AndyTravis Posted October 27, 2009 Share Posted October 27, 2009 Has anyone on here tried the 78 Jazz in Johnny Roadhouse , or did a bass chatter used to own it? It's black, maple, black guard with white blocks and binding, seems to be wearing a baddass and a retro-j. I'm taking my Jaydee and Jack Casady down tmrw for a possible straight swap, just wanted opinions before i make a wasted trip. My plan was to get it refinned and return it to passive. Nitro LPB, parchment Pickguard. Post or pm, thanks. Trav Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AndyTravis Posted October 28, 2009 Author Share Posted October 28, 2009 i'm going on my dinner break today to have a shufty, i'll let you all know what it's like. Trav Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OutToPlayJazz Posted October 28, 2009 Share Posted October 28, 2009 Wow! It'd have to be a very special jazz to swap for those two. Best of luck with it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AndyTravis Posted October 28, 2009 Author Share Posted October 28, 2009 er....underwhelmed. It's not a j-retro, couldn't get to grips with it. It has also had a chunk of the paint scraped away from the back. It plays ok ish, but it's twice as heavy as my miller at least, unsure as to it's passive sound. Not the worst neck join i've seen on a 70s fender. Fairly uninspired at the moment. Shame, i did have big plans for this bass. May go up again on my day off... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xilddx Posted October 28, 2009 Share Posted October 28, 2009 [quote name='AndyTravis' post='638961' date='Oct 28 2009, 12:10 PM']er....underwhelmed. It's not a j-retro, couldn't get to grips with it. It has also had a chunk of the paint scraped away from the back. It plays ok ish, but it's twice as heavy as my miller at least, unsure as to it's passive sound. Not the worst neck join i've seen on a 70s fender. Fairly uninspired at the moment. Shame, i did have big plans for this bass. May go up again on my day off...[/quote] Stick with your fisrt instinct man. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AndyTravis Posted October 28, 2009 Author Share Posted October 28, 2009 yeah, no point in buying, just because...good plan. My jaydee is awesome, i just wonder if i can make it work in the band, or get at least £800 back for it... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xilddx Posted October 28, 2009 Share Posted October 28, 2009 [quote name='AndyTravis' post='638990' date='Oct 28 2009, 12:35 PM']yeah, no point in buying, just because...good plan. My jaydee is awesome, i just wonder if i can make it work in the band, or get at least £800 back for it...[/quote] I think it's the romance of an old Fender. But they don't often deliver on the dream I imagine. I've played a few, they were all mediocre, one in particular was a hideous natural wood Jazz from the '70s. It weighed a bloody ton, sounded ordinary, played like sh*te. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OutToPlayJazz Posted October 28, 2009 Share Posted October 28, 2009 Go and play a few of the new American Standard Jazzes. I think you'll be very surprised at how good they are. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AndyTravis Posted October 28, 2009 Author Share Posted October 28, 2009 i'm back at work with about 8 new usa standards, and i love em. I just fancied an older one, genuine road worn, i'm well into the blocks and binding thing too. Hopfully can sort a reissue one with my mate in italy, having credit card/paypal issues though, and it's a pain. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MB1 Posted October 28, 2009 Share Posted October 28, 2009 MB1. Ive played the bass your on about!... i really didnt think it was that special to be honest!definately not one to drop on your foot .....in fact i can confidently say i have never picked up a heavier bass. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xilddx Posted October 28, 2009 Share Posted October 28, 2009 [quote name='MB1' post='639029' date='Oct 28 2009, 01:06 PM']MB1. Ive played the bass your on about!... i really didnt think it was that special to be honest!definately not one to drop on your foot .....in fact i can confidently say i have never picked up a heavier bass.[/quote] It's so weird how some Jazzes are that heavy! Why is that? The one I played must have been at least 14lbs. Made my Warwick feel like a mandolin. What the hell did they make them from? Special Fender Custom Shop Granitised Alder? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AndyTravis Posted October 28, 2009 Author Share Posted October 28, 2009 i've read and heard that in the 70's the Japanese makers were buying up the best timbers, amd the likes of Gibson and Fender ended up buying from wood sources closer to the equator, where trees are more dense, i.e; heavier. Thats why they ended up with six piece heavy-as- hell body blanks. Madness. It is a nice enough thing, but i've serously played better mexi jbasses, and the classic vibe squier is probably better put together. Saying that, i'm sure someone will love it. For me, that preamp turned me straight off. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JTUK Posted October 28, 2009 Share Posted October 28, 2009 I had one just like that, bought from new, maybe a few years earlier. Agree about the wieght and the neck-join but I put a Badass on it and it was great. Wished I never sold it but maybe I do have rose-tinted bins about my 1st 'proper decent' bass. There weren't any Jap basses about then from Fender, IIRC... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lozbass Posted October 30, 2009 Share Posted October 30, 2009 I'm just around the corner and will try to get in and give this bass a whirl later. I have a '75/'76 Jazz and it too is extremely heavy (about 12lbs). That said, the bass is extremely resonant (and loud when unplugged). The finger tone is really classic '70s funk - big and honky, with loads of growl. For me, a lot is in the set-up with older J's - a decent luthier should be able to get the best out of a vintage Fender Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stingrayfan Posted October 30, 2009 Share Posted October 30, 2009 [quote name='silddx' post='638999' date='Oct 28 2009, 12:41 PM']I think it's the romance of an old Fender. But they don't often deliver on the dream I imagine. I've played a few, they were all mediocre, one in particular was a hideous natural wood Jazz from the '70s. It weighed a bloody ton, sounded ordinary, played like sh*te.