Fazley bargain

[neepheid]

Just now, HeadlessBassist said:

 

Wasn't it always thus? When you buy the expensive stuff like Fender USA products you're paying for admittedly better quality materials, but at the end of the day, you're paying for the FMIC workers' mortgages, finance payments on their F150 pickup trucks and crazily expensive health insurance & pensions, not to mention fattening the pockets of the company shareholders.  

 

No, the quality at the bottom end of the price scale has improved dramatically, squeezing the top end because it's already the "best" and has nowhere to go.

[MichaelDean]

It isn't a perfect bass like you'd expect from a US Fender either. The body is rough in places, the frets could be polished and there are a couple of small dents on the neck. I'd have sent it back if I received even a £200 bass like that. But it's super comfy to play after a just quarter turn of the truss rod, sounds good, holds tune and resonates really nicely. I just want to pick it up and play it a lot, which is the sign of a good bass to me. 

[Woodinblack]

Just got an email that my delivery is pushed back to the 5th week!

[HeadlessBassist]

3 minutes ago, Woodinblack said:

Just got an email that my delivery is pushed back to the 5th week!

 

It would seem that people [like us] bought the hell out of them and now they're waiting to replenish stocks.

 

Stack 'em high and sell 'em cheap - Tesco Value Bass range!

[Woodinblack]

Maybe they weren't quick enough to turn the offer off!

[HeadlessBassist]

Ah well, they'll have some more made up soon. I'd imagine it's the only way they can get rid of the horrid green ones, anyway. That 'Ford Signal Green' is a heinous colour. It should be illegal!

[neepheid]

23 minutes ago, Woodinblack said:

Just got an email that my delivery is pushed back to the 5th week!

 

In my limited experience with Bax, they'll deliver in the end.  Might take a while, but I got mine - even a company bankruptcy didn't stop them.

[police squad]

yep I got the 5th week email too

[MichaelDean]

Rubbish! I hope you both find it has been worth the wait!

[police squad]

On 17/01/2026 at 17:43, MichaelDean said:

Rubbish! I hope you both find it has been worth the wait!

if it's anything like the 43 quid strat, it'll be banging

[MichaelDean]

I've been playing my jazz the most recently out of all of my basses. I'm thinking about sanding back the body and staining it purple when it's a bit warmer too.

[Woodinblack]

Like a comedy now, I just got another update that it is going to be delivered in week 7!

[Gizmo]

I order a fretless Jazz b-stock from Bax a few years back...The sent a me Fretted J, no answer to my emails to try and get it sorted but when someone finally answered the phone (after 2 days of trying/being hung up on) the guy just couldn't understand what the problem was as the item code was the same it was just missing the FL (or something like that) i got them to collect it for a refund but after 10 days no refund or reply so i just connected Paypal and got my money back 10 mins later...I think they went to the wall since and got bought out/under new management but it seems they still have a stock/order/dispatch problem

 

I've ordered a few of the Fazley tele things for my dad cheap but they all needed "a lot" of setup work (fret edge/level/polish)....TBH if your going to end up replacing the parts (if you don't have them at hand) i think you'd be better off just going for a Harley Benton.

[police squad]

1 hour ago, Gizmo said:

I order a fretless Jazz b-stock from Bax a few years back...The sent a me Fretted J, no answer to my emails to try and get it sorted but when someone finally answered the phone (after 2 days of trying/being hung up on) the guy just couldn't understand what the problem was as the item code was the same it was just missing the FL (or something like that) i got them to collect it for a refund but after 10 days no refund or reply so i just connected Paypal and got my money back 10 mins later...I think they went to the wall since and got bought out/under new management but it seems they still have a stock/order/dispatch problem

 

I've ordered a few of the Fazley tele things for my dad cheap but they all needed "a lot" of setup work (fret edge/level/polish)....TBH if your going to end up replacing the parts (if you don't have them at hand) i think you'd be better off just going for a Harley Benton.

I received a £43 strat with humbuckers and the fret work was excellent, it just needed setting up

I got the 7 weeks email too, I don't mind

it's chinese new year soon and I know some of our work suppliers do close and we have to get stuff ordered early

I'll wait, it's no problem

[Woodinblack]

Oh the 7 week thing isn't an issue, its not like I needed a 4 string jazz, just couldn't resist it and when it comes it will be a huge surprise and like a present from past me!

[neepheid]

20 minutes ago, Woodinblack said:

Oh the 7 week thing isn't an issue, its not like I needed a 4 string jazz, just couldn't resist it and when it comes it will be a huge surprise and like a present from past me!

 

Imagine how I felt when the bass I ordered on 18/09/2024 finally arrived on 13/08/2025... frankly I'm amazed I got it, considering this was an oldco Bax order being fulfilled by newco Bax post bankruptcy.

[Woodinblack]

Oh look, its feb..

 

"HI Woody,

Thanks again for ordering your new gear from Bax Music.
We've got great news! Your order has left our warehouse and is on its way to the courier."

