Xotic

[SumOne]

Xotic Basses - what are y'all saying?!

 

I played an Xotic XP 5 a while ago (the one pictured below, at the Bass Gallery) and it's given me a dangerous case of GAS. Really nice tones that are consistent across all strings, comfortable to play, very low action with no fret buzz. I expect the XJ is just as good so will make an effort to try one of them too.

 

Anyone here own/owned one and have anything positive/negative to say about them? Anything in particular to look out for with them second hand?

 

As far as I can tell the disadvantages seem to be the price (not quite up there with very high-end Basses, but they are about  £2,500 new and usually about £1,700 second hand) and they are quite heavy:  this one looks a good deal at £1,449 but is 10lb 12oz / 4.8kg and even the 'lightweight' versions are a not particularaly lightweight 9lb 7oz/4.2kg (considering I had a Sandberg TM5 SL that was 3.3kg).

 

 

 

 

 

Edited January 27, 2022 by SumOne

[hiram.k.hackenbacker]

Ah, I was just speaking with Bass Direct the other day about getting one of these....

 

 

It's the Chuck Rainey PJ and I don't think they make them any more, which is a bit of a shame.

 

They do have the J version as used at the moment, but I really wanted the PJ.

 

That 5'er does looks very nice, but yes, a bit on the weighty side.

[hiram.k.hackenbacker]

@SumOne - Bass Direct also have the 5 string J in as used.

[SumOne]

5 minutes ago, hiram.k.hackenbacker said:

@SumOne - Bass Direct also have the 5 string J in as used.

Nice one, yeah the Bass Direct XJ 4.6kg weight puts me off a bit (and the £1,799 asking price).

 

GuitarGuitar have second hand XJ and XP (each £1,699) so I think I'll ask if they can get both into one shop for me to try at some point....I do need to sell a Bass first to afford it though so probably shouldn't get ahead of myself. Their XJ is the lightweight version (well - relatively I assume! they don't say the actual weight) so is probably the front runner for me: https://www.guitarguitar.co.uk/product/px211130377695006--xotic-xj-1t-5-lite-pre-owned 

[Gareth Hughes]

Haven’t owned one, but I did play on a few in a shop in Japan a few years ago. Beautiful necks, can’t remember much about the weight - though the body is slightly smaller/slimmer, that probably helped with the overall ergonomics. I do remember coming away being really impressed with the preamp - and I don’t like onboard preamps at all. There was something very integrated about it, like it was really a part of the sound instead of just hyping certain frequencies. And quiet too. I have their TriLogic II and III pedals, the same preamp that’s in the basses. Quality stuff.

[Gwilym]

FWIW, Hiro Miura who founded Xotic is no longer involved and has since founded Miura guitars: https://www.miuraguitars.com/en/about

I don't know if the change of ownership coincided with the headstock logo design change (likely?), but personally I prefer the older logo's design. Partly because its likely they were still built/assembled by Hiro, and partly because it looks better IMO.

(However, I have no idea if there are any real differences between either era of products, not am i trying to imply there are.)

So, used, I would say go for the basses with the old headstock logo.

If I wanted to drop cash on a new Xotic, I would go for a Miura instead.

[MOSCOWBASS]

Ive had 3 Xotics and still have one of them. I really like them. I have a 5 string XJ fretless, and had a fretted 5 string XJ and XP. The only reason I sold two if them is I found Sadowsky. The XP went for a Sadowsky metroline PJ....I wanted a PJ. Xotic necks are beautiful, feel and play really well. Basses are quiet...my XJ s had HRI hum cancelling. I find the Sadowsky preamp more usable in the real world....a lot less choice of adjustment, but easier to get the tone changes I wanted. If I hadn't found Sadowsky I would still have my Xotics... excellent basses

[MOSCOWBASS]

[bubinga5]

Ive also had a hankering for an Xotic XJ5. Do they have 70s spacing like my Atelier or are they strictly 60s.?

[MOSCOWBASS]

I haven't seen pickup position mentioned as an option, but I think modifications are available on bespoke orders from Japan.

 

[Gwilym]

I should have said in my earlier post, I did play a XJ5 many moons ago at the London Bass Guitar Show. The playability seemed really nice. A comfortable neck that was just right for me i.e. on the slim side. It sounded very good through the EA amp/cabs, although there was a general racket in the room that made it less that ideal. They've been on my gas list for a long time.

I really like the original Xotic design too, but you don't see them around so much.

Edited January 29, 2022 by Gwilym

[CameronJ]

I’ve got 2 Xotic XJ5s, one normal and one “lite”.

