Well here she is, all original with the original case, pickup cover. Missing the trussrod cover thou, (the guy who sold it to me told me he has it somwhere, when he finds it, he will call me).
history
Bought the bass off an old guy (about 60 years old or so), with a strong russian accent (maybe polish or chech).
The guy states it's a 78, and it's from the 1st bunch ever produced, it has a rosewood fretboard, and that is rare on these basses, they usually had stained beech fretboards. He said that jolana wanted to buy a official licence from rickenbacker to produce these basses, they almost got to an agreement, but in the end smth didn't work out and they produced it as a rip off. Dunno if true or false.
http://s250.photobucket.com/albums/gg272/ciubz/basses/jolana d bass/
Some specs
The scale exactly like a ric, 33 1/4", it's all maple and is a neckthrough. The fingerboard has nice radius, even rounder than my old 73 p bass. The mechanics are solid and work very well, the bridge is made out of brass. The neck is dead straight (didn't touch the trussrod yet). It seems that the neck is laminated from 3 pieces, it has a aluminum nut. The pickups have the adjustable polepieces like the old dimarzios, but instead of hex keys these need a flathead screw driver to be adjusted. Actually everything on this bass can be adjusted and screwed/unscrewed with a flathead screwdriver, this why the rear strap-button is in fact a flathead screwdriver screwed into the body. Very ingenious of them, a roadworthy invention.
Sound
I really like the p/j combo on this bass for at least two reasons. 1st: the j pickup is in a very nice spot, it captures a nice bridge mwah, but has a good amount of meat to it. The p pickup in the neck thumps like a beast.
2nd: There a lot of pickup manufacturers today that produce pickups in standart p and j shapes, there is a lot of ground for me to experiment on. Can't do that on a simple ric without serious mods.
The bass has a lot of sustain, very good low end, and can sound articulated and funky kinda like a MM? or thump like an old hofner. I have tested it with dead strings on through a home practice amp. Compared to my 62ri CS relic Jazz, my 73'p and my Corvette std ash with barts, the jolana makes a serious statement.
future plans The pots and the 3 pos switch are almost dead, already ordered new stuff. I have a bill lawrence p pickup and a fender j from mid 70's that has been rewound to specs, these are going into the jolana. Gonna put some nice flats on it, and gonna play it on regular basis.
in conclusion This bass doesn't sound like a ric at all, it sounds growlier and warmer than a rick. The neck is also different, it has a fender-ish feel to it. It's a weird but cool looking bass. I'm glad i could buy one
history
Bought the bass off an old guy (about 60 years old or so), with a strong russian accent (maybe polish or chech).
The guy states it's a 78, and it's from the 1st bunch ever produced, it has a rosewood fretboard, and that is rare on these basses, they usually had stained beech fretboards. He said that jolana wanted to buy a official licence from rickenbacker to produce these basses, they almost got to an agreement, but in the end smth didn't work out and they produced it as a rip off. Dunno if true or false.
http://s250.photobucket.com/albums/gg272/ciubz/basses/jolana d bass/
Some specs
The scale exactly like a ric, 33 1/4", it's all maple and is a neckthrough. The fingerboard has nice radius, even rounder than my old 73 p bass. The mechanics are solid and work very well, the bridge is made out of brass. The neck is dead straight (didn't touch the trussrod yet). It seems that the neck is laminated from 3 pieces, it has a aluminum nut. The pickups have the adjustable polepieces like the old dimarzios, but instead of hex keys these need a flathead screw driver to be adjusted. Actually everything on this bass can be adjusted and screwed/unscrewed with a flathead screwdriver, this why the rear strap-button is in fact a flathead screwdriver screwed into the body. Very ingenious of them, a roadworthy invention.
Sound
I really like the p/j combo on this bass for at least two reasons. 1st: the j pickup is in a very nice spot, it captures a nice bridge mwah, but has a good amount of meat to it. The p pickup in the neck thumps like a beast.
2nd: There a lot of pickup manufacturers today that produce pickups in standart p and j shapes, there is a lot of ground for me to experiment on. Can't do that on a simple ric without serious mods.
The bass has a lot of sustain, very good low end, and can sound articulated and funky kinda like a MM? or thump like an old hofner. I have tested it with dead strings on through a home practice amp. Compared to my 62ri CS relic Jazz, my 73'p and my Corvette std ash with barts, the jolana makes a serious statement.
future plans The pots and the 3 pos switch are almost dead, already ordered new stuff. I have a bill lawrence p pickup and a fender j from mid 70's that has been rewound to specs, these are going into the jolana. Gonna put some nice flats on it, and gonna play it on regular basis.
in conclusion This bass doesn't sound like a ric at all, it sounds growlier and warmer than a rick. The neck is also different, it has a fender-ish feel to it. It's a weird but cool looking bass. I'm glad i could buy one
