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It is a Darryl Jones 4 and she weighs 7.8 lbs....I said she sounds like she weighs about 16 lbs! A real pleasure to play both in terms of weight and in terms of tone and feel. The light weight does not affect the tone on this one in my opinion. She has a very full and throaty tone that is smooth and even but still aggressive as I feel all the DJs I have had have been. If I want or need more meat I dial it up with the EQ on the preamp I use (a Neve 8801, DB659, or DB680 depending on what I am doing at the time). I also have a Sadowsky outboard preamp that I keep in line most of the time and engage it only when I want an active sound. The Sadowsky gives it a sweet modern tone at the flip of a switch. I use the active tone primarily for slapping but it comes in handy for finger style sometime as well. It definitely makes for an easy night to have something so light and flexible! I think wood mass is important but not nearly as important as finding the right wood blank to begin with! Knowing Jimmy he takes great pains to start with the right piece of weight without regard to weight! I like to shoot for weight in the 8 to 9 lb range just for comfort sake. Luckily my AC is right at 9 lbs! I am not an expert by any means but I think you have to judge an instrument on its individual merits. I always suggest playing before buying! Hope that helps!
Peace,
T
+1 on all the above, and it was a nice little hang. Wait until you hear the LM in a mix. It's just stunning! Enjoy!
And I agree. While I also prefer the LM/70's thing, the 'pre CBS vibe' is really what 'vintage' is all about to me, and that LG has it in spades!
I also agree with your point that it's much easier to tame the more aggressive LM than to try to dial in something that isn't there with the LG (assuming you want 'want isn't there' with the LG).
Interesting that you thought they sounded similar on the clip... I thought they sounded WAY different (at least in the top end... I agree, the lows are very similar), and pretty much exactly what I hear 'live'. However, the 'feel' obviously didn't come through on the clip, and I agree, that makes them even more different.
ive never noticed the sinking into the wood thing to the degree ive noticed it on jimmy's basses. my slab board 62 doesnt do that and is more responsive than the ash/maple ac's ive tried. its almost as if theyre not made to do the marcus/stanley hard plucking thing. its really an odd phenomenon.
My LM is just quick as the bejeebers. However, virtually every alder/RW bass I've played has this type of feel to me, which is why IMO most slappers don't gravitate toward them. I notice no more of this in Jimmy's basses than any other, and at least with my LG, less than the Sadowsky RV's I've played. I actually like that little bit of give you get with Alder and RW, and to me, that's part of the beauty of those basses, versus the quick, aggressive hammer of most ash/maple J's.
It sounds like these basses are just not for you. I would think it's time to move on to another brand for you
It's much easier to find an instrument you dig made by another luthier than trying to change a brand into something that it's not (especially when most of the rest of us are pretty thrilled with them). For example, it would be like me going back to Carey Nordstrand and saying 'I want your basses to sound and feel more like a true J Bass'. That's not what he's going for, and it doesn't seem to be what his customers want. So, I don't bother with that brand any more (even though they are wonderful instruments in their own right.. just not for me).Jimmy's vibe is reasonably accurate to the period J basses. That does not mean that his basses will all (or even any) match one specific target bass that you are trying to replicate. Every piece of wood is different. I've NEVER played a vintage J that I like as much as these, but that doesn't mean there isn't an old J out there somewhere that I might not really like. If I did find one, I'd buy it and be happy!!!!
My LM is just quick as the bejeebers. However, virtually every alder/RW bass I've played has this type of feel to me, which is why IMO most slappers don't gravitate toward them. I notice no more of this in Jimmy's basses than any other, and at least with my LG, less than the Sadowsky RV's I've played. I actually like that little bit of give you get with Alder and RW, and to me, that's part of the beauty of those basses, versus the quick, aggressive hammer of most ash/maple J's.
