JPJ

I recently picked this one up secondhand. Put simply, its the best bass I've ever owned/played. I've been an admirer of Chris May's work all the way back to the days of Chris and Andy's on High Bridge in Newcastle, but like many, have never had the money or patience to commission a custom build of my own. When this one came up on eBay with no takers, a swift exchange of emails and a trip to Cockermouth saw her become mine. Despite her being just eleven months old and just over half of the factory price, believe it or not, it was the spec that attracted me. The body is tulipwood (not one I have come across before as a tone wood) with a nicely flamed maple neck and rosewood fret board. Hardware is by Schaller with DiMarzio Ultra Jazz Pups and a J-Retro circuit. Three colour sunburst (which the photos dont do justice to) with a tort scratchplate. Colour matched headstock. Plays like an absolute dream and the low B speaks so well you find yourself looking for excuses to use it. Scale length is 35" and I had no problem adjusting. I have just finished my first run of gigs with this baby and I am so pleased with her. She balances excellently on the strap. In a four piece she cuts through the mix nicely, really filling / rounding out the lower mid range and bass enc of things. For the first time in my life, I have such an even string response that i can actually hear the little fills and widdles etc on stage, oh and chords just ring out so cleanly. She's so good, I havent been back on eBay since I bought her.

After lusting after an Overwater J series for a long long time, I finally managed to bag one earlier this year. Mine is a 35" scale 5 string bolt on J series with the John East J-Retro. Comparing this with my Fender Jazz V also with the J-retro is like comparing chalk and cheese. The Overwater positively sings and is so playable its almost unbelievable. Chords sound great, little fills and runs leap out of your speakers and the response is so even across all five strings. What does it sound like, well it sounds like a classic jazz bass on steroids. Buy one, you will not be disappointed.

[quote name='silverfoxnik' post='221835' date='Jun 18 2008, 11:56 PM']+1 I though that the diference was more apparent in the way the bass sustains, as opposed to a change in tonal characteristics..[/quote] Well imho, I am not convinced that it adds a great deal to the sustain. I have two basses with through bridge stringing and one without. My MIA Jazz V DLX (with J-Retro) has a stock fender bridge and is strung through the body and has the shortest sustain of all three. My self built P five string has a Badass and is strung through the body and sings like a singing thing singing for all its worth. My latest acquisition, an Overwater J V has a conventional Hipshot bridge (no thru body stringing) and it sings like a choir of singing things singing for all they are worth. My conclusion is that the resonance of the body wood has a lot more to do with sustain and tone than whether the strings are strung thru or not. I believe that stringing thru the body does add something, but that that something is probably only one or two percent of the whole. Its far more important to have carefully selected tone woods for the body than worrying about whether to string thru or conventional. Then again, with my ears that could all be total bollocks, still one man's tone is another man's nightmare!

Hi all, Another geordie signing in on this thread. How about a stottie export business, I mean Craster Kippers gan all ower the world in their little cardboard boxes DHL next day so why not stotties? I always think they taste better the day after anyway! Seems we've almost enough for a NE bash? Lots of bass, dog and stotties - can't think of a better afternoon's entertainment!

[quote name='warwickhunt' post='220199' date='Jun 16 2008, 08:33 PM']Surely the very reason that people are asking is because they want to know and are specifically asking people who may well be knowledgeable on the subject! Of course people experiment and pre t'internet, pretty much the only way to find out if something worked was 'suck it and see'. However there is a wealth of knowledge available (and being offered) on this forum; to deride, however mildly, someone for offering an educated insight is a bit narrow minded. We could have a sticky at the top of the thread that just says 'Don't bother asking... just do it.' However it would make for a pretty boring forum TBH it is 'almost' pointless asking anyone for an opinion on ANYTHING with regard to something as subjective as tone BUT science isn't subjective, so really that is the only advice that can mean a blasted thing.[/quote] For my mind, there are two camps here, and for my money, neither is correct in all cases. What Bill preaches is at the absolute pinnacle of audio engineering and there is no doubt that Bill knows his stuff and I enjoy reading his posts (and Alex C's too). But equally, I'm old skool and started gigging life with 2x15's and 4x12's. I now use a 4x10 + 1x15 setup that gives me the sound I want to hear. Sure, my cabs are less than efficient than they could be, but with the cost of amp heads in terms of £ per Watt at probably the best rate I've ever known, I am less worried about this than perhaps I should be. I'd like to try some of Bill's cabs to see how they shape up soundwise. But equally, I'd be concerned that I'd end up eq'ing the hell out of them to make them sound like my current setup which would rather defeat the object.

