Club Moollon

[AMJBASS]

I put the guard back on my JV. It’s the older brown tort that YJ used before the more recent red(which looks fantastic). I dig the brown with this burst though!

 

[80jazz]

I might even do that myself, if the right one appears.

While I do not have the funds at the moment to swing one, this may be what I would do if it were time for one.

 

[Ultradust]

Happy to chime in regarding any confusion over YJ's use of rosewood.

There's just one, the original J-V prototype that was built for NAMM.

I wrote a little blurp on it last year, with some geeky Moollon history included in the narrative: Club Moollon

But for the record (or long-term rumors, for that matter) no production Moollon guitar or order bass models have ever been built with a rosewood fretboard.

 

[J.Wolf]

Happy to chime in regarding any confusion over YJ's use of rosewood.

There's just one, the original J-V prototype that was built for NAMM.

I wrote a little blurp on it last year, with some geeky Moollon history included in the narrative: Club Moollon

But for the record (or long-term rumors, for that matter) no production Moollon guitar or order bass models have ever been built with a rosewood fretboard.

thanks for the clarification Andi, sorry to add any confusion to this thread. The LPB j classic I just got in (with matching headstock and white binding) I believe has rw board but it could be ebony i suppose. Either way, it’s killing.

 

[franklindayala]

thanks for the clarification Andi, sorry to add any confusion to this thread. The LPB j classic I just got in (with matching headstock and white binding) I believe has rw board but it could be ebony i suppose. Either way, it’s killing.

Please do a vídeo with your new moollon.

 

[Luke the Fluke]

This J5 classic has been for sale for longer than I thought it would. Moollon J Classic 5 - Olympic White

 

[Luke the Fluke]

Not mine, no connection other than also frequent basschat

 

[AMJBASS]

Might be because they want £2190 for it

 

[JLY]

I really like the PV so far

Pretty sure I now have GAS for a JV!!!

 

[Ultradust]

thanks for the clarification Andi, sorry to add any confusion to this thread. The LPB j classic I just got in (with matching headstock and white binding) I believe has rw board but it could be ebony i suppose. Either way, it’s killing.

No worries, all that matters is that the world accepts that the aforementioned J-V is the only Moollon with a rosewood board. The end

I don't know what else we could say to convince folks.

But I guess it's understandable. If you're anything like me, when most of us think of "ebony", I reckon we tend to mentally picture either something either very dark brown or black, and sure enough it's not uncommon for certain Moollon fretboards to appear "rosewood", even if one does not take the effort to see if a small section will buff into a shine the way that most rosewood strains will, when makassar ebony will mostly look fairly plain and satiny.

But there's a lot going on in YJ's longterm thoughts as well, the wood not just being chosen for its tonal qualities...as any woodworker will tell you, makassar ebony can be highly striated with loads of figuring (something YJ had no trouble sourcing and using early on) or without much color variety in a single piece, and even though customers started intentionally asking for darker boards a few years back, we're pleased that some customers have specifically asked for the more lively-looking stuff as well, since YJ has some amazing pieces that deserve as much attention. Even pre-buffed, you can still see the contrast among different makassar pieces.

I'm sure many of us know what's happened and is still going on in Cameroon, Ghana, and critical endangerment in Madagascar (especially with the world market wanting darker stuff or nothing), and YJ wants to make available every decent piece he comes across is selected and used based on wood integrity, and not be part of what may work against future sustainability on Makassar Island, even though Moollon production numbers are comparatively a drop in the bucket.

 

[mmbass21]

No worries, all that matters is that the world accepts that the aforementioned J-V is the only Moollon with a rosewood board. The end

I don't know what else we could say to convince folks.

But I guess it's understandable. If you're anything like me, when most of us think of "ebony", I reckon we tend to mentally picture either something either very dark brown or black, and sure enough it's not uncommon for certain Moollon fretboards to appear "rosewood", even if one does not take the effort to see if a small section will buff into a shine the way that most rosewood strains will, when makassar ebony will mostly look fairly plain and satiny.

But there's a lot going on in YJ's longterm thoughts as well, the wood not just being chosen for its tonal qualities...as any woodworker will tell you, makassar ebony can be highly striated with loads of figuring (something YJ had no trouble sourcing and using early on) or without much color variety in a single piece, and even though customers started intentionally asking for darker boards a few years back, we're pleased that some customers have specifically asked for the more lively-looking stuff as well, since YJ has some amazing pieces that deserve as much attention. Even pre-buffed, you can still see the contrast among different makassar pieces.

View attachment 4339922

I'm sure many of us know what's happened and is still going on in Cameroon, Ghana, and critical endangerment in Madagascar (especially with the world market wanting darker stuff or nothing), and YJ wants to make available every decent piece he comes across is selected and used based on wood integrity, and not be part of what may work against future sustainability on Makassar Island, even though Moollon production numbers are comparatively a drop in the bucket.

