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Pjones9 « Fantastic vintage tone, great look and feel. »
Published on 07/28/14 at 13:46The first time I saw this bass was many years ago, when watching a Led Zeppelin video. I fell in love instantly. The color, the sunburst tone and punch of this Jazz bass captivated me. As any bass player would, I listened carefully to John Paul Jones' basslines and wondered how many different basses he had recorded with (in early Led Zep recordings), cause the sound was so different every song, sometimes deep and expressive and then aggressive and harsh. Then I read that he used the same Jazz bass for all those songs! I was determined to get this bass, and when I finally did, I was delighted with its versatility, punch and feel.
My bass is made in Mexico, but it sounds perfect and overall quality is excellent. The electronics are great and the tone controls give you a lot of sound-shaping options. It has an alder body, (so it's fairly heavy) a 'C' shaped maple neck and rosewood fingerboard. Like the original 60's bass, it has 20 frets and vintage-style reverse tuning machines, which you have to get used to tune the other way, but this is obviously not an issue. It also features 2 Jazz bass single-coil pickups and purple shell pick-guard.
UTILIZATION
This bass has a very nice feel; the neck is very slim and this makes it very easy to reach all the notes in the fretboard easily. However mine has a fret buzz in the F# note of the second string, even if the bass has been recently adjusted. I don't know if this is production related or the previous owner had something to do with it. The most important flaw my bass has is that the neck has to be readjusted somewhat often, otherwise the strings feel too high and playing gets a little uncomfortable. I will have to change the truss rod soon, the luthier that recently fixed the bass said it had had a bad time with humidity, so maybe this flaw is the not the factory's fault but the previous owner's. However I have heard some other owners of this specific model also complaining about this issue. Anyway, I hope that after the truss rod change the neck will remain straight longer.
The tone controls are: Volume 1. (Middle Pickup), Volume 2. (Bridge Pickup), Master Tone. I usually set the tone I specifically want for a determined situation by balancing between the 3 controls and the amp's EQ and bass and treble controls.
I love the design of this bass. As a 60's and 70's music fan, I love the vintage look, slim body and the sunburst color. It's a little heavy but not too much.
SOUNDS
I play this bass through a Hartke HiDrive 112C and the sound is wonderful. But I feel it sounds slightly better through a BA 112 Ampeg ,because this amp has middle and high frequency controls that make the bridge pickup really shine . Anyway, it sounds excellent through both amps and it's incredibly versatile. One issue when playing with a lot of treble is that you get some hum, but if you balance it well with the tone controls and the amp this won't be an issue. I think it's also a part of the 60's sound. The growl of this bass is true vintage and when played with a pick it will sound harsh and percussive but also warm and full. I usually don't play with effects, apart from the built in EQ and compressor my Hartke has. I play indie rock but with a 70's style too, and this is exactly the sound I want.
OVERALL OPINION
My first bass was a P-Bass, and while I really liked the sound, I needed something with more mid and high end, and as I said before, this Jazz bass was just what I was looking for. Regarding sound quality and precision I could not be happier. Perhaps the only issue I have had with this bass is the truss rod thing. Apart from that everything is superb, I bought it used for $600 and it was some of the best investments I have made. However if you want to buy it new it's also not too expensive and you get a much better sound that most basses at that price range. If what you want is a true vintage 60's growl and warmth, you shouldn't be looking for another bass. Definitely would buy again.
In conclusion:
Pros
-Good tone
-Good feel
-Vintage Sound
-Versatility
-Great pickups
Cons
-Truss rod needs to be adjusted often.
My bass is made in Mexico, but it sounds perfect and overall quality is excellent. The electronics are great and the tone controls give you a lot of sound-shaping options. It has an alder body, (so it's fairly heavy) a 'C' shaped maple neck and rosewood fingerboard. Like the original 60's bass, it has 20 frets and vintage-style reverse tuning machines, which you have to get used to tune the other way, but this is obviously not an issue. It also features 2 Jazz bass single-coil pickups and purple shell pick-guard.
UTILIZATION
This bass has a very nice feel; the neck is very slim and this makes it very easy to reach all the notes in the fretboard easily. However mine has a fret buzz in the F# note of the second string, even if the bass has been recently adjusted. I don't know if this is production related or the previous owner had something to do with it. The most important flaw my bass has is that the neck has to be readjusted somewhat often, otherwise the strings feel too high and playing gets a little uncomfortable. I will have to change the truss rod soon, the luthier that recently fixed the bass said it had had a bad time with humidity, so maybe this flaw is the not the factory's fault but the previous owner's. However I have heard some other owners of this specific model also complaining about this issue. Anyway, I hope that after the truss rod change the neck will remain straight longer.
The tone controls are: Volume 1. (Middle Pickup), Volume 2. (Bridge Pickup), Master Tone. I usually set the tone I specifically want for a determined situation by balancing between the 3 controls and the amp's EQ and bass and treble controls.
I love the design of this bass. As a 60's and 70's music fan, I love the vintage look, slim body and the sunburst color. It's a little heavy but not too much.
SOUNDS
I play this bass through a Hartke HiDrive 112C and the sound is wonderful. But I feel it sounds slightly better through a BA 112 Ampeg ,because this amp has middle and high frequency controls that make the bridge pickup really shine . Anyway, it sounds excellent through both amps and it's incredibly versatile. One issue when playing with a lot of treble is that you get some hum, but if you balance it well with the tone controls and the amp this won't be an issue. I think it's also a part of the 60's sound. The growl of this bass is true vintage and when played with a pick it will sound harsh and percussive but also warm and full. I usually don't play with effects, apart from the built in EQ and compressor my Hartke has. I play indie rock but with a 70's style too, and this is exactly the sound I want.
OVERALL OPINION
My first bass was a P-Bass, and while I really liked the sound, I needed something with more mid and high end, and as I said before, this Jazz bass was just what I was looking for. Regarding sound quality and precision I could not be happier. Perhaps the only issue I have had with this bass is the truss rod thing. Apart from that everything is superb, I bought it used for $600 and it was some of the best investments I have made. However if you want to buy it new it's also not too expensive and you get a much better sound that most basses at that price range. If what you want is a true vintage 60's growl and warmth, you shouldn't be looking for another bass. Definitely would buy again.
In conclusion:
Pros
-Good tone
-Good feel
-Vintage Sound
-Versatility
-Great pickups
Cons
-Truss rod needs to be adjusted often.