Jerzy Drozd basses?

Three words: Ex pen sive.

Seriously though, they are made in Spain and distributed in the US by Luthiers Access Group. For anyone else wanting to check them out, their site is www.jerzydrozdbasses.com.

 

I just added my two cents.

 

I've played a few JZ basses. The woodworking is first rate. The attention to detail is great. Playability is great - the neck is the thinnest I have played for a wooden neck - it's very fast. The tone is very modern - hi fi.

The ones I played were excellent basses worthy of their price. At the price point they are asking, you could get a Sadowsky, Fodera, MTD - you would have many choices. If a JZ is the "one" for you, you wouldn't be disappointed in the quality.

Jeff

 

I also think they're beautiful, especially with zebrawood tops. I played one at Bass Alone www.bassalone.com , and it was everything I expected. I can't afford them either, at least not right now, but I think they're one of the prettiest boutique basses out there.

 

hey, this is important to know if you are intirested in getting a Jerzy... his custom shop LAGS!! a good friend of mine ordered one 10 months ago, paid in full, and has yet to get an accurate date of completion. it was supposed to be in september, but last reports were that he was gonna get it sometime in february. that's 13 months after he originally ordered and PAID for the bass... in fact, he doesn't even know if it has actually been started yet!!! buy one from a shop if you're not intirested in getting one anytime soon... they are amazing basses though...

 

A long wait isn't out of the norm for some small builders.

 

no doubt.. i know that you can't rush quality, it's the fact that he can't get any idea of when it will be done..... as soon as it gets close to the assumed date he finds out it's gonna be another month.. or in this case they told him at least 2 more months.. i'm not downing Jerzy at all. the stuff is awesome. i was just trying to give a heads up on the service my friend, remeber he paid in full at the outset ($3500!), was receiving...

 

So it sounds like, if you want a Jerzy Drozd bass, you're gonna pay up front and wait a long time.

 

That's very true. But it's also true for some mass produced basses.

For example, if you want a Stingray in a certain color with a certain pickguard and painted(or unpainted) headstock, if the store doesn't have one like you want in stock, it can take as long as 3 - 4 months to get one. Same with the Peavey Cirrus. If you want a wood combination that the dealer doesn't have in stock, 3 - 4 month wait.

So 12 - 18 months isn't outrageous for a hand crafted bass.

IIRC, Carl Thompson requires the full $$$ amount up front, with no real guarantee on when the bass will be finished. Could be 2 - 4 years.

 

Yeah, 13 months isnt really that crazy. Hell, I am probably going to be waiting 10-12 months for my Dingwall 6 that I ordered. Sure if I wanted just an average model it would have been a lot shorter wait, but I wanted a few custom options. Since they are handbuilt, Dingwall is very busy and Sheldon has a small shop so it is understandable. I own one Dingwall already and the quality, construction, playabiliity and sound can't be beat so I am prepared to wait as long as it takes for this bass. I've seen a few Jerzy Drozd basses and I really like the Prodigy LE 7. When I get a 7 in a few years, it will likely be a showdown between this bass and a Conklin Custom, like JT's Melt Tops. But that is another story.

Geoff

 

I really appreciate that, Diezel! It was my fault -- I had my head up my butt a little bit when I read your response to my first post. It's all good. Now, gimme love!

 

The ones I've played are exactly as described. They have a wide fretboard and very shallow neck, which isn't too my liking as much, but they sound every bit as good and appear to be made as well as a bass can be

The big thing holding me back from putting one on my short list is the neck. It's a lot like my old Modulus was, in neck shape. I like a little tighter string spacing and fatter neck.

 

The cheapest one, which is the Obsession Basic starts at w/o options $1895. I think that bass is awsome, im actually saving up for it right now. I've discovered I'll have it by the time im 16 which isn't that bad I guess. Beats my CT idea which i wasn't goin to get till im 20 . But i think the JD's are as close as you can get to a CT. I think i saw the bassist from alien antfarm playin one too...

 

If you are that busy where you need 12 months plus to build a bass, why not just hire some other skilled people to help you?

 

Skilled luthiers are neither abundant or cheap or readily available. If your name is on the headstock, someone is trusting their hard-earned bucks that you will be building their bass. I wouldn't want it any other way.

I have a friend who has been waiting 7 years for an acoustic guitar. He only has 2 more to go. Long wait times are not at all uncommon for acoustic instruments. Why should great electric instruments be any different?

The wait time is what it is. I'm going nuts waiting for my Sadowsky and DP Custom, but I certainly don't want to rush Roger or Dave as I want them to take a personal part in the building of my bass. That's what I'm paying for...

Jeff

 

I was thinking the same thing about skilled luthiers. Not to mention, two people probably doesn't equal twice the productivity, so prices would go up. For a one-man type operation, I wouldn't imagine the at the resultant hourly pay would be that high. I mean, think 100 hours (which is pretty quick), times what most "professionals" make. A pretty good chunk of dough. No benefits, either. So that pretty much leaves finding another very skilled luthier, and increasing the prices a little, or hiring an apprentice or two at basically nothing.

However, I wouldn't quite agree with the "name-on-the-headstock" part. I think both Ken Smith and Vinny Fodera (hmm, not sure about VF I guess, but this applies to quite a few of the bigger handmade places) don't do much of the actual luthery these days, but the basses are still great because they oversee the process very closely (not to mention they have very skilled people working for them). And, I don't think anyone who buys one should be upset, if they didn't know already, to find out that was the case.

Is it "luthery"? Guess it would be "luthiery". Oops. I also realize, I've never been a luthier, so I could be completely wrong. . .

 

You're right. I didn't mean to suggest that the owner/designer should build every instrument, just that they should at least ensure their people are doing their part to the owner's spec and overseeing the product.

Jeff