Ben Lindsey Hot Rod Jazz Build

[Scott McArron]

What are you currently playing Scott?

I forgot to add what I'm playing through. I'm using the TC Electronics RH450 through 2 stacked RS210 cabs on top of a Gramma pad (a necessity, IMO, with this rig).

I really like it a lot. The best sound I've personally ever had was my last rig, the Aguilar DB750 through the GS410. I never got the chance to try it with too many other cabs, though, like my faves the Bergantinos. There is still nothing out there to me that rivals the tone of the DB750, especially with the Telefunken NOS tube in the V1; it really helps to tighten up the low end.

However, the RH450 can get about 90% there at only a few pounds and it has way more useful features. Additionally, I bought a muscle car, an 06 Mustang, and the Aggie rig just wouldn't fit. I can barely, and I mean just barely fit the entire TCE rig in the truck of my Mustang. Not without scrapes and dings to both said parties, but that's still pretty cool, IMO!

The one gripe I have about this rig, like so many others think as well, is the low pass filter built into the inherent tone of the RH450 at around 5k. You're simply not gonna get much sparkle out of this rig. This makes it great for almost everything I play, except my favorite genres neo soul/funk. I don't play it very often at the moment, so I don't feel like I'm missing much, but every once in a while, I'll go out to watch these guys and they'll bring me up on stage for a couple of tunes and wow, those guys LOVE their high end! Think Mesa M6. It's nice every once in a while, but not the tone I gravitate towards very often. So, in summary, this rig is not the best of the best, but it's really great for most of what I do. And I can still dial in a decent amount of high end with the semi-para EQ and store that setting for occasional use, so it really is pretty cool!

Sorry for the long posts. I'm not much of a talker, but you get me on a subject I love and I have a hard time holding back.

What're you playing these days, lx_night? I almost forgot that you have that Fender Deluxe I had! Haha! Hope you're enjoying it! How does it compare to the other basses in your stable?

 

[lx_night]

Seems like you really liked the Lull you used to own, you always have something good to say about it. only thing i dont like is the headstock. Got the chance to hear a Lull about 2-3 weeks ago and its sound was Impressive, very tight pocket.

I always hear great things about the Laklands but ive never played one of those and honestly dont like the way they look, mainly the different pickups.

Call me weird but the only basses i feel comftable with are Jazz basses. Specially Fender basses. I guess its due to the fact that my second bass was 07 jazz deluxe, which i got so used to and was the only sound and neck i knew, until i really started to play other instruments.

I can honestly say that a jazz is probably the best instrument for almost any type of music because its the sound that everybody in the past was playing and its become the standard for almost every genre.

The 2010 Fender deluxe with Nordstrand single coils I bought from you is probably the best bass i have played, every thing about it is just top notch. At first i was in love with my sadowsky UV-70 5 but after buying the 2010 fender, i sold my UV-70 and was glad to get a little more than 2k back in my bank account

Living in Oklahoma city limits you to many things because all of the music dealers suck and there arent very many independent ones, so you have to depend on the worst (guitar center) for all your needs.

At the moment i am using a Markbass combo amp 210. which is decent. I love the amp alot but not a big fan of the speakers. I have considered selling it but i would not get much from it and i am not really playing enough right now to get a more powerfull rig.
The best thing about it is that it weighs like 40 pounds and fits in almost any car!

I am currently in the process of starting my own restaurant. This means i wont be buying gear anytime soon. i am glad i bought your deluxe because it really keeps satisfied. I know i will get Ben Lindsey to build me a jazz as soon as feel that the time is right to get another bass, it was a tough decision but i decided to wait a little longer.

Why in the world did you sell you aguilar tube head! its one of the best out there! why didnt you keep it to use with other cabinets?

 

[Scott McArron]

Seems like you really liked the Lull you used to own, you always have something good to say about it. only thing i dont like is the headstock.

I agree! I hate the headstocks! It only looks decent on the modern version of his basses, IMO, but still questionable. On the vintage style basses, it is just an eye sore. That's actually one of the reasons why I don't own his basses right now. I think if Mike changed the headstocks to something more aesthetically pleasing he would get a lot more business. I've heard this complaint from a ton of people in the market for a new jazz bass. All other things being equal, I'd take Fender, Sadowsky, or Lakland over a Lull bass any day only for that reason.

I am currently in the process of starting my own restaurant. This means i wont be buying gear anytime soon. i am glad i bought your deluxe because it really keeps satisfied. I know i will get Ben Lindsey to build me a jazz as soon as feel that the time is right to get another bass, it was a tough decision but i decided to wait a little longer.

