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Club Moollon

#2,601
MAFbass1992 said:
Woah, that’s actually a big cut that Mr. Guru (his new name) is taking! Now we’re stuck with an « oFfIcIaL MoOlLoN dEaLeR » bringing all the toys in the US now eh?
Click to expand...
As he's stated many times, the Gear Guru is not a dealer and just flips used gear (he even addressed it many months ago and even Andi didn't seem to mind). If people don't care for his prices, there are other deals on used Moollon if you are willing to search and wait.
 
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#2,607
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#2,608
Hi guys. We all love Moollons but I have a question:
Why no one is talking about Tatchi and Susbass?
I don’t want to seem OT but I am trying to provide an alternative to those standing in a long line or hesitating to buy a Moollon. Not sure what the waiting time for Susbass and Tatchi are though.
I discovered them through this video and wondered why I had not heard of them. Maybe because there are no international endorsers? Actually the way I came to know Moollon was through Tim Lefebvre and Scott Devine.
Have a listen here:
 
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#2,609
redtomfunk said:
Hi guys. We all love Moollons but I have a question:
Why no one is talking about Tatchi and Susbass?
I don’t want to seem OT but I am trying to provide an alternative to those standing in a long line or hesitating to buy a Moollon. Not sure what the waiting time for Susbass and Tatchi are though.
I discovered them through this video and wondered why I had not heard of them. Maybe because there are no international endorsers? Actually the way I came to know Moollon was through Tim Lefebvre and Scott Devine.
Have a listen here:
Click to expand...


Those sound and look like nice basses. They simply don’t have any advertising or known players behind them to give them a wider audience here in the States. In many cases, I do think that a popular artist/player that forms an association with a brand will move it into greater exposure and notoriety.

Fodera was a small under-the-radar operation until Wooten ambassadored the brand all over the world with a well-known group that played a few hundred dates a year. Anthony Jackson was with them before that but it’s not the same.

Will Lee moved another small builder and part-time repair shop into a national and then international spotlight playing a Sadowsky on Letterman a few decades. You simply can’t buy that sort of advertising. Speaking of advertising Fodera and Sadowsky did advertise, but so did many other builders that didn’t really gain any traction. They didn’t have the big name to attract attention.

Talkbass also helps with exposure. It’s important not to go overboard with this but it does help - many builders can credit their continued popularity to this forum.

Moollon has been around for a while - the pedals were more known than their guitars and basses. You can see Darryl Jones using a Moollon J for a Roland ad years before LeFebvre came along. Once LeFebvre got on board with the Moollon brand, the P-Bass model really caught the imagination of a lot of players. The P-Bass is a hot commodity with the well-known 2-3 year wait for new orders. They’re hard to find used and if you do find one they’re twice the selling price of a new one. I can tell you where to find new Moollon J-Basses now. People aren’t interested in them because it’s not what LeFevbre is known to play.

All told, There are incredible instrument builders out there that unfortunately won’t be heard of by the bass player community at large because they won’t be able to break out of the small bubble they’re in. It’s just like the local band in town that is just as good as any major act but can’t catch a break.

You can’t really engineer what makes a bass the “must have” item. Just like many other things, a lot of planets have to align, and a lot of things have to happen at the right time, and in the right place.
 
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#2,610
exactly what I meant.
You mention that you know where to find new Moollon J classic. Where?

cxcxcx said:
Those sound and look like nice basses. They simply don’t have any advertising or known players behind them to give them a wider audience here in the States. In many cases, I do think that a popular artist/player that forms an association with a brand will move it into greater exposure and notoriety.

Fodera was a small under-the-radar operation until Wooten ambassadored the brand all over the world with a well-known group that played a few hundred dates a year. Anthony Jackson was with them before that but it’s not the same.

Will Lee moved another small builder and part-time repair shop into a national and then international spotlight playing a Sadowsky on Letterman a few decades. You simply can’t buy that sort of advertising. Speaking of advertising Fodera and Sadowsky did advertise, but so did many other builders that didn’t really gain any traction. They didn’t have the big name to attract attention.

Talkbass also helps with exposure. It’s important not to go overboard with this but it does help - many builders can credit their continued popularity to this forum.

