Jump to content
Why become a member? ×

NBD J&D 75 Jazz Bass!


MarkG3
 Share

Recommended Posts

[quote name='mcnach' timestamp='1412615944' post='2570435']

When they're so cheap, many people buy them on impulse and after a while they come to their senses and realise they really don't need it, and possibly have other basses they prefer so... away they go.
Not very surprising, really. What is surprising is that they're so good for the price they go for!
[/quote]

The even cheaper Harley Benton Jazzes seem to stay put with their owners a bit more. It must be the coloured finishes of the J&D basses that are triggering the more magpie-like instincts of basses.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

[quote name='Annoying Twit' timestamp='1412633977' post='2570718']
The even cheaper Harley Benton Jazzes seem to stay put with their owners a bit more. It must be the coloured finishes of the J&D basses that are triggering the more magpie-like instincts of basses.
[/quote]

based on a sample of n=? ;)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

[quote name='andybass87' timestamp='1412593397' post='2570137']
seen one on gumtree this morning for a silly price. don't know if I am allowed to post a link or not??
[/quote]

Nobody minds when people post links in the eBay forum here: http://basschat.co.uk/forum/40-ebay-weird-and-wonderful/
;)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I received my Surf Green J&D Jazz from DV this morning. Reassuringly and nicely double boxed.
Opened up the package and it's a beauty, aesthetically. The green is magnificent although unfortunately clashes terribly with my other light green bass.

Now the bad ...... The A string nut slot was cut so low that it clanged on the 1st fret. Unplayable. The "waisted" tuners which IMO have no right on a non-tilted headstock bass do not allow the A string low enough on the tuner to avoid rattle on a low open A. The jack input feels lightweight, insecure and rather crap TBH. The pickup holes drilled for the neck pickup do not quite match the hole in the scratchplate. Therefore it is very difficult to get the neck pickup not tilting towards the neck. Oh, also, the foam padding under the pickups is an absolute joke - one little piece about 2cm long and only a few mm thick.

I called up DV about the nut and they agreed a small refund to allow me to buy and fit a new nut. I was more than happy with this for the reasons that will follow.
A Graphtech nut was quickly bought locally and fitted with an hour or so. Slots were cut and bingo, the bass plays like a dream.
THis neck is not just good for the money, it's a great neck ! OK, the fret ends are a bit sharpish (nothing that 5 mins with a suitable tool will not sort out) but this neck plays beautifully. The action can go really low without fret buzz. Only my new Status neck and the 90's Ibanez Prestige SR neck I used to have were better for playability. Staggeringly good fret even-ness and levelling for a cheap bass.
Now that I have fitted an old set of non-waisted Hohner tuners I had lying around, the strings can now pull nicely downward back from the nut on both E and A strings.
What does it sound like then ? .......... Well it actually sounds fantastic. To put this perspective I have owned MIA, MIJ and MIM Fender Jazzes and this sounds as good as any of them, and better than most. The pickups actually remind me of the tonerider Jazz set, which I hold in very high regard. Both neck and bridge pickups soloed sound great, exactly as I'd want them to. As does the blend. No tonal weaknesses anywhere to my ears. Very impressed. Did I really just pay £118 for this (minus my little refund of course) ?

I bought this as a cheapy, cheapy backup to abuse at home but it's a serious bass people ! OK, agreed, I have had to tweak and change a few bits here and there but considering the outlay I have not been unhappy about it. Overall I am absolutely thrilled.

Right, now to convert it to a PJ and fit all the black hardware !!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Just realised that I didn't really mention fit and finish at all. So, I'll a couple of words here. THe paintwork is excellent and the paint seems resilient to knocks. Ditto the gloss varnish on the neck. The neck slot is OK. A bit of green paint has gone down between the neck and body somehow. Clearly not from a high quality bass but from a few feet away no-one will notice. It's certainly not terrible.
The dark blocks on the fretboard seem very nicely done and the binding at the fretboard edges seems completely well executed also.
Overall, pretty impressive. Everything ( apart from the already mentioned neck pickup issue) lines up well. So, so much better than any budget basses of not so long ago.
It's very difficult to say so early on but I'm suspecting that the paint finish will be hard-wearing. Quality, cheap solid gloss colours finishes seem to be easy to apply cheaply these days.
That's about it.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

tha bass in my avatar is my surf green J&D with a new pickguard and pickup/bridge covers.

i am very happy with this bass and would be if i paid much more for it. i have not had any issues with the nut, i only had to file some the fret ends on one side of the fretboard and adjust the action to my liking, else the bass was pretty much perfect out of the box.

the fit, finish, playability and sound that is possible today for so little money never stops to amaze me.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

[quote name='bagsieblue' timestamp='1412803307' post='2572333']
Has anybody compared these to the Farida jazz basses?
Would be interested to hear thought and opinions.
[/quote]

Also, these:
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Revelation-RBJ67-Four-Strings-ELECTRIC-J-BASS-GUITAR-Vintage-WHITE-Jazz-Base-/171176177040?pt=UK_Musical_Instruments_Guitars_CV&hash=item27dae52d90

"The best bass guitar at this price-point we've seen", or so they claim. Has anyone had a look?
(The headstock is very Hofner, with that cut-back point. I've a nice fretless Hofner neck like that.)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

[quote name='alyctes' timestamp='1413145062' post='2575308']
Also, these: [url="http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Revelation-RBJ67-Four-Strings-ELECTRIC-J-BASS-GUITAR-Vintage-WHITE-Jazz-Base-/171176177040?pt=UK_Musical_Instruments_Guitars_CV&hash=item27dae52d90"]http://www.ebay.co.u...=item27dae52d90[/url] "The best bass guitar at this price-point we've seen", or so they claim. Has anyone had a look?
[/quote]

No, but I'd buy it anyway - vintage white, mint pg and maple?? That's THE colour combo for me!!

Edit: And if I'm not mistaken, those are Entwistle JBX pickups.

Edited by discreet
Link to comment
Share on other sites

[quote name='alyctes' timestamp='1413145062' post='2575308']


Also, these:
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Revelation-RBJ67-Four-Strings-ELECTRIC-J-BASS-GUITAR-Vintage-WHITE-Jazz-Base-/171176177040?pt=UK_Musical_Instruments_Guitars_CV&hash=item27dae52d90

"The best bass guitar at this price-point we've seen", or so they claim. Has anyone had a look?
(The headstock is very Hofner, with that cut-back point. I've a nice fretless Hofner neck like that.)
[/quote]

Basswood body. Yuck.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Restore formatting

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

 Share

  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
×
×
  • Create New...