Custom Shop Choice

[LukeFRC]

34 minutes ago, NancyJohnson said:

Much like signature basses, I don't get (ie Fender) custom shop kit at all, especially where you're simply getting a derivated version of instruments that exist in their thousands and thousands elsewhere.

 

Look, I do understand the feel-good factor, the smug flaunting of that custom shop logo and the sly knowing that your £750 Jazz bass actually costing you five or six times that (and that you'll reassuringly keep telling yourself it's somehow 'better' than another Jazz bass a guy was playing earlier on the same bill), but if you're desperate for an early '70s Jazz, wait and one will almost definitely show up eventually.  Cough, Reverb, cough.

 

If you wanted something built by ESP you could look at Grassroots, Ltd, Eii, Edwards, ESP and Navigator… (that’s before you get into what they build for other people… the idea of building to different price points isn’t that unusual - otherwise a Harley Benton jazz bass is under £100 - why did you spend £750?? Are you telling yourself it’s better than the guy with the £100 bass on the same bill as you? Was that smugness too?

[uk_lefty]

1 hour ago, NancyJohnson said:

Much like signature basses, I don't get (ie Fender) custom shop kit at all, especially where you're simply getting a derivated version of instruments that exist in their thousands and thousands elsewhere.

First off, I'm not disagreeing with you. I get what you're saying and I half agree, half don't. I'm on the fence. Just trying to work out the thought process and why this whole market exists...

 

I think it's the whole knowing you want a certain bass but being able to choose a spec, colour, etc that potentially only you have, or is so rare you're not going to get hold of one coming up second hand quickly and easily. The only one I played was a gold 60s spec lefty. That just doesn't exist unless you have it made for you. I didn't like it, but the owner loved it. Good for him.

 

At a Marcus Miller clinic he was talking about the Sire bass range. He plays a V7, not the more expensive V9 and V10 ranges. He said words to the effect that they all sound pretty much the same but the fancy wood tops and so on are there for you only as the player, for you to feel inspired to pick it up and play it. I think whether custom shop or not, a lot of us choose these superficial things about our basses that make us want to acquire them, and want to play them. The bass itself in a lab may not sound different to the cheaper versions, but if we are more inspired picking it up and coaxing different things out of it, or if we just love looking at it (or waxing it every Sunday night as I did with an old Warwick I had), it's done its job?

[hiram.k.hackenbacker]

7 hours ago, NancyJohnson said:

Much like signature basses, I don't get (ie Fender) custom shop kit at all, especially where you're simply getting a derivated version of instruments that exist in their thousands and thousands elsewhere.

 

Look, I do understand the feel-good factor, the smug flaunting of that custom shop logo and the sly knowing that your £750 Jazz bass actually costing you five or six times that (and that you'll reassuringly keep telling yourself it's somehow 'better' than another Jazz bass a guy was playing earlier on the same bill), but if you're desperate for an early '70s Jazz, wait and one will almost definitely show up eventually.  Cough, Reverb, cough.

 

As others have said, I kind of get what you're saying mate, but the 'smug flaunting' comment rubs me up the wrong way a bit as that is far from the truth in my case, as I'm sure it is for others.

These comments also sound a bit odd from someone who owns a JAX-T4.

[NancyJohnson]

17 minutes ago, hiram.k.hackenbacker said:

 

As others have said, I kind of get what you're saying mate, but the 'smug flaunting' comment rubs me up the wrong way a bit as that is far from the truth in my case, as I'm sure it is for others.

These comments also sound a bit odd from someone who owns a JAX-T4.

 

No, good lord sir, you get me wrong.  This is written in a third party narrative:

 

Look, I do understand the feel-good factor, the smug flaunting of that custom shop logo and the sly knowing that your £750 Jazz bass actually costing you five or six times that (and that you'll reassuringly keep telling yourself it's somehow 'better' than another Jazz bass a guy was playing earlier on the same bill), but if you're desperate for an early '70s Jazz, wait and one will almost definitely show up eventually.  Cough, Reverb, cough.

 

I do both angry, irritated and misunderstood extremely well, but smug isn't part of my persona.  The point I was trying to convey here is that I've been on bills with plenty of bands where there's this gear snobbery going on and where guys look down on you if you're playing a budget instrument.  If you want to play the JAX-T4 card, I had one guy ask me whether I made it myself when he produced a Gibson Thunderbird.  

[hiram.k.hackenbacker]

1 minute ago, NancyJohnson said:

 

No, good lord sir, you get me wrong.  This is written in a third party narrative:

 

Look, I do understand the feel-good factor, the smug flaunting of that custom shop logo and the sly knowing that your £750 Jazz bass actually costing you five or six times that (and that you'll reassuringly keep telling yourself it's somehow 'better' than another Jazz bass a guy was playing earlier on the same bill), but if you're desperate for an early '70s Jazz, wait and one will almost definitely show up eventually.  Cough, Reverb, cough.