[Woodinblack]

So it turned up today, my £63 (inc shipping) bass. Took it out of the box, and out of its gig bag (not great, but.. £63 and it has one, which is more than many do) and marvelled at how really green it was, seriously more green than the pictures. Really nice dark neck, a bit thicker than I would like ideally but ok. Good frets

Tuned it up (tuners are ok), and played. It plays well, very impressed. I haven't plugged it in yet, that is tonights thing (comes with a lead too). Knobs feel solid (more solid than the ibanez EHBs). 

 

All in all its pretty amazing what you get. I will give it a try at a gig at some point, although they are a bit thin at the moment

[MichaelDean]

37 minutes ago, Woodinblack said:

So it turned up today, my £63 (inc shipping) bass. Took it out of the box, and out of its gig bag (not great, but.. £63 and it has one, which is more than many do) and marvelled at how really green it was, seriously more green than the pictures. Really nice dark neck, a bit thicker than I would like ideally but ok. Good frets

Tuned it up (tuners are ok), and played. It plays well, very impressed. I haven't plugged it in yet, that is tonights thing (comes with a lead too). Knobs feel solid (more solid than the ibanez EHBs). 

 

All in all its pretty amazing what you get. I will give it a try at a gig at some point, although they are a bit thin at the moment

Yeah. I think the greenness doesn't quite hit you until you see it in person. I really quite like the colour now after a few weeks though. 

[police squad]

I received a message telling me week 8 this morning

[kodiakblair]

On 11/01/2026 at 14:46, MichaelDean said:

The body is rough in places, the frets could be polished and there are a couple of small dents on the neck. I'd have sent it back if I received even a £200 bass like that.

I wonder how you'd feel if your £2k Ric turned up with frets like this 😀

 

Or when they were like this on the replacement sent the following week 🤣

 

[police squad]

50 minutes ago, kodiakblair said:

I wonder how you'd feel if your £2k Ric turned up with frets like this 😀

 

Or when they were like this on the replacement sent the following week 🤣

 

what bass is this please? That's not very good is it, even for 60 quid

[Woodinblack]

So I got to play it last night for a few hours (more hours than I had) and it was hugely enjoyable. Did all of my new songs that I have to learn, and then went through whatever was next on youtube.

 

Bad:

The strings, they are not good, but I am not really holding that against them, my normal strings aren't far off half the price of this bass.  As a result it sounds a bit scratchy and trebly - who knows, it could also be the pickups.  

It is a bit headstock heavy. The body is really light and the tuners aren't. Not a lot and nothing that would be noticed on a strap, but on your leg, especially considering how smooth it is, it does try and go headstock down.

Obviously it hasn't been setup, and I haven't had a chance yet. The strings are too high, they can go down quite a way. The bridge pickup is way quieter than the front pickup, probably because the bridge pickup is miles away from the strings. I will do an adjustment today.

 

Good:

The body and neck are really smooth and slippy. Both matt (which is great), there is no grip at all on them, which is pretty good. 

Fit between the neck and the body is good. Machineheads tune fine, smooth, nothing much to say other than they are heavy.

General fit and finish - I don't have any frets like the picture above, they are all very good (not like my rick, but that has a varnished neck, and this is unfinished). The ends of the frets dont snag or catch. The neck in general is lovely. Because I haven't put the strings down, I don't know how good it is, but it seems good so far.

Knobs are good, no noise, turn smoothly and have an effect all the way through their travel. Haven't had a look what the electronics are like in there yet, probably won't unless there is an issue. Didn't get any noise, but my living room isn't that noisy in general..

Pickups, probably fine, they seem a bit trebly but that might just be the strings, hard to tell without having decent strings on it. I assume they are fairly generic.

Bridge, BBOT, does the job, shiny, solid. 

Body. Can't get over how nice this is, very smooth in its oh-so-green, with a good grain coming through. Overall finish is very much like my Maruszczyk, but lighter - my Maruszczyk is chambered swamp ash - no idea what this is, probably paulownia, but more figured?

Plastic - again generic, fitted well.

 

Overall I have a great time playing it last night, it handled just fine, and I would happily use it gigging if it had another string. I probably will take it to a gig to try it live, but only for one set when I didn't need the other string. Will try it in the metal band in drop D.

This is well worth the entrance fee.

 

  

 

   

 

[police squad]

the guitar version is alder and looks very similar

[neepheid]

From my NBD post about the Fazley "Hot Rod" bass

 

"Of course, the stock strings are hot garbage, thin, rougher than Rotos and went straight in the bin."

 

"The stock strings weren't giving the truss rod much to do - after I put my beloved D'addario XL nickel rounds on it, the neck was a banana and I had to tighten the truss rod three quarter turns!"

 

TL:DR - they're just awful, chuck 'em in the bin and put on your preferred strings - just be ready to have to tighten that truss rod!