Glad to hear that you like the bass as much as I did! Sorry to hear that you won't be getting a Ben Lindsey for a while, though. Just wait until I get mine and then rave about it. We'll see how long your gas holds out!

Why in the world did you sell you aguilar tube head! its one of the best out there! why didnt you keep it to use with other cabinets?

Why else? Pain in the @$$ to haul around! It's not that heavy by itself, but it needs handles so then you have to put it in a rack bag. Now, with cables and everything in there it's close to 70 lbs! I got so tired of hauling it around.

I actually had the DB750 and the RH450 together for a while, so had plenty of opportunity to A/B the two with both the GS410 cab and the TCE RS210 cabs. I could get surprisingly close, maybe 90-93% of the DB750 tone through the RH450. Considering the weight, extra features, the fact that I was barely utilizing the power of the Aggie, the cost savings from selling the Aggie, etc. it was a no-brainer. I bought my entire TCE 210 stack with RH450 for the price I got back on the DB750!! So that's probably the only reason I can afford to get this Ben Lindsey bass built.

If I were touring, I would definitely have a DB750 around. But for the casinos, festivals, and other local private party gigs the RH450 is more than enough and much nicer to haul around. Plus, I don't have to keep an extra tuner and compressor lying around. It's just sooo much nicer for hauling to gigs. I really don't miss the DB750 that much. I do miss the heft of the notes and thick punch that comes from a lead sled head like that, but it's small enough of a difference that the other factors far outweigh it.

 

[Scott McArron]

Ben just sent me pics of the neck bound and blocked! I can't post them yet; he told me I'd have to call him before posting to any forums. But, holy crap, it's looking good! The pics aren't the best quality, but even through it's imperfections I can see the beautiful grain on the rosewood board. I'm so excited!! Hopefully, I'll get his permission soon so I can post them up here.

Edit: No pics any time soon. Sorry guys, guess I'm just teasing ya with this! Gotta say that it's really looking good so far, even unfinished!

 

[lx_night]

no way!!!!! Cant wait.

 

[lx_night]

man, honestly i had been looking at a tube head some time ago. I went to crappy guitar center and tried out a MB tube head that was great.
However i am, interested in the RH450. I wish it had more watts though.

After owning the MB head i dont think i would ever buy a head that weighs more than 10 pounds, because they are so easy to carry!

 

[lx_night]

Its been too long scott.........

 

[Scott McArron]

Indeed, much too long. Ben had a big Japanese order he had to get fulfilled before he could really do much work on my bass. Just got the call yesterday that he's done with that order so he can finally put some focus on my bass.

The body and neck are basically done, and he's got all the hardware in his hands now too. The paint chips are in the mail, so I'll be making a final decision here soon on the color. I'm about 95% sure I'll be going with the dakota red, though, unless anything else blows me away.

I can't wait to see the neck. Ben tells me it's got a gorgeous but subtle birdseye throughout, and I already know the rosewood board has one of the most beautiful grains that I have seen. Can't wait for some pics soon!

 

[Spencer!]

This'll be a tasty bass. I'm loving my 60's Lindsey jazz bass. A Lull plek job made it PERFECT. I'm playing the Paragon on Saturday night, I think I'll be playing the Lindsey if you want to come by and hear it.

 

[Scott McArron]

man, honestly i had been looking at a tube head some time ago. I went to crappy guitar center and tried out a MB tube head that was great.
However i am, interested in the RH450. I wish it had more watts though.

After owning the MB head i dont think i would ever buy a head that weighs more than 10 pounds, because they are so easy to carry!

More watts would be nice for the RH450, but it is plenty loud for all of my needs for sure! They do have a new model now that's basically the RH450 but with 1600 watts! The problem with it, is that it's a beast! Personally, the only thing that I would change about it is the LPF that's built into the inherent tone of the head.

I'm seriously waiting for the Tweetertone control they're putting on their other heads now that will cure that LPF thing. I love the warmth of the head, but sometimes I really need that more open sound like the MB heads can do. But I don't want to have to haul around different heads just to get that sound. Hopefully, they'll be updating the RH450 in the future to add that feature. After all, they've put it on their newest head which is basically just an RH450 with more watts.

 

[Scott McArron]

This'll be a tasty bass. I'm loving my 60's Lindsey bass. A Lull plek job made it PERFECT. I'm playing the Paragon on Saturday night, I think I'll be playing the Lindsey if you want to come by and hear it.

