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Jay Turser JTB-401?

Muddslide

Muddslide

Feb 23, 2007
5,284
5,082
Mobile, Alabama
#1
Yeah, I have searched the forum but I'd like to get some more updated info/thoughts and maybe have a place where the data was collected.

Anyone here own or have played one of these? The Turser JTB-401is a copy of the '54 P-bass. Contoured body, single coil pickup.

I had one of these briefly and thought it was a really good bass. Lightweight, played well, intonated well, sounded killer.

It's one of the few basses I regret parting with. I'm considering getting another one if I can swing it. They are available again--have been for a while--and are inexpensive.

Just wondered wat people here thought of them. Any mods you have done? Anyone gig or record with one

What about Turser basses in general? I've played several of their guitar models and while I find them inconsistent in quality, when they are good they seem to be a great value.

Love to hear what folks here think of them, see pics maybe, etc.
 
#2
Muddslide said:
What about Turser basses in general? I've played several of their guitar models and while I find them inconsistent in quality, when they are good they seem to be a great value.
Click to expand...

The only thing I've found inconsistent about JT guitars is their availability used. We own a JT guitar here in the house, and I've played several others. All of them have played like instruments worth two to three times as much.

The couple of experiences I have with JT basses were both in-store and not very in-depth, but from what I've seen, they re of the same quality as the JT guitars, which is to say you pretty much always get twice what you paid...

Just my $0.02 :)
 
#6
I have the JTB-401. $117 with shipping, so I had to give it a go out of curiosity. The neck on mine is straight and fretwork as good as most any $1,000 bass. The finish is pretty good, maybe a little uneven if you look closely. The hardware is certainly not "top of the the line," but it works just fine. It sounds pretty true to the single coil P-Bass sound, and it doesn't buzz all that much for a single coil. With flats, it has a nice, thumpy, round tone. I would have no problems bringing this to a gig. I was expecting a lot of neck dive, but this one balances pretty well.

I had a Turser hollow body a few years ago, I don't remember the model number. It sounded great, and the finish was particularly nice on this bass. For me, though, it was pretty uncomfortable to play, with TONS of neck dive and my right hand could never find a good position on the body.

Both basses were a great value for the money.

Hope that helps a little. :)
 
#7
My New Years' Resolution is to get back into gigging this year. Been about 10 years since I was in a band. Miss it so much. But I need to outfit myself. All I have is an SX P-bass, and that is in storage on the other side of the country from me.

Need to buy a decent bass and amp rig.

I was really leaning towards the Squier CV P-bass in Fiesta Red, but I was thinking the Turser might save me a few $$$ to put towards a better amp. I am just not sure how much money I will have to lay out for this.

I am aware the Squier CV wll have better hardware and electronics, or at least I imagine it would, but the JTB-401 I had was a really pretty darned nice 4-banger.

I'll just have to wait and see what I can afford I guess. I really do love the CV, but I'm also pretty addicted to the single coil, pre-'57 P basses too, and the Turser is a decent copy.

I have read several stories of people using the Turser for gigging. I think it would do the job even though the Squier might make a better choice in the long run.
 
#8
There are lots of threads on the JTB-401. Get creative and be persistent with your searches. I have one and I think it's a fine low budget single coil P-bass copy. I bought mine after trying out a Sting bass and loving the tone. I didn't have the budget for a Sting bass, and figured the 401 would get me 80% or more there for a fraction of the price. I was right.

I've pimped mine out with replacement tuners, a plain black pickguard, and a bridge cover. I like it a lot. I brought it to the International GTG in NYC two years ago and it was a very popular bass. Everyone who played it loved its playability and tone.

It's a one-trick pony, like any other single coil P bass. It does that one trick very, very well. Here's a picture of mine:

Link Removed

If I were buying today I'd look for the Invalid Link Removed. There was no Squier model when I bought my Jay Turser. Also, now there is a Link Removed which looks attractive.

The fit and finish on my Jay Turser are what you expect from a $150 bass. The pickguard contours don't match the body contours, there are sanding irregularities at the neck heel, etc. It's fine for what it is, but with my experience with Rondo and Squier, I would expect those basses to be better sorted out from a QC perspective.

However, there is no denying that the Jay Turser bass sounds DYNAMITE. The pickup they put in that bass is fantastic. It also plays like a dream. The neck is like butter and it sets up real real nice. Don't know if the actual playing performance of the Douglas and Squier would be as good.
 
#9
A JTB-500 was the first bass I ever played. I love the thing and play it at church just about every week. It is definitly a workhorse. My wife played it in marching band so it has been dinged, dropped, and played in the pouring rain.
 
#10
I just ordered one. I talked the guy down to 135.
Finish & stain/paint aren't an issue for me & I intend to take off that hideous white pickguard then play that thing into the ground. I don't mind the battle scars. Definitely wouldn't mind if it turned out to look like Sting's pbass.
 
#13
I owned one. I had the sienna burst model, or cherry burst, whatever. It was cool. Can't beat the price. It nailed the 51 P bass tone. I just couldn't get used to the pickup size, because I anchor my thumb on the pickup when playing the E string. The 51 P pickup doesn't stick out as far as a regular P or J pickup.

But overall I really liked it.
 
#14
Heads up to anyone interested: Guitar Center has quite a few of these for sale on their "Used Gear" portion of their site for $89.99. Just search "Jay Turser" and "Bass". Lots of different colors, including the Ivory. At first I saw them at just one store and thought it was a fluke that they would have gotten 3 in used at that location, but there's a bunch at stores all over the place. I dunno where or how they got all of them but with so many popping up I'm assuming they bought somebody out and these are "Used". Just ordered mine from Columbus, OH to get shipped to Cleveland, OH for a grand total of $113.13.

Just thought I'd share the good news.
 
#17
@ thesuzie if by that you mean is there a canal from the single coil to the hardware, no there isnt
I took my pickguard off because i hate it although philbiker's (above) is a good example of one w PG
 
#19
I used to own a JT copy of a Sting Ray. The finish and overall construction was actually pretty decent for the price, but it was pretty light in weight and didn't seem to have the oomph of a real Sting Ray. You could get the twang, but not the oomph. One plus is that it was really loud.
 

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