GeeCee

Tough one, Jaydee is enjoying a bit of a renaissance right now, like Wal, and has full order books and significant waiting list BUT that's for the Mark King and Iommi models. I would imagine a Flying V bass is going to have a more limited appeal, but if someone has just got have one who knows. With John semi-retired - I don't think the sons offer the same kind of custom service that he did - maybe that works in your favor. Got any pics?

Are any Basschatters living in or near Bristol able to confirm that Electric Ladyland has shut its doors for good?

Yes, it's his original Jaydee bass (003SA), the one he bought from Sounds in London with his record company advance.

Don't get me wrong, I am not trying to set-up a who is best argument, far from it, nor am I suggesting that there is anything inherently wrong with JDs. FWIW, I have one Wal and several JDs, which should tell you what I prefer (though for pension purposes I wish I had done that the other way round). I guess my point is that times change, these are all instruments designed in the 70s that are played mostly by middle-aged men, myself included (though I am rapidly approaching old-age). I was just trying to speak to the comment about JD not offering something new and why I am not sure that is going to happen. A few years back I was talking with Paul Day who was selling his rare early 60's Burns Bison guitars. I asked him why and he said the same thing, old guitars for old men and he was selling them on while there was still someone left who cared enough about them to buy them. BTW, the PUs and electronics (3-band EQ) in the original MK, GA and Roadie models are the same, though you have the choice now for an updated (non-reverse P) PU. I believe the boards got tweaked and refined over the years. The PUs and electronics are different in the Calibas and Celeste models (stacked humbuckers with 4- and 2-band EQs, or something like that).

Its the PUs and electronics that make a Wal a Wal and that is mostly down to Ian Waller. Who knows what else they may have done had he lived. They never were and are not a full custom shop like JD. That said, I think Wal basses are generally really well made. The body shape and neck profile may or may not be your cup of tea, but you don't have as many people cursing Wals for their rubbery necks. I don't think JD offers the range of models they used to such as the Calibas or Celeste. Also, I don't think they do as much non-Jaydee work. John was the man to set-up and repair/restore anything, regardless of what you thought about his own bass models.

Ibanez did an interesting tweak of the Musician series for Alphonso Johnson. It's factory built.

Here are the pictures

There is a Pangborn FaceBook page that has some pictures of it now. It's hanging up in a bar somewhere in Amsterdam (I think). There are a bunch of decent photos of Warlords on BC, just search for Pangborn.

I would think that one predates the Chieftain bass. The Chieftain basses weren't built by Pangborn either, more assembled by, with the woodworking done elsewhere, if memory serves correctly. That is probably late 70's. I have a fretless one of a similar vintage that has the same headstock shape. The PUs in mine were originally reverse P's too, but got swapped out for wider soapbars at some point. Mine has a Baddass bridge and the same kind of switch and truss rod cover. The guy who played bass for Buck's Fizz did have at least one Pangborn, it was a Warlord though. Maybe he had this one too.

Mr Diggins is in his seventies and basically semi-retired; he worked at John Birch for a few years before setting up on his own in '77. Jaydee Guitars is now run by his sons with a grandson doing a lot if not all of the finishing work. Why would they bother coming up with something new at this point. I think they sell as many SG copies to Iommi and AC/DC fans as they do Classic basses to MK fans.

That's the one; obviously built for a Mr. Young (not Mr. King). That is pretty damn nice though.

Yeah, does look like a Jaydee Hooligan 85.

I think it's what they sounded like new. The treble boost was always a bit hissy when turned up, but early days for active electronics. Never bothered me much because I like a middly sound and never really boosted the treble. I don't doubt they have improved it since then and use a quieter chip.

Without a doubt a Jaydee - very early model too. Probably a Jaydee Session bass and I would guess around 1980/1.

Sorry, I didn't mean to reopen an old wound.

This is Pangborn's "Mark King" Warlord that was most closely patterned after Jaydee's Mark King model even copying the funk groove at the base on the neck. I suspect the electronics have been swapped around. I would have expected a PU selector where the first LED is, then volume and master tone rotaries, with the passive-active on-off switch and the bottom three controls the 3-band EQ. That said, Ashley seems to made every bass differently, see picture below. They are all Pangborns. The EQ controls were smaller, but he used a variety of different knob types.

There is another thread on BC about it, search here (or on EBay) for "Jaydee Copy".

Wow - that's a bit of a result . Great thread (and looks a nice bass...) It's on Ebay so now is your chance.

I think I remember that Calibas from the old Yahoo JD group. Do you stilll have it or what did you replace it with?

Andrew Diggins will help you out; just be patient/persistent. They will respond eventually. If they can't remake the pickups, he may be able to make you wooden covers to match the holes and cover the EMGs. Don't think they make the pre-amp anymore. It would have been a blend, vol, B, T originally. Guessing there must be an input jack on the side.

Not that surprising really, because underneath those wooden covers are reverse P pick-ups

It's genuine. It was made for the girlfriend of one of John's sons.

Send me your email address and I may be able to help. Tx.

[quote name='RhysP' timestamp='1451043036' post='2937969'] Not true. I had mine built for me in 1984 & the neck was a nightmare. [/quote] Did Jaydee not try to fix the neck for you? He seems like a straight-up guy.