Enzo

[quote name='fretmeister' timestamp='1381241372' post='2236261'] Do new Zons have truss rods? [/quote] Yes.

[quote name='Dingus' timestamp='1372655072' post='2128101'] I expect you won't recognise any my carefully chosen minor celebrities from the British media . It would take some explaining to someone in the States such as yourself who they are and their special significance , but sexy women of a certain age transcend most cultural boundries . The current one is an English newsreader with an interesting social life . I like to think she and I could be special friends if we met . [/quote] I, indeed, don't know them but I understand they are carefully chosen and now I know why. You tasty old man

[quote name='Dingus' timestamp='1372091313' post='2121456'] Roger knows what he is talking about when it comes to making basses , that's for sure , so I respect his opinion over most others . Like I have said , I personally like lighter basses and it's only when they are unusually light that the sound can suffer a bit in certain cases . Roger's basses are light , but the fact that he takes heavier wood and lightens it by chambering means that the sound doesn't suffer because the remaining wood still has the sound characteristics of a hard and dense piece of wood . [/quote] BTW, enjoying your avatars. I'm almost compelled to check this thread to see if you have a new one

[quote name='Dingus' timestamp='1372009693' post='2120614'] If I understand correctly , it is the density and hardness of the wood that adds to the tone rather than the inherent weight those kind of woods tend to have , so if you hollow out a heavy piece of dense and hard wood you still get the positive tonal characteristics of heavier wood without the excessive weight . That's why Sadowsky basses still sound great despite being light . For what it's worth , my own opinion is that weight does affect the sound , but only in so much as very light basses ( say less than 8 pounds for a Fender - style 4 string ) can lack punch and definition , but anything over 8 pounds will usually sound fine . I think the benefits in sound of an of ash or alder bass weighing ten pounds or more over one weighing 8 or 9 pounds are at best very small at best , or , at worst , largely imaginary . [/quote] It kind of makes sense what you're saying, if you ask me. Your own experience make you decide one way or the other, but how many basses can you try to make a meaningful statistic? At the end, every opinion is good, I guess, BUT listen to this nice interview, it's one hour long but at around 15 min. he comments on the weight issue [media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MBSg1_CRfWY[/media]

[quote name='such' timestamp='1371914841' post='2119558'] can one order it with the decal already in place? [/quote] Possible if they have them available and willing to apply them, mine was kindly offered for free by the seller, it's exactly the one I wanted.

[quote name='White Cloud' timestamp='1371920823' post='2119650'] I know that it is wholly subjective - but I always feel that heavier basses sound/resonate better. I had a killer Lakland that weighed 12 lbs....seriously wore me down over a 3 hr gig, but the bass just felt & sounded so right. [/quote] Hmmm, tell this to Roger Sadowsky, who built about 6000 basses until now and he's chambering the bodies to make it resonate better. There might have been other factors that made your heavy bass sound good......still a subjective matter though, I agree.

New neck from Allparts arrived, looks great, same nut size and look, just chunkier, feels great and the quality is excellent. Also has a decal from early/mid '70s, like the Geddy Lee model. Waiting for the Fender/Schaller tuners then is heading to the shop to be installed

[quote name='leroydiamond' timestamp='1371488859' post='2114500'] i tried out a couple of the earlier Jap MM models but the weight was a real turn off. The Mexican MM models seem like a really well put together bass, shame they are so heavy (Strange that other Mexican Fender jazzes rarely come close to such a weight). [/quote] I've been lucky with my MIJ, 9.25 lbs (4.2 kg). My previous Miller a few years ago, was 4.9 Kg!

[quote name='Kiwi' timestamp='1371481686' post='2114376'] Good luck with that - maybe the Armstrongs designed the Aguilars too! [/quote]

[quote name='Kiwi' timestamp='1371397677' post='2113336'] Hi Enzo - of course and I agree to an extent. I'm sharing my experiences of having installed a pair of Aaron's pickups in my own Celinder J Update. I was very happy with them - they sound better than the authentic article to be honest. Funny thing is that Aaron and his father Kent have been making and designing pickups for some of the worlds most renowned bass brands since the 70's - Smith Basses and Status for example. They probably sell more under other names than they do under their own. I've tried the SD Antiquity in a Geddy Lee jazz and didn't rate them. I'd put money on Aguilar having approached a company and commission a pickup in a similar way to be sold under their brand in the same way that the Armstrongs have been approached. [/quote] Yeah, that's really something! I had an early Status with Armstrong on it, very hot and in your face sound, loved them! Aguilar will be the next one I'll try if I'm not happy with the Nordy.

