds beautiful; it was bought new direct from Dave's shop. This instrument, bought new in 1995, was one he had just completed. It has a nice, full acoustic sound and also sounds great when amplified. Weighs 6lb14oz.
The pickup is the active Highlander system, originally designed by Rick Turner (and others?) with no controls at the instrument.
The woods are a redwood top, Oregon black walnut sides & back, black tuners and bridge saddle. The fingerboard is made from black phenolic. It has the newer Highlander IP-2 preamp, which has a second channel for an optional internal microphone.
Dave Maize's fretted bass was reviewed in Bass Player magazine, in the December 1993 issue. You can read my review too if you wish, or view more photos of the fretted model.
This bass, with an original October-1964 "C" neck, was built in early 1965, making it one of the last ones made before CBS began making changes to the company. The factory often stockpiled finished necks for several months, grabbing one of those necks to complete an instrument. The neck date suggests this instrument was completed in the first quarter of 1965.
I bought this bass used in 1973, when it was included with a used VOX Essex bass amp I was buying. I didn't really think I needed a bass — what I needed at the time was the amplifier — but I bought the pair. I sold the amp about ten years later, and naturally kept the bass. This has turned out to be one of the better purchase decisions I've ever made. Weighs 9lb exactly. Passive controls are volume and tone.
When I got the bass, it had a poorly-done white refinish job. In 1976, I stripped it and applied a natural mahogany stain and black pickguard (somewhat like a Gibson EB0 with a satin finish). It plays smoothly and quietly, with a nice low action. This instrument still occasionally surprises me with the sheer power of its 40-year-old pickups, especially when recording.
In August 2006, I had it professionally stripped and refinished in a faded early-60s sunburst, I restored the original tortoise pickguard, and it got some light "relic" aging. The refinish, done by Mark Jenny, is documented on my Fender Bass Refinish page.
Bought used in June 2009. This bass left the factory on 11 Jul 2002 and was shipped to Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. It was later traded to a player in central Texas. In June 2009 it pretty much came home; I live 38 miles from the Musicman factory! Active controls are volume/bass/mid/treble. Weighs 9lb8oz.
This bass is a monster tone machine! Why did it take me over thirty years to try one? At one of my first gigs with it, I played like never before. I had been working on two-note chords on the D/G strings, and with the Stingray they seemed easier than usual. With minor adjustments to the tone controls (especially the midrange) and right-hand position, I can get whatever tone I want. With boosted mids, that Stingray growl jumps right out onstage. By boosting bass a tad and playing nearer the neck, I can get a vintage tone, even a decent upright-like thump.
The oddest thing to me was that I began fretting notes with my pinky, which I've never done since I began playing in 1970! That's going to improve my playing...
The Big Al has a retro-looking body, three single-coil pickups (with hum-cancelling coils), and eight ways to select them. Not counting the active/passive switch.
The Dargie Delight II limited edition model has an ebony fingerboard with abalone inlays, and a metallic green/orange color-changing paint. As the light changes, the color shifts. (You can see a little of the effect in the photo above.) It's definitely an eye-catcher, and there are a multitude of tones possible. This bass was made on 04 September 2009, and I bought it used in brand-new condition on April 2010. Controls are volume, passive tone, active bass/lo-mid/hi-mid/treble. It has an active/passive button, as well as three pickup-selector buttons; these give eight combinations of pickup choice. Weighs 10lb exactly.
My first foray into a fiver in forty years. I bought this used in September 2010. It's equipped with the 18v Bartolini MK-2 system. At 11lb1oz, it's the heaviest of the bunch. Active controls are volume, pan, bass, mid, and treble. 35-inch neck-through construction, 19mm string spacing at the bridge.
The Ibanez web page shows the newer BTB775, which appears identical to my 2009 model, except for the finish. Mine has a nice transparent charcoal finish.
The Buzz, Foundation, and Warwick still have the now-discontinued D'Addario SHR71 stainless half-round strings; the Fender and Maize have the current ENR71 nickel half-rounds.
The Lightwave, StingRay and Big Al are strung with Thomastik-Infeld JF344 Jazz Flats.
The Ibanez has Ernie Ball Super Slinky nickel roundwounds.