funkle

This bass is the proverbial mutt's. Or, if you'd like an objective review..... [url="http://www.bassplayer.com/story.asp?sectioncode=13&storycode=3868"]http://www.bassplayer.com/story.asp?sectio...;storycode=3868[/url] Full text follows: [i]Passive bolt-on 4-string- By Bill Leigh, Jonathan Herrera | January 2004 Lakland Skyline Series Darryl Jones Signature Bass With a resumé that includes Miles Davis, Madonna, and ten years and counting with the Rolling Stones, Darryl Jones is the ultimate top-shelf sideman. Players like Jones base their careers on being intensely musical, being a great hang, and having a solid sound. For much of his tenure with the Stones, Darryl’s main instrument has been a Jazz-style axe he co-designed with Boston boutique builder A Basses, the one-man shop of bassist Albey Balgochian. The A Basses Darryl Jones Signature featured a downsized J-Bass body, a clean, pickguard-free appearance, and a Wilkinson bridge. Though it was first introduced with active Basslines pickups and EQ, the design soon evolved to a passive instrument with Aero pickups that Darryl chose. Nowadays, Balgochian plays more bass than he builds, so it made sense for Chicago bassmaker Lakland, who offers a line of vintage-inspired signature axes, to take up Darryl’s cause. With Lakland’s new Skyline Series Darryl Jones Signature Bass, the Chicago company started with the basic elements of the A Basses version—petite body, 21-fret fingerboard, flattened-oval neck shape, and Aero pickups—but they added a few new touches. Inspired by Darryl’s favorite Fender, a ’66 Jazz Bass, Lakland included neck binding, block fingerboard inlays, a pickguard, and control plate, as well as the large, dual-design bridge and 5-bolt neck joint common on other Lakland instruments. Lakland introduced the model as part of their more affordable, Korean-made Skyline Series, though next year it plans to offer a higher-priced U.S.-built model with a graphite-reinforced quartersawn neck, hand-installed fret job, and oil finish instead of lacquer. How Does It Feel… With its petite J-style body, the Darryl Jones Signature is remarkably comfy, though I found it a little neck-heavy on my lap. Another staffer, who took the Lakland on several rock, funk, and folky singer-songwriter gigs dug the classic Jazz shape, and appreciated how the small body was easier to handle than older bulkier Jazz Basses. Since he plays with a light, back-by-the-bridge fingerstyle touch, he loved Darryl Jones Signature’s ultra-low setup. It was a bit buzzy for the meatier, front-pickup playing position I prefer, but after two quarter-turns of the truss-rod and some bridge-saddle tweaks, it played like a dream. I loved the matching headstock and subtle sparkle of our tester’s black finish—it conveyed the perfect mixture of trad and pizzazz, especially under stage lights. The DJ’s hardware was superb; the Hipshot-licensed open-back tuners help keep neck-weight down given the petite body, and the pewterized-string posts and bridge saddles add an element of class. The Jones arrived with medium-gauge Lakland strings strung through the body rather than through Lakland’s beefy dual-design bridge, and the taut string feel suited the swamp ash body’s natural resonance. Passive Aggressive The Aero pickups offered up a mixture of trad-cool clarity and classic Jazz-bass vibe, filling the room with a sturdy bass voice anchored by deep lows and seasoned with crystalline highs. Through our Soundroom’s Demeter/Crest/Eden rig the bridge pickup delivered burpy punch with a hint more bottomy roundness and warmth than the typical Jaco jazz sound, while the neck pickup sounded fat and smooth. The Jones poured out chocolaty thickness through a Merlin 550 head and Aguilar GS410. With this bass, passive definitely doesn’t mean tame or limited. With both pickups on and the tone wide open, the Jones offers up a deliciously rich and fat slap sound that treads the line between sparkly modern tone and Old-School thumpin’-and-pluckin’. Roll off the tone and it’s a whole new sonic world. Blending the pickups offers lots of colors. I kept the neck pickup on full, with the bridge dialed halfway up for most of a live recording session with a funky, guitar-led blues-rock quartet. This setting captured the meat of the note with a little bit of hairy amp overdrive from an old Peavey 1x15 combo, yet kept the note attack clear and articulate enough to cut through a busy drummer, organist, and a thick-sounding guitarist. The