NBD - 1998 DeArmond Jet Star "Spel" (no room for the word Special?)

[neepheid]

This is why I won't spend six grand on a bass - because I can spend about 1/20th of that on this kind of thing instead.  1998 DeArmond Jet Star "Spel", Gumby, Dali, melty - whatever you want to call it.  It just made me laugh so much I had to buy it.  This example is in good nick, the only issue is that the knobs have disintegrated a little and the silver "D" discs in the top are long gone.  Anecdotally, this was a common issue - seen a bunch of them online with replaced knobs.

 

This is the long scale (34") bolt on version.  The short scale one is fancier (two pickups, set neck) but I don't dig shorties so it had to be this one.  Honestly I'd have loved a green one, but they're rare as hell, so a cherry red one is an acceptable alternative.

 

Hard to photograph with the phone camera - the cherry red is much deeper than this and you can see the wood grain through it - phone just doesn't have a clue and goes "duh, it's red".  Nevertheless, here it is.

 

 

I've only played it in headphones and my office amp (Laney 30W HCM30B) so far, with whatever scabby strings it arrive with.  But even with that stacked against it, it sounded pretty good - the split P pickup being more towards the bridge makes for an interesting sound, not completely devoid of bottom end and P-esque, but just a bit twangier or something.  I've since given it the once over - a good clean, lemon oiled the fretboard (it was so dry!), restringed and setup fettled with.

 

Here it is when it first arrived next to one of my T-birds.  Welcome to the wonky family!

 

[neepheid]

I had a decent play of it last night (as in through a "proper" amp - TC Electronic BH250) but still in headphones.  What an interesting experience!  I found a very useable tone control - almost like an active control in the sense that to my ears the "home" position is about half way - this is where the bass does its best P-bass impression.  You can still turn it to zero for some dubby goodness, but if you turn it to 10, it unleashes some borderline obnoxious mids, which I'm betting will cut through great live.

 

In a world where the vast majority of time I've got a passive tone control wide open, this is an unusual but welcome development which I have not encountered before.  Their choice of 500k pots in this might be part of the reason why this is happening (I would guess 250k is typical on your average P bass?)

 

Anyway, TL:DR, it sounds gud and I can't wait to give it a proper razz in a band context.

[HeadlessBassist]

I really like that, Neepheid. Looking at it sideways on (sort of playing angle), it looks slightly reminiscent of a map of the USA.

 

There've been a couple of oblong(ish) shaped basses I've seen recently and they are very attractive in a strange sort of way, especially your 'melted' oblong  

[Grahambythesea]

Didn’t the original Guild ones have a built in stand that folded out of the back?

[neepheid]

18 minutes ago, Grahambythesea said:

Didn’t the original Guild ones have a built in stand that folded out of the back?

 

Yes. Can only lay my hands on a picture of the guitar counterpart but it was the same idea.

 

Edited July 15 by neepheid

[neepheid]

Gave it a proper razz in a band context last night - it's gud.  Plenty poke, and the tone control being half way thing still applies - up at 10 it's a bit too much, and to be honest it's not quite the right frequencies to be cutting through, but that might have been because I was going through an ancient Behringer 4x10 with a knackered tweeter.

 

Also, new knobs arrived, because it's worth it.  Not worried a jot that they're gold tops, it's a wonky bass, innit?

 

[bass_dinger]

On 10/07/2025 at 20:48, neepheid said:

 

That reminds me, I must buy myself an ice lolly...

 

 

 

[Grahambythesea]

Now the built in stand is a definite must of a mod 😁

[neepheid]

Just a little update to say that the bass performed very well at its first live outing.  Also, it's a wonderfully comfortable bass to play.  Maybe it's just me but there's a bevel cut into the top edge of the body which my wrist just sits on like it was designed for it.  Someone stop me from taking a saw and chisel to all my basses

 

[JohnDaBass]

12 hours ago, neepheid said:

Just a little update to say that the bass performed very well at its first live outing.  Also, it's a wonderfully comfortable bass to play.  Maybe it's just me but there's a bevel cut into the top edge of the body which my wrist just sits on like it was designed for it.  Someone stop me from taking a saw and chisel to all my basses

 

Totally agree the off-set body is really comfortable with a great balance 

Mine is neck thro short scale with an Artec Mudbucker and G&L bridge Pup.

Edited 8 hours ago by JohnDaBass
error

[MichaelDean]

17 hours ago, neepheid said:

Just a little update to say that the bass performed very well at its first live outing.  Also, it's a wonderfully comfortable bass to play.  Maybe it's just me but there's a bevel cut into the top edge of the body which my wrist just sits on like it was designed for it.  Someone stop me from taking a saw and chisel to all my basses

 

My Dingwall has a similar angle cut in. I find it much comfier than the P bass standard cut, which always seems to be in the wrong place for me. I'm seriously tempted to strip the finish off my HB tele and do a forearm contour like that...  I might be a bad influence 😅