Misdee

I sent the Katana Go back to Amazon, I'm afraid. Thanks anyway, though.

Thanks. That Sonicake looks a prospect, especially if it's £50. Very similar to my old Pandora PX4 in many ways, but with Bluetooth aux in. Are the bass amp models any good, and is it easy to navigate for a luddite like me? I'll investigate the Valeton as well.

I've looked at the NUX but I think I'd have the same problem as I had with the Boss Katana Go, i.e it's in the way and not easy to adjust when I plug it into a bass that's a bottom-loader.

Sounds like I've had a lucky escape, because we're it not for people sharing experiences on Basschat I would have probably placed an order myself. If the quality is still what you expect from a Jaydee, their prices are incredibly reasonable. Of all the basses I've owned, the quality of the woodworking on my custom MK was easily the most impressive. Their proprietary hardware is the business, too. Such a shame it looks like I can't have another.

I've had a quite a few custom builds over the years, and I've learnt to take prospective delivery dates with a pinch of salt. To still be waiting two years after being told it's nearly ready (if I have understood correctly) is a bit much, though. By coincidence, I was looking at the JayDee website last night for the first time in ages and it says the current wait time is sixteen months months. If it was actually sixteen months or thereabouts I'd place an order right away. However, after reading what Kevin has gone through though and other people's travails, I can do without that kind of stress in my life. There's plenty of other nice basses to buy that might arrive before my family have put me in a care home and spent my savings on scratch cards and extra strong cider. My contact with Jaydee back in the old days was always with John himself, and he was a lovely man who took great pride in his work. The bass he made for me was a flawless masterpiece and I should never have sold it. I can't understand why Jaydee would tell someone the bass is nearly finished when It isn't. They're just making problems for themselves and risking getting doorstepped by Esther Rantzen or whoever is the modern equivalent. A few weeks or months delay, okay, things can happen, but years? It's hard to believe that someone making a guitar can't differentiate between those timeframes for completing the job.

Lined, with a polyester coating like on a Pedulla, so it can withstand the abrasion of roundwound strings. It's a light one, too. Weighs about 8 pounds. Lakland CEO John Pirrucello sorted it out for me.

That's really interesting about how MK set his active EQ. If be very interested to try those settings out on a JayDee. I usually only make small additions or subtractions with any active bass. I wish I'd never sold my custom JayDee MK mk3. It had a graphite-reinforced neck with maple laminates replacing the usual walnut and vice versa. It had a unique profile to it as well. John Diggins himself made it, and it was an amazing piece of craftsmanship all-round. I sold it for sbout £600 in the summer of 1992 because JayDee basses had "gone out of fashion"(!) Why I should have been bothered by that I can't quite remember.

I think those Lakland/Hanson LH3 pickups are better than the Bartolini set they replaced. They're a bit more aggressive with more bite and attack. Bass Player Magazine liked them, too: I've got a 44-02 Deluxe fretless with them on and it's a fabulous bass. So many classic fretless tones available with that pickup system. If you're only going to have one fretless bass it a very versatile choice.

I remember reading that review when it came out! I bought my first four string Stingray a few months later.

I used to like the way MK wasn't afraid to change his tone from track to track on the studio albums back in the '80's. Like on that song Micro Kid on Standing In The Light it sounds like he's cranked the mid and treble controls on his JayDee. This Croydon gig sounds not dissimilar to that tone:

Those were the days! Such an exciting time for bass players.

If that new Doug Wimbish bass is only available in that relic finish then I won't be buying one after all. The relic finish they offered on the old new Doug Wimbish last year cost an extra thousand quid, and I don't like relic finishes anyway. I'm certainly not going to pay a premium for one. I don't mind the aged white colour, but the rest they can keep.

I saw the Scorpions live on the Lovedrive tour. I remember Francis was playing a P Bass through an SVT rig and you could feel it hitting you in the chest. RIP Francis, no more pain now.

That SB1 looks a lot better in real life than in photos. I bet it's a great rock bass. That Frank Bello bass looks killer in the new finish.