 

 

 

Here’s the gold Lite with flats on the neck pickup:

 

I love them - great feel and tone, and as has been said by others the preamp is really well implemented.

[SumOne]

On 30/01/2022 at 04:48, CameronJ said:

I’ve got 2 Xotic XJ5s, one normal and one “lite”.

 

 

 

Here’s the gold Lite with flats on the neck pickup:

 

I love them - great feel and tone, and as has been said by others the preamp is really well implemented.

 

Nice. 

 

Am I right in saying the one without the toggle switches is a slightly older model of the made in Japan XJ-1T? I see there are also some 'XJ-Pro' versions which look the same without the toggle switches but I think they were a bit cheaper and made in Taiwan instead of Japan - I can't see how to tell between them and the  XJ-1T version without toggle switches but I guess there's a 'made in Japan or Taiwan' on the headstock or something.  

[Gwilym]

On the very early basses, there were no toggles, but I believe it was possible to control via holes in the control cavity plate. Then they put the switches on the front instead.

I think you're correct that the Pro models are the more affordable offering, but I don't know how exactly they differ.

[LoneFurrow]

On 27/01/2022 at 13:39, SumOne said:

Xotic Basses - what are y'all saying?!

 

I played an Xotic XP 5 a while ago (the one pictured below, at the Bass Gallery) and it's given me a dangerous case of GAS. Really nice tones that are consistent across all strings, comfortable to play, very low action with no fret buzz. I expect the XJ is just as good so will make an effort to try one of them too.

 

Anyone here own/owned one and have anything positive/negative to say about them? Anything in particular to look out for with them second hand?

 

As far as I can tell the disadvantages seem to be the price (not quite up there with very high-end Basses, but they are about  £2,500 new and usually about £1,700 second hand) and they are quite heavy:  this one looks a good deal at £1,449 but is 10lb 12oz / 4.8kg and even the 'lightweight' versions are a not particularaly lightweight 9lb 7oz/4.2kg (considering I had a Sandberg TM5 SL that was 3.3kg).

 

 

 

 

 

That's my old XP-1T, which I was clinging onto for quite a while. I eventually part-exchanged it because I wanted to 6-string and The Bass Gallery had something that hit the mark. I also had an XJ-1T 5-string alongside the XP. I sold the XJ first because I just found it too heavy - a tad over 10lbs was too much for me. I also enjoyed the neck profile and overall feel of the XP much more. YMMV, as they say. 

 

The ones without the toggles are typically the Pro / Lightweight series, although they're not that much lighter. They're made in the same factory though, iirc. The extra toggles of the "full fat" versions are fun if you like toggles and want to shape your mid / high frequencies a little more. I tended to run mine in passive mode a lot of the time as I found the core tone to be so good. 

[Doddy]

On 30/01/2022 at 04:48, CameronJ said:

I’ve got 2 Xotic XJ5s, one normal and one “lite”.

 

 

 

They look great, especially the burgundy mist over sunburst.  Almost makes my GAS shift from Sadowsky to Xotic.

[CameronJ]

11 hours ago, SumOne said:

 

Nice. 

 

Am I right in saying the one without the toggle switches is a slightly older model of the made in Japan XJ-1T? I see there are also some 'XJ-Pro' versions which look the same without the toggle switches but I think they were a bit cheaper and made in Taiwan instead of Japan - I can't see how to tell between them and the  XJ-1T version without toggle switches but I guess there's a 'made in Japan or Taiwan' on the headstock or something.  

The aged burgundy one with the toggle switches is a ”normal” 2020 XJ-1T. V/V/T knob config. The switches adjust the mid and high frequency centres, respectively. Push/pull on the 1st volume knob goes from active/passive and the push/pull on the 2nd volume knob puts the pickups into series wiring.

 

The gold one without the switches is a 2021 XJ-1T Lite with V/B/T knob config. The Lite models don’t have the preamp frequency switches but otherwise the preamp is the same. The bodies on the Lite models are apparently slimmed down slightly to help bring the weight down. 
 

The Gold Lite is bang on 9lbs, the Burgundy XJ is just under 10lbs. Both basses are made in Japan. Fit and finish is flawless!

 

I’ve never tried the cheaper “XJ-Pro” series basses - none of the finish options took my fancy but by all accounts they were good basses. Discontinued now though…they didn’t last long!

[peteb]

On 27/01/2022 at 13:39, SumOne said:

Xotic Basses - what are y'all saying?!

 

I played an Xotic XP 5 a while ago (the one pictured below, at the Bass Gallery) and it's given me a dangerous case of GAS. Really nice tones that are consistent across all strings, comfortable to play, very low action with no fret buzz. I expect the XJ is just as good so will make an effort to try one of them too.

