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Low End Jazz Megathread, post pics and soundbites!!

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#201
On it's way to me tomorrow evening:

http://www.talkbass.com/forum/showthread.php?t=473170

Jumbo was kind enough to visit me to discuss a trade and give me a chance to give this beast a try. I must say, it was effortless to play (not that I play well , mind you). Surprisingly light and balanced!

This is an older LEJ, and some of the material (ebony?) used for the fretlines chipped out, leaving "holes" in the slots. I'm going to see if I can get this to Bill Merchant (local luthier-highly regarded) to fix that up for me and set up the instrument.

I'm sure I'll have more comments and questions in the next few weeks.
 
#202
2945277129_d8203d6252.jpg


2945277133_b2398b5861.jpg


2945277137_40eb633520.jpg


So, I traded a bunch of studio gear for this bass. I still have some trade remorse and my wife gave me the ever-ambivalent, "Oh...a new bass," comment.

I'll get a review up tomorrow.
 
#203
This is my first LEJ experience and it won't be the last. The first thing that appealed to me when Jumbo handed it to me was the weight of the bass- so light! Yeah, compared to what, my Warwicks? Okay, fine. That's a no brainer. Regardless, I'd say it's in the sub 10 lb. range; that's saying something for this massive instrument. It dwarfs the rest of the basses in my stable, and not only in size: this thing sounds massive!

The lower strings play so well that they seem to self-intonate. The B string is tight and clear sounding with nicely present fundamental and overtones. I have some trouble playing the C and F; but that's just my inexperience and poor technique.

The neck is flat and comfortable. I have small hands but had no problems reaching all the strings comfortably. There's a nice radius to the fretboard that adds something to the playability. I'm used to the flat radius of my Corvettes and the change was welcome.

Brian informed me that I have the older pickup placement and preamp. I haven't played the newer models, so I can't really comment on this. It seems that there is a volume knob for each p'up; pulling each knob switched the p'up from series to parallel (I think). 2 band eq (bass & treble) with a center detent, followed by a master tone rolloff. Pulling the last knob engages passive operation. The only negative here is a pronounced volume drop in passive mode as compared to active. As such, I would only use the passive mode as a safety if the two 9v batts. died.

The p'p covers are wood- a nice touch! Very classy and understated. The bass balances well despite the humongous (looking) neck. The body is beautifully finished and the quilt top is well book-matched.

The only kicker here is that I suck on f'less. I'll give it a whirl, but will probably attempt a trade for another LEJ. Brian has some nice used 5 bangers at the Low End site...

:bassist:
 
#205
Brian Barrett said:
Smash

Hey man, I have no problem finishing Rosewood but generally Rosewood, ebony, etc. need to be oiled. That being said Rickenbacker is the only one that I know of that has finished Rosewood and there never seems to be a problem and it does look great. I'll be happy to finish Rosewood if you would like.


Heres a couple of cool Video's that have been recorded lately.
(have to get pass the talking, but good clip)
Click to expand...



Just FYI Brian, or anyone else with rosewood boards, I ended-up cleaning mine with a mixture of lemon oil and beeswax/carnuba wax like you'd use for a Warwick and the boards shined like they were caoted with glass then stayed looking good for ... months now.



Hey BEAV, what's the sonic difference between the single coils and the usual slimbuckers? I know the difference between most single coils and humbuckers, but given you've tried these particular pickups and all the different tapping options I figured you'd have better insight.

Not that I am gasssing. Allllmost, but then I listened to my basses and I'm not needing anything different.

Although I might be interested in trading a brass 6'er bridge (chrome) for an aluminum one (chrome). Anyone?


Mr. Pickles, that's a nice looking bass. Kudos to you if you can realize the potential in a fretless 7 !
 
#206
SMASH said:
Hey BEAV, what's the sonic difference between the single coils and the usual slimbuckers? I know the difference between most single coils and humbuckers, but given you've tried these particular pickups and all the different tapping options I figured you'd have better insight.
Click to expand...

The only differences to my ears is the inherent differences in how the pickups are wound. It's pretty difficult to put into words. I really prefer the single coil sound and punch. The sound is kinda similar to the pickups in series, but different enough that I was willing to ditch the versility of the humbuckers and go for the single coil.
 
#208
I'm not a bass professor but, I like my single coils also. If you are looking for a vintage/traditional tone, this is the way to go. Has more midrange than slimbuckers, so it might take your ears a lil gettin' use to. At first I put DR MM's on, but were just too tinny sounding. So, now I have GHS Bass Boomers on it. Gives me that bottom I like.
After introducing the SC, you want own too many LEJ's sounding the same. That comment was for Brian. HAHAHA! Anyway, like Beav said the new SC's "are killer" and have killed my gas for a Sadowsky or Fender MM. Peace!
 
#211
That P/J with blocks is HAWT! Congrats.

I'm going to pick up my newly re-lined f'less 7 from luthier Bill Merchant today. I had him re-line the board as some of the line material chipped out over the years... I'm not quite proficient of f'less yet, so I had Bill use a lighter material to make them easier to see. I'll put up pics in a few hours.
 
#214
Mr. Pickles said:
That P/J with blocks is HAWT! Congrats.

I'm going to pick up my newly re-lined f'less 7 from luthier Bill Merchant today. I had him re-line the board as some of the line material chipped out over the years... I'm not quite proficient of f'less yet, so I had Bill use a lighter material to make them easier to see. I'll put up pics in a few hours.
Click to expand...

Thanks Mr. Pickles!:bassist:
 
#215
oh, lawdy! The rest of your collection rocks as well!:hyper:

Here's my newly re-lined LEJ. Sorry for the crappy phtog.

3036795984_1b3bbbdc93.jpg


Bill did a nice job. The lines are holly and they compliment the board well. What a difference a new set of strings and a setup makes! I've got a set of Rotosound flats and a .20 single steel F. It's quite a bit brighter than the rest, but it should mellow after I play the hell out of it.

Here's a pic with the rest of the fam before she shipped out for repairs.

2945277145_457fe1ccff.jpg


Note the body size difference and overall length as compared to the Wicks. Funny thing is the LEJ is a featherweight compared to the bubinga brethren.
 
#216
I'm really impressed by what I've seen and heard from LEJ. I couldn't resist any longer :D I'm happy to say I'll be joining you guys in the coming months. I've just ordered a LEJ 5er. Specs are -

5 string 24 fret
35 scale
Mahogany body
Flamed Maple neck and fretboard
Fretboard dots
Colour - Black with black headstock
Single coils

:hyper:
 
#219
That's OK then! It's just that the USA ones I bought were chrome all over, and the licensed ones had that "brushed" look on the pegs that the picture appears to have. I thought it was strange having Hipshot A bridges mixed up with "licensed" tuners!
Perhaps I'll buy two now.
 
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