For sale MTD JJ 5

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I am selling my MTD JJ 5. I ordered it from Mike Tobias in October 2007, and took delivery off it on March 29, 2008. It has an alder body, maple neck, and rosewood fingerboard. I am trying to post pics, but not having any luck. If you want a pic, send me your e-mail address and I will send it to you from my camera phone. It is in mint condition, no scratches or dings. I presently has a Sadowsky pre-amp with VTC, but I have the original pre-amp that I will have reinstalled. It sells for $3,200 new, I am asking $2,200. No trades please.

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gt96g

gt96g

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Jul 25, 2008
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not a saratoga its a jj5, the predasesor to the saratoga and no longer in production
 
Vic

Vic

There's more music in the nuance than the notes.
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gt96g said:
not a saratoga its a jj5, the predasesor to the saratoga and no longer in production
Click to expand...
Not true.

Mike will make another one of these any time someone wishes. Also, this is not the predecessor to the Saratoga. This is a totally different instrument even beyond the fact that these are USA MTDs and the Saratoga is not. Different pickups, different preamp, different body style, and even different scale. Further, these were put into production primarily at the behest of Norm Stockton for his Lincoln Brewster gigs and maybe some other stuff.

In short, these have nothing whatsoever to do with the Saratoga. :)
 
Dr. Cheese

Dr. Cheese

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Mar 3, 2004
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Vic said:
Not true.

Mike will make another one of these any time someone wishes. Also, this is not the predecessor to the Saratoga. This is a totally different instrument even beyond the fact that these are USA MTDs and the Saratoga is not. Different pickups, different preamp, different body style, and even different scale. Further, these were put into production primarily at the behest of Norm Stockton for his Lincoln Brewster gigs and maybe some other stuff.

In short, these have nothing whatsoever to do with the Saratoga. :)
Click to expand...

Vic, I know you know far more about MTDs than most anybody at TB, but the new JJ basses have been called US Saratogas on a few sites like Perfect Bass:http://www.theperfectbass.com/explo...103129101&W=STORE&P=N&S=1001081&U=1&SS=1&CR=Y
 
Vic

Vic

There's more music in the nuance than the notes.
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RevGroove

RevGroove

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Jul 21, 2002
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Dr. Cheese said:
Vic, I know you know far more about MTDs than most anybody at TB, but the new JJ basses have been called US Saratogas on a few sites like Perfect Bass:http://www.theperfectbass.com/explo...103129101&W=STORE&P=N&S=1001081&U=1&SS=1&CR=Y
Click to expand...

Um...I dunno Vic, that looks very similar to the bass that I saw Norm playing last summer...and I believe the old Saratoga was a Czech model, maybe they're now using it for the USA J? Or it's possible that TPB is using that name for the J5 for some reason?

edit: After clicking on the MTD link Vic posted, I'm wondering if the Saratoga has been upgraded, but the website hasn't caught up yet...the last edit/update to the website was Jan. 2008...

A well placed and worded e-mail to Mike may help clear this up...if someone hasn't posted that they've done that by the time I get home from work, I'll drop him a line to find out the scoop...
 
Vic

Vic

There's more music in the nuance than the notes.
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RevGroove said:
Um...I dunno Vic, that looks very similar to the bass that I saw Norm playing last summer...and I believe the old Saratoga was a Czech model, maybe they're now using it for the USA J? Or it's possible that TPB is using that name for the J5 for some reason?

A well placed and worded e-mail to Mike may help clear this up...if someone hasn't posted that they've done that by the time I get home from work, I'll drop him a line to find out the scoop...
Click to expand...
That's because the bass on the perfect bass website IS a MTD USA J5! The point I was making is, I was saying the perfect bass had mislabeled the instrument.

Ok, so I called Mike. Here's what it really is...

I'm right about the USA J5 and the import Saratoga being completely different instruments. However, I'm wrong about the name being incorrect... at least at this point in time, but originally, it truly was not named the Saratoga... that's a recent change.

Here it is...

Mike told me he DID "rename" the USA J5 the Saratoga (after the Saratoga "Jazz" festival), but he did it because 1.) He had to use the name to keep the name registered as a product, and 2.) Because Fender, as time passes, is getting nastier and nastier regarding people using the "J bass" moniker, and Mike just doesn't want to deal with that.

So there you have it. Mike went and renamed his product without checking with me first... can't believe he did that... sheesh... ;) :D

I still remember having the J5 (now USA Saratoga) prototype and even talking to Norm Stockton about this bass, so it's always just been the J5 to me. :)
 
RevGroove

RevGroove

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Vic said:
That's because the bass on the perfect bass website IS a MTD USA J5! The point I was making is, I was saying the perfect bass had mislabeled the instrument.

Ok, so I called Mike. Here's what it really is...

I'm right about the USA J5 and the import Saratoga being completely different instruments. However, I'm wrong about the name being incorrect... at least at this point in time, but originally, it truly was not named the Saratoga... that's a recent change.

Here it is...

Mike told me he DID "rename" the USA J5 the Saratoga (after the Saratoga "Jazz" festival), but he did it because 1.) He had to use the name to keep the name registered as a product, and 2.) Because Fender, as time passes, is getting nastier and nastier regarding people using the "J bass" moniker, and Mike just doesn't want to deal with that.

So there you have it. Mike went and renamed his product without checking with me first... can't believe he did that... sheesh... ;) :D

I still remember having the J5 (now USA Saratoga) prototype and even talking to Norm Stockton about this bass, so it's always just been the J5 to me. :)
Click to expand...

I figured it was something like that...interesting to get the final scoop on that stuff...thanks for the update!

Now...the USA Saratoga is out of my price range (at least according the Spousal Approval Factor...)but I wonder if there's any NOS import Saratogas available out there... I'd love to buy this one but can't swing it right now, dang it...
 
Vic

Vic

There's more music in the nuance than the notes.
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RevGroove said:
I figured it was something like that...interesting to get the final scoop on that stuff...thanks for the update!
Click to expand...
No problem, and sorry for the partial confusion. Comes from being "in" on this bass from the early beginnings, and renaming it was never even discussed at the time. It was always just going to be the USA J5 originally. Ironically, as was eluded to in the video, he always intended to farm this out and have an import version to make it more affordable, and even then it was still going to be the J5... just not the USA version of the model.

Anyway, back on-topic, and I shoulda' said this earlier, but there are NONE better than Virgil here at TB. Buy with absolute confidence!
 
Virgil

Virgil

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RevGroove said:
By the time I pay off my ZX, Z5 and some other stuff, that one is going to be long gone...shame, I'd love to get one of the early "pre-Saratoga" ones...what's the serial number?
Click to expand...

The serial number is 1683.
 

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Virgil
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