Xotic

[peteb]

7 minutes ago, SumOne said:

 

Yeah they both look good, I'll probably stick with 5 strings but the 10lb 12oz/ 4.8kg of that one puts me off a bit. It's a shame Bass Bros don't seem to have a physical shop to try them out but perhaps something can be organised.

 

Both of those seem a bit heavier than mine, especially the 5 string (mine tips the scales at just on 10lbs). Having said that, I did like the orange colour (missed out on one here) and ended up with a natural one (that looks great as well). 

 

As you say, it is a shame that they don't seem to have a physical shop. From what I can work out, they appear to be based just around the corner from Bass Direct! 

 

Edited February 2, 2022 by peteb

[Gwilym]

2 hours ago, SumOne said:

I only play 5 string nowadays but this could turn me!

 

 

https://bassbros.co.uk/product/xotic-xj-1t-4/

 

They also have this one

https://bassbros.co.uk/product/xotic-xj-1t-5/

[SumOne]

29 minutes ago, Gwilym said:

 

They also have this one

https://bassbros.co.uk/product/xotic-xj-1t-5/

 

Yeah, the 4.8kgs seems a too much like unnecessary effort for my generally lazy attitude though! My currenty 5 string is about 4kg and previous one was 3.3kg though so I've probably been a bit spoilt.

[SumOne]

More 4 string Xotic temptation here:

......I think I'm fairly set on sticking with 5 strings nowadays though. Not that I play much below the low E but I think I'd miss the B string. 

 

[Bassman666]

The sunburst one that Bassbros have in stock was my one 😁. Its an absolutely stunning jazz bass. Anyone who hasn't tried an xotic but likes jazz basses, even if you buy one blind you won't regret it. They are unbelievably nice. I've had a few jazz basses (sandberg, USA fender, flea etc) and that xotic is another step up. I traded it with them for an overwater they had that tickled me fancy (and again I think was for sale here once upon a time) purely as I've committed to 5 strings. It wasn't the lightest jazz, I think I measured it at 9.5lbs but the balance and playability are fantastic. If I was playing 4 strings I'd buy another xotic without hesitation. I've almost pulled the trigger on that orange 5 string a few times 😁 

[CameronJ]

11 hours ago, Sibob said:

Without any measurements etc, I always felt it played and sounded like 60's.
I really liked the XJ-1T Lite I had, sounded balance, played nicely, was about as light as I'd want for an active Jazz.
Mine had the hum-cancelling module included, and I found the preamp to me very musical and intuitive, including loving the tone control that worked in active mode also.

Here's a live session I did with it should it be of interest.

 

 

 

Si

identical to mine! Except I don’t have the HRI (hum reduction inductor) installed. I’ve bought one from Bass Direct though and it’s sitting in a drawer ready to get installed when I get back home after this tour. Installation will most likely be done by @thebassgallery!

[Doddy]

19 hours ago, peteb said:

 

I think you will find that will be, to all practical purposes, as good as any super jazz around at what is a pretty decent price. From looking at the website, I see that they also have an early, old logo 5 string in a candy orange finish for £1,449. That has to be worth a look as well. 

 

I've been looking at that Candy Orange 5. I think I'd have to sell a couple of things first though.

[Sibob]

3 minutes ago, Doddy said:

I've been looking at that Candy Orange 5. I think I'd have to sell a couple of things first though.

Looks like a wonderful bass, but at just shy of 11lbs, it's a chunk of an instrument!
Finish would work perfect in one of my bands though (singer obsessed with orange haha)

 

Si

[Doddy]

13 minutes ago, Sibob said:

Looks like a wonderful bass, but at just shy of 11lbs, it's a chunk of an instrument!
Finish would work perfect in one of my bands though (singer obsessed with orange haha)

 

Si

It's heavy, but nothing that a quality strap won't sort out.

The finish is a bit nice though.

[Belka]

I'm tempted by the orange bass too. I notice it has an older version of the preamp without the switches on the body however - does anyone know if the preamp still has the option to switch the mid and treble frequencies? I have seen a video where someone mentions a push/pull option on the mids knob and a button accessed on the backplate to switch the treble frequency but I can't find any confirmation on this. 

 

[SumOne]

Hold your horses everyone. What I actually meant to say when I started this thread was that Xotic Bass' aren't worth owning - look elsewhere, or if you're unlucky enough to already own one you might as well offload it cheaply to me! 😏

[Jamescullum]

On 02/02/2022 at 18:20, Bassman666 said:

The sunburst one that Bassbros have in stock was my one 😁. Its an absolutely stunning jazz bass. Anyone who hasn't tried an xotic but likes jazz basses, even if you buy one blind you won't regret it. They are unbelievably nice. I've had a few jazz basses (sandberg, USA fender, flea etc) and that xotic is another step up. I traded it with them for an overwater they had that tickled me fancy (and again I think was for sale here once upon a time) purely as I've committed to 5 strings. It wasn't the lightest jazz, I think I measured it at 9.5lbs but the balance and playability are fantastic. If I was playing 4 strings I'd buy another xotic without hesitation. I've almost pulled the trigger on that orange 5 string a few times 😁 

I bought that one. Stunning bass. 