It sounds like these basses are just not for you. I would think it's time to move on to another brand for you
Jimmy's vibe is reasonably accurate to the period J basses. That does not mean that his basses will all (or even any) match one specific target bass that you are trying to replicate. Every piece of wood is different. I've NEVER played a vintage J that I like as much as these, but that doesn't mean there isn't an old J out there somewhere that I might not really like. If I did find one, I'd buy it and be happy!!!!
im talking about a specific phenomenon that i find odd to be happening in an instrument like that. at this point ive played more that a couple and to see that across the line is weird. its not a slam, its an observation on the line and its something that i havent experienced in vintage fenders.
imo, its important info to have out there rather than just love fests. its realistic. not everyone is getting to play before buying. and just like what happened with carey, people were buying them without playing and end up in the classifieds. after all the years ive been here and not ever seeing any of jimmy's basses in the classifieds, theyre starting to turn up. if im reading nothing but praise and none of the warts im going to bummed after dropping a ton of cash and then find some stuff i hadnt heard brought up.
we're also not talking about fender or gibson here, these are high end custom luthiers that are relatively new to the game. nobody's trying to turn them into something theyre not
hell, jimmy told me he'd build me a 20 lb bass if i wanted
dude's a great builder and super helpful....same experiences ive had with nordstrand.im talking about a specific phenomenon that i find odd to be happening in an instrument like that. at this point ive played more that a couple and to see that across the line is weird. its not a slam, its an observation on the line and its something that i havent experienced in vintage fenders.
imo, its important info to have out there rather than just love fests. its realistic. not everyone is getting to play before buying. and just like what happened with carey, people were buying them without playing and end up in the classifieds. after all the years ive been here and not ever seeing any of jimmy's basses in the classifieds, theyre starting to turn up. if im reading nothing but praise and none of the warts im going to bummed after dropping a ton of cash and then find some stuff i hadnt heard brought up.
we're also not talking about fender or gibson here, these are high end custom luthiers that are relatively new to the game. nobody's trying to turn them into something theyre not
I guess what I'm saying is that I, and I assume quite a few on this thread, don't agree with you.
I understand though. There are some guys on the Nordy thread who swear their Nordy's with Audere preamps and Big Singles do a 'great 70's J tone', and I'm like 'what'? Obviously, Jimmy's 'Boutique J' voicing is not exactly what you want to hear. Again, it's just like me with the Fodera/Fclef J's... there is just something wrong with them (at least in active mode) to my ear. I don't think that is particularly a negative of the brand, just not the bass for me. It's not like they are low quality, or have design flaws.
There's also enough clips up of these that people should be able to kind of hear what they are about, and kind of know. Like ANY brand, after Jimmy's sold a bunch of these, there will be people eventually selling some for a variety of reasons (I've had mine a year now, and I think the serial number is in the 50's... it's not like there was a lot of these out there a few years ago... they are just starting to ship in more volume, and hence there are a few resales. If you take Tommixx out of the mix (pardon the pun) there have been surprisingly few sales and even fewer disappointments!
What you are describing is not a negative of the brand, but something that you don't personally dig. That's a very different thing. I again can't quite figure out what you are talking about, but that does not mean that these basses don't quite do it for you. There is nothing wrong with that
. I don't dig Fodera's much. That doesn't make them bad, but I'm not going to call Vinnie and tell him to change his design just because I don't like it
this isnt about boutique j voicing. its about neck response. the lm5 i played last week was 11 pounds and sounded like it. it hit hard on the thump without sounding airy or blossomy like the light stuff does. this isnt an electronics thing. and just like you can with any of these custom guys, you can spec a fodera with weight and electronics/neck profile whatever to get what your looking for. design? i didnt ask him to build a thunderbirdI guess what I'm saying is that I, and I assume quite a few on this thread, don't agree with you.
I understand though. There are some guys on the Nordy thread who swear their Nordy's with Audere preamps and Big Singles do a 'great 70's J tone', and I'm like 'what'? Obviously, Jimmy's 'Boutique J' voicing is not exactly what you want to hear. Again, it's just like me with the Fodera/Fclef J's... there is just something wrong with them (at least in active mode) to my ear. I don't think that is particularly a negative of the brand, just not the bass for me. It's not like they are low quality, or have design flaws.
There's also enough clips up of these that people should be able to kind of hear what they are about, and kind of know. Like ANY brand, after Jimmy's sold a bunch of these, there will be people eventually selling some for a variety of reasons.
What you are describing is not a negative of the brand, but something that you don't personally dig. That's a very different thing. I again can't quite figure out what you are talking about, but that does not mean that these basses don't quite do it for you. There is nothing wrong with that
this isnt about boutique j voicing. its about neck response. the lm5 i played last week was 11 pounds and sounded like it. it hit hard on the thump without sounding airy or blossomy like the light stuff does. this isnt an electronics thing. and just like you can with any of these custom guys, you can spec a fodera with weight and electronics/neck profile whatever to get what your looking for. design? i didnt ask him to build a thunderbird
I totally understand that. I hate heavy instruments, and love the sound of the basses that Jimmy makes, which are mostly in the 9-10 pound range. I love the feel, I love the response, I love the quickness of the LM, and in a mix (and even solo IMO), it sounds as close to a 70's J as I could ever want.
