Then: Last winter I was in a bind, I had a bunch of Christmas shows to do and didn't have a 5 string. I called around a bit and ended up talking with Carey Nordstrand. I told him what I needed and he told me he didn't have anything and so I moved on.
He called me back fairly soon and told me he would sell me his personal Jazz bass because he was really digging the P bass thing at that time. The color is a one off and Carey called it Mazda Blue. I guess he drives a Miata this color and he had it matched. The color is a one of a kind. It also has a very rare one piece birdseye neck and a “prototype” Nordy 2 band preamp.
So here it is, Carey Nordstrand’s personal jazz bass.
Now with a story. I bought it as new and the condition was flawless. The sound is full, articulate and it plays flawlessly. The fretwork is impeccable and the action is very low. I currently have a set of 70’s wind single coils installed in custom covers, built by Nordstrand. I also have a set of big singles for this bass. Both sound amazing, I prefer the little less aggressive tone provided by the Jazz Pups. I will sell with either set installed and if you want both, add $125.
Last July "the Saga": So I sold the bass and it was headed out to its new owner in LA. Then I received the dreaded call when the bass arrived. The neck was damaged during shipping and it blew out the skunk stripe. See the pictures. The paint also cracked at the v of the neck joint, nonstructural.
Well I got the bass back and got a quote for a new neck from Nordy for about 1200, non birdseye. I decided to give a repair a shot so it was refit, glued, clamped and the finish was filled in. It worked great. BTW I am a trained repair tech. It has been perfectly stable for 7 months and it plays great. The only noticeable difference is that the skunk stripe is now flat with the neck back not radiused. It feels like a ding. It doesn’t bug me and I’m anal.
Here are the specs. This bass is $4,550 new.
*Nordy VJ-5 Classic
*Custom Mazda Blue Metallic Paint
*34” Scale
* 1.81 nut width
* Bone Nut
* 19mm string spacing
* High-gloss finish on neck
* One piece birdseye maple neck with skunk stripe 9”-14” compound radius
* Vintage size frets
* Hipshot vintage bridge
* 2 pick guards, 1 pearl white, 1 Black w/ play wear
* Nordstrand 2 band preamp. Frequency id selectable on the board
* Vintage tone control
* Currently set up VVT Bass/Treble
* 70’s position
* 9 lbs. 13 oz.
* Dunlop strap buttons
$1,200 OBRO shipped and insured in the ConUS. Add 125 for extra PUP. No case.
Paypal is fine or a USPS money order.
International is OK if the Buyer pays all additional fees, taxes, shipping, tariffs, etc.
Trades: Hit me up, I’m a bit of a sucker. I can always entertain other ideas, ya never know.
Neck damage.
Neck repair: The milky part of the crack is where the finish was damaged. It is flush with the neck also, the milky appearance didn't go away though.
Neck Joiny v finish crack. Both sides
Nonstructural
