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Recommended By
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Average Price
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Average Rating
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100% of reviewers
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$2,500.00
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9.0
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Description:
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Construction: Bolt-on neck
Scale Length 35" = 889mm
Fingerboard Ebony
Radius 40" = 1000mm
Frets 26
Body Figured Maple/Ash/Alder/Maple
Neck Maple
Bridge Solid Brass
Pickups Side by Side Double Coil Alnico V
Controls Active 5-Control
Colors Amber, Translucent Dark Red
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Author
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ad9000
Registered User
Registered: March 2004
Location: Laguna Beach, CA
Posts: 267
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Review Date: Mon June 29, 2009
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Would you recommend the product? Yes |
Price you paid?: $2,500.00
| Rating: 9
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Pros:
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Excellent workmanship, great upper register and string-to-string balance
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Cons:
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Very heavy not escpecially ergonomic, EQ not the most versatile
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I owned a 1990 TRB-6P for many years, which I got rid of due to a recurring problem with the truss rod (it would cause the neck to bow radically with climate changes - they fixed that on later 6P's, but that's another story). The JP2 feels and looks somewhat similar to the 6P and contains a lot of the qualities I liked best about it - sweet upper register, good string-to-string balance, piano-like tone. Thankfully it does not inherit the 6P's murky sounding electronics, thick and sticky poly finish on the neck or bad-behaving truss rod, and it does away with the metallic-sounding piezo pickup. I only briefly played one of the first generation JP models, and not plugged in, so I can't offer much comparison there, though I remember subjectively liking the JP2 much better right away.
The JP2 is a great instrument for soloing. That is mainly why I got it, as I do a lot of high-register soloing on some of my gigs. The JP2 has a very musical voice in all registers, especially up high, and the extra two frets (up to 26) is a nice bonus. The intonation is really good - not as good as my MTD 6, but close. The JP2 is a 35" scale axe, but it doesn't feel foreign at all after playing 34" scale instruments. It has a very present, muscular sound, a really good low B (I give it a B +) and a pretty decent slap sound - not my favorite, but not bad. The JP2's tone seems a little sterile to me at times, but it responds well to signal processing. I use an Xotic Bass RC Booster with the JP2 sometimes, and some basses don't seem to benefit nearly as well from that pedal.
On the minus side, it is very heavy - I haven't weighed mine, but I'd guess it's easily over 13 lbs, and the body feels a bit larger than most modern basses. Playing it standing up on a 3-hr gig is a chore. Having a lighter bass to alternate with it is almost a necessity for me if I'm doing more than 2 sets. The neck is wide and a little chunky, but it is shaped nicely. I like wide spacing, so I don't have a problem with that, but some might - it is about as wide as you can get.
The tonal versatility is good but not great. The bass, mid and treble controls interact kind of strangely. Rolling off the treble creates a weirdly hollow upper-mid quality, and it gets harsh if you go very far above the detent position. The mid control is a little more useful, but not very musical in the extreme positions either, with the following exception: with the mid control nearly cranked, the bass control boosted all the way, and the treble ducked slightly I can get a pretty nice, bottomy old school sound. I find myself favoring the front pickup anywhere from 20 - 50% above the center position. The back pickup doesn't sound bad, its just not the sound I'm going for right now.
The JP2 is somewhat of a throwback to the early 90's with its glossy finish (nice satin on the back of the neck, though) and brass hardware. Mine has the translucent red finish, and it does look very cool, especially over the nicely figured maple top and back. I really like the fingerboard inlays and the white pearl tuning pegs as well. The satin finish on the neck feels great.
It may sound like I have a lot of complaints about the JP2, but I've owned and played tons of 6-strings and this is the one I like best these days - that says a lot! The workmanship is about the best of any production instrument I've come across - more on par with a high-end custom axe, but not nearly as expensive. The JP2 will not make you play like Patitucci or even guarantee that you achieve his tone (most of that is in his hands), but it is a very cool axe that has enough versatility to allow you to find your own sound.
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