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Jaydee Basses

#4
I use to own one. I agree that the neck is little chunkie. The model I had was the Supernatural Roadie. I think it was the entry level model. I purchased at an old music store in Burbank called Killian Music for like $600.00. It is very similar to an Alembic in terms of construction, but quality was a little lacking.

Bassconbeatz
 
#5
Walbassman, I have owned a number of Jaydee basses over the years. if you have a specific question about the bass, originality, etc., send me a PM and I will try and answer it for you. Do you know what model it is? I would tend to disagree with some of what has been posted here. Superficially they can look a lot like Alembics, but they are very different in character. Necks are glued (set) in construction and, overall, I would say tend to be quite thin, though as JD is a custom builder, a chunkier neck could simply reflect the preferences of the previous owner. I think, playability is second to none. Downside is that some of the necks can be a little mobile and need an occasional tweak. The basses actually balance quite well, at least compared to the classic Alembic Series I/II body style. They are often associated with the sound of their most famous user, Mark King of Level 42, often negatively, i.e., if you play a JD, then you must be a bit of a MK "fanboy", since he is a bit out of fashion now, but they are a lot more versatile than many would have you believe. That said, they are superb basses for slap style playing. You may be able to tell from my name, I am unashamedly partisian, but I think John's basses are up there with best of them.
 
#6
Great basses - I had a superb Mark King model in metallic PINK:eek:

The neck was super slim and it played great, good balance and great construction. However the neck needed looking after as it moved about when going in and out of venues due to temperature changes etc.

Apart from that I loved it - give it a go.;)

PS John Diggins who makes the basses has his unit just up the road from me in Birmingham England - always worth emailing him regarding questions.
 
#7
Walbassman said:
Anybody ever tried one of these? I have an option on one and am not sure if I am going to go after it yet....Thoughts are good at this point.:bassist:
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Hey there Walbassman, JayDee basses are very well built, hand crafted British instruments that are very Alembic like in look and feel, however I find that JayDees sound nothing like Alembics as far as tone is concerned. Mark King of Level 42 fame made them very popular with funksters, although they do build other models that are not associated with Mark King. I used to own a Mark King signature model that is part of the Supernatural series and it was pure killin', I sold it because I only play 5 and 6 string basses these days. Check out early Level 42 material and anything by Shakatak and you'll hear the main tones of JayDee basses. Check out these links:

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Cheers,
Bassjones
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#8
My main bass growing up for the most part was a white supernatural JayDee. The laminated neck I believe went all the way through the body to the end. Yeah, thin rubbery necks on them, I took the finish off the back of the neck to make it play even faster. I was into slappin and fast funky licks at the time, Ive listend back recently to a 4 song recording we did back in 1990 and the tone of the bass was pretty up front and solid, my playing could have been better :) But I wish I had that bass back just for recording. It was always a bit neck heavy, as mine was the 24 fret version and with no real extended horn the neck seemed way out there.
 
#11
JDGA fan said:
if you play a JD, then you must be a bit of a MK "fanboy", since he is a bit out of fashion now,
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Heresy!

I had the chance to play one for a while and though I usually like hi-fi sounding basses, this one seemed to lack bottom end in a fair way. I'm not sure if it was the MK aspect playing on me (he's never had much low end, always been thin and articulate) but it didn't quite seem to "punch" the way I wanted. It felt nice, but the looks were a big turnoff for me too.

Certainly a try before you buy bass!
 
#13
Walbassman said:
Anybody ever tried one of these? I have an option on one and am not sure if I am going to go after it yet....Thoughts are good at this point.:bassist:
Click to expand...

these tings are really great! very well built, super playability and if you where it high up you can pretend to be mark king;)
 
#15
The neck was CHUNKY? I got to play a couple of Mark King's personal basses, even if only for a few minutes unplugged, and man, they felt comfortable and familiar, like a really great Jazz- that same feeling you get when you put on your favorite pair of jeans. I've played several of them, and never noticed a "chunky" feel to any of them.
 
#16
The neck on the MK model was based on an old Fender Jazz I don't know what year or anything.

John Diggins is a superb luthier with many years experience, he's also only just up the road from me.
He's the only person I trust to look after my Alembic bass.

I've owned a couple of his basses, a Roadie 2 (serial no 7) and a Mark King bass, both were fantastic instruments.

The neck on my MK was no more unstable than any other bass that I've owned, the climate here is damp to say the least.

They are great instruments.
 

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