I remember those AC DJ basses. It might have been where I first got the idea of having ChiSonics put on mine. After Lakland first moved production to Indonesia a lot of the basses got lighter. I've got a Skyline 44-02 Deluxe fretless weighs about 8 pounds. My USA DJ is genuine swamp ash and weighs in a bit under 8 pounds. Sounds great with those pickups, like a beefed-up Jazz Bass but not like an active Jazz, which is exactly what I wanted. Haven't used it in a long time, but I will get round to it again. I wonder what Lakland are showing at NAMM this year? Can't find much yet.

I know ESP thought about buying Lakland when Dan Lakin decided to move on. I always wanted a black DJ4. Finally got round to ordering one only to be told Lakland no longer offered that model due to Darryl taking his patent elsewhere. I was quite miffed, but to make up for it I got them to make me a one-off custom USA-made version with ChiSonic pickups ect. It's quite a bass. The Skyline versions are back now, but only in crap colours.

I think you might be confusing Lakland with Sadowsky. Lakland Shoreline Series ( for the Japanese market) were made by ESP.

I know exactly what you mean. When I first heard about the Warwick/Sadowsky collaboration I was more than sceptical. However, the quality of the basses coming out of the German factory has completely changed my views. I bought a Metroline Will Lee 4 string and it was so impressive I ordered a 5 string version, turned out to be another good one. Paradoxically, it's that terrific build quality that puts me off buying a Masterbuilt German-made Sadowsky. The Masterbuilt basses are more fancy, but the Metrolines I have couldn't really be made any better. I've had a lot of high-quality basses over the years, I know what I'm talking about, and these German Metrolines are on par with the very best in terms of how well they are made. For a Fender-style bass, you couldn't show me a more meticulously crafted instrument. Fancy wood tops and brushed chrome pickup covers ect on the Masterbuilt are very nice, but they don't make a better instrument in terms of actual use. In terms of the execution of things that make a bass play well and sound good, I don't see how Masterbuilt could be that much better than the Metroline.

The German Masterbuilt Sadowsky basses are lush, I'm tempted, but it's just too much money to make good sense. As you rightly point out, you can get a nice Fodera for that. I would also point out that a Fodera will have a better resale value than a German-made Sadowsky, generally speaking. The thing about a Masterbuilt, though, is that you can cash and carry it rather than have to wait a year (Spector)or two (Fodera) to have a custom order built. Sei, Overwater, Shuker make very good quality instruments, for sure, but none of them have anything like the cache or romantic appeal of a Sadowsky, whether it's made in Germany or NYC. Most people who buy high-end basses are not looking to make a practical purchase. They are looking to fulfil their longing for something they've always wanted. And a lot of bassists want Sadowsky's, even if they've never actually played one. So many builders try to make what is obviously a Sadowsky-inspired design. The people that buy them would have probably rather had a Sadowsky, given the choice. Roger has created an aspirational brand, and for the kind of basses he offers, no one can get close to him. That's just how it is.

Big frilly bloomers.

That is a lot of money for a bass that has a bit of a school woodwork project vibe about it.

New Sadowsky Special Editions for 2026: The Masterbuilt for 2025 was £8000+ and the Metroline Special Edition about £4300. These are not likely to be any less expensive. I'm not at all keen on a satin finish on any of the Metroline basses, let alone a Special Edition model. Gloss looks more finished and is much more durable in the long term. The Masterbuilt looks very nice to me. It's an awful lot of money, though.

From what I can make out, the aging is just about the colour of the white finish rather than relicing.

Still waaayyy too much gold for my liking. Each to their own, but it would have been nice to have an anniversary model that was something a bit different in terms of construction and sonics rather than just cosmetics. The Thirtieth Anniversary Stingray with a mahogany body ect is still just about the best Stingray I've ever heard. I was expecting something like that but with the added advantages of the Stingray Special revamp that has happened inbetween times. That's why I'm a bit disappointed.