JONES bass, England.

[Chris2112]

4 hours ago, Killerfridge said:

Glad my opinion of him is basically validated

 

 

 

I'd not heard of this bum before but I definitely won't be giving him any clicks. Good on Danny Sapko for exposing this fraud. 

[kuetsum]

5 hours ago, Manor57 said:

did u choose not to buy it in end as it looks v much like the one jones posted pics of yesterday

And It's $4400..wow

[LeftyJ]

Definitely the same bass! Wow. 

[jefframm]

22 hours ago, Manor57 said:

did u choose not to buy it in end as it looks v much like the one jones posted pics of yesterday

Mark and I had agreed at the beginning on a target "not to exceed" weight of 8.5 lbs. When he had the bass assembled and finished - it became clear that we wouldn't hit that target - it's a bit over 9 lbs (Mark is getting me the exact weight later today I believe now that the pick-ups are in). 

I have neck and shoulder issues that limit my ability to play anything heavier than 8.5 lbs, as when I gig heavier basses my left shoulder and upper arm start to numb up a bit. I've tried weight lifting / strength training, wider straps, etc. - and I've come to the conclusion that being almost 66 and having played for 50+ years, I just have to stick with basses that are lighter than 8.5lbs. 

In case you're wondering how I came to that weight target - I have several basses that are right at 8.5 lbs and those work ok. My 98 Lakland 55-94 weighs about 9.25 and while I LOVE that bass (played it regularly for 20+ years) it's now hanging on the wall waiting for a grandkid to inherit it. Similarly my first bass, a 72 Fender Precision, which weighs a hefty 10 lbs will go to my son given the sentimental value. 

 

So back to Mark and the bass - he and I are working out what to do next. He has proposed some ideas on how we can change the design a bit to ensure we hit the target. We agreed that since I can't use the bass given the weight that he would place it for sale - hence the ads you are seeing. He does have another highly figured set of maple and walnut that we can use - so both of us are in a "mull it over" period while he sells the other bass. 

 

And I'll say this - he's been fabulous to work with through the entire build and he was very disappointed and apologetic that we missed the target - despite his efforts at chambering, the use of an aluminum Hipshot bridge, etc. I think we both learned a lot through the process and we'll figure out a good path forward. 

FWIW, the price on that bass is very reasonable IMO. If you were to buy a Smith, Fodera, Alembic, etc. - you would be looking at 2-3X that number minimum - and while those brands are better known - what I've seen of Mark's workmanship (and his collaboration) makes his basses quite a value. Obviously it's a lot of money - no denying that, but I'm fortunate to play bass as a "semi-pro" where I don't have to rely on gig income to fund my bass obsession. 

Edited Monday at 14:16 by jefframm

[EBS_freak]

Can you not choose lighter woods and get as much as it chambered as possible?

[jefframm]

2 hours ago, EBS_freak said:

Can you not choose lighter woods and get as much as it chambered as possible?

That's an option obviously - but the challenge with wood (I'm also a woodworker) is that the same species of wood - take walnut for example - can vary in density and weight quite significantly from board to board. To Mark's credit - he made every effort to select the right boards and did chamber the bass. One of the things we're discussing is wood selection and potentially more aggressive chambering. The issue there (for me) is how more aggressive chambering will impact the tone of the bass. Wood selection also has a big impact on tone. Some folks really like woods like "tempered pine" - which is really light weight - but for me (having played some tempered pine bodied basses) - I think it robs the low end at a level I'm not ok with. It works great for some folks - just not for me. Ash "can be" lighter - but I'm told by my builder friends (and Mark) that it's very hard to find better quality lightweight ash blanks these days. Lots of moving parts obviously. 

The bass he completed is spectacular and I know someone will be very very happy with it. I wouldn't have hesitated if I was 50 and not almost 66 and dealing with the "getting old" issues that I described above. 

[Manor57]

i was just commentating on it as i hav a jones mk1 , it is the 1 on his web site hi gloss , i asked for weight reduction but didnt get it so its quite heavy , the build of it is lovely , i did order a mk 2 with multicoils only to for him to tell me after completed he’d routered out completely thro the bac so i refused it and he sold it on , a shame as it looked grt from the front 

[Killerfridge]

1 hour ago, Manor57 said:

i was just commentating on it as i hav a jones mk1 , it is the 1 on his web site hi gloss , i asked for weight reduction but didnt get it so its quite heavy , the build of it is lovely , i did order a mk 2 with multicoils only to for him to tell me after completed he’d routered out completely thro the bac so i refused it and he sold it on , a shame as it looked grt from the front 

Oh was that the one with the black back panel? I did wonder why that was there

[Manor57]

yes a total balls up , the pick ups are v deep and the body depth wasn’t deep enough to accommodate , the plate wasn’t even recessed which made it worse so i declined it but mark did refund my money