Sibob

A Jazz 4 is $2299 from them, I can’t remember exactly, but I think a 5er is around $2599. Plus around an extra $100 for a metallic finish. That includes shipping and a case (hard or soft), but import/VAT etc will be on top of that. For my P-Classic that just arrived, import was £113. Plus a 10month wait 😊 So basically you’re saving around £250 or so, plus a long wait, if you go for the used one. Si

For sure Si

Completely agree, my eye-rolling was the OP bringing it up as (what reads like) an issue in his initial email. Si

I was mainly talking about the OP’s email 😉 Si

Of course there’s nuance, but come on, I can write a polite email in French and Google Translate it. I don’t write a stark collection of short sentences just because that’s all my knowledge of the language permits lol. Si

No, it’s not.....but it’s not exactly the nicest customer email either IMHO. Of course if someone isn’t happy, that’s fine, and the onus is on the builder to remain calm and helpful, but I see both sides. To me, looks like a normal nitro finish. Foam in the truss rod cavity? Come on, it’s clearly just to plug it, take it out if you don’t like it lol. ‘Things in the fingerboard wood’? What things? You mean the kinda whitish stuff in the Rosewood pores? Welcome to open-pore wood....it’s completely normal. Scratches in the back, yeah not ideal, but welcome to nitro, nobody buys a nitro finished bass and gets annoyed and scratches and bumps. So absolutely bring up the fissure at the neck pocket, but to me, the initial customer email (with quite an attacking vibe quite frankly) was largely unwarranted. I wager that if the OP had led with only that as an issue (and not all the other unwarranted stuff), Adrian’s reply would have been more helpful. Basically, choose your battles. (Foam in the truss rod cavity 🙄 lol) Si

This. Although I understand people who don’t like the aesthetic (legitimately, we’re all somewhere on the spectrum right?!). Solution? blade style pickups.....simples. Si

My feeling is that the tonal differences with the tone all the way open is 80% strings tbh. I think once I put 3 years gigs onto these Moollon La Bella’s like the ‘71 ones have, it’s going to be even closer. That said, I hear the difference with the tone ‘off’ too, the Moollon is rounder/smoother, and a little more ‘muscular’ to my ears. Not better, just different. Probably just a capacitor difference though. Feel wise, the M has the 60’s ‘C’ neck over the Fenders ‘B’. So a bit more shallow (front to back) and a bit wider. While I really love the neck on my ‘71, the M’s neck is super comfortable to play to me! As someone mentioned, almost certainly the Moollon is just more consistent, as a ‘new’ instrument you’d expect that. But I think it’s going to age beautifully and just get better and better! As for what I use them both for, while I don’t get super worried about gigging my ‘71, I anticipate the M taking over the bulk of the gigs tbh, although I’ll probably interchange them a little. Ultimately they do the same job, a P with flats. The ‘71 has been with me for 7 years or so, and isn’t going anywhere...but the Moollon is ‘mine’ if that makes sense....all the wear and history will be from me 😊 Si

I suppose that sounds fairly reasonable. Oh well, as you were, back to this nitro sunburst beauty 😊 Si

I should also say that the Moollon is a little bit louder too, not by much, but it's audible. I matched the levels in Logic as best I could to keep it purely about tone. Si

I just spec'd my old bass up again, and give or take a few quid, it came to £1299. Glad I gave them a try when I did haha Si

And bloody hell their prices have gone up! I remember paying £800 for a chambered 33" Jake P/JJ in Shoreline Gold maybe 5 years ago?! Nice basses though. Si

-*Headphones Needed*- Quick comparison between my 1971 Fender Precision (3yr old La Bella 760FL strings) and my 2020 Moollon P-Classic (new La Bella 760FS strings). '71 is first, goes through both sections (16bars), then starts again with the Moollon through both sections again (another 16 bars). Tone fully ON: Tone fully OFF: Cheers Si

Yeah Nitro starts similar to Poly, in that it's relatively 'shiny'...or gloss. But Nitro will wear and dull, whereas a Poly finish will endure, and instead of wearing naturally, chip off when damaged. I think lots of people expect a Nitro finish to look like a 'vintage' Fender, but remember that even a '63 Precision was once new and shiny Si

Yeah I mean that spec is basically Kevin Scott’s Moollon, although I can’t see if Andrea’s Fender is OW or ‘Blonde’. Si

Quite right, but Brazilian Rosewood would be incredibly restrictive from a shipping point of view, as well as increasing the price a lot. So YJ chose ebony for its darkness (very similar to BR), and stability. If someone wanted to be truer to the ‘vintage’, they obviously offer maple too. Si

Not much at all, by design. Moollon have their P-Classic, and their J-Classic, they have their specs based on the builder's old Fenders, and they don't deviate from them. They are meant to be vintage correct instruments, not a custom spec build. They have a full FAQ on their Facebook where they openly say 'if you're looking for a customisable spec, go to another fantastic builder like Sadowsky or Lull etc, but if you're looking for a vintage spec P or J, that's what Moollon do. However, they do let you chop them about, so if you wanted a J-Classic neck on a P-Classic, totally fine. Si

You’d be surprised (although “a lot” is of course subjective), but worked out to about £1900 inc import/vat costs etc Si

So far I love it, I know the C-width Precision neck is a bit love/hate with bassists, but I’ve had it before and kinda miss it on my ‘71 (B-width). But yes, very playable! Si

Indeed ☺️ Yeah I’ll do a quick little audio comparison with my ‘71 just for fun. Si

Arrived today 😄 Si

So after ordering 11months ago (almost to the day), my Moollon P-Classic IV has arrived. It got delayed by about a month due to Covid-related logistics issues, but other than that, it was a smooth ride from start to finish. I primarily went with Moollon because I don’t believe that there’s anyone hand-building instruments from scratch (Including hardware) to this level of ‘vintage Fender’ for this kinda price. Plus Tim Lefebvre and Kevin Scott rock my world lol. Had it strung with La Bella 760FS from factory, because that’s what will live on it for long-term I imagine. And with my 1971 Precision (because why not): Cheers Si