 

Anyone here own/owned one and have anything positive/negative to say about them? Anything in particular to look out for with them second hand?

 

As far as I can tell the disadvantages seem to be the price (not quite up there with very high-end Basses, but they are about  £2,500 new and usually about £1,700 second hand) and they are quite heavy:  this one looks a good deal at £1,449 but is 10lb 12oz / 4.8kg and even the 'lightweight' versions are a not particularaly lightweight 9lb 7oz/4.2kg (considering I had a Sandberg TM5 SL that was 3.3kg).

 

I have a couple of Xotic XJ basses (4 string & 5 string) and the four string has been my main go-to gigging bass for years.

 

I could go as far to say that the four string is as good as any jazz bass that I have ever played and stands up to any comparable active jazz around (including Sadowsky Japanese built Metros, etc). My one has the old headstock logo, the excellent Lindy Fralin pickups, the original HipShot hardware and the Tri-logic preamp.

 

I have never really bonded as much with the 5 string (a newer logo version), but then again I haven’t played it as much. I certainly prefer the Fralin pickups on the older models, but the fiver sounds good. It is a very nice bass and more than meets my needs for when I need a 5 string, but I really need to play it more.

 

Price wise, I picked up the 5 string secondhand for £1.4k, which seems about par. I paid £1.6k for the 4 string (not long after they had come out), but I have seen them go secondhand for as low as £1.1k. As far as the weight goes, the standard XJ series is meant to be ‘mid-weight’ rather than very light. My 4 string is 9.5lbs and the 5 string just on 10 lbs, which is fine for me.

 

I’ve just looked at the Miura website and their take on a jazz bass sounds very interesting.

 

[CameronJ]

On 31/01/2022 at 11:17, Doddy said:

They look great, especially the burgundy mist over sunburst.  Almost makes my GAS shift from Sadowsky to Xotic.

I’ve honestly never seen a relic job better than this. Even down to the way the exposed wood seems to have a bit of grime in the grain! And the great thing is despite how heavily the body is aged, the neck and hardware are only very lightly aged, so zero effect on the usability of the bass.

 

Take a look on Reverb as Xotic do some quite spectacular finishes -both guitars and basses - most of which seem to be from Japanese or US sellers. It’s borderline pornographic 

[Belka]

Do any Xotic owners here know if the rear pickup on the XJ model is in '60s or '70s position? I can't find anything about it on the website. To me it looks like '70s but the Hipshot bridge, which is bigger than the Fender BBOT and the slightly wider than normal wooden pickup covers may be masking the fact it's in the '60s position. 

Thanks!

[Sibob]

Without any measurements etc, I always felt it played and sounded like 60's.
I really liked the XJ-1T Lite I had, sounded balance, played nicely, was about as light as I'd want for an active Jazz.
Mine had the hum-cancelling module included, and I found the preamp to me very musical and intuitive, including loving the tone control that worked in active mode also.

Here's a live session I did with it should it be of interest.

 

 

 

Si

[hiram.k.hackenbacker]

1 hour ago, Sibob said:

Without any measurements etc, I always felt it played and sounded like 60's.
I really liked the XJ-1T Lite I had, sounded balance, played nicely, was about as light as I'd want for an active Jazz.
Mine had the hum-cancelling module included, and I found the preamp to me very musical and intuitive, including loving the tone control that worked in active mode also.

Here's a live session I did with it should it be of interest.

 

 

 

Si

Nicely done. Really enjoyed that Si 👏👏👏👏

[SumOne]

I only play 5 string nowadays but this could turn me!

 

 

https://bassbros.co.uk/product/xotic-xj-1t-4/

[peteb]

1 hour ago, SumOne said:

I only play 5 string nowadays but this could turn me!

 

 

https://bassbros.co.uk/product/xotic-xj-1t-4/

 

I think you will find that will be, to all practical purposes, as good as any super jazz around at what is a pretty decent price. From looking at the website, I see that they also have an early, old logo 5 string in a candy orange finish for £1,449. That has to be worth a look as well. 

 

[SumOne]

4 minutes ago, peteb said:

 

I think you will find that will be, to all practical purposes, as good as any super jazz around at what is a pretty decent price. From looking at the website, I see that they also have an early, old logo 5 string in a candy orange finish for £1,449. That has to be worth a look as well. 

 

 

Yeah they both look good, I'll probably stick with 5 strings but the 10lb 12oz/ 4.8kg of that one puts me off a bit. It's a shame Bass Bros don't seem to have a physical shop to try them out but perhaps something can be organised.