For Sale/Trade: JJ Helms 5
This bass has certainly made the rounds on TB. I've had it since late 2014 and have never really utilized it as I thought I would. I intended on using as a back up that I could leave at a rehearsal space. Shortly after picking this up, I had the opportunity to buy a bass from my 'must have' list ... so the Helms got relegated to the back up of the back up ... and has pretty much sat. The bass sounds great ... especially with the SGD pickups ... but is in rough shape. Beyond the numerous dings, scratches and blemishes ... routing for the replacement pickups left some gaps as can be seen in the pics ... knobs have been removed in favor of an on off switch ... the holes where the knobs were are plugged with wood ... the bass took a hit in shipping, which caused the truss rod to come through slightly on the back of the neck near the head of the bass (the neck was professional fixed [repaired area shown in pic circled] shortly after receiving the bass and the fix has been stable since then). As well, while the bass appears to be well built, attention to detail does not appear to have been taken on some aspects of the bass ... side dots on neck don't line up, etc.. On the plus side, it is a unique looking great sounding bass with a very comfortable neck that can handle very low action.
More info is contained within the listing I purchased the bass from ...
SOLD - JJ Helms 5 string
Additional comments I received from the seller at time we were discussing deal ...
The truss rod is hard to adjust with a standard Allen wrench, one with a long handle works better, but it's not broken, it's just tough to access. It was adjusted once by my tech and never has needed it again. The action is great on this bass.
As for the SGD's, I like them a lot. The original pickups were VERY midrangey. These are pretty deep, although the bass has a midrangey vibe. But the SGD's fill it out well.
I just have a kill switch, but plenty of room if you want to add a preamp, coil splitters, etc. The SGD's are 4 wire pickups, so many wiring tricks.
Bass will ship in a soft case with a broken zipper. Not in great shape ... but will help protect the bass during shipping. Original pickups included. $550 shipped to the lower 48.
This bass has certainly made the rounds on TB. I've had it since late 2014 and have never really utilized it as I thought I would. I intended on using as a back up that I could leave at a rehearsal space. Shortly after picking this up, I had the opportunity to buy a bass from my 'must have' list ... so the Helms got relegated to the back up of the back up ... and has pretty much sat. The bass sounds great ... especially with the SGD pickups ... but is in rough shape. Beyond the numerous dings, scratches and blemishes ... routing for the replacement pickups left some gaps as can be seen in the pics ... knobs have been removed in favor of an on off switch ... the holes where the knobs were are plugged with wood ... the bass took a hit in shipping, which caused the truss rod to come through slightly on the back of the neck near the head of the bass (the neck was professional fixed [repaired area shown in pic circled] shortly after receiving the bass and the fix has been stable since then). As well, while the bass appears to be well built, attention to detail does not appear to have been taken on some aspects of the bass ... side dots on neck don't line up, etc.. On the plus side, it is a unique looking great sounding bass with a very comfortable neck that can handle very low action.
More info is contained within the listing I purchased the bass from ...
SOLD - JJ Helms 5 string
Additional comments I received from the seller at time we were discussing deal ...
The truss rod is hard to adjust with a standard Allen wrench, one with a long handle works better, but it's not broken, it's just tough to access. It was adjusted once by my tech and never has needed it again. The action is great on this bass.
As for the SGD's, I like them a lot. The original pickups were VERY midrangey. These are pretty deep, although the bass has a midrangey vibe. But the SGD's fill it out well.
I just have a kill switch, but plenty of room if you want to add a preamp, coil splitters, etc. The SGD's are 4 wire pickups, so many wiring tricks.
Bass will ship in a soft case with a broken zipper. Not in great shape ... but will help protect the bass during shipping. Original pickups included. $550 shipped to the lower 48.