Oh dang, I've got a gig myself that night. Bummer! Let me know if you've got another gig soon with that bass. I'd love to check it out, and I miss hearing your bass work! How long you back in town for?

A Lull plek job is exactly what I'm going to do with it.

 

[Spencer!]

Oh dang, I've got a gig myself that night. Bummer! Let me know if you've got another gig soon with that bass. I'd love to check it out, and I miss hearing your bass work! How long you back in town for?

A Lull plek job is exactly what I'm going to do with it.

I fly to NYC on the 24th, I'm not sure if I have any more gigs before then but I'll let you know.

 

[Scott McArron]

I fly to NYC on the 24th, I'm not sure if I have any more gigs before then but I'll let you know.

yeah, definitely let me know!

 

[Scott McArron]

Update!

Ben picked out the body. We were originally going to go with alder, but he found this amazing piece of ash that is making for some pretty serious synergy with the neck. Ben says he's been working with wood for a long time and can just tell when a piece of wood is gonna sing. He said that if you tap it, it just resonates like crazy. He's sounding about as excited as I am when he talks about it! He and I are definitely riding the same wavelength when it comes to this particular bass project.

Another thing, the body and the neck together alone come in at about 5 lbs without the hardware or pickups. Should make for a really nice light bass when said and done. The tuners will likely be the heavier part, being the big 70's style and adding that extra metal with the drop D xtender key.

I didn't specifically ask for it, but it turns out the fretboard is a full 21 frets rather than the typical Fender 20. That's soooo perfect for me it's ridiculous! I love having that extra fret; I actually use it in several tunes and just jamming around and really have been missing it with my 75 RI.

Summary: this thing is coming together far better than I could even have imagined it!

Edit: Oh yeah, and we're looking at about two weeks out now, with some pics in the interim.

 

[lx_night]

Update!

Ben picked out the body. We were originally going to go with alder, but he found this amazing piece of ash that is making for some pretty serious synergy with the neck. Ben says he's been working with wood for a long time and can just tell when a piece of wood is gonna sing. He said that if you tap it, it just resonates like crazy. He's sounding about as excited as I am when he talks about it! He and I are definitely riding the same wavelength when it comes to this particular bass project.

Another thing, the body and the neck together alone come in at about 5 lbs without the hardware or pickups. Should make for a really nice light bass when said and done. The tuners will likely be the heavier part, being the big 70's style and adding that extra metal with the drop D xtender key.

I didn't specifically ask for it, but it turns out the fretboard is a full 21 frets rather than the typical Fender 20. That's soooo perfect for me it's ridiculous! I love having that extra fret; I actually use it in several tunes and just jamming around and really have been missing it with my 75 RI.

Summary: this thing is coming together far better than I could even have imagined it!

Edit: Oh yeah, and we're looking at about two weeks out now, with some pics in the interim.

man i have been very busy.
1600 watts is just too much for me!

I think ash will match the pickups perfectly since you are going passive the ash will give it that extra brightness!

What an awesome combination. I am as exited as you, cant wait for pics and clips

 

[Scott McArron]

Ben called yesterday and said my bass should be done today!!!

 

[Scott McArron]

Ben is stringing it up now. Just waiting on the knobs that should be in this week. Ships out on Monday.

Just saw the first pic of the dakota red paint job. Looking hot!! Still can't post anything yet, but Ben will get me some 'forum friendly' pics here soon.

He says that the weight is coming in at around the 6.5 - 7lb range and balances really nice! Too awesome!!!!

 

[lx_night]

Great weight for an ash body!

 

[Scott McArron]

Great weight for an ash body!

Yes! Not only that, but Ben said that it's probably one of the best balancing basses he's ever made. And that it resonates like no other, and "it's really ALIVE."

I can't wait to get this in my hands!

BTW, just got the "finished" pics. The only thing missing is the knobs. I'll check with him about whether or not I can post these. This is kind of a boring picture without pics.

 

[Scott McArron]

PICS!!!!!!!!!!

I had to crop these to make them forum-worthy, but here we go!

Here's a pic of the light weight swamp ash body before the paint job.

Before the stringing up was done. I like this shot because it shows the fretboard pretty well, and the fretboard is just beautiful!

And here she is all strung up! We were just waiting on the knobs before shipping.

I love the Dakota red. It was the exact shade that I was picturing in my head when I was thinking of a custom red hot rod bass. Let me know what you guys think!