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NASH GUITARS? Thoughts?
- Thread starter Gbass75
- Start date
I've seen a lot of similar criticism of Nash over the years. The proof was really in the playing for me. A good friend lent me his JB-63 for a few weeks and I was totally captivated by that bass. It was one of the best playing Jazz basses that I had ever played, and it sounded fantastic.
I'll put my 57 Nash against any P bass, best neck ever. I have a Curtis Novak vintage P in it. Might not be everyone's cup of tea but it sounds and plays fantastic
Everything is a parts bass/guitar these days. Fender gets the parts from the same folks.
How many folks here who are all excited to buy a Nash have actually played one?
yeah... that's what I thought.
Agree with comment above. I got all excited about two years ago after I played one and bought it in 5 minutes. Played it out on probably 100 gigs since then including two last week.
And when folks come up to compliment sound and look of it don't much hear oh that's a part bass, including musicians
For balance, don't love many of the ones I've checked out but the right one like any brand will call out and speak it's name
And when folks come up to compliment sound and look of it don't much hear oh that's a part bass, including musicians
For balance, don't love many of the ones I've checked out but the right one like any brand will call out and speak it's name
Own two.
Sold my Dingwall ABZ 5. Passed on a Dingwall Super P. The Nash PB63 and JB63 are still in the stable.
Get lots of compliments on the sound and how well they play. Got a bud with a 73 P and he loves mine. He's played American Standard J basses and says mine smokes em. He's got a Lakland and still compliments my collection.
Not saying they are for everyone or the best. Just saying I found what I like and I bought it. Your opinion is yours. It doesn't change how I feel about my basses. I promise I won't condemn you for your selections.
Not saying they are for everyone or the best. Just saying I found what I like and I bought it. Your opinion is yours. It doesn't change how I feel about my basses. I promise I won't condemn you for your selections.
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Yes and no on this one.
Yes on Fender being a part bass: it's the sum of parts put together, every instrument is.
No on Fender getting the parts from the same folks. Fender make most of their parts. I visited their Corona factory and saw bodies and necks being cut on CNC machines, pickups being wounded, metal parts being stamped.... They buy of few parts, I saw some Dunlop parts on some selected models for example. I seem to remember they make 1,200 instruments daily in Corona and the same in Mexico so with this kind of volume, it's more efficient to manufacture their own parts. Corona manufacturers all the parts and sends them down to Mexico for assembling.
As an aside note it's a great tour and it's well worth the time. It's a guided tour and our host was first class. We even cruised through the custom shop.
All that said, I own a great Nash and two great Fenders. They are all really nice instruments, they just have a different feel and tone. I had been looking for a vintage Fender for a long time and could not find one that I either liked or could afford. Nash filled that gap nicely.
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The Nash J bass I had was mediocre at best. Decent enough relic job, although not as convincing as MJT or Bravewood. But it was noisy as heck thanks to zero shielding, and the dimensions of the pickguard and the bridge placement were weird. They were "off" from a real Fender. My eyes have seen enough vintage Fenders that it was very distracting.
you bought a $2,000 bass you felt was less than mediocre? i'm fine with the fact that you didn't dig it. i'm just curious why you got it.
DiabolusInMusic
Functionless Art is Merely Tolerated Vandalism
I think it's worth mentioning that Fender CS doesn't do shielding on their repro's either, it isn't period correct. Fender does get the dimensions and spec's right though, to the point where they stamp all their bodies so nobody can think they're legit.
True. But with Nash there are already several deviations from a vintage Fender (slightly different headstock shape, Nash logo, DiMarzio Model J pickups in some, etc). I don't think some shielding paint would shatter any illusions. Heck, real vintage Fenders at least had metal shielding plates under the pickups.
Not a big deal to shield it myself. Just overall I didn't feel the bass warranted the price tag, all things considered.
I had a Nash PB-57 as I mentioned in a previous post. It was a very good player (Lollar PU) but the finish was so bad that I had it professionally refinished and properly reliced before I eventually traded it away. I bought it new from an online retailer. It looked good in the pictures on their website. When i received it, I was horrified, the color (allegedly Fiesta Red) was WAY off and appeared to have been badly applied with an aerosol can.
As others have mentioned they are basically "parts basses" (and guitars) that were factory assembled by Nash. After my less than stellar experience, I would never buy another Nash sight-unseen - some of them look really good, some do not. Yesterday I was at a local music store that is also a Nash dealer. There were a couple Strats on he wall that looked great (for a relic) but there were others that were so-so. The relicing on the newer ones evidently has vastly improved. Many of the earlier ones looked like they had been thrown off a 4 story building and then dragged behind a pickup truck on a potholed asphalt highway.
My point is, it is a very good idea to see your Nash in person before you buy it. Most of the complaints I've read have to do with the cosmetics, not the playability. In my opinion, for a parts instrument, they are very expensive. If a Nash floats your boat for nearly 2 grand, go for it. They are good players but there are clean used vintage reissue "real" Fenders out there for less $$$.
As others have mentioned they are basically "parts basses" (and guitars) that were factory assembled by Nash. After my less than stellar experience, I would never buy another Nash sight-unseen - some of them look really good, some do not. Yesterday I was at a local music store that is also a Nash dealer. There were a couple Strats on he wall that looked great (for a relic) but there were others that were so-so. The relicing on the newer ones evidently has vastly improved. Many of the earlier ones looked like they had been thrown off a 4 story building and then dragged behind a pickup truck on a potholed asphalt highway.
My point is, it is a very good idea to see your Nash in person before you buy it. Most of the complaints I've read have to do with the cosmetics, not the playability. In my opinion, for a parts instrument, they are very expensive. If a Nash floats your boat for nearly 2 grand, go for it. They are good players but there are clean used vintage reissue "real" Fenders out there for less $$$.
I have yet to play any fender that is sweeter than any nash and I've played hundreds of fenders. Including dozens of real vintage ones from the 60''s starting at 10,000. Lol.
Nash is just a better bass at the end of the day. There are a lot of people on this site that swear fender is the end all. Well it's not. Even modulus has fender whooped with its vintage J and it's not even a wood neck! Lmao
Nash is just a better bass at the end of the day. There are a lot of people on this site that swear fender is the end all. Well it's not. Even modulus has fender whooped with its vintage J and it's not even a wood neck! Lmao
I still think they've got the relic look down better than most others. Obviously light vs. heavy can change things wildly. However, I think others I've seen don't generally measure up. Sandberg relics always seem off to me. I haven't seen many Fender Roadworn. I've seen a few other small/custom jobs. Nash does it for me. Obviously, it's all a matter of taste.
