Well, they said it couldn't be done 
, but I was never one to heed good advice, so .... I went ahead and built it anyway 
.
Ladies and Gentlemen, I give you ... The Status "JazzRay"
:
(Now featuring "proper" strings
. See post #70)
Now, by all accounts, bolting a 21 fret StingRay (pattern) neck to a Jazz Bass (pattern) body, was always going to cause problems. Chiefly, there was the issue of the neck sitting "further up" the body, due to the extra fret (and therefore, the extra 12mm length). This would require the bridge to be mounted further up too, to allow for correct intonation adjustment.
Secondly, the StingRay neck had already been drilled with 6 holes (from when it was mounted to my StingRay). The body, of course, had 4 holes (all in the wrong places
).
Well, the solution was surprisingly simple - buy a body with no holes drilled in it
(apart from the 4 neck screw holes) ! And, that's what I did . So, I was able to screw the bridge on a little higher than normal (there's loads of adjustment on a Badass II anyway, so that wasn't strictly necessary) and I can leave it without a scratchplate, too, which suits my aesthetic preferences, as well as my requirement for more room under the top strings for plucking purposes 
.
Everything fitted together perfectly (no gaps at all) and the bass plays, buzz-free, with a super low action. Weight and balance are superb - 9.5lbs (the lightest 4-string bass that I own) and zero neck dive .
Here's a list of the parts and some useful website links:
I have to admit that I was a bit apprehensive about how this bass was going to sound and was fully prepared to give it an honest appraisal
.
By way of background info, I should mention that I did actually build a very similar bass, way back in 1987, when I was quite new to playing and didn't really know what sound I wanted. That bass (pictured below) had a solid walnut body and Seymour Duncan active pickups, but the rest of it was much the same as my latest project.
I didn't care for the sound of that older one much (it was too "thin") and I sold it at a huge loss :scowl:.
Anyway, I know a thing or two more now (20-odd basses later) and realised that the key to getting a good tone with the graphite neck, was to go for a lighter, softer wood body and not by pairing it with a hard or "brittle" sounding wood. Also, I had this neck on an EBMM StingRay previously, but wasn't convinced by that combination (too "bright" and "thin" sounding, IMO ).
Well, this time, it seems to have worked !!! Unplugged, the bass has the feel of a Fender - I can feel the vibrations coming through the alder body, but they're smooth and rounded (unlike the "glassy" and "hard" feel that this neck had, when paired with the EBMM 'Ray ). As you'd expect, the graphite neck allows for clearer harmonics and eliminates all dead-spots, with even note response across all four strings. It's also a more comfortable shape and width for me, than a standard, "narrow" JB.
The Next test was to plug it in
.....
Was I really worried that Carey Nordstrands' most "advanced" Jazz Bass pickup (the NJ4SE) was going to make my strings sound like elastic bands - No, of course not ! Did they? What do you think ?
I should also explain another important element of the "design" of my FrankenJazz, at this point. Having got into the "Sadowsky sound" recently, I was aiming to build a very "clean" and "modern" sounding passive Jazz Bass, which I could pair up with my outboard Sadowsky preamp pedal ...
As this pedal tends to scoop the mids (by virtue of it bass and treble boost-only design), I needed to make certain that the passive tone had plenty of mid-range presence. Thanks to SMASH's superb "J Pickup Shootout"-type thread (link ...), I was able to pinpoint the Nordstrand NJ4SE as the "ones for me". Thanks to the usual speedy, efficient and friendly service from Jay (JPJ on TB) at http://www.blueberryhillbass.com/, I was able to get a set of these beauties to "my side" of the Atlantic within 5 days .
So, how does it all sound?
Well, I've got no sound-clips to back this up, but without the Sadowsky pedal switched on, it sounds like a very lively, "throaty" Jazz Bass with a very crisp and clear slap tone. Admittedly, it's missing some of the warmth of my Fender Jazz (even though mine's a '76 with maple neck - not known for their warmth). Still, I was really looking for the opposite with this bass and, with the Sadowsky pedal switched on , I got it !!!
It growls and coughs out notes like a man with bronchitis (I mean that as a compliment
), if you push it to, or it can be ultra-clean and "hi-fi"-like, if you play with a little more care. The preamp takes care of any slight lack of bottom end (due to the natural brightness of the graphite) and the end product is, to my ears at least, very Sadowsky-like and almost exactly what I was looking for . Now, I'm able to cross that Sadowsky "Vintage Jazz 4" off of my GAS list 
. I'm sorry Roger , but you know, I'll probably have changed my mind again in 6 months .
Oh yeah, I forgot to mention something
... it's completely silent in single pickup config OK, I don't have any fluorescent tubes to hand , but it's as quiet as any humbuckered bass I've had.
And there you have it! All in all, I'm pleasantly surprised with the way it turned out. It's probably the cheapest bass that I own (haven't worked out the total cost yet ), but is quite likely to become my "go to" bass, due to the light weight and the fact that I'm working hard on funk lines and my (poor ) slap technique with my teacher, at present.
I quite like the "Stealth" look, too. For those of you who remember my old "StealthRay" (below), I hope that this latest incarnation of "Status Graphite meets Black 'n' Chrome" will also meet with your aesthetic approval .
Well done, if you've read all of this. Go and have yourself a beer now, you've earned it .
, but I was never one to heed good advice, so .... I went ahead and built it anyway .Ladies and Gentlemen, I give you ... The Status "JazzRay"
:(Now featuring "proper" strings
. See post #70)Now, by all accounts, bolting a 21 fret StingRay (pattern) neck to a Jazz Bass (pattern) body, was always going to cause problems. Chiefly, there was the issue of the neck sitting "further up" the body, due to the extra fret (and therefore, the extra 12mm length). This would require the bridge to be mounted further up too, to allow for correct intonation adjustment.
