To Flea or not to Flea.

[karlfer]

                    FLEA JAZZ                                                                  PACIFIC PEACH (Ltd Ed Player Series)

 

Body           Alder                                                                           Alder

Finish          RW Nitro                                                                     Gloss Poly

Fretboard   Rosewood                                                                   Pau Ferro

Neck           RW Nitro                                                                     Satin

Neck pro    C shape                                                                       Modern C shape

Headstock  Plain                                                                            Matched to body colour

Radius        7.25                                                                              9.5

Frets           Vintage narrow tall                                                     Medium Jumbo

Truss           Body, neck off (or loosen)                                        Headstock

Tuners        Fender tall vintage style                                            Standard

PICK UPS    Pure vintage 64 jazz                                                 Pure vintage 64 jazz

Rotaries      Stack knob                                                                 Stack knob

Pickguard   4 ply tort                                                                     3 ply parchment

Bridge         4 saddle vintage threaded                                        4 saddle standard

Gigbag        Deluxe                                                                         None

 

PRICE          £1295                                                                         £889

 

I much prefer the headstock truss access, 9.5 radius & medium jumbo frets, only an opinion.

I replaced the parchment plate before I even set the bass up.

Edited January 4, 2024 by karlfer

[AndyTravis]

I prefer that.

[ezbass]

On specs alone, it would be the Flea for me, but with a saving of nearly £500, I’d be compromising right quick and be feeling good about. Good choice.

[TrevorR]

That really is a peach! Sorry about the pun. That would have been my choice too!

[Chris2112]

I have to say, I really like those Flea jazz basses. 

[hiram.k.hackenbacker]

Pacific Peach is not a colour I could live with. Any another colour I’d be fine with those specs.

[karlfer]

I've had a couple of the Fleas. Moved on because I couldn't get on with the radius or the frets.

 

Pacific Peach is one of "those" colours.

Under stage lighting anything from white to black.

Under real life lighting, from Orangey, through to Salmon Pink, through to Blackpool Horse Drawn Princess Barbie Carriage Pink.

[prowla]

I'm not a roadworn fan and am under no illusions that I could morph myself into Flea, so it's a no from me.

I had a go on one some time back in a music shop and was underwhelmed.

That said, I do have a neckplate off a Flea which is destined for a fretless partsblaster I'm in the process of putting together, or maybe I'll put it on my other fretless Jazz which has pickups and controls off Geddys (two different ones); thereby making it a mixed celeb bass!

Edited December 25, 2023 by prowla

[Woodinblack]

I  couldn't really go for that peach but would rather not have roadworn. The prices have gone up a lot, the flee was under £800 when it came out a few years ago, so it seems very overpriced now, but you can see it has things like the rosewood neck etc that are less budget.

Also was not a fan of the controls on a passive bass, not enough separation between pickups (which is I assume why Leo stopped doing them quite quickly). 

Price hard to say, I couldn't pay that for either, but as it seems you have already made the decision, congrats on a new bass!

[Burns-bass]

I tried one of these basses and it was really excellent. The only thing I’d upgrade are the tuners but overall it’s a top notch bass.

[jd56hawk]

The Peach Jazz is very nice.

(Sorry, wouldn't play the relic'd one if I found it sitting on my porch.)

[Mickeyboro]

Had a Flea for six months now and I can’t put it down. Just begs to be played. 

[King Tut]

I’ve got a Flea. Really really nice indeed. Specs wise I’d go for the shallow neck radius and headstock truss access of the peach one. If I were buying again I’d probably go for the peach one but I wouldn’t swap my current Flea for one unless it was a particularly good instrument.

[BillyBass]

I like the peach colour and I like Pau Ferro.  I'm not a roadworn fan and I have a strong aversion to not being able to adjust the truss rod without unscrewing the neck.

 

If on playing both I decided that, in spite of the above, the Flea was worth an extra £500, I would buy it.  I really doubt that would be the case though.

 

Good choice.

Edited December 25, 2023 by BillyBass

[Misdee]

I really like the Pacific Peach and I dislike the Eggshell Pink on the original Flea.

 

The only aesthetic fly in the ointment on the newer version is the tort pickguard. I would swap it for a vintage white one.

[karlfer]

4 hours ago, Misdee said:

I really like the Pacific Peach and I dislike the Eggshell Pink on the original Flea.

 

The only aesthetic fly in the ointment on the newer version is the tort pickguard. I would swap it for a vintage white one.

The Pacific Peach Ltd Ed comes with 3 ply parchment. I bought the tort aftermarket as I'm not a fan of the parchment white.

[Misdee]

Fair enough!😊

[Misdee]

I really can't see what advantage the more expensive original model has, except it looks like someone has been using it to do the gardening with.

[police squad]

I loved my Flea bass. Superb pickups and I loved how the finish was wearing but I moved it on eventually, as the band I used it for finally disolved

[Mickeyboro]

20 hours ago, Misdee said:

I really can't see what advantage the more expensive original model has, except it looks like someone has been using it to do the gardening with.

It’s strange. The Flea made an impression on me when I tried it in Andertons in 2016 and when I had a chance to buy in 2023 it was as good a player as I remembered. 
The big pluses are the neck (non roadworn) and pickups. I am not bothered either way by the battle scars. 

Edited December 27, 2023 by Mickeyboro

[Mister RLP]

7 hours ago, Mickeyboro said:

It’s strange. The Flea made an impression on me when I tried it in Andertons in 2016 and when I had a chance to buy in 2023 it was as good a player as I remembered. 
The big pluses are the neck (non roadworn) and pickups. I am not bothered either way by the battle scars. 

 

Snap! I tried a Flea in Andertons in August 2017 just to see what it was like - might have even been the same one! I was  looking for something else at the time not a road worn jazz bass. It blew me away. It felt right. Was passing through Guildford a couple of weeks later and tried it again. Same feeling. So I put deposit on it so it could be put to one side. Staff were surprised that I wanted the display model and not a boxed one from their warehouse. When I finally went to collect the bass after raising the funds I did try a couple of other Fleas from the warehouse but they didn't feel the same for some reason. 

 

So what do I like about it? Well I always liked the look/sound of Herbie Flowers' jazz bass so I have some tape wounds on my one. The neck - back and 7.5 radius. Pickups - according to non-bassist musicians I know they sound great. The nitro finish is lovely and thin with the wood of the bass appearing through on the front body contour. It just feels great to hold and play. It feels 'organic; as opposed to some of my other basses if this doesn't sound too daft. I think this is the appeal of the road worn basses for me - they feel 'right'. Not too bothered about the 'damage' as that's not why I got it. 

Edited December 27, 2023 by Mister RLP

[Mickeyboro]

7 minutes ago, Mister RLP said:

 

Snap! I tried a Flea in Andertons in August 2017 just to see what it was like - might have even been the same one! 

I have researched the date and it was May 2017. So highly likely it was the same one!

The one I have was made in 2016, hence my confusion…

[karlfer]

Just to point out, this is not going to be a replacement for the Flea.

It's only me pointing out some shared features.

 

I bought it;

because of some shared features (dual concentric, Pure Vintage 64 Jazz pups) which I like.

And some not shared features, especially matching headcap, 9.5" radius & medium jumbo frets, which I like.

[AndyTravis]

Saw one of these today. Looks ace.

[AndyTravis]

Funnily Enough, played a RW flea last night - nice and light, resonant. 
 

needed a set up.

 

which I’m doing for the lad tomorrow