NBD - Jaydee Roadie II

[JohnFitzgerald]

8 hours ago, 4000 said:

I’ve had John work on a few things over the years. He certainly knows his onions, but rather marches to his own drum, so to speak.

I sent my first (used) Jaydee to him for a fretstone. I rang him a few times to see how it was getting on, and eventually it was done, so I asked him to send it and told him what day I’d arranged to be off work and so would be at home for delivery.

The day arrived, the bass didn’t. So I rang him and he said he hadn’t sent it yet. So I arranged another day, same thing. So I rang him again and arranged another day, same thing. Eventually I rang him up, pretty irate, and reiterated I’d had to take days off work (i.e. my holidays) each time (I lost I think 4 days in the end), which I had explained at the very start.

So the bass finally arrived and he’d changed the pickups. I rang him and asked why and he said the old ones had low output. Which would have been ok except I really liked the sound of it before and didn’t like the sound of it after. I sold it soon after. I later spoke to the guy it had been built for and he said the bridge pickup had been built completely differently, not like a normal JD pickup, so I’m sure that was a factor. That bass had one of the “wafty” necks. 
 

I bought another Jaydee later on but it was far too heavy - my back had gone by then - so that went too. That was a good bass otherwise. 

 

 

 

Edited February 10, 2021 by JohnFitzgerald

[JohnFitzgerald]

Some progress underway on this I'm delighted to say.

The stringers are now painted in.

 

[AndyTravis]

Oh my. I saw that on Instagram...how intriguing.

[JohnFitzgerald]

1 minute ago, AndyTravis said:

Oh my. I saw that on Instagram...how intriguing.

The colour scheme will split opinions, I think.

I love it though.

I already have pics of it painted, but I understand the value to a small business in sharing your work on social media so won't jump the gun and share before Toby does.

Now it has to sit for two weeks whilst it fully cures before buffing out and reassembly.

[AndyTravis]

12 minutes ago, JohnFitzgerald said:

The colour scheme will split opinions, I think.

I love it though.

I already have pics of it painted, but I understand the value to a small business in sharing your work on social media so won't jump the gun and share before Toby does.

Now it has to sit for two weeks whilst it fully cures before buffing out and reassembly.

So happy the bass I loved but didn’t gel with has a new lease of life. Did you find the serial number - was it 1180880 or something like that?

[JohnFitzgerald]

8 minutes ago, AndyTravis said:

So happy the bass I loved but didn’t gel with has a new lease of life. Did you find the serial number - was it 1180880 or something like that?

I have a pic of it somewhere. '87 I think.

 

[AndyTravis]

4 minutes ago, JohnFitzgerald said:

I have a pic of it somewhere. '87 I think.

 

Yeah, it went back to Jaydee after I bought it. Wonder if I still have the emails 

Edit - no I haven’t, it was about 12 years ago hahah

Edited February 19, 2021 by AndyTravis

[JohnFitzgerald]

1 minute ago, AndyTravis said:

Yeah, it went back to Jaydee after I bought it. Wonder if I still have the emails 

Edit - no I haven’t, it was about 12 years ago hahah

Sent a PM.

[TheGreek]

Starting to reminisce...ah, the good old days when I had mine.... 

[4000]

I’d still love a Starchild Jaydee. Always wanted one, ever since I first saw Level 42 on the OGWT (I play nothing like Mark King though 😉).

[JohnFitzgerald]

48 minutes ago, 4000 said:

I’d still love a Starchild Jaydee. Always wanted one, ever since I first saw Level 42 on the OGWT (I play nothing like Mark King though 😉).

I can play 'some' of that stuff, but choose not to.

That job's already taken and I find it borderline cringeworthy when people put their video up playing one of his lines with their Jaydee or Status under their chin.

It does many other decent sounds, given that when they were first designed, it wasn't actually for him.

[4000]

4 hours ago, JohnFitzgerald said:

I can play 'some' of that stuff, but choose not to.

That job's already taken and I find it borderline cringeworthy when people put their video up playing one of his lines with their Jaydee or Status under their chin.

It does many other decent sounds, given that when they were first designed, it wasn't actually for him.

Oh, absolutely. He said he went to the West End with £600, tried a few Wals but didn’t get on with them, then stumbled across the Jaydee. They rang John Diggins saying there was a bloke there offering £600 and the rest is history. I assume the large body was nice for resting his arm on when slapping; I’ve certainly found it so, although I don’t really slap these days. 

