Lynottfan Posted April 10, 2013 Share Posted April 10, 2013 I have been interested in getter a Jazz bass for a little while, got a ray, got a P, want a Jazz. Always liked the look of the Lakland bass as its seems a bit "sleeker" and I know they are light weight but very well made, tried one at GuitarGuitar and was pretty impressed with the feel and the sound, infact very impressed. Now I have always liked the look of Jaco's jazz bass and Jazz basses in particular [b]without[/b] scratch the plate on, I am looking to get the bass (probably secondhand) in either that nice blue or black, any one have any piccies or can provide me some piccies of a DJ, without the scratch plate on it, I like the cleanliness of line. All help greatly appreciated. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
warwickhunt Posted April 10, 2013 Share Posted April 10, 2013 You know they are light-weight... are you sure? I've owned two which were bought on the reassurance they were 'the lightest bass I've ever had' (I can only assume that their other bass had lead weights in) and both weren't a kick in the backside off 10lb. Now if 10lb is your reference point for weight then fine but I'd ask for accurate weights if buying off the internet. To add to that I personally have probably asked another dozen or so DJ owners for the weight of their basses and iirc only one came in at 9lb (none lighter). I even went on TB some years back and asked on the DJ owners thread about the weights of their basses and though there was talk of some examples being light not one owner stepped forward with a verifiable light-weight. I realise that now that I have posted this, every Lakkie DJ owner with an elusive light-weight example will come out of the woodwork and prove me wrong! Sorry, I should add that I'm not trying to urinate on your fire, more a case of offering my research/insight into getting a light-weight Jazz type bass which included the Lakkie DJ. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Prime_BASS Posted April 10, 2013 Share Posted April 10, 2013 Light weight jazz? American deluxe has a smaller body and extra frets. But one I had wasn't that light. Lightest jazz bass I've had in my hands was the medium scale mij fender jazz. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
warwickhunt Posted April 10, 2013 Share Posted April 10, 2013 I know the OP is looking for DJ info but I hope he doesn't mind the minor detour/sidetrack... Fender Roadworn Jazzes are generally pretty light; or at least as 'general' as you can be with any model of bass. I have a Dingwall Jazz which is also quite light but it isn't your trad Jazz bass instrument. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dingus Posted April 10, 2013 Share Posted April 10, 2013 (edited) The weight of Lakland Skylines varies greatly , but from what I understand , there was a time when the weights of the earlier Korean - made ones tended to be on the heavy side . Lakland became aware of this and tried to address this issue to some extent by trying to ensure the wood for the Skylines be a little bit lighter than before ( the swamp ash for all the Skylines is sourced in the U.S.A by Lakland and then shipped to the Far East ) . As a result , a lot of the more recent Indonesian - made basses tend to be lighter than the earlier Korean examples , but there is no hard and fast rule . You still get heavier new basses and lighter older ones now and again . I have seen plenty of four string Darryl Jones basses under 9 pounds in weight , and I have seen plenty much heavier than that . Ultimately , It's very hit -and- miss as to what the weight of any individual bass will be , so try and find out before you hand over your cash . . Also bear in mind that Jazz Basses tend to be heavier than Precision Basses , presumably because of the offset body shape . Even USA - made Lakland Joe Osborns and Darryl Jones Jazz - style basses where each body is individually ordered and hand - selected tend to weigh in between 9 - 9 1/2 pounds on average , although some are slightly lighter . Edited April 10, 2013 by Dingus Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
White Cloud Posted April 10, 2013 Share Posted April 10, 2013 [quote name='warwickhunt' timestamp='1365591382' post='2041400'] You know they are light-weight... are you sure? I've owned two which were bought on the reassurance they were 'the lightest bass I've ever had' (I can only assume that their other bass had lead weights in) and both weren't a kick in the backside off 10lb. Now if 10lb is your reference point for weight then fine but I'd ask for accurate weights if buying off the internet. To add to that I personally have probably asked another dozen or so DJ owners for the weight of their basses and iirc only one came in at 9lb (none lighter). I even went on TB some years back and asked on the DJ owners thread about the weights of their basses and though there was talk of some examples being light not one owner stepped forward with a verifiable light-weight. I realise that now that I have posted this, every Lakkie DJ owner with an elusive light-weight example will come out of the woodwork and prove me wrong! Sorry, I should add that I'm not trying to urinate on your fire, more a case of offering my research/insight into getting a light-weight Jazz type bass which included the Lakkie DJ. [/quote] I hate to be that guy...however my 4 string DJ was feather weight - weighing in at around 7.5lbs. It was the finest jazz bass that I ever played over a period of 35 years. It had it all and blew my vintage Fenders out of the water. I will say however that Laklands vary greatly in weight. Dan Lakland had a personal philosophy that big weight = big tone. At the other end of the scale I owned a 44-02 that was almost 12 lbs. I bought it online sight unseen....beautiful instrument but after recovering from a serious back injury I really could not live with the weight of that beast and had to move it on. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lynottfan Posted April 10, 2013 Author Share Posted April 10, 2013 Cheers for all the info so far, had a further dabble with a DJ, not 100% its for me, but going to keep looking, appreciate the inputs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dingus Posted April 11, 2013 Share Posted April 11, 2013 (edited) USA Joe Osborn with no scratchplate in a shop somewhere in the Far East : [url="https://soundmama.com/commodity/detail.php?comid=26111"]https://soundmama.co...php?comid=26111[/url] Looks like a one piece ash body that's been rear- routed . Edited April 11, 2013 by Dingus Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
risingson Posted April 11, 2013 Share Posted April 11, 2013 Can't help you with the pic you're after but I can say that my old DJ was not only excellent (I regret getting rid of it really but I had to) but also lightweight too. I know that it doesn't mean they all will be though, mine was Indonesian made and as easy enough to get around with. Probably my favourite neck profile of any instrument I've come across too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fuzzbass2000 Posted April 12, 2013 Share Posted April 12, 2013 [quote name='warwickhunt' timestamp='1365594690' post='2041476'] I know the OP is looking for DJ info but I hope he doesn't mind the minor detour/sidetrack... Fender Roadworn Jazzes are generally pretty light; or at least as 'general' as you can be with any model of bass. I have a Dingwall Jazz which is also quite light but it isn't your trad Jazz bass instrument. [/quote] +1 My favourite Jazz.... and no routing under the scratch plate (if I remember correctly) if you want to do the Jaco "no scratch plate" thing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
warwickhunt Posted April 12, 2013 Share Posted April 12, 2013 [quote name='Fuzzbass2000' timestamp='1365773601' post='2044310'] My favourite Jazz.... and no routing under the scratch plate (if I remember correctly) if you want to do the Jaco "no scratch plate" thing. [/quote] Correct, no routing BUT it has a large 'RW' stamped into the wood to ensure the unscrupulous don't try and pass the bodies off! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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