grayn Posted February 13, 2011 Share Posted February 13, 2011 (edited) I got this bass in a straight trade, with another (Basschat) forumer. Thanks Dave. We swapped in a car park, where it was tipping it down and only a tiny amount of acoustic play was possible. So it was all done on reputation, looks, immediate feel and good faith. I’d been impressed in the car park, so when I got home, plugged it in and then put some new strings on, I was even happier. The good faith had paid off and my first ever private trade had been a success. I’d never heard of Victor Bailey but it looks like he can help design a very nice Jazz Bass, which is not totally dissimilar to some of the Deluxe Jazz Basses and the “Zone” basses, of a few years back. The body of this Jazz Bass is a recognisable jazz shape, but it has no paint job, pick-guard or chrome base, for the controls. This bass uses very attractively grained “exotic” woods. The underpinning wood, comprising of roughly two thirds of the body’s thickness, on the rear of the body, is mahogany. The front wood is approximately one third of the body’s thickness and is of Koa, a beautifully grained wood, from Hawaii. Sandwiched between those two, is a thin layer of rosewood. The 3 woods make an attractive mix and will give the body strength. I doubt they would have much effect on the bass’s amplified sonic quality. The maple neck has a modern C shape and is finished in a satin urethane. The rosewood fingerboard has a 9.5 inch radius and rolled edges. It is beautifully fitted with 22 medium jumbo frets and abalone dot markers. Within this graceful neck, are “Posiflex” graphite neck support rods. The neck is attached to the body by 5 countersunk neck bolts. And as a nice touch, the heel of the neck has been carved to assist access to the higher frets. The headstock, according to Fender, is supposed to be overlaid with Koa. I’d put money on this model’s overlay being mahogany. It looks good either way. The writing on the front of the head is in gold, to match the gold tuners, bridge and controls. The tuners are Schallers (my favourite) they perform accurately and look great. The rear of the headstock has been signed by Mr Bailey, himself. The nut is 1.5 inches wide and is made of “synthetic bone”. That’s plastic to you and me. This is a standard scale bass, of 34 inches. The bridge is gold-plated steel , the strings can pass through the body or attach to the rear of the bridge. The gold-plated knobs control volume, pickup-panning and cut/boost bass, middle and treble. Two of these tone controls are stacked, which to me seems pointless. It would look and feel a lot better, with 3 separate tone knobs, being slightly smaller than the volume and pan controls. Simples! The 2 Jazz pickups are of the “Samarium Cobalt Noiseless” variety, Samarium Cobalt, being the silvery, magnetic bits of the pickup. Apparently it remains magnetic at extremely high temperatures. So, now volcanic gigs are possible. Well, it had to come. So how does this baby look, feel and sound? In my view, excellently, on all three accounts. The combination of Koa wood, gold parts, stylish shaping and high quality finishing make this a beautiful bass to behold. The feel is solid but light and nimble, with a wonderful playing neck and an overall, prefect balance to it. The guy I traded it with, said it had a “focused” sound, which I read as meaning, not a fat sound. Well he was right; this bass has that sound that is warm but beautifully contained, to mix well with other instruments but remain it’s own sound, standing out in the crowd, without being brash or over bearing. This bass has a very good tonal range, easily activated, with it’s active controls. This bass was second-hand but in almost perfect condition. Apart from new strings, the only thing needing attention was a sticky pan-pot. It’s very much down to taste but this bass was pretty much exactly what I was looking for. I’d say it would definitely suit the more lyrical player. It’s a dream to play but probably wouldn’t best suit a punk or metal enthusiast. Edited February 16, 2011 by grayn Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wylie Posted May 16, 2011 Share Posted May 16, 2011 Great review and pictures, thanks. What a beautiful instrument! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nostromo Posted September 8, 2011 Share Posted September 8, 2011 If you ever decide to sell, do let me know ! . . . . what a lovely bass. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alane2512 Posted June 30, 2023 Share Posted June 30, 2023 If ever i find one, great bass ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fleabag Posted July 2, 2023 Share Posted July 2, 2023 https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/166179799171?var=0&mkevt=1&mkcid=1&mkrid=710-53481-19255-0&campid=5338749374&toolid=20006&customid=GB_619_166179799171.145620983889~2062689181872-g_Cj0KCQjwwISlBhD6ARIsAESAmp6TLK_1J0-8NSOaouK21h8nEkeTNAS2tj-DB0x4IwkoIp3fE5Dv6tYaArFUEALw_wcB 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gwilym Posted July 3, 2023 Share Posted July 3, 2023 11 hours ago, fleabag said: https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/166179799171?var=0&mkevt=1&mkcid=1&mkrid=710-53481-19255-0&campid=5338749374&toolid=20006&customid=GB_619_166179799171.145620983889~2062689181872-g_Cj0KCQjwwISlBhD6ARIsAESAmp6TLK_1J0-8NSOaouK21h8nEkeTNAS2tj-DB0x4IwkoIp3fE5Dv6tYaArFUEALw_wcB That looks very nice, and sounds great too, some youtube samples linked from here: https://www.notreble.com/buzz/2015/03/22/fender-introduces-deluxe-active-okoume-basses/ It doesn't, to my ear, sound like the VB bass that I played a few months ago. Probably different pickups and preamp in that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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