[JohnFitzgerald]

Done,
To be polished and reassembled now.

 

[ezbass]

Stunning! Up until now I assumed that the body was a laminate sandwich, I had no idea it was paint job; that’s some precision painting, right there. This is going to look so awesome.

[JohnFitzgerald]

3 minutes ago, ezbass said:

Stunning! Up until now I assumed that the body was a laminate sandwich, I had no idea it was paint job; that’s some precision painting, right there. This is going to look so awesome.

I'd never have dreamt that was possible.

It's a way to make my Roadie look like a higher end Jaydee with the real laminate construction.
He's done that previously and also did another bass with the purple tint around the edge.

I asked him to combine both and I think it's turned out well.

It also has a new bookmatched Walnut - Maple -  Mahogany headstock facing now, whereas before it was painted black.

Edited February 21, 2021 by JohnFitzgerald

[4000]

The purple tint is awesome. Loving it! 👏

[JohnFitzgerald]

Just now, 4000 said:

The purple tint is awesome. Loving it! 👏

It felt quite a bold move, but once I saw it...

 

[4000]

4 minutes ago, JohnFitzgerald said:

It felt quite a bold move, but once I saw it...

 

Brilliant touch. Really lifts it.

[Cosmo Valdemar]

I've always admired these basses but have never seen one. Considering the Alembic influence, can they run in stereo?

[JohnFitzgerald]

7 hours ago, Cosmo Valdemar said:

I've always admired these basses but have never seen one. Considering the Alembic influence, can they run in stereo?

Nope,

just a straightforward mono output. 

Mine has just had the XLR out added, for not greater reason than it being a Jaydee 'thing' and a Roadie didn't originally have that. 
When I sent it down for the refinish, they contacted me back and asked if I'd want that and a new headstock facing, for a very fair price. I couldn't honestly say no.

 

[4000]

8 hours ago, Cosmo Valdemar said:

I've always admired these basses but have never seen one. Considering the Alembic influence, can they run in stereo?

They don’t, but I’m sure John could fix you up with stereo if you asked nicely. They also have a different sound to Alembics IME.  

[Grahambythesea]

Are the stripes down the neck also a paint job?

[Cosmo Valdemar]

2 hours ago, JohnFitzgerald said:

Nope,

just a straightforward mono output. 

Mine has just had the XLR out added, for not greater reason than it being a Jaydee 'thing' and a Roadie didn't originally have that. 
When I sent it down for the refinish, they contacted me back and asked if I'd want that and a new headstock facing, for a very fair price. I couldn't honestly say no.

 

 

2 hours ago, 4000 said:

They don’t, but I’m sure John could fix you up with stereo if you asked nicely. They also have a different sound to Alembics IME.  

It's a bit odd they didn't go the whole hog with the stereo thing. I've always been fascinated by Jaydee  - they're a bit like the British Alembic, an appearance but also in their slightly mythical quality 😁

I'd love to actually play one. @JohnFitzgerald 's looks incredible. Unfortunately all of the YouTube demos I've seen are slapping or super tight 16ths down at the bridge so I've got no idea how they would sound for me.

[JohnFitzgerald]

1 hour ago, Grahambythesea said:

Are the stripes down the neck also a paint job?

Graham,

The neck has a real maple stringer down the centreline with mahogany either side. They are now augmented by a painted / stained dark mahogany either side of the maple with the mahogany left as is either side of that.


 

Edited February 22, 2021 by JohnFitzgerald

[JohnFitzgerald]

9 minutes ago, Cosmo Valdemar said:

 

It's a bit odd they didn't go the whole hog with the stereo thing. I've always been fascinated by Jaydee  - they're a bit like the British Alembic, an appearance but also in their slightly mythical quality 😁

I'd love to actually play one. @JohnFitzgerald 's looks incredible. Unfortunately all of the YouTube demos I've seen are slapping or super tight 16ths down at the bridge so I've got no idea how they would sound for me.

The neck pickup, being where it is, does a decent Rick sound. If you use both pickups, with a pick, into a  gritty preamp, they're more than capable of doing a passable Geddy / Squire sound.

Apologies for lumping both of them together.