• TalkBass has been independent since 1998. Add your voice.
    Create a free account to reply to discussions, view embedded media, and browse with fewer display ads.
    Join free Log in
    Want zero display ads or expanded classifieds tools? Compare plans.

My Brubaker JXB-6

#22
smperry said:
Wow, the color is sweet!
Click to expand...

Thanks, everyone. The color came together much like the orange six... I had an idea and Kevin worked it out somehow. Something I hadn't seen on an instrument before. Much easier said than done. I wanted a trans Jade-ish green and despite finding several examples realizing it on the actual wood took a lot of trial and error. This is pretty much what I had in mind.:cool:
 
#25
DaveTomasi said:
Hey Brad,

I was in Kevin's shop yesterday and saw this beauty. The pictures here just do not do justice to this bass. Congrats on another fine addition to the Johnson stable.
Click to expand...

Yeah, they don't do it justice. That was a color I had in my head and bugged Kevin until he nailed it. So far everyone's digging it especially me.

It's heavy, so heavy I decided to measure it on the spot... 12 lb. 9 oz. What that gives me is easily the biggest sounding bass overall I think I've played so far. It even sounds huge passive. I got to hear it through a couple of big rigs at Jonathan Floyd's on the way to my gig in Philly Saturday night. Ridiculous.

It just has a great overall sound, the lows kill but they're not all over the place, very articulate. There's depth all over the bass. The mids and highs match the lows... no scoop. The 200+ year old Brazilian Rosewood board might have something to do with that, I don't know:D. I didn't have to touch the EQ on the bass or the AER Basic Performer combo I was playing through... that little setup was pushing a ridiculous amount of sound out into the room. I did use the pad on the input when I had the bass in active mode... big output. I strung the bass up with DR Fatbeams, Malcolm tweaked the setup before I got there, I fine tuned it when I picked it up. I let several pros play it after I picked it up, the first words uttered were typically "this plays like butter".

I got Kevin to line up the outer coils of the Bartolini dual coils in the 70's Jazz position so that when I switch out to two single coils with the coil tap it's a six string Jazz. When I go to both humbuckers full on it's a six string Jazz standing on your chest:D. Lots of other tones easily acquired through switching or technique changes without even touching the three band Bart EQ. I used the center position (outer coil neck/both coils bridge) on the three way coil tap switch alot on the gig.

Straps on and hangs well (I know that sounds wrong but whatever), I did two sets with no wearability issues as usual. Then I switched over to my 11 lb. 6 oz. Teal KXB-5. Still sweet... and a beast.

I am spoiled rotten with basses. Preach will be taking some shots of this, it'll likely capture more of how it looks than my picks. The Myrtlewood top from Oregon Wildwoods looks great, the Maple body is massive, the neck is excellent, the Brazilian Rosewood board...:eek: ,the control cavity cover even picked up the upper edge of the BR fingerboard. I couldn't be happier... as usual.
:cool:
 
#27
I got a pm, thought I might as well put the answers here...

Would love to hear clips of the bass, how does it sound in single coil mode? Did you consider any other dual coil brands like the nords b4 the bartolini? Thanks,
Click to expand...


I'll probably give the bass to Malcolm, he likes doing clips.

In single coil mode it sounds like a Jazz... except with six strings. Just what I was shooting for. I wanted that cut that I associate with heavy Ash 70's Jazzes but I wanted more versatility which is why I went with pretty dense Maple. It's like heavy Ash +. Kick it into humbucking mode and it really expands on that.

I've tried Nordstrands in a few basses, very nice pickups but I've yet to hear any of them hit as hard as the stock Bartolinis that Kevin uses. There's just something missing. I know other people like them, just not my cup of tea. I've tried or at least heard just about everything out here, IME the Barts sound like the bass they're in and that's exactly what I wanted. This bass sounds and feels great unplugged. I have a friend who keeps trying to convince me that nobody plays a bass that way... well I do.
:D

And I get the same tone active or passive which is why I went with a Bart NTMB preamp.
 
#29
Brad Johnson said:
.....IME the Barts sound like the bass they're in and that's exactly what I wanted.
Click to expand...

Ok, I have to say that after three sets of pickups in my own bass, I now have the standard Bart quad coils.....and you are so right Brad. When I play the bass unplugged and then plug it in, I hear the bass coming through the amp the same way. I've been trying all sorts of pickups over the years and I've ended up back to the good ol' off the shelp Barts. They just work. I do really like a small handful of others (very small), but I'm glad I have these pickups in this bass.

I have the Nordstrand preamp though, and it's very good....very clean, clear and subtle. I'd be happy with most any preamp though because I don't need more than a little bass boost. I don't really touch it beyond that.
 
#32
emjazz said:
Ha, ha! Progress!

:D

Brad, as you may know I'm very happy with my bass from Brian R., but I can't stress enough how impressed I am with Kevin's dedication to greatness. I think he's one of the best out there for sure.
Click to expand...

I noticed it because it seems to be the reason the bass sits a bit more to my right than my other Brubakers. If I had it to do over again I'd have it made a little shorter... it was my idea to extend the upper horn joint.
 
#33
Brad Johnson said:
I noticed it because it seems to be the reason the bass sits a bit more to my right than my other Brubakers. If I had it to do over again I'd have it made a little shorter... it was my idea to extend the upper horn joint.
Click to expand...

Yeah, in the end it's a balance of ergonomics and simply what we're used to. I like the top horn anywhere from the 12th to the 11th fret myself.
 
#34
Got the chance to play this bass today and I could swear it was made for me! I'm really getting the feeling that it was but Brad just doesn't know yet. I guess he can hold onto it for now though, I don't mind ;).

I'm sure I could use all kinds of fun words to describe how this bass sounds but I think "RIDICULOUS" will suffice.
 

Latest posts

Top Bottom
Back