When did the 'Super-Jazz' come into being?

[warwickhunt]

When did the 'Super Jazz' ie Sadowsky take on the jazz come into being?

The only reason I ask is that my wife found an old pic of one of my attempts at 'custom' build. When I say 'my' I mean I came up with the ideas and got Howard Satterly to build it. I can't for the life of my recall who if anyone was doing the style of Jazz that I set out to create, this is about 18 years ago so was pretty much pre any form of Internet activity and guitar mags would have been my only influence. I do recall at the time starting the project of this bass off with a single pup (as seen at the rear of the bass; 2 jazz pups glued side by side with the inner lugs cut off) and a single volume control. Within a year I'd progressed to adding the SC pup and the extra in-line controls (and I'd gone through maple, rosewood and ebony fingerboard necks).

Just trying to fill in some gaps on my own history... as you can tell from the pic' fashion wasn't big in our band, however keeping warm in my mate's cottage in the middle of nowhere was

[gafbass02]

i really like that actually mate, a bit like the fender bailey sig

[warwickhunt]

[quote name='gafbass02' post='172045' date='Apr 8 2008, 09:35 AM']i really like that actually mate, a bit like the fender bailey sig[/quote]

Just Googled his Jazz; body woods are similar choices (I went for American Walnut IIRC), his pups are jazz config and strangely his controls look more like the layout of my Warwicks!

Any idea when Fender first produced that Bailey sig?

I'm really trying to fill in the blanks of why I went the route that I did... I must have seen some developing theme in Jazz basses back in the mid 80's

[gafbass02]

i think it came out about 2001

[wateroftyne]

What a handsome pair!

[Huge Hands]

[quote name='warwickhunt' post='171998' date='Apr 8 2008, 07:57 AM']When I say 'my' I mean I came up with the ideas and got Howard Satterly to build it.[/quote]

That name rings a bell to me (I haven't a clue about luthiers or custom builders).

Did he live in Harlough Green (Gateshead?)

[steve-soar]

So you were The Queens of the Stoneage's original bass player?
(Check out the singer.)

[warwickhunt]

[quote name='wateroftyne' post='172114' date='Apr 8 2008, 11:29 AM']What a handsome pair![/quote]

This would have been about the same year that you filled the roll of handsome bassist in the band

[quote name='Huge Hands' post='172122' date='Apr 8 2008, 11:40 AM']That name rings a bell to me (I haven't a clue about luthiers or custom builders).

Did he live in Harlough Green (Gateshead?)[/quote]

Howard lived over Low Fell, Gateshead wayso may well be the same (spoke to him yesterday and he'd doing well).

[quote name='steve-soar' post='172155' date='Apr 8 2008, 12:22 PM']So you were The Queens of the Stoneage's original bass player?
(Check out the singer.) [/quote]

Damn you eagle eyed detective types

[Huge Hands]

[quote name='warwickhunt' post='172212' date='Apr 8 2008, 01:44 PM']Howard lived over Low Fell, Gateshead wayso may well be the same (spoke to him yesterday and he'd doing well).[/quote]

I reckon that's him then. (Harlough Green is next to Low Fell). The guy who taught me bass had one of Howard's basses (this would have been around 1990) and it was a direct copy of a Jazz with EMG's attached. It was my first experience of playing one (I had my starter bass at the time - a short scale Fenix from Grott Guitars!) and I fell in love with it.

I was determined to get him to make me one, but couldn't afford it on a paper boy's salary. In the end, through my teacher, he sold me my Squier JV (unmodified) which I have had ever since (still unmodified!). It was the nearest (for playability) I have ever played to the one he built.

I remember going to his house for it, and counting out 10p's for the last few quid as I'd literally scraped together everything I had!

He seemed like a very nice fellow.

Since my last post, I have read that thread about him running the bass place. Didn't realise it was the same guy!

[warwickhunt]

[quote name='Huge Hands' post='172252' date='Apr 8 2008, 02:30 PM']I reckon that's him then. (Harlough Green is next to Low Fell). The guy who taught me bass had one of Howard's basses (this would have been around 1990) and it was a direct copy of a Jazz with EMG's attached. It was my first experience of playing one (I had my starter bass at the time - a short scale Fenix from Grott Guitars!) and I fell in love with it.

