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NBD - Jaybee by Mark Ramsay 5 string


BassHertz
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Saw this bass on ebay and was intrigued by the paddle style neck joint so I decided to give it a try.











[b]The specs are a follows;
34" scale (86.36cm)
24 fret range
2.7mm fret gauge
Width at nut: 45mm
String spacing (bridge): 18mm
Individual 2-way adjustable brass bridges with locking saddles and string-thru-body attachment (with optional attachment to the bridge itself )
Single truss rod
6-way bolted paddle joint
7 piece maple / swamp ash neck with ebonol fingerboard
Body wood: Swamp Ash with maple top
Kent Armstrong dual-coil humbucker soap bars - each 3-way switchable (parallel, single, series)
Boost-adjustable 9v preamp with 3-band EQ
Master volume (pull for passive operation), Balance, Treble, Mid, Bass, Coil switches
D'Addario XL strings
[u]4.4kg[/u][/b]

[b]Playability[/b] - Out of the box the intonation was set perfectly but the action was a bit higher than I am used to, but a quick tweak of the super responsive truss rod sorted that out. Balances well on a strap, very smooth fast neck and seamless access to the higher frets (not that I go there very much but it’s there if I need it). In terms of weight it feels lighter than my Yamaha TRB5II
[b]Fit and finish[/b] – 9/10 only a small bit of overspray of white paint on the side of the bridge on the B string, that about the only fault I could find. The binding is done well, there are no sharp frets and the action goes really low.
[b]Sound[/b] – One word – Amazing. I have never heard a bass with this much ‘growl’ and ‘burp’. In passive mode (activated by a push/pull switch ion the volume knob) the output of the pickups is quite low but still very vibrant and alive. The bridge pickup as expected provides most of the burp while the neck pickup which is in the perfect position (as I play mostly reggae) provides the depth and thickness but there is absolutely no mud whatsoever. There is no tone control when using passive mode but I might add one later.
In active mode the bass really comes alive. It is fitted with an Artec MB3 preamp with Bass, and concentric Mid-Treble controls. These work quite well and so far no scratching on any of the pots. I am glad there is a midrange control on this bass as there is quite a pronounced level of midrange from the pickups, even in passive mode, so it is good to be able to tame it a little. Overall there is enough control to make this bass sit in any mix.
With coil tap switches on both pickups the range of different tones you can get from this bass is endless.
The sustain on this baby is immense but with the individual bridges it doesn’t make any of the other strings vibrate. At times while I was playing it I almost got a fretless mwaaah sound out of it.

[b]Verdict[/b] – I am very pleased with this bass especially at just under £400 there is a lot of bass for the money. I will try to post some sound clips this week.

Check out their website at http://www.rmiuk.biz/

Edited by BassHertz
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I don't get the paddle joint thing? It says on the website it's so you can have easier access to the higher frets but surely they could just have shaped the body like that? Or maybe even painted it white? Or am I missing the point of it?

Apart from that I do like how it looks specially in the white! :)

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This is the blur from the ebay auction

[b][i]"Unique hybrid construction brings a 'best of both worlds' to the sound and feel (attack and bounce of bolt-on with sustain and growl of thru-neck)"[/i][/b]

After playing it I must admit that there is plenty of sustain and plenty of growl and yes the attack is very sharp the notes seems to play before you pluck the strings lol

Edited by BassHertz
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