What does a bass player who has served time in Rage Against The Machine, Audioslave, Wakrat, Future User and Prophets Of Rage need from a signature bass guitar? Not simply power and tones, no. In one of two exclusives for Bass Player this month, we get the first look at Tim Commerford’s new, strictly limited-edition Ernie Ball Music Man StingRay, and we put it through its paces, examining a couple of innovations along the way that will definitely be of interest to you. This is no ordinary bass, believe us.
We also present you with the first review of Fender’s new Player Plus Precision, announced just before we went to press. Now, we’re as wary as you are about ‘new’ versions of old basses, and we’re keenly aware that Fender have been adding variants of their classic bass designs to their roster with increasing frequency over the years, so we were deliberately strict with our test. See our verdict on page 48.