[quote name='Kiwi' timestamp='1371372138' post='2112954'] Aaron Armstrong will do you something similar and with more warmth than the 70's originals. [/quote] Hey Kiwi, I'm not sure I want more warmth for what I'm trying to do, there are other brands also that try to reproduce the '70s sound, Aguilar comes to mind first, they are relatively new but I've heard great reviews. Also the SD Antiquity II are excellent for low end fatness and smooth highs. But words are words, only trying will really tell.

The current '74 new RI suppose to be an EXACT copy, in all details, of the mid/late '70s, but the price is almost like a Custom Shop. I haven't tried one yet but I will. I bought an Allparts neck brand new, those are the closest to the older profile, if it's too much I'll have it shave down to my liking. I tried to acquire an original but people wants big numbers for those, basically double than what I paid and the conditions are really hit or miss, too much risk. Will post my impressions once I get them mounted, but it will take a while.

[quote name='bubinga5' timestamp='1371299900' post='2112284'] are those nordy pickups the standard NJ4's.? [/quote] No, they are called '70s wind because they are supposedly put together to be similar to those years [url="http://www.nordstrandpickups.com/bass-pickups/index.shtml"]http://www.nordstran...ups/index.shtml[/url] We'll see...

[quote name='Dingus' timestamp='1371298575' post='2112263'] Hi Enzo , those 1970's wind Nordstrand pickups sound like a real find . I have never heard of them before , and I expect a lot of folks would go for them if they knew Nordstrand offered them as a custom option . Presumably they have got a slightly more up front and agressive sound than a vintage -style Jazz pickup ? Getting a new neck sounds like a lot of work - have you checked that Marcus has in fact got a chunkier profile on his main bass ? I know Fender changed to a slightly fatter shape in 1974 but , as you probably know , Fender basses from this era had a lot of variation from one example to the next , and in reality some will feel more chunky than others . Are you sure the neck on the MM signature model isn't faithful to Marcus's bass already ? [/quote] Yes, take a look at this link : [url="http://www.bestbassgear.com/nordstrand-pickups.htm#nordstrand4j"]http://www.bestbassg...tm#nordstrand4j[/url] and also this [url="http://www.nordstrandpickups.com/bass-pickups/index.shtml"]http://www.nordstran...ups/index.shtml[/url] They also offer the same pickups with the A and D poles raised to match better a 7.25" radius. As far as sound, I've read so many people describing them in a different way but at the end if you don't try you'll never know (just like a nice girl ) Until now though, I've never read anybody saying anything negative, so that's good. If I don't like them I can always sell them and they would sell in a heartbeat, believe me. As far as the neck goes, I can tell you that all the late '70s JB I've tried (and I've tried at least a dozen, although owned only 2) were significantly chunkier than the stock MM and all '75 RI. Makes no sense, I know, like makes no sense put reverse tuners as well, not period correct. But the neck profile on mine is more a personal choice than wanting to be as similar as possible to the original '77, I just love that profile, fits my hands better.

[quote name='Dingus' timestamp='1371091523' post='2109737'] I think Marcus has a few Custom Shop basses , but I know for certain that he has at least one because I remember reading how the Fender Custom Shop had to go to great lengths to find exactly the same preamp as is in his original bass . His famous 1977 Jazz has got a very early Bartolini preamp in it that Roger Sadowsky fitted in the late Seventies / early Eighties , and they had to track one down of the very same vintage to accurately reproduce the sound of his main bass . I expect he has got a few regular production models of his signature bass too , and I sure he sounds just like Marcus on all of them . [/quote] You're right, he can sound the same on many different basses, even a non Fender! I'm in the process of changing/upgrading my MM to make it as close as possible to the original '77, but just for fun, not because I think it's not good enough. I was able to find the same preamp that Sadowsky installed in early '80s, a Bartolini TCT, I will replace the stock p/ups with the Nordstrand single coils 70s wind and swap the neck with a same look but chunkier profile one, just like the old 70s were, I had 2 '78 and I loved them. Even the stock reverse tuners will go and period correct Fender logo Schaller will be mounted. I have no idea why they put reverse tuners on what it suppose to be a late '70s type of reissue. As today I just had the Bart installed and it already sounds much better, much more clear, more musical, it really makes it sing. It's also more silent, the classic hum of the single coils went down 50%, which I didn't expect. Let's see what happens with the next step, pickups will come in about 3-4 weeks, they make them by order.

Reviving this old thread... Anybody upgraded the electronic on this MM Sig? What did you use?

[quote name='Doddy' timestamp='1350654209' post='1841844'] Yes it does. Check out pictures of Marcus' original '77 Jazz-there is no routing on the back of the bass,and the battery compartment is in the same place as in the Japanese signature model. I'm not sure about his current Custom Shop models (he doesn't tour the '77 much anymore) though. [/quote] How do you know he's using a Custom Shop? I know he's not using his '77 all the time but where did you get the CS info? I've seen him using one with his signature on the headstock, like an off the shelf model, although probably upgraded.