joe_geezer

Yea i agree totally that the earlier Status basses like the Series 2000 sound great! As did the Empathy 5 string on the Guaranteed Live Video.

I loved the sound of Mark king's Status Empathy 5 string in the Guaranteed concert video, it had a nice low b sound and the tone was not plastic sounding at all. I wonder if it's the way it's recorded on some gigs, the direct sound of a status can be plastic sounding but through a trace rig it brings out a nice powerful gutsy sound.

Exactly! All my status basses have been on the heavy side, obviously no neck dive but i was surprised that graphite / woven carbon can be actually heavier than wood

Out of interest, which models are you interested in ordering?

What aspects do you require from Jaydee that another bass builder can't provide? Without sounding abrasive, if it's just having the Jaydee logo on the headstock then you could look into many other bass makers that im sure would satisfy your build requirements. Jaydee's (as you know), have a very distinctive look with which they have successfully carved out a niche market with, the set neck construction, distinctive headstock, wood pickup covers, the bright middle punchy preamps are all mainstays and to update them just to please a few niche customers would probably loose them a lot of business. If it's the set neck construction, then you might find it difficult to find another bass maker, i can only think of Larkin (Rip), Rickenbecker or Guild Pilot basses. As mentioned they offer an updated version of the line with the tear drop bridge shape, exotic wood tops & slightly angled body shape, which i think is more of a custom order. Also, still on the topic, i love the old status series 2 basses & was gutted that i missed out on the recent anniversary models , also they were quite expensive. Looking on their site, there's nothing that comes close to their classic designs, i really dont like the modern separate bridge style, newer body shapes, even the logo. Im sure they are still wonderful playing and sounding basses but just not my thing.

Another blue Jaydee

Amazing bass! Are the GA24's the same body size as series 3s?

Haha, all are welcome to have a slap on my jaydee!

As promised some updates that John kindly sent me this evening...

Could i disagree on not updating the design... I love how Jaydee and Wal have maintained their brand and designs , they have included new designs like the series 3. I really dislike all the new status basses and prefer the original series 2. Also, look at fender, alembic etc most bass guitar brand dont update their classic original designs - thank god!

Just spoke to John & will have some new pics on the assembly bench soon...

This is the bass in the spray booth a few months ago....

A jaydee actually can have quite a pronounced mid, obviously with the back pickup soloed but also when both pickups are on it still retains a lot of mids. If you listen to any of Level 42s live albums you can really hear when Mark is slapping the mids really coming through...

grunt is confusing, he probably meant "mid growl"

no need, just listen to "A PHYSICAL PRESENCE" album and theres your answer

Here's the latest update, the pic was kindly sent by John today, only about a month now to go! Also , now i can see the darker thru body woods I requested that I have seen on 1 or 2 other Jaydee's... very nice!

Ive often looked at that very bass and marvelled at it! Do the pickups any different from the standard wooden covered ones?

Great Story!

Well, it's been awhile since my original post on ordering a Jaydee but the great news is I have some progress pics. John got back to me with this recently with this pic which he explained was just awaiting preparation to be sprayed.

Thanks guys for all the replies, good and bad! For those complaining about quality issues with necks and finishes, this seems to only effect the 80s-90s basses that were caused by over demand and John not being able to scale fast enough to meet demand which in turn effected quality. Also in terms of the weight issue... it's not an issue at all as you can request any weight you like for John to target, mines going to be in between the 8-9lbs range. Again thanks for all your feed back, and id love to hear even more!

Hey fellow bassists, I have just ordered an amazing Jaydee bass from John Diggins. So i'd love to hear from any Jaydee owners there thoughts, opinions and pics (please!). Do you gig regularly with your Jaydee? What styles do you use it for? Can you resist slapping it as soon as you pick it up..? lol thanks in advance, joe