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Posts posted by Paulhauser
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2 hours ago, naxos10 said:
Nice looking bass there Mr Paulhauser, just the right shade or red.
Thanks! Never had a solid color red bass before, but the color was one of the selling point for me (wouldn't have wanted a generic sunburst P, no issue with the SB at all, but wanted someting else)
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After many years of not even wanting one and somewhat disliking its sound, lately I have decied that I'm getting old enough to own a P bass (ok, I know, I know 🙂 )
So this FGN Neo Classic P came around and I bought it without hesitation. FGN is the house brand of the Japaneese Fujigen factory that produced many Fender MIJ /CIJ basses and also do the MIJ Prestige line for Ibanez amogst others.
I've had 2 FGN jazzes before and they left a very good impression in terms of build quality and overall feel and this one did not disappoint either. FGN basses are of great value, if they had a decent European distribution they'd be a lot more known I think.
I bought it used from Denmark and the courier company actually lost this within their system for a week. Fortunately it was found and delivered in the end. Shipping cost was paid back as a reimbursement though, so it was all good in the end 🙂
The bass: nothing extraordinary to write home about, 'just' a great P bass with great attention to detail, flawless finish, nice feel and in a very cool color (would love to have a white pearl pickguard though) Alder/rosewood, the sound is surprisingly strong and lively (D'Addario Chromes are on it) Neck is somewhere between a jazz and a P, very comfortable for me. The bass has a circle fret system with slightly curved frets (see last pic) Its not really noticeable but it's there FWIW.
As I use exclusively 5 string Spector basses for the gigs I do I bought this bass primarily for having a good P for noodling on and the occasional need to play a P with flats on it 🙂 So this is covered now and I'm more than happy as this bass sounds a lot more than I've expected and handles really well.
Now the pics:
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There is one for sale.
As for the OP " but dont mount the back on the side of the body!"
Do you mean the jack placement?
I'm sure that is like this because it's how Anthony Jackson wanted it to be.
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12 hours ago, spectoremg said:
NOT Spectors, they're great value at any price point.
I’m a Spector player so maybe biased but this is actually true, I have yet to see a Spector of any price point failing to deliver.
This topic is a great read by the way! 😂
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That is a great video, love that white M265
By the way, how does the Atelier DAL5 with the chambered alder body compares to the M265 in terms of sound and feel?
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6 hours ago, pierreganseman said:
We are currently dealing Atelier Z Basses and "good weight" still has to be custom ordered otherwise they will build a 5,3 kilo 4 string if not pointed out.
Its quite common to see 80's builds that are 6+ kilo (lol)....
Hi Pierre, thanks for your insights.
I was looking at your page www.bassfreaks.net for some info on Ateliers and its a great thing that you carry them.
I'm very impressed by this bass so far and would be glad if they had a greater European presence.
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46 minutes ago, nemo said:
Congrats to your new Atelier! As a former owner of the M265 I thought I will chime in. These basses are great, but tend to be very heavy, mine had nearly 12 lbs (ash body, maple neck and fingerboard). You are lucky that yours is on the light side. Also the aestetics screams 70's bass, but the bridge pickup is in 60's position. The string spacing is 18 mm on a their fiver. Just my 2 cents for any potential buyers to look for. Anyway, this is top notch quality instrument and I sometimes miss mine that is gone now. Neck is very playable, sort of flat front to back and sound is amazing. Low B is killer. Enjoy this beautifull bass!
Thank you!
This one is 4.33 kgs and balances really well. I was aware of Atelier Z's reputation of being heavy but that must have been a thing of the past to a certain extent as most of their basses I was considering buying were under 4,5 kgs.
I happen to like 18mm, this was actually one of the features I was looking for in my 'perfect' 5 string jazz.
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8 minutes ago, Cato said:
I was browsing Bass Direct earlier and came across this.
http://www.bassdirect.co.uk/bass_guitar_specialists/Atelier_Z.html
If I had a spare £2000 my order would already be in.
Yes, these Jerry Barnes models are killer.
It has all the things I like in a '70 jazz and some more.
Knowing now from experience how good Atelier Z basses are if I was on the market for a 4 string jazz, these would be high on my list (and the chambered Atelier DAL models, too)
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Seems like Atelier Z basses are a bit rare occurence on this forum so I thought about writing a bit about my recent purchase
Having owned quite a few Japaneese basses over the years, mainly ones from the Fujigen factory like Yamaha TRB, Ibanez Prestiges, FGN basses, Fenders but others like a Sadowsky Metro as well, I have long been an admirer of the quality of the craftmanship that is put into these instruments over there.
There is a bunch of smaller 'boutique' workshops like Atelier, Sugi, Devise that produce basses of the highst quality and standards - with prices to match.
I've been long eyeing Atelier basses as I like their take on the classic Fender jazz design and they seem to carry everything that I like in these modern 'superjazz' basses. There are so many brands to choose from if one is heading into this direction and the options are almost endless, but I wanted to have something which is a bit unique here in Europe and wanted to know the next level of CIJ basses.