I was determined to get him to make me one, but couldn't afford it on a paper boy's salary. In the end, through my teacher, he sold me my Squier JV (unmodified) which I have had ever since (still unmodified!). It was the nearest (for playability) I have ever played to the one he built.

I remember going to his house for it, and counting out 10p's for the last few quid as I'd literally scraped together everything I had!

He seemed like a very nice fellow.

Since my last post, I have read that thread about him running the bass place. Didn't realise it was the same guy![/quote]

Can you remember the name of the guy who taught you bass? It wasn't Kenny Potter was it... and by any chance is your JV a sunburst? I only ask as I'm sure that Kenny helped locate a buyer for an early JV that I had and I've often wondered where it went.

After having spoke to a local bassist last night about various basses that we've owned I'm having a bit of a day trying to piece together some of the blanks in my 80's/90's booze addled brain. Seems over the last 20 years I've sold this 1 guy six basses (which he still has, now that is just weird) and I can only place a face to 3 of them... this is a bit of a worry

[Huge Hands]

[quote name='warwickhunt' post='172294' date='Apr 8 2008, 03:02 PM']Can you remember the name of the guy who taught you bass? It wasn't Kenny Potter was it... and by any chance is your JV a sunburst? I only ask as I'm sure that Kenny helped locate a buyer for an early JV that I had and I've often wondered where it went.

After having spoke to a local bassist last night about various basses that we've owned I'm having a bit of a day trying to piece together some of the blanks in my 80's/90's booze addled brain. Seems over the last 20 years I've sold this 1 guy six basses (which he still has, now that is just weird) and I can only place a face to 3 of them... this is a bit of a worry [/quote]

Yes, it was a sunburst, and no, it was Barrie Spence. I believe he was (and probably still is) well know on the NE scene. Barrie actually got his own JV (also a sunburst) just before me which helped me decide to go for one, which may have been through Howard as well. I know Barrie got him to fit EMG's to his. Last I saw him was in about 92 ish.

[bassaussie]

[quote name='warwickhunt' post='171998' date='Apr 8 2008, 07:57 AM']When did the 'Super Jazz' ie Sadowsky take on the jazz come into being?[/quote]

If you look at the way Roger describes what happened, he was modding basses in the late 70s and early 80s, but at that time, he'd tell the guys who came to him to go and find the nicest 60s Jazz they could, then he'd mod/upgrade it. I think he was building full instruments by the early 80s, and also, he stopped recommending that they upgrade 60s Jazzes as he realised he was telling them to basically destroy any vintage value the instrument might have. I'd imagine other builders were doing much the same thing. For instance, Charvel/Jackson were certainly do Fender style basses in the early 80s, and I know Schecter were building similar instruments as well. So you can definitely say that that style of bass existed in the early 80s, and I'd imagine there are probably earlier examples as well.

[warwickhunt]

[quote name='bassaussie' post='172330' date='Apr 8 2008, 03:36 PM']If you look at the way Roger describes what happened, he was modding basses in the late 70s and early 80s, but at that time, he'd tell the guys who came to him to go and find the nicest 60s Jazz they could, then he'd mod/upgrade it. I think he was building full instruments by the early 80s, and also, he stopped recommending that they upgrade 60s Jazzes as he realised he was telling them to basically destroy any vintage value the instrument might have. I'd imagine other builders were doing much the same thing. For instance, Charvel/Jackson were certainly do Fender style basses in the early 80s, and I know Schecter were building similar instruments as well. So you can definitely say that that style of bass existed in the early 80s, and I'd imagine there are probably earlier examples as well.[/quote]

That was my view on the manufactured Super-Jazz as opposed to the modded Fender. Does anyone know of any sites that have examples of early production Sadowsky's etc?

[bassaussie]

[quote name='warwickhunt' post='172339' date='Apr 8 2008, 02:41 PM']That was my view on the manufactured Super-Jazz as opposed to the modded Fender. Does anyone know of any sites that have examples of early production Sadowsky's etc?[/quote]

The only time I've ever seen any old Sadowskys is when they've been put up on Talkbass or Bassgear for sale. In the 7 or 8 years I've been going to Talkbass, I've only see 3 or 4.