If my P IV comes with something like one of the bottom two I'll be sooo happy! I did ask for a board with some character. Now I really can't wait for my bass!

 

[Ultradust]

Correction: In my enthusiasm I left miswrote things with a distinct inaccuracy, as I should have typed in the last paragraph "sustainability of makassar on Sulawesi island". Edit expired, and I had to slink things in before any of you geography buffs were to swiftly point things out

 

[GHOST AT]

Correction: In my enthusiasm I left miswrote things with a distinct inaccuracy, as I should have typed in the last paragraph "sustainability of makassar on Sulawesi island". Edit expired, and I had to slink things in before any of you geography buffs were to swiftly point things out

I love the 'lively" look of the Macassar especially the black and tan pieces.
I will order a Classic P in Rootbeer Sparkle in the future when things stabilise for YJ and yourself.

 

[basses55]

“No worries, all that matters is that the world accepts that the aforementioned J-V is the only Moollon with a rosewood board. The end

I don't know what else we could say to convince folks.”


I did LOL at this Andi,
But at least they are talking “Moollon” …..

 

[J.Wolf]

I apologize for second-guessing. I think I was told by the previous owner that it was definitely Rosewood, and he must have been mistaken.

I much prefer ebony anyways, on a j style instrument.

 

[dhagopian]

I much prefer ebony anyways, on a j style instrument.

I think they made the right choice using Macassar ebony over something like Indian rosewood which is more commonly used on j basses. The Brazilian rosewood that was originally used in the 60s is much harder and closer to ebony than it is to other softer more available rosewoods.

 

[Ultradust]

I apologize for second-guessing. I think I was told by the previous owner that it was definitely Rosewood, and he must have been mistaken.

I much prefer ebony anyways, on a j style instrument.

All's good, man.

Anything Moollon, Moollon being a single dood and not a factory, and details of Moollon model specs have always been a nebulous affair and prone to conjecture, just as we'd get loud people stomping into the booth at NAMM saying things like "Where in China is your plant, and who does your pickups and hardware?" and "I wanna hire you to do OEM for me. What your factory's total annual production volume?", often have potential customer emails misspelling the company name in any manner from Moolon to Malone or Marlon (and Moron, at least once), and more than a few Reverb ads that indicated Moollon gear was "Made in the DPRK".

We reckon automatically assuming Moollon fretboards are probably rosewood (based on appearance) is way beyond normal, in comparison

 

[Matt Dean]

hmmm… nobody noticed the Moollon ‘56 P for sale in the classifieds.

 

[Matt Dean]

@Ultradust

do your think Moollon will ever make a P with the flat and wide ‘62 Fender P style neck? Kinda like the first gen Fender AVRI ‘62 reissue? That’s my fav neck style.

 

[Ultradust]

@Ultradust

do your think Moollon will ever make a P with the flat and wide ‘62 Fender P style neck? Kinda like the first gen Fender AVRI ‘62 reissue?

Great question.

Unfortunately we can be 100% certain that any neck dimensions that deviate from YJ's 1959/1960 vintage template (43mm nut) or the 1962/1964 J-bass alternative (38mm nut width) will never be made, the vintage radius included.

The reason is five-fold, and is a great opportunity to being up a little of the "Moollon why", since it comes up fairly often in email and DM's, and will probably continue to...Note just as importantly that a number of the following can also be applied to why YJ is insistent on not taking custom requests or adding additional options: (1) YJ really likes the "collective perfection" of the every aspect of the models put out in those years (unintentional quirks and all) that most certainly includes the neck profile and nut width, such necks being (2) a comfortable size for most people both new to vintage-reproduction-minded builds like Moollons as well as most hands in general, (3) YJ wanting consistency with as little surprises on the used market as possible, (4) talk of certain Moollon special accommodations made in the early years being brought up during the ordering process as if they were normal options, the immediate impact being (5) overwhelmed as a luthier, since he is the unassisted entirety of Moollon working without CNC machines, not to mention any assisting pickup winders or in-house tech folks, etc. Just as necks and bodies are done by YJ in batches in order to streamline a collective workforce, you can imagine how adding just one more neck option would complicate things all the more, especially since each hand-shaped neck needs to be a 1:1 match to a body without being too tight or with any predictable gap forming as the bass adjusts to its new home...yet another point of concern, since nitrocellulose lacquer doesn't have the "freezing power" that a thick and solid polyurethane shell can provide to assist in the overall rigidity of the neck pocket/gap.

tl;dr there's a whole lot going on at the Moollon shop for one single dood to handle