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Low End Bass vs Other Boutique Bass

K

kl208f

Mar 3, 2012
2
0
#1
Lately I've been hearing a lot of good things about the Low End Basses made in TN. To be precised I'm talking about the model LEJ Classic24.
Any thoughts or feedback on what these basses bring or lack in comparison to other boutique basses as far as:
-Tone range
-Versatility
-Price
-Anything else you might wanna add.

Thank you!
 
#3
THey are amazing pieces. I use to own a shop and bought for a long time several brands and I can almost say that I tried em all
THe LEJ bass untill it got stolen from me and I never found it, was my ax of choice for a few years after trying all kinds of basses
I think thats what diferences it too, Brian deals so many used basses that he can understand what the bass players need and wish the basses had.
Price is a bit steep but nothing crazy for a boutique instrument like that
I am not toruing extensively anymore so I havent bought another one but would in a heart bit if I get busy again. I live in NYC and for playing local scene doing all kines diferent styles and volumes and set ups I had a great experience, the bass responds super well to adjustments and versatility but really its strength and diferencial are playing it loud and getting full advantage of the Mean ( very mean) preamp they got and the neck that you feel in your hands that you can thump it and its gonan respond

I d say do it
 
#5
kl208f said:
Lately I've been hearing a lot of good things about the Low End Basses made in TN. To be precised I'm talking about the model LEJ Classic24.
Any thoughts or feedback on what these basses bring or lack in comparison to other boutique basses as far as:
-Tone range
-Versatility
-Price
-Anything else you might wanna add.

Thank you!
Click to expand...

OF course you've been hearing a lot of good things about Low end basses because they are absolutely killer jazz basses!

My personal view on a LEJ24 is I LOVE the idea of a Jazz with 24 frets. But only if playing the high frets is your goal. In my opinion you get a better slap tone from a standard neck.

Also for an active jazz (like my Deluxe V) I prefer a preamp with a mid control rather than just two band. The mid really gives you some range and control of tones that passive jazzes don't have (unless you fiddle with your amp knobs a lot) and of course the on-board 3 band pre lets you easily control that tone while playing. Depends how you feel about more knobs.

And lastly, (of course) take your wallet. Boutique basses at custom shop prices. But Low End owners feel they are worth it. My personal view is I'm not ready for a boutique jazz bass copy unless it has 6 or 7 strings or something. (And of course Low End makes absolutely superb basses that do that too!)

As Laurent said, it's your choice, not mine. But that's my take on Low End.
 
#6
zilero said:
THey are amazing pieces. I use to own a shop and bought for a long time several brands and I can almost say that I tried em all
THe LEJ bass untill it got stolen from me and I never found it, was my ax of choice for a few years after trying all kinds of basses
I think thats what diferences it too, Brian deals so many used basses that he can understand what the bass players need and wish the basses had.
Price is a bit steep but nothing crazy for a boutique instrument like that
I am not toruing extensively anymore so I havent bought another one but would in a heart bit if I get busy again. I live in NYC and for playing local scene doing all kines diferent styles and volumes and set ups I had a great experience, the bass responds super well to adjustments and versatility but really its strength and diferencial are playing it loud and getting full advantage of the Mean ( very mean) preamp they got and the neck that you feel in your hands that you can thump it and its gonan respond

I d say do it
Click to expand...

Sorry About your bass Zilero (aka) Mussa de Guarulhos
 
#7
Great basses that can just about be made to any spec you desire. He now offers a 3 band pre. Call Brian, he offers the best customer service in the game!
 
#9
I have 14 basses and I live in 85% humidity.....every year I have to adjust my necks around 2-3 times. The only bass I don't have to.....my LEJ.

Add the fact it has one of the most comfortable necks and amazing tone what else could you ask for.

Brian has amazing CS as well.
 
#10
Half of the LEJ experience is dealing with dealer/owner Brian Barrett. IMHO these basses are up there with Ken Smith,MTD,Sadowsky, but in a class of there own. The structural integrity of the three piece neck, to me is Brian's signature. But how can you leave out Chris Benevente's electronics? I remember walking in to a guitar show in D/FW, TX, only to hear the most distinctive bass voice I had ever heard before. I tried to follow the sound of a bass player spanking on a bass, but the playing stopped. I thought I was doomed never to know what kind of bass I had heard. Minutes later I followed the bass sound all the way to Brian's booth. I have two now, and they will go to my grave with me, if my son holds true to his promise. What a bass experience these basses are! Fit and finish are impeccable. Enough said.;)
 
#11
pedulla-2007 said:
Half of the LEJ experience is dealing with dealer/owner Brian Barrett. IMHO these basses are up there with Ken Smith,MTD,Sadowsky, but in a class of there own. The structural integrity of the three piece neck, to me is Brian's signature. But how can you leave out Chris Benevente's electronics? I remember walking in to a guitar show in D/FW, TX, only to hear the most distinctive bass voice I had ever heard before. I tried to follow the bass player spanking on a bass, but the playing stopped. I thought I was doomed never to know what kind of bass I had heard. Minutes later I followed the bass sound all the way to Brian's booth. I have two now, and they will go to my grave with me, if my son holds true to his promise. What a bass experience these basses are! Fit and finish are impeccable. Enough said.;)
Click to expand...

Same experience at my first NAMM show. Me and a buddy went in and I heard someone slapping. I told him, "that's a LEJ." I did like you, following the sound and there was the LowEnd booth. I knew the sound. Hahaha! Like you said, it's in it's own class.
 
#12
sps500 said:
I have 14 basses and I live in 85% humidity.....every year I have to adjust my necks around 2-3 times. The only bass I don't have to.....my LEJ.

Add the fact it has one of the most comfortable necks and amazing tone what else could you ask for.

Brian has amazing CS as well.
Click to expand...

Ditto, I have LEJ Classic 24 6 string and I never had to adjust the neck once, my other basses once a year. Plus it and my LEJ 7 sound fantastic.
 
#13
I had the privilege of finally getting to sit down and play a bunch of Brian's basses at Summer NAMM yesterday. I've never really considered buying a custom bass since I am pretty happy with the Warwicks I've ended up with, but I'll have to say, I plan on having Brian build one for me. I know this thread is older, but this is all related-info. There are also more than just J setups in the lineup, now.

The fit and finish of the basses is great. They all feel fantastic. Necks are perfect. Multuple options for string-spacing. Action as-is was perfect for finger/slap/pick/tapping without feeling the need to want to change the set-up to do any of those things. The fact that Brian builds his own preamps and has pickups built to his specs gives him a lot of control over what the bass is going to sound like for each customer. I really liked the tonal flexibility that the 2-to-3 band EQ switch gives. I also like the option of being able to control the volume of individual coils (not just coil-tap switches) when a humbucker is involved. These basses all sound FANTASTIC.

The favorite was a 5 string with a maple neck, MM pickup in the MM position, and P in the P position. Of course, there are a lot of basses that can do anything, and you can say "there's nothing you can't do with this bass" about many basses. That definitely holds true for all the Low End basses I played today. Now to take a trip to his shop and play in an environment other than NAMM to really hear the nuances of the different models/woods/electronics, and see which one I want.

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(I am not affiliated with Brian or Low End in any way. I just really like the damn basses.)

The NAMM Basses:

G8uDdk4.jpg
 
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