 

I do both angry, irritated and misunderstood extremely well, but smug isn't part of my persona.  The point I was trying to convey here is that I've been on bills with plenty of bands where there's this gear snobbery going on and where guys look down on you if you're playing a budget instrument.  If you want to play the JAX-T4 card, I had one guy ask me whether I made it myself when he produced a Gibson Thunderbird.  

 

Ha ha. I bet that conversation didn't end well for him 😂

I must have either been lucky or completely oblivious to any gear snobbery that may (or may not) have occurred in my vicinity then. Probably a good job really.

I don't know why people have to be like that.

 

I'd love to try one of those JAX-T4's, but I fear it would be too large an instrument for my frame/hands. They look fab though.

[NancyJohnson]

6 minutes ago, hiram.k.hackenbacker said:

 

Ha ha. I bet that conversation didn't end well for him 😂

I must have either been lucky or completely oblivious to any gear snobbery that may (or may not) have occurred in my vicinity then. Probably a good job really.

I don't know why people have to be like that.

 

I'd love to try one of those JAX-T4's, but I fear it would be too large an instrument for my frame/hands. They look fab though.

 

You know where I live.  Just text me a few minutes beforehand to get the kettle on.

[Bridgehouse]

I have absolutely never experienced gear snobbery as a bass player. 
 

I’ve turned up to small venue gigs with vintage basses and reasonably large festival gigs with basses that I actually did make myself. 
 

I have never had a bass player approach me and comment on a bass at all. In fact, every bass player I’ve ever met out gigging has been a real gent (or lady) and been thoroughly decent. 
 

I do sometimes take a Helix floor out for gigs and get the odd bass player asking which patch I’m using or how easy I find it to dial in a decent sound. 
 

However, I’ve witnessed guitarists invade the stage after gigs to ask the guitarist in our band why he dared to show up with an Epiphone, or whether he realised that the Carlsbro amp he was using was cráp. He gave absolutely no cràps whatsoever. 
 

I’ve also witnessed a drummer walk on stage and stroll up to our drummer to ask him if he had any coke or weed on him and a keys player ask if anyone had a USB-C to USB-A converter. 
 

Either this all says something about the kind of gigs I go to or…

[deepbass5]

Just adding my +1  for going for a Fender Custom Shop bass.

 

I bought a second hand one about 3 years ago, with all the case candy almost like an ex demo condition, after considering it to be the best option for getting a good player that will hold its value rather than being ripped off by a BITSA bass that may or maynot be  what it seems i.e 60's or 70's model dead spots and weighing a ton.

I paid £2250 for a 62P  SB relic.  So saving almost a grand on a new one. Very happy with it nice quarter sawn neck just great all round, now strung with Labella flats 🥰 There have been a few up on here lately nice white one.

 

all the best with your search

[Bridgehouse]

Well, a lovely chap has contacted me on here about one and I'm going to see it on Saturday. I'll keep you all posted.

[Lw.]

Just FYI - Wunjo Bass have got a '74 jazz bass in the window at the moment, with plenty of wear on it. I've had to restrain myself several times from going in for a noodle on my lunch break so can't comment on if it's any good but it certainly looks decent. 

 

On Fender Custom Shops; a few years ago I decided I HAD to have a P bass (having hated them for the whole earlier part of my life), I had two months where I knew I had a decent chunk of cash coming my way and that it was going to be spent on the nicest P I could find. Whilst the budget wasn't unlimited, it was sizable enough for a bass search that I justified myself trying most P's available in London at the time; I tried every model of Squire, all the mex & US Fenders plus every used/vintage P basses in the shops (I didn't go for to see private sales as I didn't want to waste people's time while I was still trying everything). 

 

The vintage ones were nice but all the available ones at the time had issues & were really a step out of my budget range. The nicest one was a mid-60's P for an eye watering sum (probably the third nicest bass I tried).

The best to play was a CS P in trans white at Guitar Guitar, I had to go away & think about it as it was top of my budget.

I had a wobble & thought maybe spending 4k on a bass is a bit silly so consigned myself to going to look at a mexican roadworn thinking maybe they were close enough. To be fair it wasn't bad but then out of the corner of my eye I caught a glimpse of a challenger - a used CS with a maple neck (which wasn't my preference) and a Sherwood green metallic paint job (not something I was looking for), but damn it played nice! Not quite as good as the new white one but incredible nonetheless! I bought it, couldn't say no with it in my hands! 

 

Fender's factory are always going to have good & bad days, but so long as you play the basses before you buy - you can certainly get some brilliant workhorse basses out of them! 

Sandberg make some decent basses, no question about that, but they're different to FCS - probably higher build standards but don't feel as special in your hands in my opinion. 

 

On gear snobbery; amps I've seen snobbery at loads of gigs but basses I think hardly ever? Realistically 90% of people don't care, we spend all the cash for ourselves not other people. I've played the above CS at gigs with @NancyJohnson & you probably didn't even notice it, just another P bass in the sea of gigging P basses! 

 

Good luck with the viewing! 

 

 

[Bridgehouse]

Well, vintage basses have gone up a lot in the last few years. 
 

When I started playing guitar/bass and collecting the mantra was always “don’t bother with 70’s fender - it’s heavy and the tooling was wearing out”. For quite some time they were affordable.

