Looking for an active Boutique Jazz 5er - Poll - Page 2

Baird6869 · #21 01-28-2013, 08:59 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mikecd1

At face value and since the requirements have no mention whatsoever of active electronics I'd go with something that has active / passive capability.

Mike,

"Active" is in the title, but good point, I didn't add and preamp specs in my OP.

Ideally a modern sounding active preamp. An active/passive switch would be cool and I am more of a 2 band EQ dude... Too many knobs/switches confuse me!

KJung · #22 01-28-2013, 09:10 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Baird6869

Mike,

"Active" is in the title, but good point, I didn't add and preamp specs in my OP.

Ideally a modern sounding active preamp. An active/passive switch would be cool and I am more of a 2 band EQ dude... Too many knobs/switches confuse me!

My favorite three luthiers/brands for this sort of bass are:

Alleva-Coppolo. VERY vintage sounding and feeling (e.g., low radius, very transparent/subtle/bypassable preamp, old wood, classic finish, etc., etc.).

Sadowsky. No surprises... very tight quality control. Great 'modern' take on a J with nice refinements (e.g., midget body that is routed in the NYC models for light weight, great OEM hardware, etc.), very aggressive preamp that is bypassable. The ash/maple with single coil and 60's pickup position model (basically an ash/maple vintage) is one of the most versatile J's around. They do sound like Sadowsky's though.... (this can be a good thing or a bad thing depending on how 'vintage/classic' you want in the build).

Nordstrand classic..... kind of sits between the A-C and the Sadowsky on all attributes..... not as 'old school sounding, feeling and looking' as the A-C, but more 'vintage/traditional sounding and feeling' than the Sadowsky. The one piece neck with skunk stripe is amazing, and the preamp is supposed to sound quite a bit like the transparent, subtle A-C preamp (my Nordy is passive, so can't comment directly on that).

IMO, if you are looking for a reasonably traditional sounding J with some nice modern updates an ubber quality, it would probably be the Nordy Classic for me based on delivery time/quality/price value.

IMO.... everything on you list is good in its own way.

mark beem · #23 01-28-2013, 10:01 AM

Lull... THE single best "Jazz" style bass I've ever owned/played.

Can't recommend them enough!

KJung · #24 01-28-2013, 10:04 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mark beem

Lull... THE single best "Jazz" style bass I've ever owned/played.

Can't recommend them enough!

Another good choice, especially now that he is offering 34" scale on his fivers!

One of the best cost/value's out there. I do kind of like the more OEM type builds of the A-C's, Nordstrands and Sadowsky basses, where most of the parts are either made in house or designed to work together specifically. But, you will pay for that for sure.

Edit: That is a beautiful bass!

bikeplate · #25 01-28-2013, 10:19 AM

Sadowsky, Valenti, M Bass, Norstrand

narud · #26 01-28-2013, 10:36 AM

i thought the lulls were 18mm standard? i had a 24 fret lull modern 5 ages ago.

basswave · #27 01-28-2013, 11:08 AM

Well...If I may just put one more in the mix.

http://www.mbasses.com/main/index.html

Jon from M basses makes one hell of a J bass...I would call them more in the Realm of Nordstrand then Lull or Sadowsky.

bikeplate · #28 01-28-2013, 11:10 AM

Beat ya to it, Tony. John is a fantastic luthier How are you, btw? Talk soon

BuffaloBass · #29 01-28-2013, 11:17 AM

This is what happens when you ask which variant of the most copied bass style in the world we prefer......

ALL OF THEM!

Including two Valenti's myself. A Valenti j with big singles and a 3 band sounds right up your alley. Be wary of the "Sadowsy sound", as even though its esteem is ubiquitous here; you may think its too sterile , as I did. The Sadowsky was the fastest flip I ever did. Nice construction though.

Also, I've discovered that the most authentic vintage sounding picklups dont lend themselves all too well to modernization thru preamps.

And the "For Sale" pages here are filled with examples being mentioned.

KJung · #30 01-28-2013, 11:25 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by narud

i thought the lulls were 18mm standard? i had a 24 fret lull modern 5 ages ago.

Another good point, and something to consider when choosing one of these fivers.

lomo · #31 01-28-2013, 11:33 AM

All great choices, but IMHO Valenti stands out as offering 95% of the quality of the rest at about 50% of the price of the pricier brands IME.

fuzzychaos · #32 01-28-2013, 11:50 AM

Not sure of the weight, but I am seriously looking at a Mayones Jabba. I have heard it has great build quality, playability and sound. 24 frets, 19mm, active/passive and can be had for less than 2k.

KJung · #33 01-28-2013, 11:51 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by lomo

All great choices, but IMHO Valenti stands out as offering 95% of the quality of the rest at about 50% of the price of the pricier brands IME.

And yet another great option!

Brad Johnson · #34 01-28-2013, 12:01 PM

For well under $2k I'd take a look at a Glasstone 5 string jazz. A typical one in that price range will have a Pope Flex core or John East preamp... he even offers the East ACG filter preamp but if two bands confuses you I wouldn't recommend it

. He offers splittable dual coils so you have 70's jazz vibe and many more tonal options. LP, James Reed, Tesla and Duncan NY pickups. 22 frets. I've had one for around eight months and IMO it's a flat out steal. I've checked out everything mentioned in this thread.

For a no-holds barred option I haven't found anything that can hang with my Brubaker JXB-6. Higher up in the price range and well worth it. Aggressive Fender sound with killer sustain with unsurpassed playability. My go to j bass. Again, 22 frets though being custom 24 is doable. He even offers 30" scale.

basswave · #35 01-28-2013, 12:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bikeplate

Beat ya to it, Tony. John is a fantastic luthier How are you, btw? Talk soon

LOL thats what happens when your reading the thread on tread mill...LOL

Doing well...Missed NAMM but going to record in LA record next week. (If it was only next week LOL)

How are you doing Rob?

bikeplate · #36 01-28-2013, 12:24 PM

Doing good. Wishing it was spring but that's what I get for moving back to the east coast. Kill it in the studio! Send some tracks when you are done

cybersnyder · #37 01-28-2013, 12:25 PM

I really like two Matt Pulcinella 5 string jazz basses that I have. You can get a lot of options for a price that's not much higher than an off the rack Fender / MusicMan. I own five in total, so I may be biased.

Jim Nazium · #38 01-28-2013, 12:36 PM

My current favorite in this category are Mike Lull basses. I have three of them. The build quality is outstanding, and the ergonomics really work for me - I like 35" scale, 18mm spacing, and the slightly wider string spacing at the nut. They all balance perfectly despite being fairly light weight.

With that said, I've also owned a Valenti and two Sadowskys, and all of them were excellent as well. Nino does great work AND provides excellent, personal customer service.

This question is kind of like "Should I get the Benz or the B'Mer?" Just get the one you like, and if you can't decide, flip a coin. They're both good.

Rano Bass · #39 01-28-2013, 12:39 PM

How about this: http://www.mtdbass.com/saratoga-5-bl...e-maple-board/

If you want 24 frets it has to be a Sadowsky or LowEnd J.

**Chef** · #40 01-28-2013, 01:21 PM

Sadowsky: have the Sadowsky sound. If you don't need "fancy wood," there's no reason not to get a Metro.

Nordstrand: more organic sounding than Sadowsky, and a dead heat for quality and service.

Alleva: more organic yet. You might not even feel the preamp unless you really crank it. Very nice if you want a truer Fender vintage tone.

Valenti: another top shelf build. With Valenti, you can spec whatever guts you like, which might be an advantage, depending what you want, sonically.