What you are saying is that you don't like light basses. Cool! But Jimmy makes light basses
Move on
What you are saying is that you don't like light basses. Cool! But Jimmy makes light basses
hmm, the 11 pound lm5 i just played wasnt ordered by me or the heavy ash neck lm5 either so the "Jimmy makes light basses" aint exactly accurate. remember, ive played more than one or two of these.
vision
It's all about the groove!
- Feb 25, 2005
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- Endorsing Artist: MTD Basses, La Bella Strings, and 64 Audio IEMs
Yeah, before playing them they sounded similar in the clip to me. But tonight I listened to the clip again, and all the nuances that I heard when playing them live were easier for me to hear in your clip. So I can see why you (of course being the one doing the playing and knowing all about the differences between the basses) would have listened back to the clip immediately and heard all the differences.
- Mar 11, 2005
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I'm curious, narud...
Can you hear any of that phenomena in Ken's clips, or is it more of a feel thing? Does that make sense?
Vision, since you just played both, and have heard both, can you hear what narud is talking about, and/or did you feel/hear any of that when you played them?
I'm just wondering what another set of ears hears.
I know what narud is talking about, as I've heard it before in "vintage" style instruments, which is why I was shocked when I played Jimmy's basses...especially the one I ended up taking home. Mine is really punchy and the slap tone is nice.
However, I've only played one or two of Jimmy's basses and some of you have played many more.
Can you hear any of that phenomena in Ken's clips, or is it more of a feel thing? Does that make sense?
Vision, since you just played both, and have heard both, can you hear what narud is talking about, and/or did you feel/hear any of that when you played them?
I'm just wondering what another set of ears hears.
I know what narud is talking about, as I've heard it before in "vintage" style instruments, which is why I was shocked when I played Jimmy's basses...especially the one I ended up taking home. Mine is really punchy and the slap tone is nice.
However, I've only played one or two of Jimmy's basses and some of you have played many more.
I agree that info should get out there, and it's great to have this forum to do that, but everyone reading these posts hopefully knows that all of this "info" is really just personal opinion, and should be taken as such. Nothing like getting them in your hands and playing them.
I'm a little shocked to see more AC's out there in the classifieds than before, but I would blame that more on the economy than anything else. I've seen maybe two Celinders up in the past few years but in the past couple of weeks I've counted 5 that I could have had at any given point.
Still, I think the discussion is valid
- Oct 17, 2006
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Also, some individuals may have a different perspective on how the 60s and 70s should sound. For instance, during the poll rating on which basses give more of that vintage 70s vibe I can't believe how Sadowsky scored higher than Alleva Coppolo. To my ears, Sadowsy sounds more on the hi-fi modern side but that is construed as the 60s or 70s sound to some people (aka the uneducated ear ) so when this group gets an LM5 or LG5 they don't get the sound that they expect. Thus, they turn up in the classifieds.
) so when this group gets an LM5 or LG5 they don't get the sound that they expect. Thus, they turn up in the classifieds.
Hey Ken,
Nor was I implying that it should, but you have unloaded a nice Celinder and are considering unloading another Sadowsky too. Also, I'd be willing to bet that with the LG5 and LM5 around, your MV5 is getting a little less play time than before. Alleva Coppolo basses do seem to do that...
BIG +1, and exactly why I parted ways with a very nice Fodera Emperor. Oddly enough, not finding the same thing with Jimmy's basses - I now have three alder bodied Alleva Coppolos, and not sign of compression anywhere. Mind you, they are not what I would call "light".
Nor was I implying that it should, but you have unloaded a nice Celinder and are considering unloading another Sadowsky too. Also, I'd be willing to bet that with the LG5 and LM5 around, your MV5 is getting a little less play time than before. Alleva Coppolo basses do seem to do that...
.
BIG +1, and exactly why I parted ways with a very nice Fodera Emperor. Oddly enough, not finding the same thing with Jimmy's basses - I now have three alder bodied Alleva Coppolos, and not sign of compression anywhere. Mind you, they are not what I would call "light".
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