HeadlessBassist

I've gone for the full AUROK branding on the front. Flying the flag for this excellent venture, as it were. I've also had the body logo'd with MGCS Basses, in order to promote @Silky999's excellent work too. I just ordered another set of the Fender Pure Vintage 66's today, and the Gotoh black lollipop tuners.

🥲

@Silky999 I hope your wife is as understanding when I drag a MarkBass amp into your living room when the Walnut-Graphite Jazz is complete… 😁

Having played both, I'd say that they both feel of similar quality. My more recent experience is with the Squier 40th Anniversary Jazz and a nice example Firemist Gold Vintera Jazz that was for sale in a branch of PMT. The biggest difference you're going to find is in the pickups and the wood choices. The Squier pickups were the usual Duncan Designed ones which are, in isolation, pretty good. But the Vintera actually sounds like an alder 60's Jazz bass, much like my American Original with its Pure Vintage 64 pickups. You also get the tall and thin vintage reverse tuners on the Vintera. If you can find a nice one, a used Vintera 1 would be a great buy. The neck profile of the Squier is a pretty standard modern C-shape, but the Vintera is a little narrower and thicker (fingers to thumb), again, like a 60s Jazz.

No problem - I'll happily do the "under 20kg" £40 option if that still stands?

They're looking very good, Kiwi! Sounds like we're getting there... Btw, is it okay if I have mine sent directly to @Silky999? He'll be doing the final build of the Graphite-Walnut Jazz.

If there was any way around it, I'd prefer no Scratch Guard, however the control rout will be visible, so I guess there has to be one. To that end, I have a black pearloid one on order, which will match well with the rest of the black hardware and the black(ish) graphite neck.

Laurence and I were the main bass players for Jeff Hooper's Swing Easy Big Band and for the BBC Strictly Tour. He's a nice guy and a monster player, especially on Fretless.

I'd be interested to hear this bass. Never heard of the Fame company before.

I guess the answer is that it's not designed for a B-string. You could dry drilling the E-hole out a little more, but you'd be running the risk of breaking the string retainer. Maybe the answer is a Space 5..? 🤔

Sadly, I wasn't getting on with the Stingray Special 5, especially in comparison with the 'Dreadnaught' 95 Stingray, so I spotted this in BassBros and sallied forth to do a deal with Will. I have an old association with Goodfellow/Nightingale/GB instruments - Many, many moons [read decades] ago, someone at the then Derby branch of Carlsbro took a lump out of my original Status Series II neck with a hammer while trying to reseat a fret, so I was without the bass for what turned out to be quite a few months. During this period, they loaned me one of the Goodfellow Standard originals, which I really enjoyed playing. Of course, it's faded into a distant memory now, but it was a very good long term impression of Goodfellow basses. As for the old 97-98 Spitfire, it's certainly VERY punchy and seriously fast. It was apparently at BB for quite a while, so I'm surprised no one jumped on it. Destiny, I expect. Anyway, here are the obligatory pictures...

I know the model. It's the S1 American Standard before the big 2008 overhaul. Nice basses

We all have a habit of eventually coming full circle to what we originally liked and settled with. Very nice example you have there. I see it's through body strung too. Is that an American Standard, or the American Professional?

Interesting point in question - if the grain pattern doesn't actually line up, why do they call it "bookmatched"?!

Definitely not an 'SSG', then?

Thanks! Sounds epic. Especially with the Helix SVT 4 Pro sound. Those Aguilar MM pickups really are something special. I love the one I have in my 95 Stingray. Nothing sounds quite like it.

I've got an American Performer and it's a great bass. Definitely punches above it's weight. I played a JMJ and didn't think it was that different to my then Competition Burgundy Vintera II. Both of those were on flats (definitely not my thing), but I prefer the sprightliness of the American Mustang. I think (correct me if I'm wrong!) all of the Mustangs with the smaller split coil are the Japanese pickups (the height adjustment. screws have reverse Japanese threads.) The single coil J in mine is an American 'Yosemite' model.

Thanks Phaedrus, yes I was playing my American Original this afternoon, and it just has the deepest and richest Jazz sound ever. @Silky999's walnut body does look a bit special, doesn't it? It's long been my favorite wood for a bass. Again, the Walnut S2 that I've had for eighteen years just has a sound like nothing else, and that includes my Stealth 2 & KingBass Mk-II.

Yes, the graphite will give you that 'shimmer' to the attack/sustain, and hopefully the 'PEEK' composite fingerboard will give a very tight sound, much like the percussive 'tonk' you get from an ebony board, or from a phenolic fingerboard.

Hey Sean, yes - I was chatting to the new owner earlier - He was saying that most of the original SUBS have tatty necks where people have misguidedly tried to strip the gloss paint off. This particular example played like a demon. It was a very nice bass.

I'm sure it'll be better than that Fender Flea signature active Jazz.

A JazzRay! No, er... A StingJazz... Aha! A JazzMan! That's better. Something to do with Flea, perhaps..? Interesting how several of us are going down the same route and creating something unique. 😎 Mine is a sort of Vintage & Modern theme - taking the things I like best from my walnut Status S2-Classic and my workhorse American Original 60's Jazz. Typically, you can't get the Fender Pure Vintage 64 pickups anymore, but I've already got a set of the 66's (from the current Am.Vintage II) in another bass. So in keeping with the '66 theme, I've ordered some Gotoh lollipop tuners in black, like the rest of the hardware.