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Alembic Club » Miscellaneous » Archive: 2009 » Archive through February 25, 2009 » I put a Maestro Bass Brassmaster on ebay « Previous Next »

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hifiguy
Intermediate Member
Username: hifiguy

Post Number: 159
Registered: 10-2006
Posted on Saturday, February 14, 2009 - 5:58 pm:   Edit Post

Bought the thing new 35 years ago, and it sat in closets for the last 30. Basically it sounded like a very loud wet fart when in action.

Someone bought it today.

For over NINE HUNDRED DOLLARS. I am totally gobsmacked/stunned/freaked. A cheesy sounding 1970s stomp box. Nine hundred fish. I am thrilled, but what is the attraction? Why would anyone pay that kind of money for the thing?

Someone is bull goose crazy here and I am pretty sure it's him.
crobbins
Advanced Member
Username: crobbins

Post Number: 220
Registered: 6-2004
Posted on Saturday, February 14, 2009 - 7:51 pm:   Edit Post

Cheers! :-)
bassman10096
Senior Member
Username: bassman10096

Post Number: 1200
Registered: 7-2003
Posted on Sunday, February 15, 2009 - 9:02 am:   Edit Post

And they say people are unwilling to spend in this economy!

Congratulations on finding just the, er...enthusiast you were looking for.
davehouck
Moderator
Username: davehouck

Post Number: 7548
Registered: 5-2002
Posted on Sunday, February 15, 2009 - 10:24 am:   Edit Post

There were three different people bidding over $800. Another recently sold for $550. There is one currently up to $405 with two days to go. There are two reviews at Harmony Central, both of which are 10's. Apparently there are people out there that really like this pedal. Further research suggests that at some point Chris Squire was using one. In another article, Ralphe Armstrong says he used one. Here is Friedland demoing a clone.
hifiguy
Intermediate Member
Username: hifiguy

Post Number: 161
Registered: 10-2006
Posted on Sunday, February 15, 2009 - 10:58 am:   Edit Post

The B:Assmaster sounds a LOT better than my old Maestro ever did. The bandmate who handled my Ebay sale said he tried it with his guitar and my Hiwatt and that he loved it. Oh well, I can always pick up a Malekko pedal if I ever miss that sound, and I probably will, someday.
terryc
Senior Member
Username: terryc

Post Number: 711
Registered: 11-2004
Posted on Sunday, February 15, 2009 - 2:05 pm:   Edit Post

well I was offered 200 pounds sterling a few years ago for a 1974 Colorsound Tonebender Fuzz unit, I think cost me about 13 pounds back then.
I am reluctant to sell because my mother bought me it as a Christmas present.
This old gear fetches really silly prices
jazzyvee
Senior Member
Username: jazzyvee

Post Number: 1347
Registered: 6-2002
Posted on Monday, February 16, 2009 - 4:08 am:   Edit Post

I just had a look at that clip and , forgive my ignorance here, but wouldn't a bass played with distortion/overdrive at volume risk causing damage to the speakers more so than being played cleanly?

I've never got my head round why anyone would want such a distorted sound from a bass guitar.

Educate me.... i'm all ears.
keith_h
Senior Member
Username: keith_h

Post Number: 1225
Registered: 2-2005
Posted on Monday, February 16, 2009 - 4:35 am:   Edit Post

To sound like Jack Bruce.
hieronymous
Senior Member
Username: hieronymous

Post Number: 529
Registered: 1-2005
Posted on Monday, February 16, 2009 - 4:39 am:   Edit Post

Actually, playing with distortion tends to compress the signal, so I would guess that you would actually be less likely to damage speakers because you don't get as many volume spikes.

I personally am a fan of distorted bass, and tend to use it (overuse it?) a lot in my own music:

over there

Almost all of the bass tracks are an old Gibson Melody Maker bass through either a Fulltone Bass Drive, the first short solo is through the Hao bass distortion, and the longer solo is through the Black Cat Bass Octave Distortion which is a Brassmaster clone.

The Brassmaster (or at least the clones that I've used) is interesting - it can be used as an octave-up style distortion, but you have to set the gain just right and play above the 12th fret to get the octave to pop out, and it gives a thin, reedy kind of sound. But Ed Friedland in that clip just cranks the gain so it just sounds like an over-the-top fuzz.
olieoliver
Senior Member
Username: olieoliver

Post Number: 2074
Registered: 2-2006
Posted on Monday, February 16, 2009 - 6:28 am:   Edit Post

No offense meant Paul, but those things sucked when they were new. "Wet fart" pretty much sums it up.
I bought one back in the 70's tried it once and haven't seen it since.

OO
(Maybe I should see if I still have it somewhere. I could use $900) :-)
olieoliver
Senior Member
Username: olieoliver

Post Number: 2077
Registered: 2-2006
Posted on Monday, February 16, 2009 - 8:41 am:   Edit Post

I've never was a fan of distortion on Bass jazzyvee until about 5 or 6 years ago when I started playing more lead style bass in some songs. I still dig the clean punch while playing grooves but distortion and effects can add some cool flavor during a solo.

OO
hifiguy
Intermediate Member
Username: hifiguy

Post Number: 162
Registered: 10-2006
Posted on Monday, February 16, 2009 - 12:58 pm:   Edit Post

LOL! No offense taken, olie. I only bought the thing because my hero of the era (and still an influence, though much less of one) Chris Squire, had one. And yeah, it did occasionally make me sound a little more like Jack Bruce, my first and most enduring bass hero. I remember using the beast on "Detroit Rock City" in the cover band I played in back on those days of yore. Now that was fun. :-)

If you can find yours, by all means sell it. It is morally wrong to allow someone dumb enough to pay bux that big for something that stoopid to keep their money.

Cool solo, hieronymous!
olieoliver
Senior Member
Username: olieoliver

Post Number: 2091
Registered: 2-2006
Posted on Monday, February 16, 2009 - 1:57 pm:   Edit Post

It's the Ameican Way!.

OO

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