So after months of checking out Ikebe's website (one of Japans biggest instrument store) this bass came up, I had the funds, the stars aligned and I made the purchase and imported this home. This was my second time dealing with Ikebe and I have to say they are top notch in customer service. It was a seamless transaction.
Anyway, on to the most important thing. The bass is a Atelier Z M265 custom model. The M265 is basically their '70 5 string jazz bass. Ash body, one piece maple neck/board with block inlays and binding. they use in-house Atelier pickups and a selection of 2 band preamps. Hadware is a high mass Atelier bridge and Gotoh tuners.
This custom M265 is a bit different, most notably in that it has a 3 band EQ (Bartonlini) and abalone inlays plus a brown red burst finish (which is more like amber in real life, the pics show this a bit more red that actually is) It is quite light and is a joy to play, the neck is really comfortable. It balances really well, that was one of my concerns as I was not able to try and see. I especially like the clean pickguard, it lets the grain shine through.
The sound is a bit of a tipical '70 ash/maple, quite clean, sweet deeps with great highs and the slap is like Miller, only I don't have the chops.... It can get gritty if I dig in and it reacts very well to the different dinamics. The mid cut/boost is a nice addition, can't remember every having a jazz with a mid control but certainly helps at certain situations with the slightly scooped ash/maple sound.
I bougth this bass untried and without ever trying an Atelier bass but it delivered on its promise big time.
These above are my initial observations and for the time being I am very happy and a bit relieved as this distance purchase turned out great. Of course just like with other basses only time will tell how we are going to be in the long run.
And now the pics (taken by Ikebe)
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Great playing, great sound, great bass. All the best with the sale!
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I'd be extremly cautious to sell a bass that has been owned for so long and fits so well.
As said above, try as many basses as you can. Or, if finances permit, keep the Wal and set aside a grand or two and go through a couple of used basses one after another. If you buy and sell wisely it may no cost you much in losses but lets you have a lot deeper experience with a number of basses than a casual music store visit can reveal. If you choose to stay with the Wal after all, this above is merely a cash flow question (if, again, finances permit) If you find another holy grail in the process, you can sell the Wal and free up funds in the end.
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As said above, there are many variables other than the wood and it is hard to predict how much and what contributions the wood would bring to the end result.
I'd personally choose alder with a fancy top
FYI, Roger Sadowsky has a great article about his experiences with the main tonewoods and their combinations.
https://www.sadowsky.com/wood-and-sound-in-amplified-guitars-and-basses/
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7 hours ago, cetera said:
Damon - see P15 here: http://www.spectorbass.com/uploads/resources/completehistory.pdf
This bass is a pre-LX Euro, also known as a NS4CR (or NS4CRFM if flamed maple)
Hope this helps chaps!
The serial number / its placement would make it clear (either a transition era NS-4CR from '99/00 or a pre LX Euro4 from 01-03)
But it's most probably gone as a result of the refinish...
Either way, only a Spector nerd like me would be interested in this, for all the others the only thing to know is that it is a killer bass with huge sound and ergonomics second to none.
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While what you have in mind could be a fun project if one's doing it oneself, but paying for a luthier to do it will cost some dough.
I'd forgone that cost and save the up and buy a 5 string Overwater with the specs you liked on the 6 string.
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3 hours ago, Damonjames said:
what are the string spacing on these?
It is a Hipshot A bridge with 18 mm spacing as default in this case. But as per Hipshot:
" Innovative Micro-Adjust saddle design allows for an additional 1.5mm of side-to-side adjustment for even greater string spacing possibilities"
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EMG has a P/J set in the 35 housing, I have this in one of my Spectors and sounds great, I love it.
Also the EMG 35TWX is a great pickup, the coil tap function gives it some variety and it is nice, round sounding pickup.
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21 hours ago, Damonjames said:
What a cracking bass!!
Thank you!
The bass is still available.
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23 minutes ago, Damonjames said:
Thicker string and longer scale would sound amazing. Don’t start me GASSING!!!!
You know you have to have one. It is inevitable.
Don't fight SAS, resisting it is futile, we all know it.
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20 hours ago, jazzyvee said:
With all due respect to Alembic (one time owner myself) these are just not right for me especially on the pickup placement department. Both the JJ and the PJ is really off for me. Wonderful woodwork though (as pretty much always from Alembic)
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Not only one, but two Spectors.... Sir you certainly have a fine taste :-)
These are great basses, I'm still on the look for a 35" version (and would tune BEAD)
Have fun with them!
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Spector Euro5 LX, made in the Czech Republic.
You can score one used around 1000GBP.
They sound great, very well built, great B string and has some great ergonomical features that you will like (based on the SR305)
Also korean Spectors, called the Legend series has some very high price/value basses.
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Rickenbacker comes to my mind.
NBD...finally
in Bass Guitars
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The frets look straight so even if there is a curve to them it isn't really noticeable visually.