Ernie Ball Music Man expands its line of Joe Dart signature bass guitars with new two-pickup model

Last year, Ernie Ball Music Man teamed up with Vulfpeck bass guitar player Joe Dart to create two new signature basses.

Now, Music Man has added to the Vulfpeck low-end ranger's line of signatures with the Joe Dart II, a four-string that retains the general aesthetic of its predecessor, with a couple of notable variations in the spec sheet. 

Like the original EBMM Dart bass, the Dart II boasts an ash body. The neck and fingerboard, however, are flame maple, rather than the figured maple of the original Dart. Though the Dart II's fretboard boasts the same 34" scale length as its predecessor, the former features just 21 frets as opposed to the first Dart's 22. 

Most notable though, is the shifting of the pickup layout from a single humbucker at the bridge to two EBMM single-coils with Alnico 5 magnets. Each of these pickups, in turn, is given its own volume knob (the 2021 Dart had just one volume knob, for the single humbucker).

Hardware, however, mostly stays the same, with Schaller BM tuners with tapered string posts, and a Vintage Music Man top-loaded and chrome-plated steel bridge plate with vintage nickel-plated steel saddles.

Aside from the 'Joe Dart II' logo on the front of the headstock, the bass boasts a custom Joe Dart Artist Series neck plate.

In a statement, Dart referred to his new signature four-string as “the ultimate live axe.” 

“The design aim was for high speed, smooth playability on the neck, and a deep, rich Music Man tone from the pickups, all on an old-school passive bass,” Dart said. “I think we nailed it, and I think I’ll be playing it on stage for years to come.” 

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The Ernie Ball Music Man Joe Dart II bass guitar is available now – in a Velvet Natural finish – for $2,699. 

The first 100 examples of the model will ship with a limited edition premium G&G case, numbered neckplate, and a signed certificate of authenticity. Act fast if you want to obtain one of these special ones though, as – as of this writing – half of these limited-edition models have already been snapped up.

For more info on the bass, visit Ernie Ball Music Man.