If you only had to only keep 3.

[chechunka]

Hi JMJ!

You’ve got an excellent arsenal of basses. Your taste in kit is frankly the best. If you had to narrow it down to three work horses - what would you keep?

Currently I’m rolling with:
1. 1991 3tb ‘62 MIJ RI P w/ flats (still slays every CS and vintage piece I’ve owned).
2. 2011 Black/Maple AS P with rounds. It just always wins.
3. __________

I’ve been crushing hard on vintage Gibsons again lately - Grabber’s and Rippers specifically. I’m curious as to what direction you would lean in order to add the most FUNCTIONAL square footage to your sonic stable? Ripper? Jazz? Mustang?

What would you recommend?

Thanks!

 

[jmjbassplayer]

Man...such a solid yet tough question (and thanks for the nice complement). Well:

1) '66 Mustang
2) '75 P
3) This is a hard one: '98 Starfire probably. By a nose. Just because I've cut so many records with it and it feels like an extension of my hands. That or my '00 Hofner Club, '64 Hofner Verythin, or '63 Eko 995. Then, runners up: '79 Wal Pro IIe, '84 Wal Mk I Fretless, '76 Gibson Ripper.

 

[chechunka]

Man...such a solid yet tough question (and thanks for the nice complement). Well:

1) '66 Mustang
2) '75 P
3) This is a hard one: '98 Starfire probably. By a nose. Just because I've cut so many records with it and it feels like an extension of my hands. That or my '00 Hofner Club, '64 Hofner Verythin, or '63 Eko 995. Then, runners up: '79 Wal Pro IIe, '84 Wal Mk I Fretless, '76 Gibson Ripper.

This.
Is.
Gold.

 

[winterburn69]

Man...such a solid yet tough question (and thanks for the nice complement). Well:

1) '66 Mustang
2) '75 P
3) This is a hard one: '98 Starfire probably. By a nose. Just because I've cut so many records with it and it feels like an extension of my hands. That or my '00 Hofner Club, '64 Hofner Verythin, or '63 Eko 995. Then, runners up: '79 Wal Pro IIe, '84 Wal Mk I Fretless, '76 Gibson Ripper.

I love that your top 3 list is similar to mine (not too surprising since I’m a huge fan of your work) although it’s surprising to not see your ‘66 P in the list.

My top 3 would be:
Fender JMJ Mustang
Eko 995
Fender ‘90s CIJ ‘62 P

 

[chechunka]

I love that your top 3 list is similar to mine (not too surprising since I’m a huge fan of your work) although it’s surprising to not see your ‘66 P in the list.

My top 3 would be:
Fender JMJ Mustang
Eko 995
Fender ‘90s CIJ ‘62 P

Might I say these are excellent selections.

 

[adamlunt]

Are we allowed to do an “If I could keep three of JMJ’s basses” list too?

 

[jmjbassplayer]

I love that your top 3 list is similar to mine (not too surprising since I’m a huge fan of your work) although it’s surprising to not see your ‘66 P in the list.

My top 3 would be:
Fender JMJ Mustang
Eko 995
Fender ‘90s CIJ ‘62 P

'66 P is a lifer for me, I'm just trying to keep out some redundancy in this game. I'd sneak it in somehow.

 

[J_Bass]

'66 P is a lifer for me, I'm just trying to keep out some redundancy in this game. I'd sneak it in somehow.

Why the 75 and not the 66?

Does the 75 sound better?

 

[jmjbassplayer]

Why the 75 and not the 66?

Does the 75 sound better?

75 has dirty old rounds on it and can be used more broadly, plus I love the feel of it and it weighs nothing. It can be funk it can be punk it can be rootsy, and it likes to be thrashed on. '66 has old-ass flats and only does one sound: THUMP THUMP THUMP. But man is it great.

 

[J_Bass]

75 has dirty old rounds on it and can be used more broadly, plus I love the feel of it and it weighs nothing. It can be funk it can be punk it can be rootsy, and it likes to be thrashed on. '66 has old-ass flats and only does one sound: THUMP THUMP THUMP. But man is it great.

Great answer, thanks!

You are probably the only high profile pro who likes to hang around with us mortals, in the BG side.

That's really cool.

 

[adamlunt]

75 has dirty old rounds on it and can be used more broadly, plus I love the feel of it and it weighs nothing. It can be funk it can be punk it can be rootsy, and it likes to be thrashed on. '66 has old-ass flats and only does one sound: THUMP THUMP THUMP. But man is it great.

I’ve had some EB “chromes style” flats on my 78 P Bass for about 8 years now, and it sounds gorgeous, but I’m getting some intonation issues as of late. Have you ever experienced this with your old flats?

 

[jmjbassplayer]

I’ve had some EB “chromes style” flats on my 78 P Bass for about 8 years now, and it sounds gorgeous, but I’m getting some intonation issues as of late. Have you ever experienced this with your old flats?

haha absolutely. Somehow I just keep convincing myself that I can "work around" the issues.