 

Now, not a chance. I’ve seen a few 74s in the past week or so and there’s no way I’d pay the asking price. 
 

I’ve been offered a few custom shops as well - and the used prices for these have been very reasonable, and a lot less than a mid-70’s equivalent. A _lot_ less

[Lw.]

Yes - I work very close to Denmark Street & have been based here for c8 years, so have seen the way the prices have been going. Can't say whether they represent value or not (all personal opinion) but things are certainly costing more! 

[NancyJohnson]

49 minutes ago, Lw. said:

I've played the above CS at gigs with @NancyJohnson & you probably didn't even notice it, just another P bass in the sea of gigging P basses! 

 

Tell more!  What band?

[Lfalex v1.1]

On 08/11/2021 at 14:20, uk_lefty said:

I'd go to a big shop that stocks loads and play as many as possible, because I know there will be absolute gold there, it's just finding "the one" for you.

 

This.

I did it at the Wapping Bass Centre (back in the day)

Went Jazz hunting with a healthy budget, and of 30 of them, including a '72, MIAs, MIJs, MIMs.... none floated my boat.

I reckon I was just unlucky. 

Many years later, I bought a 2004 S1, which was lovely,  but had to go in the end due to finances.

 

I just kept looking until a good 'un popped up.

[Lw.]

1 hour ago, NancyJohnson said:

 

Tell more!  What band?

Was a couple of years age now. We were called Versus Ursus - once we played in some dive-pub in addlestone (can't remember the name), then I'm pretty sure we played another gig together but not sure where, probably either purple turtle in reading or maybe one of the music pubs in amazingstoke? 

[NancyJohnson]

2 hours ago, Lw. said:

Was a couple of years age now. We were called Versus Ursus - once we played in some dive-pub in addlestone (can't remember the name), then I'm pretty sure we played another gig together but not sure where, probably either purple turtle in reading or maybe one of the music pubs in amazingstoke? 

 

Not guilty, m'lord.  I started Nancy Johnson about ten years ago, perhaps more, we limped along, line-up changes, had a name change and I bailed October 2017.  Long story.  Not an original member left.

 

Not the first time someone mentioned they'd gigged with me.  I think they've had three bassists since I left.

[Woodinblack]

On 09/11/2021 at 16:35, Bridgehouse said:

I’ve also witnessed a drummer walk on stage and stroll up to our drummer to ask him if he had any coke or weed on him and a keys player ask if anyone had a USB-C to USB-A converter. 

 

Either this all says something about the kind of gigs I go to or…

 

No, if those were the sort of things I was looking for, that is the sort of order I would do it. Which is odd, as most keyboard players I have played with in the last few years wouldn't know a USB-C from a mains lead. The ones that play keyboard and do know, don't tend to be playing live!

 

 

18 hours ago, Bridgehouse said:

When I started playing guitar/bass and collecting the mantra was always “don’t bother with 70’s fender - it’s heavy and the tooling was wearing out”. For quite some time they were affordable.

 

Indeed - that was always what I was told, and to be honest in trying, in the majority case that was not entirely unjustified.

[Sibob]

Lakland

 

Si

[bumnote]

8 minutes ago, Sibob said:

Lakland

 

Si

yes a lakland

 

[OliverBlackman]

I played a Dokata Red CS jazz once that was loverly. It felt superb but wasn’t quite the true 60s tone of an original 

[dclaassen]

Having once owned a 63 Jazz and a 68 P (don’t ever sell your stuff…), I would have to play different ones until one just works for you. The nice thing about Fender is that everyone plays them, so if you find one you really like, then do some research regarding strings, bridges, etc. 

 

I have a 2011 Mexican P bass. I hated it with the rounds it had on it. Switched to a string I know I liked and things got better med brite flats).

 

[Bridgehouse]

Went to see a CS today. Bought it. 
 

It’s a 62 stack knob jazz which has appeared on an Andertons video, and cost significantly less than the price it sold for from Andertons earlier this year. 
 

Putting some flats on it and I’ll do a NBD post tomorrow, but short and sweet summary is that it’s flipping fantastic.

[Reggaebass]

1 minute ago, Bridgehouse said:

Went to see a CS today. Bought it

Nice one, look forward to seeing it, I do like a stack knob jazz 👍

[Bridgehouse]

Just now, Reggaebass said:

Nice one, look forward to seeing it, I do like a stack knob jazz 👍

It’s a bit odd, it’s Charcoal Frost, with tort, and it’s a mid-relic and stack knob. 
 

Plays absolutely beautifully and sounds cracking. 
 

Whether it was worth the just-under £4k new price is something I will have to think on, but it was definitely worth the not-much-more-than-an-American-Ultra that I paid for it. 
 

Seller was an absolute gent as well so he will be getting a glowing feedback post tomorrow as well. 

[Reggaebass]

3 minutes ago, Bridgehouse said:

it’s Charcoal Frost

I wasn’t familiar with that colour until there was one in the limelight thread and another jazz a while back, it’s a great colour