instrument is incredibly responsive and dynamically rich; fingerstyle pops and funky trills seemed to leap from the fingerboard. Another staffer, who played the Lakland on rock and folk gigs through a Mesa Walkabout Scout combo and extension cabinet (see page 62), favored the bridge pickup with the tone rolled off for a punchy, robust sound. For a barky vintage voice, he soloed the neck pickup and dimed the tone. We really enjoyed having this bass around. As a terrific execution of a classic pickup arrangement, it’s a versatile tone tool; as a comfortable, familiar instrument, it’s simply fun to play. It’s refreshing to have so many sonic options in such a simple design. The Darryl Jones Signature is a lot more than only rock &roll … and I liked it. Lakland Skyline Series Darryl Jones Signature Bass List price: $1,499; approximate street price: about $1,050 Pros: Sweet, versatile tone; dynamic and responsive; very comfortable Cons: A little neck heavy. Contact: (773) 871-9637 Techspec Scale length: 34" Weight: 8 lbs, 11 oz Body: Swamp ash Neck: Maple with rosewood fingerboard Options: Fingerboards: rosewood, maple, lined fretless rosewood Colors: natural, Candy Apple Red, Lake Placid Blue, black pearl, white pearl. Made in: Korea Hardshell case: $120 list; $85 approximate street price $85 Gig Bag: $90 list; approximate street price $65 Warranty: Two years limited [/i] Enjoy! Pete

Hi all. I'd appreciate feedback here for transactions on Basschat/eBay/etc. I now declare this thread officially OPEN Pete

Looks like I've managed to answer my own question - Bass Player reviewed the Zodiac Bass very favourably. Link here: [url="http://www.bassplayer.com/story.asp?sectioncode=13&storycode=13237"]http://www.bassplayer.com/story.asp?sectio...storycode=13237[/url] And full text below: [i] <be>Peavey Zodiac BXP</be> By Greg Olwell | March 2006 They say you can’t have it both ways, but with the Zodiac BXP, Peavey might be out to prove “them” wrong. An import version of the Mississippi company’s more expensive Zodiac bass, the Zodiac BXP combines classic inspiration with modern touches. The Zodiac basses were clearly inspired by the earliest Fender Precisions. First, there’s that big pickguard, which harkens back to a time when old-fashioned wood wasn’t as appealing as that exciting new material, plastic. It’s an eye-catching element, especially with its angular cut, but my tester’s flat-looking pattern lacked most tortoiseshell plastic’s typical shimmering depth. The chrome control plate is another vintage-inspired piece. Unlike the single-pickup ’50s P-Basses, the Zodiac has a considerably more versatile two-pickup setup, adding a single-coil J-style pickup in the bridge position. Another hip touch is the slender, J-like neck, which gives the bass a sleek feel. The Zodiac arrived with a setup that was strictly Old School: high action with plenty of neck relief. It was too much for my taste, but a little trussrod tweak and a slight lowering of the bridge saddles made the Zodiac BXP much easier to play. The frets were even and buzz-free all over the fingerboard, and the body’s deep cutaways put even the highest frets within easy reach. The bass balanced well on a strap, but the short lower horn allowed the bass to easily slip off my lap when seated. <be>So, What’s Your Sign?</be> The Zodiac’s P pickup is closer to the bridge than usual, which gives the soloed neck pickup a tight sound with a powerful low-mid presence: Think of Paul Simonon’s intro to the Clash’s “London Calling,” but with a little more in-your-face growl and a quicker attack. With a pick, it sounds especially brutal and forceful. Rolling down the tone knob softens and darkens the sound considerably, cutting more highs than most passive tone controls. A peek inside revealed the source of the extra treble trim: The tone pot’s capacitor value is .104µF, rather than the more typical .047µF. Even with the tone control all the way down, though, the dark sound never dipped into woofy, muffled territory. Like the P pickup, the bridge-position J has an aggressive sound and quick response. Soloed, it didn’t sound exceptionally detailed, yet its familiar voice was straight out of the J-pickup playbook. Using both pickups full-on revealed the Peavey’s most interesting voice: an articulate, slightly nasal sound with a bit of a mid scoop, and plenty of booty and clarity. Picked, slapped, or fingerstyle, this setting retained a hollow midrange cluck, which could be easily altered with a