Moollon has been around for a while - the pedals were more known than their guitars and basses. You can see Darryl Jones using a Moollon J for a Roland ad years before LeFebvre came along. Once LeFebvre got on board with the Moollon brand, the P-Bass model really caught the imagination of a lot of players. The P-Bass is a hot commodity with the well-known 2-3 year wait for new orders. They’re hard to find used and if you do find one they’re twice the selling price of a new one. I can tell you where to find new Moollon J-Basses now. People aren’t interested in them because it’s not what LeFevbre is known to play.

All told, There are incredible instrument builders out there that unfortunately won’t be heard of by the bass player community at large because they won’t be able to break out of the small bubble they’re in. It’s just like the local band in town that is just as good as any major act but can’t catch a break.

You can’t really engineer what makes a bass the “must have” item. Just like many other things, a lot of planets have to align, and a lot of things have to happen at the right time, and in the right place.
Click to expand...
 
#2,613
redtomfunk said:
Hi guys. We all love Moollons but I have a question:
Why no one is talking about Tatchi and Susbass?
I don’t want to seem OT but I am trying to provide an alternative to those standing in a long line or hesitating to buy a Moollon. Not sure what the waiting time for Susbass and Tatchi are though.
I discovered them through this video and wondered why I had not heard of them. Maybe because there are no international endorsers? Actually the way I came to know Moollon was through Tim Lefebvre and Scott Devine.
Have a listen here:
Click to expand...

Thanks for pointing out interesting, new-to-me luthiers! It's always nice to discover new brands and diversify ones insta feed. ;)
 
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#2,614
Those two brands basses sounded pretty nice, but I've never heard of them. Atelier Z also has the problem of no distribution or high profile endorsements, at least in the USA, but they make a fine bass. I played a couple at NAMM two years ago and thought they had the goods. Good craftsmanship, they played great, sounded great. All totally available for purchase. But the "X-factor" (sorry Stu Hamm) is the hardest thing to put your finger on. If I were in the market for a "non-Fender" Fender, didn't want to wait for a Moollon, and I didn't need a "name" instrument for some sort of marketing street cred, Atelier Z would be very high on my list.
 
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#2,615
600 Ohms said:
Those two brands basses sounded pretty nice, but I've never heard of them. Atelier Z also has the problem of no distribution or high profile endorsements, at least in the USA, but they make a fine bass. I played a couple at NAMM two years ago and thought they had the goods. Good craftsmanship, they played great, sounded great. All totally available for purchase. But the "X-factor" (sorry Stu Hamm) is the hardest thing to put your finger on. If I were in the market for a "non-Fender" Fender, didn't want to wait for a Moollon, and I didn't need a "name" instrument for some sort of marketing street cred, Atelier Z would be very high on my list.
Click to expand...

Big +1 on Atelier Z. I have a JHJ-189 and it is built to the highest standards available. They are on par with the
"S" and "L" and "AC" USA bass builders without question- I've had them all. IMO of cousre.

The Moollon supply/demand is amazing. I have no doubt they are 110% the real deal, and Tim LeFevbre is a great, great player.

It's amazing how many under-the-radar builders there are. I personally have a thing for the Japanese small-batch builders, even traveled there to behold, and behold I did!
Took home a Harry's Dragonfly.

Not to derail- The Reverb prices for a used Moollon shows how coveted they are. I can tell you that value is in the eyes of the potential owner. As in:
I had a Stevens Slant 4 that was the s***! My wife's Toyota needed a new engine.
Otherwise, I never would have let it go. Wait time for a Slant is 2-3 years as well, IF he's still going to build 'em.
I had a buyer seek me out-unsolicited-from Facebook (he saw my bass on Steven's site)- to buy mine. At first I said NOWAY, but then came the car repair bill. Plus- he offered me literally 2X what I paid for the bass several years back. Guess he didn't want to wait. (P.S. sadly he's a collector:rollno:) At least it will make him happy, and I fortunately have some other great basses.

Anyway, I would totally groove on a Moollon P-bass, no doubt whatsoever.
 
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#2,618
Mayo Fan said:
Any new Moollons delivered to members of this club recently? I'm closing in on the estimated 18 month completion date and although I'm aware it was a rough estimation and delays are to be expected, I can't help but feel excited. Like the mind knows to be patient but the heart wants wat it wants. And that's a Moollon P! :hyper:
Click to expand...

I’m curious about the same thing. I was quoted 16 months and today is 18 months, to the day. I know there was a big delay due to some bad wood at the end of last year, but it seemed like things were moving again, then it got quiet. I haven’t even seen anything on the FB group. I’m not expecting anything until next year, but it’s hard to not be excited.
 
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