[quote name='wateroftyne' post='218771' date='Jun 14 2008, 11:24 AM']And now I SO have GAS for a [url="http://www.tecamp.de/?id=103"]TecAmp M212[/url]. GAAAAHHHH (again)[/quote] 20kgs ffs. Cheers WoT, I didn't have gas until I read this thread but now I bloody do! Never thought you'd move away from the Schroeder mind. We should probably A/B your real Schroeder with my Eminence equipped clone. Now my speakers are played in, its probably the creamiest but well defined cab I've ever heard and I still haven't figured out how to wire in the horn yet?

Readymade by RHCP (Stadium Arcadium disc 2) A real finger workout for both left and right hands

Hmm. I own two 'Fender' fives. The first is my DLX Jazz 5 '96 with the single pole pickups. She is extremely set-up sensitive, the 'B' string height from the pole piece is absolutely critical for an even 'B' sound. The reality is however, that unless your using really top end amps and cabs, the majority of the 'B' string sound will be lost beneath the mid hump in most off the shelf cabs. My other 'Fender' 5 isn't actually a Fender. Its a precision shaped body with a mighty mite neck and a pair of Bart J's and a Bart P. The Bart P gives a really fat even 'B' response, so much so that you can really use the additional string rather than just dropping in tasty bombs. Again though, the string height over the pickup is critical to obtaining a good 'B' sound.

[quote name='wateroftyne' post='180694' date='Apr 19 2008, 08:15 PM']Worry not.. I got mine for a very competetive price! I have to say, though... I'm tempted by that 15...[/quote] Word of warning, either hide the receipt better this time or prepare to sell one of your kidneys........

Quick, hide this thread before WaterofTyne see's it!

[quote name='BassistJonathan' post='149367' date='Mar 1 2008, 10:52 AM']Im 17 years aold and have been playing for about 7 years. I am a confident bass player with a good stage presecence and experience. I have a wide range of musical knowledge and can play other instruments aswell as bass. I read both music in treble and bass clef aswell as the usual tabs. I have no issues with commitment and although I prefer indie/rock I would be interested in any oppurtunity I am given. I am currently in a band but we are looking likely to split up[/quote] Hi mate, You might already know of this but check out the musicians wanted bit on riffs at [url="http://www.zen76308.zen.co.uk/Riffs/home.htm"]http://www.zen76308.zen.co.uk/Riffs/home.htm[/url]

[quote name='bassbloke' post='151185' date='Mar 4 2008, 05:43 PM']Any decent music shop should be able to knock one up for you. You could also see if Paul Arrow head can do one for you. He'd just need a trace from the existing plate with all screw holes, truss rod bit and pickup holes marked out.[/quote] There are two different types of Fender J 5 strings, each with a different pickguard. The DLX's are a different body shape and hence different pickguard from the regular 5 string. Be careful to get the right one.

[quote name='Krysbass' post='109827' date='Dec 27 2007, 12:13 PM']The Tramp was made by "Ohm" I seem to recall and they made some other good quality stuff. I wanted one of their larger combos, having heard one in use at a small jazz/rock gig where the bassist was playing a fretless and a Chapman Stick through one - I think it would have been a 1x15. Never got round to buying one though and I can only guess that Ohm must have either gone belly-up or been swallowed by a competitor?[/quote] I had an 80w 1x15 Ohm combo with a five band eq and a flat/contour switch. Canny little amp but ran out of steam about halfway up the volume knob! Ohm are still going strong, though not in bass amps but in installed theatre and club systems.

Ok then, first the big heavy back knacking trouser flapping rock rig, SWR750x, Goliath 4x10 + SoB 1x15 And then the not so big, not so heavy, not so back knacking but still trouser flapping small rock rig, SWR750x, Schroeder 21012

[quote name='wateroftyne' post='102452' date='Dec 10 2007, 10:48 PM']Hello Chop! I know exactly what you mean... that's why I want to leave it to someone less cack-handed than me. All is revealed here: [url="http://www.woodwiz.com/epoxy/"]http://www.woodwiz.com/epoxy/[/url][/quote] WoT, The only person I'd trust one of your beauties to is Chris May at Overwater. Not too far away and a nice day out for you and your lass and the little'un.

[quote name='warwickhunt' post='55569' date='Sep 4 2007, 09:53 PM']Right, well we'll have to firm up where and when because if WoT is joining in "I think we need a bigger boat" By my reckoning we will have: 1 x Thunderfunk head 1 x Tech Blackcat head 1 x Ashdown Superfly 1 x H&K Bassbase 250 1 x SWR 750x head 1 x Genz Benz 750 1 x Acoustic Image 1 x Tech Neo 6x10 1 x SWR Goliath 4x10 1 x SWR Son of Bertha 1x15 2 x Schroeder 21012 1 x JPJ self-build 1x12 Apart from the SABBDI, EBS & BBE preamp pedals is there anything that I missed?[/quote] If I can blag a crane and a forty foot artic, I'll bring my 'vintage' Hiwatt 4x12 along as well

Chris, I went down this route a couple of years ago and I can tell you that the rack versions are much more suited to mastering than live sound especially for bass. The rack version didn't have half the effect on the sound as the pedal version. I have since gone back to the pedal version as it works better for bass. I have a mad idea to rip the innards out of my Exciter, Punch Factory and Yamaha NE1 and put all three in a one unit rack. Only problem is with the Aphex stuff everything (footswitch, jack sockets etc) are mounted on the circuit board so it would be quite a major (if not nigh on impossible task!)

