Review: Fillmore Ranger Mark I Bass

[Elnjay]

Wow. Just wow.
The Instrument arrived just after 6 PM PST; it's almost 9 PM here in SoCal; so that MAY give a clue as to the quality time I spent with the Bass...

Where to start?
It is Model Mark I Ranger Bass- S/N RGB 003. That's 003, as in; well
Number 3. Which leads me to believe I have an instrument that there may not be a whole lot of around... Cool. Glad I got it, even if I paid through the proverbial nose!

I have to approach my description in the sense that I can't compare it to a "Mosrite" Bass, because I've never played one before- And I'm also aware that I'm in a Forum of VERY dedicated, knowledgeable and serious Mosrite instrument fans who have forgot more than I will probably ever know!
Be that as it may- I am an experienced bassist and I absolutely know quality instruments.

This is one- big time.

So- I can't say how it stacks up to a vintage Mosrite; but my understanding is that the Fillmore at least according to Ed Roman as well as the other info I've picked up on, the Fillmore IS in some ways today's Mosrite. That's a whole other area.

THIS bass is superb- The fit and finish is amazing, the cool factor is off the hook. No sense going on about how awesome Mosrite is in terms of look, feel, and design, that's just preaching to the choir, but at least allow me to comment as a "newbie"-
The German Curve is so nice- subtle yet essential to the design, absolutely great classic design, should be in a Museum, maybe it is!
The neck- makes my Ric 4003 neck feel slow and thick by comparison.

The Pick-Up is extremely high-gain; it got my reference rig to clip at 12 O'Clock Gain, and that is cool!

The bridge is machined superbly, tailpiece awesome, it has Gotoh Kluson-style tuners, the fretwork is immaculate, the rosewood board feels great. The SB finish is smooth and flawless; I recall a post wherein someone felt it lacked showing grain- True, but I understand its basswood, not known or used for grain so much as for tone and weight- Nonetheless- the whole aesthetic is beautiful.
This bass had a NAMM tag wired on, it was there (so was I BTW), and it came in a balck gigbag with plush red interior and enough pockets to make it seem like a Swiss Army knife-The gigbag has a silver "Mosrite of California" Badge in it...

The sound and tone, and I'm gonna connect dots as soon as I can- This design is so amazingly to the point- Volume/Tone, I pup. Roll off treble and you start descending into deep, dark, phat round bass, move it up and you get bell-like clarity, all the tonal spectrum nicely voiced mid-range. The nut/zero fret combination gets that piano-like ring going as well.
If I have an "issue"- its only that the bass is TOO easy for me to play- For Now,that is. Any new instrument requires the player getting familiar with it- laying into it, getting the eq nailed, and finding the "sweet spots" as far as positioning and attack. I think this is particularly true on Bass Guitar; it can require a very physical approach to playing.

I haven't dialed the Mosrite Ranger in yet, but I will, and I had a few moments where it all came together tone wise and the bass was a GIANT- Really strong growl; really rich presence, superb tone- a GREAT Instrument! I can testify to that!

So here's the thing-
On it's own, Fillmore has done a superb job of building a bass guitar- It's construction and hardware and electronics and sound are awesome-
BUT- IF what they did was a great job of recreating what Mr. Mosely designed and intended, and I think that's the concept-
Then HE was a MASTER!
I guess that would pretty much cover it. That design, in it's simplicity is on par with Leo Fender I think. He really designed and built one helluva bass guitar
And if the pickup and electronics in the Fillmore Mosrite are spec'd to original Mosrite specs, then Mr. Mosely was WAY ahead of his time.

The Mark I Ranger is a classic- It's a timeless bass, like a P-Bass or J-Bass, but with it's own unique character- And build-wise and tone-wise it can hang with the most modern up-to-date designs in bass guitars, and probably gives a good number of them a beat-down! This includes a lot of powerful active-electronic equipped models too.

NO WONDER there is a Forum like this, and small wonder these instruments can command so much respect.

So I'm not sure whether I'm reviewing/gushing over a Mosrite or a Fillmore- I THINK it's today's Mosrite built by Fillmore of Japan, spec'd to Semie Mosely's design for a bass guitar.
If that's the case, then he did a superb job of designing and building great instruments, and Fillmore does his instruments justice.

This is one helluva bass guitar.

[dubtrub]

If you want to post photo's, here is a link describing the method I use. Posting photo's

I see in another post that you purchased a red lined bass guitar case off eBay. I purchased one of these for a custom clone that I built (click on the Mosrite logo on my signature line). Those cases are great and are sold by a member of this forum.

[Elnjay]

Saturday night, my time to spend with my girl, Nancy Lee.
Would she understand if I told her that I wanted to kick back and get into my new MOSRITE
Ranger Bass??
NOPE, she'd look at me like I was some type of crazed lunatic about my Bass Guitars and amps...
Hmmmm- Smart Lady!

Anyway, I'll get some pix going ASAP, and also want to share some thoughts about the Fillmore as I get dialed into
playing it- The string spacing is extremely narrow, and the neck, extremely fast- No prob on both counts; simply a matter of getting used to playing and adjusting the attack- From the all-too-brief time I've laid into the bass, I have to say how excited I am about the fact that it is going to be an absolutely awesome sounding tool- It's got the right stuff, no question.

I had asked Roman's about the HSC & they said they would try to order one, but then I saw & called Tony in FLA
after seeing his posting.
I've seen the cases on the Fillmore Japanese website, and they are very cool, and being made by G&G is an absolute assurance of quality.
Got a good deal too, as Ed Roman's cost would have been considerably higher- If he had stock.

