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Atkinson Custom Basses 70's J Bass
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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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$1,250.00
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10.0
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Description:
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I had the opportunity to check out one of Dan Atkinson's J basses. Dan is dedicated to putting out a high quality bass that does not have a astronomical price tag attached. And being a serious bass player I was sincerely curious about the quality of his product and how he can place top notch quality and affordability together.
The bass was a 70's inspired Fender J bass. Natural finish ash body, maple neck and fb, pearl blocks, white binding, Hipshot ultra light machine heads, and Nordstrand split coils. One of the first things I checked for was the quality. And I was not disappointed at all. The bass had quality that seemed to be reserved only for basses costing more than twice as much(and I'm being very serious). I loved the weight of the bass( felt like it could be 8.5 or less). It was not heavy and it was not light. I even asked Dan Atkinson to make a note of what the exact body weight was because I feel that it was one of the main keys to the bass feeling so good. The bass balanced just fine, there was not one evidence of neck dive at all. I went over the bass with a few fine tooth combs and I could not find anything out of place, I repeat anything. The back of the neck had a profile that was very close to that of a 70's J bass but not as round and definitely not a bass ball bat. Not a thick neck at all and not to thin. I prefer a high gloss finish on the back of a neck but this didn't have it. but I did like the way it felt. The neck felt like silk, very very smooth across the entire neck. I didn't feel any small micro spots from the neck not being sanded properly. Again very very silky feeling. The body felt the same way to the touch. Overall the frets were very well done(Like a perfect set of teeth)
The sound of the bass was what one could refer to as off the chain. Definitely in your face if that's the sound you want. And that's with both pickups full on. But once you tame it a little it doesn't let you down in that area either. Overall the tonal output was extremely even and honest sounding. When I soloed the bridge pickup it was good clean crispy burpiness for miles and the slightest turn of the tone knob really made one notice that things were indeed changing. It didn't take big turns to hear a tonal difference at all. The front pickup had more of a P bass growl than an actual single coil J bass but believe me that's not a bad thing at all. Whats even more refreshing no matter how minutely I adjusted the volume knobs or the tone knob I could hear a change in what was coming out of the amp. The bass was extremely quiet, I hate basses that hum and there was no hum at all and I played it through several different amps and cabs. If you want a quiet bass this is it. One of the most quiet basses I have ever encountered, especially when I soled the pickups.
I use extremely light gauge strings with super low action. I kept the strings on it that the bass shipped with ( D'Addario) I lowered the action from the bridge just a little but no where near my personal preference and the bass played very well.
Pros..
A very high quality bass at a reasonable price. A very good example of you get more than what you pay for.
I think the quality and playability of this bass really shine in the hands of an experienced player. Some one who has owned, played and recognizes a high qaulity bass when they see and hear one.
Cons.
Lack of experience will be the culprit for some to realize and understand that the Atkinson brand really has the best interest of the player in regards to quality and sound that truly is affordable.
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Author
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Mr.Bassie720
Hey Ho, lets go!
Registered: February 2005
Location: Washington DC,Silver Spring,MD
Posts: 1119
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Review Date: Mon August 15, 2011
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Would you recommend the product? Yes |
Price you paid?: $1,250.00
| Rating: 10
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Pros:
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Light weight. Beatifully done fit and finish. Made in USA. Top of the line components. Great shielding, great pickups.
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Cons:
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No felt washers on strap buttons. Really? Yep, that's it for the cons!
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7Lbs-15.2ozs! Outstanding tone and playability. Need I say more? I should say more, because this instrument is well worth your consideration. I was lucky enough to spend a few days with this bass after it was reviewed by Jauqo III-X. After leaving Chi town, it then came to my house for a visit. Upon opening the case your attention is immediately drawn to the matte finish. In a word. Flawless. 4 years ago I bought one of Dan's basses and the finish work was something that I strongly felt was lacking. No longer. The finish work is now one of the highlights of an Atkinson bass and there are many highlights. I will mention a few here, but I intend to do a more detailed review in a separate thread.
The 70s style Jazz arrived with a little too much relief and the bridge
saddles pretty low. I took it to Phil Jacoby of Philtone guitars and in about 7 minutes he had it playing in sublime fashion. Truss access is
at the base of the neck and easy. Body route means you never have to remove the neck for adjustments. One of the the things that Phil mentioned is that USACG(Dan's neck supplier) puts in the proper amount of fallaway on the fretboard. When properly setup this yields a nice consistency in the upper register. The neck is very nicely done. Standard Jazz width on this one(1.5)
The fretwok, in my opinion, is where a lot of builders fall short. Here the fret ends where done perfectly. The neck is a little chunkier than a 60s style neck, just a little. I have small hands and this was very easy for me to play. Nice and smooth not sticky. The block inlays are a classic look and were also perfectly done.
The tone. This is where Dan knocked it out of the ballpark with the bases loaded. The Nordstrand pickups are just simply amazing. The
controls are extremely responsive. More on this in my detailed review. I loved the 70s pickup spacing. There is more room in the sweet spot
for my right hand.
Bottom line is, this is a professional quality US made bass that can more than hold it's own against much more expensive boutique builders. Every component is well thought out and perfectly executed. Dan has hit a new level in his growth as a builder. He has, in my opinion, surpassed US made Fender and is giving you boutique quality at a fraction of the price.
I have 4 Jazz basses and I really don't need another, but at 7 pounds 15.2 ounces with a killer tone and looks. I have to do it. My wife is
gonna kill me
This is the exact bass that me and Jauqo reviewed.
http://www.atkinsonbasses.com/storage/atkinson75J.jpg
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http://spectorbass.com/index.html
http://www.spectorcentral.com/
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