Mark Jenny/MJT Aged Guitar Finishes

csala · #1 05-02-2010, 01:21 PM

Hi,

I'm thinking about putting together a Jbass, and during my search for parts on ebay I came across the MJT Store.

The deal is that you purchase a body from them and they relic it before shipping.

Does anyone have any experience ordering from MJT? Are the bodies themselves good quality?

It seems like a good idea, but I don't want to wind up with a cheap, substandard ebay product.

Thanks!

oboylebass · #2 05-13-2010, 02:59 PM

I came across the MJT page too. They have a cool website. I am coNsidering buying a j body too. Seems like a good deal. Anyone out there buy from these guys??

spc · #3 08-27-2010, 09:30 PM

resurrecting this thread....anyone?

shawn

Dark Horse · #4 08-27-2010, 10:00 PM

Mark and Matt do excellent quality aged finishes, and are straight up honest sellers. Highly recommended.

Tusec · #5 08-27-2010, 10:20 PM

I ordered a Jazz body from MJT a few weeks ago and am still waiting on it. They have a long lead time -- 6 to 8 weeks. That's for a custom finished body, finished to your specs. For zero lead time you can buy already finished bodies from their eBay store. The interesting thing is they sell the already finished bodies via standard actions, not Buy It Now, and I see them go all the time for what seem like ridiculously low prices considering they're basically hand-relic'd works of art. However, those are mostly Strat and Tele bodies. I don't think I've seen them sell a bass body that way. You have to get them custom, which costs more (and has the lead time). My impression from looking at pics is that of the handful of guys who do aged finishes, he's got the best touch as far as making them look believable. It's pretty neat -- he has kind of a menu that you select from with different levels of wear, checking, clearcoat yellowing, etc. I'll probably post pics of mine once I receive it. By the way, they seem like great guys. My contact has only been via email by they have been very responsive and friendly.

Reynoldbot · #6 08-28-2010, 01:02 AM

Those aged finishes look pretty good! Lately I've been struck by how "safe" aged finishes tend to look (at least coming from Fender). I was at a guitar store recently and I got to compare a road worn '57 RI P Bass to an actual '68 Tele bass. I know that with these vintage instruments, each one ages differently, but the difference between the type of wear on the actual vintage instrument and the road worn was stark. The '68 had all types of nasty pitting on the finish, and the last few frets of the neck looked almost as if they had been struck by mold. You'd never see that type of stuff on the road worn. I'm happy to see these guys letting their aging get a bit gnarlier. For instance, the headstock on one of their strats looked like it had a big burn mark from 40 years of someone keeping their cigarette held between the strings. Excellent stuff.

Margus Alviste · #7 08-28-2010, 02:50 AM

Mark is a cool guy to deal with. I ordered once a relic finish to one of my PB body and he did an excellent job. Unfortunately I can't say anything about the bodies they offer on their site. Are they Allparts?

Dark Horse · #8 08-28-2010, 08:49 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tusec

I ordered a Jazz body from MJT a few weeks ago and am still waiting on it. They have a long lead time -- 6 to 8 weeks.

I don't see that as a "long lead time" at all, considering that nitrocellulose lacquer typically takes a minimum of 30 days to cure properly before you can even finish sand and buff it out. If you add in a few days for prep work, add in some time for aging the finish, plus a little +/- time ... seems like 6-8 weeks is about as fast as you could realistically expect a "from scratch" nitro finished, aged body.

Tusec · #9 08-30-2010, 06:52 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dark Horse

I don't see that as a "long lead time" at all, considering that nitrocellulose lacquer typically takes a minimum of 30 days to cure properly before you can even finish sand and buff it out. If you add in a few days for prep work, add in some time for aging the finish, plus a little +/- time ... seems like 6-8 weeks is about as fast as you could realistically expect a "from scratch" nitro finished, aged body.

Yeah, that's true. I just mean that when you place your order, you don't get a body a week later.

Dark Horse · #10 08-30-2010, 06:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tusec

Yeah, that's true. I just mean that when you place your order, you don't get a body a week later.

Yep. Waiting sucks, but sometimes it's necessary.

Tusec · #11 08-30-2010, 08:28 PM

Tru dat. My original post reads like I'm complaining, but my intent was just to note the lead time and also to mention that if you want a body pronto, you can order one already finished off their ebay site. Considering these are basically pieces of hand-made art, I think the wait is well justified and well worth it.

BTW, for anyone wondering what these bodies look like, here's a link to one of their photo galleries:

http://www.mjtagedfinishes.com/gallery1.htm

.

Dark Horse · #12 08-30-2010, 08:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tusec

Tru dat. My original post reads like I'm complaining, but my intent was just to note the lead time and also to mention that if you want a body pronto, you can order one already finished off their ebay site. Considering these are basically pieces of hand-made art, I think the wait is well justified and well worth it.

BTW, for anyone wondering what these bodies look like, here's a link to one of their photo galleries:

http://www.mjtagedfinishes.com/gallery1.htm

.

Probably a good idea to forewarn people.

Their quality is really good. MJT does a great job of simulating actual wear...much better than 98% of the "relicers" out there IMO.

Tusec · #13 08-30-2010, 08:47 PM

Yeah, that's the impression I get from scouring their photos. The wear looks really convincing. One of the guitar sites interviewed Mark Jenney and he comes across as being very enthused and knowledgeable about getting the finishes to look correct based on the older Fenders he's been around. He seems to have a real artist's eye for the subtleties that make a relic look real.

bovinehost · #14 08-30-2010, 08:59 PM

Mark Jenny is a stand-up guy, a true gentleman, an old friend of mine and I'm not sure but willing to bet he uses USACG parts.

stanknuckle · #15 07-20-2011, 02:22 AM

I found out that he uses bodies made by "Wildwood" in California. I'm gonna get a J model.

deepestend · #16 05-02-2012, 12:56 PM

I just ordered a J model as well. Anyone else know who Wildwood provides bodies to?

oddbass · #17 11-22-2012, 01:46 AM

is there 60's spacing on the j bazz bodies?

stanknuckle · #18 01-02-2013, 02:42 AM

Probably a bit late to respond but the spacing is 60's. I'd like to purchase another.

stanknuckle · #19 01-02-2013, 03:04 AM

This is my custom build with an MJT body. The neck is a Musikraft with aged clay dots. I had the oly white paint job with a slight tinge of yellow and a closet finish. It's now over a year since I built this. The body far exceeded my expectations. I string this one with either flats or halfwounds.

**Henn** · #20 03-05-2013, 08:44 AM

MJT body and neck (AllParts)
Hardware from: madisonsmusicstore

SD Antiquity II