[Bassman666]

1 hour ago, Jamescullum said:

I bought that one. Stunning bass. 

Congrats mate 😁 it is a lovely bass, probably the nicest 4 string I've ever owned/played 

[Oldrich]

So I bought the very bass in May '22. It is indeed a tad heavy, but the tone and ergonomy overall are very convincing, especially for a 5er. This is my 4th 5 string P attempt and the only one that has been working. It's been working so well that I have ordered a PJ some 3 months later (it has arrived 2 weeks ago). The white P, I've used exclusively as my #1 for the entire season (in a rock setting) on some 30 live shows. Now the PJ is 4.2 kg and nicer to touch/feel (nitro relic vs. poly). Ive put labella deep talking flats on the white P - again impressive tone and the low B still working very well (dont take that for granted with low B at all; typically its quite the opposite and one can end up with a very long thumbrest). I have owned Vlcek, Sadowsky, Ken Smith BSR 5, MM, Fender. I'm right at home with my Xotic collection. I dont think I will need anything else anytime soon. 

 

 

 

 

Edited February 14, 2023 by Oldrich

[chris_b]

I've never heard a bad sounding bass line out of an Xotic bass. I'd love to own one, but sadly the weight thing is a showstopper for me. 

[Belka]

Last year I bought an Xotic after reading some of the good feedback on here. I originally was after a 5 string but I saw this bass being advertised in Japan second hand at a very low price (around £1300 - it had been bought a few weeks earlier on Reverb for about £1600, and then obviously returned to the same store). I just loved the finish, which seems to be a special run of a few six string only basses they did for a Japanese store.

 

Obviously I had to also factor in shipping and import duties, so in the end it probably cost me about £1900, which is still not bad considering it's practically in mint condition (it's a 2020 model).

 

The fit and finish are extremely good, and it sounds great - it's a slightly more hi-fi twist on a '70s Jazz. I can get extremely low action on it, and it's generally very comfortable to play for a six string, with a nice neck profile. The parts are all high quality, and the preamp is very nice; subtle, but very musical. Set flat, it sounds more or less the same as it does in passive mode, which is what a good preamp should do in my opinion.

 

The only negative I can mention, which has been stated here already, is the weight. This one comes in a around 5.3kg/11.8lbs, so it's a heavyweight. I think the ash they use is medium weight rather than the really heavy northern ash, but it's a very big bass with heavy parts, so of course it's going to weigh a lot. I can manage two hour gigs on it with a decent wide strap though. No neck dive at all, obviously.

 

 

[Belka]

One last thing, I and I think someone else asked earlier in this thread whether Xotic XJs had '60s or '70s pickup spacing. I measured mine last night and it's definitely '70s. Looking at pictures online, they obviously use this spacing for both the more '60s inspired alder/rosewood as well as the ash/maple ones.

[hiram.k.hackenbacker]

On 27/01/2022 at 14:02, hiram.k.hackenbacker said:

Ah, I was just speaking with Bass Direct the other day about getting one of these....

 

 

It's the Chuck Rainey PJ and I don't think they make them any more, which is a bit of a shame.

 

They do have the J version as used at the moment, but I really wanted the PJ.

 

That 5'er does looks very nice, but yes, a bit on the weighty side.

I think I did a NBD thread last year sometime, but since this thread has been revived, I thought I would post an update.

In a strange twist of fate, I was told that one of these Chick Rainey PJ’s was up for sale.

After speaking with the seller and asking for the obligatory ‘more photos please’, it turned out the bass that he was selling was not only the same spec as above, but it was actually the same bass that he had bought from Bass Direct which I where I lifted this photo from.

The seller said he had hardly played it and when I received it, it was indeed in pristine condition. I could find no evidence of it actually being played at all.

What a lovely bass it is too. Far too good not to be played.

Strange how these things turn out.

[Oldrich]

11 hours ago, Belka said:

Last year I bought an Xotic after reading some of the good feedback on here. I originally was after a 5 string but I saw this bass being advertised in Japan second hand at a very low price (around £1300 - it had been bought a few weeks earlier on Reverb for about £1600, and then obviously returned to the same store). I just loved the finish, which seems to be a special run of a few six string only basses they did for a Japanese store.

 

Obviously I had to also factor in shipping and import duties, so in the end it probably cost me about £1900, which is still not bad considering it's practically in mint condition (it's a 2020 model).

 

The fit and finish are extremely good, and it sounds great - it's a slightly more hi-fi twist on a '70s Jazz. I can get extremely low action on it, and it's generally very comfortable to play for a six string, with a nice neck profile. The parts are all high quality, and the preamp is very nice; subtle, but very musical. Set flat, it sounds more or less the same as it does in passive mode, which is what a good preamp should do in my opinion.

 

The only negative I can mention, which has been stated here already, is the weight. This one comes in a around 5.3kg/11.8lbs, so it's a heavyweight. I think the ash they use is medium weight rather than the really heavy northern ash, but it's a very big bass with heavy parts, so of course it's going to weigh a lot. I can manage two hour gigs on it with a decent wide strap though. No neck dive at all, obviously.

 

 

 

I remember this finish. Stunning !