Secondly, the StingRay neck had already been drilled with 6 holes (from when it was mounted to my StingRay). The body, of course, had 4 holes (all in the wrong places
).Well, the solution was surprisingly simple - buy a body with no holes drilled in it
(apart from the 4 neck screw holes) ! And, that's what I did . So, I was able to screw the bridge on a little higher than normal (there's loads of adjustment on a Badass II anyway, so that wasn't strictly necessary) and I can leave it without a scratchplate, too, which suits my aesthetic preferences, as well as my requirement for more room under the top strings for plucking purposes . Everything fitted together perfectly (no gaps at all) and the bass plays, buzz-free, with a super low action
. Weight and balance are superb - 9.5lbs (the lightest 4-string bass that I own) and zero neck dive .Here's a list of the parts and some useful website links:
- Body: 3-piece, North American alder (seasoned "tone-wood" with thin topcoat) link .... [Invalid or Expired Link Removed]
- Neck: Status Graphite MM StingRay replacement (specially made for me, without dot markers) [Invalid or Expired Link Removed].
- Tuners: Schaller BM (chrome). Website link ...
- Bridge: Badass II (chrome). Website link ...
- Pickups: Nordstrand NJ4SE (twin-coil, noiseless). Website link...
- Electronics: Standard passive circuit (CTS pots, Switchcraft jack, fully-shielded).
- Strings: DR "Black Beauties" (for the moment). Website link ...
- Strap Buttons: Warwick Strap-Locks (chrome). Website link ...
I have to admit that I was a bit apprehensive about how this bass was going to sound and was fully prepared to give it an honest appraisal
. By way of background info, I should mention that I did actually build a very similar bass, way back in 1987, when I was quite new to playing and didn't really know what sound I wanted. That bass (pictured below) had a solid walnut body and Seymour Duncan active pickups, but the rest of it was much the same as my latest project.
I didn't care for the sound of that older one much (it was too "thin") and I sold it at a huge loss :scowl:.
Anyway, I know a thing or two more now (20-odd basses later
) and realised that the key to getting a good tone with the graphite neck, was to go for a lighter, softer wood body and not by pairing it with a hard or "brittle" sounding wood. Also, I had this neck on an EBMM StingRay previously, but wasn't convinced by that combination (too "bright" and "thin" sounding, IMO ).Well, this time, it seems to have worked
!!! Unplugged, the bass has the feel of a Fender - I can feel the vibrations coming through the alder body, but they're smooth and rounded (unlike the "glassy" and "hard" feel that this neck had, when paired with the EBMM 'Ray ). As you'd expect, the graphite neck allows for clearer harmonics and eliminates all dead-spots, with even note response across all four strings. It's also a more comfortable shape and width for me, than a standard, "narrow" JB.The Next test was to plug it in
.....Was I really worried that Carey Nordstrands' most "advanced" Jazz Bass pickup (the NJ4SE) was going to make my strings sound like elastic bands
- No, of course not ! Did they? What do you think ?I should also explain another important element of the "design" of my FrankenJazz, at this point. Having got into the "Sadowsky sound" recently, I was aiming to build a very "clean" and "modern" sounding passive Jazz Bass, which I could pair up with my outboard Sadowsky preamp pedal ...
As this pedal tends to scoop the mids (by virtue of it bass and treble boost-only design), I needed to make certain that the passive tone had plenty of mid-range presence. Thanks to SMASH's superb "J Pickup Shootout"-type thread (link ...), I was able to pinpoint the Nordstrand NJ4SE as the "ones for me". Thanks to the usual speedy, efficient and friendly service from Jay (JPJ on TB
) at http://www.blueberryhillbass.com/, I was able to get a set of these beauties to "my side" of the Atlantic within 5 days .So, how does it all sound?
Well, I've got no sound-clips to back this up, but without the Sadowsky pedal switched on, it sounds like a very lively, "throaty" Jazz Bass with a very crisp and clear slap tone. Admittedly, it's missing some of the warmth of my Fender Jazz (even though mine's a '76 with maple neck - not known for their warmth)
. Still, I was really looking for the opposite with this bass and, with the Sadowsky pedal switched on , I got it !!!It growls and coughs out notes like a man with bronchitis (I mean that as a compliment
), if you push it to, or it can be ultra-clean and "hi-fi"-like, if you play with a little more care. The preamp takes care of any slight lack of bottom end (due to the natural brightness of the graphite) and the end product is, to my ears at least, very Sadowsky-like and almost exactly what I was looking for . Now, I'm able to cross that Sadowsky "Vintage Jazz 4" off of my GAS list . I'm sorry Roger , but you know, I'll probably have changed my mind again in 6 months .Oh yeah, I forgot to mention something
... it's completely silent in single pickup config OK, I don't have any fluorescent tubes to hand , but it's as quiet as any humbuckered bass I've had.And there you have it
! All in all, I'm pleasantly surprised with the way it turned out. It's probably the cheapest bass that I own (haven't worked out the total cost yet ), but is quite likely to become my "go to" bass, due to the light weight and the fact that I'm working hard on funk lines and my (poor ) slap technique with my teacher, at present.I quite like the "Stealth" look, too
. For those of you who remember my old "StealthRay" (below), I hope that this latest incarnation of "Status Graphite meets Black 'n' Chrome" will also meet with your aesthetic approval .Well done, if you've read all of this
. Go and have yourself a beer now, you've earned it .