right-hand position shift for more thump or snap. The detailed high end and tight bottom offered a unique slap voice, which became my favorite flavor. Fingerstyle lines had a snappy manner with a strong, supportive low end. <be>You Born Today</be> The Zodiac BXP’s appearance evokes some of history’s most treasured basses, while featuring traits for modern players like a tighter-sounding neck pickup and slender neck. With its constellation of familiar and new sounds, the Peavey Zodiac BXP offers a pocketful of mojo at an affordable price. <be>Overview</be> List $499 Street $380 Pros Strong rock and slap sounds; affordable Cons None Contact 866-433-2333, www.peavey.com <be>Methodology</be> Soundroom Ampeg SVT Classic head and 8x10 cabinet, Fender Rumble 60 1x12 combo, Eden DC112XLT 1x12 combo, Phil Jones Bass Briefcase 2x5 combo, Eden Nemesis 120 1x12 combo <be>Soundroom Policy</be> We test products in real-world environments, evaluating them with regard to price and the manufacturer’s design intent. Advertising does not influence our product coverage. We invite manufacturers to fact-check product reviews prior to publication, and we print dissenting opinions when applicable. Street prices are approximate. <be>Second Opinion</be> The Zodiac BXP seems versatile and well constructed, with a groovy vintage vibe. While it riffs on the original Fender P’s cool looks, it has a petite, comfortable body and a fast, flattened neck that reminds me of Peavey’s eminently-playable Cirrus basses, but with a more rounded fingerboard. Tempering the P pickup’s big round boom by half-dialing-in the bridge pickup produced my favorite sound—thick yet articulate—but every setting was assertive and responsive. I’m not jazzed about the look of Hartley Peavey’s initials on the headstock, but they’re so illegible I could always pretend they say “BL.” —Bill Leigh <be>Tech Specs</be> Scale length 34" Weight 8 lbs, 15 oz Body Alder Neck Maple Fingerboard Rosewood Neck width at nut 11/2" Neck width at 21st fret 23/8" Pickups Alnico P- and J- style pickups Other colors Black, sunburst, white Made in Korea Gig bag/hard caseGig bag, $23 list; hard shell case, $112 list Warranty Five years limited[/i] Enjoy. Pete

[quote name='Bigwan' post='14581' date='Jun 9 2007, 12:14 PM']Hi guys, Just a brief update. I was cruising the evil that is ebay one night a few weeks ago and stumpled upon a schecter model T 4 string with a few hours to go, sub £200. Having played one on a trip to Glasgow Sound Control in the past I had a fair idea that they weren't utter pants (I somehow seem to remember crap basses I play in shops, but not the good ones - is that a sign that overall quality has improved over recent years??). So I thought it would be worth a punt. If I didn't like it I could flog it on and make my money back. I didn't even notice at the time that it had proper SD pickups and everything! Anyway, long story short, £206 plus postage and a short wait has landed me with a real peach of a bass. Exactly what I was looking for and almost comparable in quality with basses I've paid more than 3 times as much for. I'm well chuffed! Moral of the story - I didn't have to spend the £600 I was planning to to get exactly what I was after, do you? It also turned out that I bought it from a fellow BCer - who is also selling a peavey G-bass in the classifieds at the minute! Cheers Ian[/quote] Ah yes, that would have been me. Hope you're enjoying the bass Ian! The Schecter Model T's, I think, are fantastic value for money. Good pickups, nice neck (P neck), and funky tone. Ian scored a great deal off of me. I only sold it so I could help finance some GAS for another bass/more recording equipment. Hence the G Bass going as well....... An interesting P/J no-one has mentioned yet is the new Peavey Zodiac BXP. Alder, 21 frets, J neck, and snazzy looks. I have to admit I'm a big fan of Jazz necks and these basses are so cheap I might buy two! (One for flatwounds, and one for steel rounds to put on). Quite a few places in the Uk have them, check out Thomann too : [url="http://www.thomann.de/gb/peavey_zodiac_bxp_bk.htm?partner_id=59917"]http://www.thomann.de/gb/peavey_zodiac_bxp...artner_id=59917[/url]. The Dave Ellefson version (Peavey Zodiac BXP DE) looks a little sweeter, with Seymour Duncans as standard. Costs £320 though and the only upgrade I see on it is the mirrored pickguard + the pickups - reckon I could manually install those for a little less..... Anyone had experiences with those? Pete