HeadlessBassist

Hi Steve, yes I looked into the technical diagrams of my American Original and found that they still use 250k pots. So the real difference must be in the pickups. I’ll do some recordings when they arrive before and after… The Fender set is only £109 as well, so good value.

Well, a few days on and the combination of the Okuoume body, roasted maple neck/fingerboard and nitro finish make for a generally highly pleasing tone. It's only lacking sonically in the top end frequencies (which I put down to the Wilkinson pickups), and having looked into the standard pot specs etc of my Fender Am.Orig on the technical diagrams, I've ordered a set of the Fender Pure Vintage 66 pickups from the current Fender Vintage II 66 model. I was originally going for a set of Lollars, but this is a nice prototype bass and doesn't really warrant over £200 on a set of pickups. I'm hoping the Fender PV 66 set should give a sound somewhere close to my American Original Jazz with its PV 64s.

There was also a special edition USA P & J about eight years ago.

Ducky, being as you're playing in a confined space at the moment, you only want something small for the time being. Maybe a small Laney combo, or a Roland Cube 100, or the super lightweight Fender Rumble 100. Bear in mind though, that these will need upgrading when you come to play with others in the future. So if you want to future-proof yourself, as it were, maybe the correct answer ia a used TC Electronic BG250 combo. These come in three variations, either a 12", 15", or 2 x 10" speaker(s) and can be had for around £2-300 used. Have fun!

Congrats P-T-P! That looks lovely, especially the P&J setup with the stacked concentric controls and through body stringing. Love the grain on the fingerboard too. Is that the all-rosewood neck option?

It’s a sad thing, but he was very brave in admitting that nowadays he can’t play like he used to. It was also very humbling how he sort of named Charles Berthoud as the sort of ‘heir apparent’ who has gone on to expand what you can do with the instrument, where he couldn’t any more. Is it me, or was Victor looking quite gaunt and ill in that video?

Thanks Chiliwaller, yes I've just found out that a couple of the knurled bolts don't fit. They go in about a third of the way and then get stuck, so anyway, it looks very original with the mutes and the red/brown washers and the Alun key bolts anyway. All good info

Very true. I'm happy now with how it came out. My tech and I were talking about it when we did the pickup swap yesterday, and it presents so well as is, and sounds amazing with the Aguilar pickup, that it's best left alone now. All I need to do now is swap the Alun key bolts on the mute spring for the knurled knobs and we're about there. I've got the full mute kit ready anyway, so I have a full set of spare mutes. ⭐ Anyone need a modern Alnico MM humbucker or an Aguilar single coil J pickup? ⭐ I may have some spare...

The world definitely is your oyster with colour choices. I'd personally go for something like Firemist Gold metallic (like they did the Fender Vintera 1 Jazzes in), with a darkish red tort guard.

Even a mega comfy and capacious Skoda Superb estate gets torturous after ten hours traveling before the gig, LOL!

I assume you mean being trapped in a mobile torture chamber on wheels for ten hours, @Geek99 ? 🤣

Yes, I've recently picked up a Melvin Lee Davis NU-X preamp and that certainly sorts stuff out. Haven't tried it with the Space 4 yet, though.

I know what you mean Dave - it's like you have an indicator that you're really going for it! 🤣

Hi Dave, I was using the Melvin Lee Davis Preamp Pedal direct into the virtual desk. First time I’ve properly run sans amp. I have to say, it sounded huge. Only complaint was that the bottom end of the Elite Jazz made the 15” 1000w monitors flap a little occasionally!

Thanks Dave!

Glad it's all working out, Mick. Seems that promoter you mentioned was holding onto the wrong opinions

Another Everly's and Friends Live Tribute Show yesterday. This time in Torquay, Devon. On the first weekend after the schools closed for the Summer holidays. You know what's coming... Yep, it took me ten hours to get there from Derbyshire. Every motorway, every junction, every roundabout was a massive traffic queue. Grrr! So finally got to the Babbacombe Theatre, did the gig and then cruised home in 3.5 hours. Better. Friday was a looong day. Wiped out today (Saturday.) Broken. Oh, and I almost forgot, our Duo was out last weekend for the second time. Played outside and the PA sounded awesome. Used my Melvin Lee Davis NU-X Preamp Pedal for the first time, too. Link to short video: https://photos.app.goo.gl/GeM9f1uGyEgiPmpS9

Okay, so I've had the Aguilar AG 4M humbucker put back in by my Tech, but not the single coil (never particularly liked the HS sound), and just as Dave Boonshoft at Aguilar proclaims, it sounds just like a late 70's model now. Now that's a sound I really like!

Also, check the E-string doesn't have too many windings on the tuner shaft. Just two or three winds will ensure that the string is suitably pushed down on the shaft. That can make a huge difference to the sound. Failing that, try (as others have said) a lighter gauge string. Sometimes a slightly lighter gauge will give you more tension. My Nate Mendel Precision is on my usual Elixir 40-95 set and it has massive punch and bottom end definition, but a lot of that comes from the nitro/ash/SD Quarter Pounder combination.

I'm sure a lot of you have followed the progress of our very own @Silky999's Build Diary of the 'Nitro Cellulose Experiment' Jazz Bass. Well, while on my travels for a theatre gig in Torquay yesterday, I visited Silky999 and picked this up. With so many conversations these days of basses being prohibitively expensive, this is perhaps a different route to a really nice instrument. Now complete, this nitro finish bass is a lot more than the sum of it's parts. The Nitro finish really lets the bass speak and it really does have a voice of it's own. I'd personally rate it much higher playing-wise than a Mexican Fender, and sound wise, it'd give my American Original a run for it's money. Don't expect these to be around the £300 (cost of parts) mark for long!

Agreed. Quantitive Easing has a lot to answer for.

Regarding the above inflation increases in prices, you only have to look at the expected standards of living in the country of origin. Americans are used to big houses, relatively reasonably priced domestic cars and [used to] enjoy healthy pensions, hence Fenders are fairly expensive for a mass produced instrument. Now look at the Germans - Warwicks have become absolutely eye-wateringly expensive. Obviously the Germans like some serious financial security and still aspire to owning a Mercedes-Benz. Companies that mass produce high value branded items, be it cars or basses, have cottoned onto the fact that they can make more money by selling lower volumes if they push their products up-market. But to switch to basses specifically, the Fender American Standard/Professional series has always seemed 'just out of reach'. When I was starting out in the late 80's/early 90's, that £7-800 Fender on the wall was the stuff of hushed legend amongst my musical peers. By the mid-late 2000s they were still relatively good value at just under £1000. Now in 2025 it's heading towards £2k. Why? Because everything has doubled in price. Try looking at Music Man prices! 🫣