[quote name='warwickhunt' post='54999' date='Sep 3 2007, 10:19 PM']After watching JPJ's jaw hit the floor when I lifted my cab out of the back of my car with virtually one hand it was almost as amusing as wondering if I was going to induce a hernia or force the tortoises head out when I lifted any one of his cabs![/quote] My jaw is still aching today, when you lifted that monster out of the car I thought for a minute Charles Atlas had moved to Blyth and taken up bass playing! [quote name='warwickhunt' post='54999' date='Sep 3 2007, 10:19 PM']though I think Mrs JPJ is gonna be p*ssed when he buys a Neo cab![/quote] I havent mentioned that yet, its her birthday today and I just didn't have the heart...... [quote name='warwickhunt' post='54999' date='Sep 3 2007, 10:19 PM']What is it about blue lights on amps that just looks so much cooler than reds and the like? [/quote] How did I forget to mention that cool blue light! Senility must be setting in or I'm suffering from post gig trauma! [quote name='warwickhunt' post='54999' date='Sep 3 2007, 10:19 PM']We now just have to establish if digital power sections have a different 'delivery' of output to... non-digital![/quote] whoopee, count me in, I'll get the kettle on again!

[quote name='warwickhunt' post='53664' date='Sep 1 2007, 12:00 AM']What was that you said fearplugs! Nah our lass scares the beejezus out of me as it is I'm coming to terms with the controls but I'm seeking local opinions as to what does what, this weekend... hope the whole of the NE has their own supply of earplugs.[/quote] Hope yesterdays gear'fest helped with the decision making. Its an interesting amp that one, seemed to prefer being driven quite hard and seemed to like my East powered Precision mutant. That Tech cab of yours is amazing, a six by ten should not weigh so little, it defies the laws of physics, I'm surprised your not able to pack all your other gear inside it and travel home in it as well, afterall it must be made from the same stuff as Dr whatsits tardis! For the rest of you, WH and I got together yesterday with the following gear to check out various theories re cabs, amps and sounds; 1 x Thunderfunk head 1 x Tech Blackcat head 1 x SWR 750x head 1 x Tech Neo 6x10 1 x SWR Goliath 4x10 1 x SWR Son of Bertha 1x15 1 x Schroeder 21012 2 x Warwick basses 1 x five string precision thing I don't think we actually discovered anything new despite the multiple variations of amps and cabs other than the Tech cab on its own doesn't quite have the rounded bottom of the 4x10+1x15. Having said that, the difference is small and certainly not worth the weight penalty of the 4x10+1x15. The Blackcat head likes being driven hard, and the eq is very sensitive to preamp volume and master volume settings. That said, it had a nice sound through the 6x10, definitely old skool. Surprisingly, the SWR head did not sound that good through the tech cab. The Thunderfunk sounded pretty much the same through all the cabs save for the Schroeder, where the character of the cab would have need some eq tweaks to match the others (we ran all the amps and basses flat, or as near to flat as we could given the difficulty of deciding what was actually flat on the Black Cat!). I think we concluded that the SWR sounded best through the 4x10+1x15. The Tech cab is seriously sexy, the weight or rather lack of weight, is hugely seductive. The Thunderfunk is a nice sounding amp. Perhaps a little too clean for my liking, but it suits WH's Warwick basses with a really well defined full range sound. The Blackcat is similarly a nice amp, a little dirtier sounding than the Thunderfunk, but we both concluded that we'd be a little concerned about that passive eq setup in a difficult room. It was great to get to a/b all this gear. Also, it was the first time I've been able to get up close and personal with a Warwick bass. I found both easy to play, light weight and the necks were not as clubby as some would have you believe. WH will, I am sure, be along shortly to clarify which of his arsenal of basses we were using. All in all a fascinating couple of hours, only problem being is that I am left with serious gas for a Tech 610

[quote name='wateroftyne' post='54104' date='Sep 2 2007, 10:22 AM']Aww... sorry I didn't make it, JPJ. I had a gig this afternoon that I thought was cancelled, but it's back on again, and I'm utterly wiped out at the mo. How'd it go?[/quote] Cheers WoT, Dont worry about it, the gig went really well (well both gigs did actually) The Pheonix is a nice little pub gig with a good knowledgeable and appreciative crowd.