I also saw & bought on E-Bay a MOSRITE OF CALIFORNIA strap (!) new in the "box"- also an item I had seen on the Fillmore site. What I need to do is plan a "shopping trip" to Japan to check out the goods.
For anyone interested in the Fillmore Mosrite production, they have listed some very sharp looking guitars as well as some sweet basses- There is a 55-year Anniversary, Silver Sparkle Mark II Bass (their P-Bass version) that unfortunately is also in stock at Ed Roman's-
I say unfortunately because I can see my Bank Acccount depleting even further!

Back to Mosrites (Modern clones at least)- I'll begin to make a photo album of the bass ASAP, probably Monday, and also
have some additional feedback as I get to spend some quality time with the instrument.

[Elnjay]

Not my pic, but it is MY bass, taken from Ed Roman site; the one I was shipped!

I'll be making my own photo album soon, and will post the link to that-

But for now-
Is that awesome or what?!!

[mosman]

Oh yes ... that is very cool.
Now speaking from experience, at this point in your introduction to the world of Mosrite I have to ask a question ...
Are you already thinking about your next one?
I would be.
Bill.

http://www.myspace.com/rocks1977
http://www.myspace.com/kamikazekits

[Veenture]

...//...Are you already thinking about your next one?
I would be.
Bill.

heh, heh, me too....THINKING indeed...
(not buying; I'm a Dutchman you see)

Again, a very ...B E A U T I F U L... BASS Elnjay!

[Elnjay]

Are you already thinking about your next one?

Ahhh, ya got me!

YES, I am already thinking about my next one!
It will be either a "real" Mosrite- hold that thought- meaning a vintage Ventures Model, or-
Since I am so appropriately impressed with the Mosrite/Fillmore build and tone (more in a minute) They make a Mark II Model, which is a P-Bass clone, the 55th Anniversary Model ;Silver Sparkle, that would be a gas!
However, a vintage Mosrite has the wheels and gears turning in my brain- what's left of it anyway!

As to this bass- I really laid into it some more this morning, and I am even more impressed.
I've adapted to the narrow string spacing, at least 90% anyway, and as I get the attack and movement down, the tonal characteristic and capability of the instrument really start to shine for me!

Great depth, super-solid punch, clarity, and a solid bottom end that can really get lots of color and tone simply by rolling off or adding treble as needed.
Man, that pickup is HOT!
The quality and overall feel of this bass is amazing, and if THIS is what the Mosrites were (are) about-
NO QUESTION I'd be thinking about another-
What great instruments!

[MWaldorf]

How do you find the tonal versatility compared to say a P-bass or a J-bass or a Rick 4001? Can you get much treble with the pickup so far from the bridge?

[Chemo]

Is that awesome or what?!!

Yeah, looks fantastic!

I gotta show this pic to bass players of the bands that I play with - that bass would go perfectly with my sunburst Ranger

[Elnjay]

How do you find the tonal versatility compared to say a P-bass or a J-bass or a Rick 4001? Can you get much treble with the pickup so far from the bridge?

Good question-
I've only played the instrument for a short time, so I've yet to dial in all the tonal possibilities and color.
However- One thing I really love about this bass (meaning the Mosrite design) is it's brilliant simplicity- Passive, (1) pup; V-T. That's it.
I personally tend to keep my Amplifier's eq old-school basic too- I have some tube rigs
(Ampeg B15R and V4BH; and an amazing Jaguar Model 200 bass rig-www.jaguaramplification.com -as well as a 3-PRO, and for the most part I keep the eq flat, maybe boost the bass a bit and roll of some mids, but I like an unaffected signal chain- It displays the real tone and character of an instrument-

And that's how I gauge and appreciate the 16(!) different basses I own-
And how I hear the newest addition, the Mosrite Ranger.

To begin with, The Pick-Up is HOT!
The first time I plugged in (3-PRO on top of a SVT-15E & SVT-48HE cabs; 1x15 & 4x8) I noticed while adjusting GAIN I got clipping at around 12 O'Clock- As Paris Hilton might say: "THAT'S HOT!" Even the mighty MFD's in my ASAT bass don't get that much output!

So- The Mosrite Ranger Bass has a very distinct tone- It's a combination of the pickup, the woods, and the very simple eq. But there is a very wide range of coloration within the one tone knob- With the eq set as flat as possible for the given room, rolling off treble gets a tone that equals a P-Bass in terms of it's THUMP! and fatness, while retaining a unique Mosrite tone- Which I can describe as a real mid-range voiced piano-like clarity, I think that has a lot to do with the nut and zero-fret. Like a P-Bass with an active circuit might sound like!

With the treble rolled up, you can get more of a J-Bass sound, minus the bridge pup "burp".
The pickup placement on the Mosrite seemed strange at first, almost like it was out of the sweet spot, but I don't think that's the case. besides the fact that it's so hot, it's positioning gives extremely even string output- Very balanced volume and tone throughout the range.

IMO, the Ric's tones are very unique (I own a 4003 and a 4004L), their design also produces a unique one-off color.

I'd say this about the Mosrite Ranger's overall tone: It is a unique, very singularly voiced instrument, and within that voicing, there is a very wide variety of tone, ranging from very dark, colored old-school phat bass, to distinct and cutting midrange and very bright, ringing treble.
Very cool and very versatile. Most of my projects are R&B-based,roots-music. Blues,Soul, and Funk.
This may not be the bass guitar associated with these styles, but it NAILS it!

And IF the Fillmore is an accurate reproduction of a vintage Mosrite Bass electronically and sonically- It certainly has the look down- Which we can all agree is the coolest EVER-
Then Semie Mosely built an instrument that hangs in there with all of today's modern electronics and can voice just about any style of music that the Bass needs to do in a rhythm section.

And as far as the long-winded answer: Hey indulge me! Outside of actually PLAYING the Ranger, I dig TALKING about it!

Think I'll take some pics now!