[/quote] +1. While they look nice I 've yet to find one I could actually gig with. But each to their own. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OutToPlayJazz Posted October 30, 2009 Share Posted October 30, 2009 The really heavy ones are usually the ash bodied ones. My CIJ Marcus Miller signature was the heaviest bass I've ever played. Think of it as a sign of serious quality materials Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xilddx Posted October 30, 2009 Share Posted October 30, 2009 [quote name='OutToPlayJazz' post='640943' date='Oct 30 2009, 11:51 AM']The really heavy ones are usually the ash bodied ones. My CIJ Marcus Miller signature was the heaviest bass I've ever played. Think of it as a sign of serious quality materials [/quote] Are you jesting? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lozbass Posted October 31, 2009 Share Posted October 31, 2009 I tried the bass this afternoon and was pleasantly surprised. It could use a really good set-up and a bit of real care and attention. I spoke to Danny - he's had a quick go at setting up but concurred that more could be done. The action isn't bad at all but it could come down some way with a fret skim. The bass is certainly heavy - significantly heavier than my Jazz. The price isn't bad for an instrument that could be worked-up to be something quite decent (and there may be a discount for cash). There's a lot in the active circuit (brand unkown) and I didn't have too much time to mess about. The original, loaded bell plate comes with the bass and I'd return it to passive. The original bridge is gone but the Badass seems fine. The bass has clearly been well used, however, the neck is in good shape and the instrument is a pretty cool J overall. One issue to note is the crack in the back of the body - pretty much central and a few inches long. I'm not sure just how far this extends towards the neck pocket (the neck pocket itself isn't too bad for a late '70s bass). The crack could probably be glued and clamped, but I'd want an expert to take a look. In all, not a bad bass for anybody with classic Fender GAS. A decent set of strings, a good clean, a good set-up and you've got a good, solid, classic gigger Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AndyTravis Posted October 31, 2009 Author Share Posted October 31, 2009 Unsure if the line in the back is a crack, it seemed to be scratched into the bass near the really odd paint scraping incident. I mentioned to Danny i'd want it to go back to passive if i went for it, The action was fine when i played it, but i'd probably make it a bit lower. I'm going to take another look, but that preamp just doesn't work for me personally, seemed to pull the worst bits of the sound out. So to it was difficult ...to hear the sound of the bass as intended. It looks like an east, but it has an L.E.D. on it, weird. I am looking into costing up a refin, a bit of a closet classic LPB from Sims maybe? The Black on Black is pretty classy, but i can't get past that random missing patch... Agreed on the Neck socket though, i was offered a late 70's Precision at work about a year ago, and you could easily have fit a 100 gauge E string down there. I think i need to keep looking though...as silddx said, keep with my gut instinct. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lozbass Posted November 1, 2009 Share Posted November 1, 2009 [quote name='AndyTravis' post='642118' date='Oct 31 2009, 07:39 PM']Unsure if the line in the back is a crack, it seemed to be scratched into the bass near the really odd paint scraping incident. I mentioned to Danny i'd want it to go back to passive if i went for it, The action was fine when i played it, but i'd probably make it a bit lower. I'm going to take another look, but that preamp just doesn't work for me personally, seemed to pull the worst bits of the sound out. So to it was difficult ...to hear the sound of the bass as intended. It looks like an east, but it has an L.E.D. on it, weird. I am looking into costing up a refin, a bit of a closet classic LPB from Sims maybe? The Black on Black is pretty classy, but i can't get past that random missing patch... Agreed on the Neck socket though, i was offered a late 70's Precision at work about a year ago, and you could easily have fit a 100 gauge E string down there. I think i need to keep looking though...as silddx said, keep with my gut instinct.[/quote] Fair comment AT, I think gut instinct is important - I think you have to ask whether you'd ever really be happy with a bass that didn't grab you initially (and there are so many - possibly better - alternatives out there)? At the price, and in the current market, I think the bass would make a decent buy for somebody. If I was seriously looking for another '70s Jazz (well I am all the time really), I might be tempted by the black one and spend £100 on it (and put some time into it myself). You're right about the ugly patch on the back - it looks like somebody may have been preparing for a repair. I'm pretty sure the crack is a crack and not a deep scratch - I had a good look at various angles: I'd be a bit concerned about spreading and would want to know if the crack goes back into the pocket (obviously, this would imply removing the neck). On the circuit, I didn't notice the LED! I'm pretty sure it's not an East (though it looks quite like one). I'd certainly take the bass back to passive. I found a couple of decent tones in the active (a deep, mellow jazz tone, and a more honky funk, finger tone) but I wasn't at all impressed by what seems a fairly complex unit. I didn't really work out all the switching options but just going back to the stock plate might be an improvement. If I see anything similar (or better), I'll post on here to let you know. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AndyTravis Posted November 1, 2009 Author Share Posted November 1, 2009 thanks mate. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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