Not diggin’ the DJ4

[Kipp Harrington]

I've had a DJ4 for many years, and it has the lowest action of any of my basses. I'd be surprised if you can't get that sorted out. Maybe the nut needs filing?

I was thinking the same thing! It's a moot point now, however.

 

[Kipp Harrington]

Aw man, that sucks.
I know how much time and effort you put in to finding a case for it too!
As someone who has played a DJ4 pretty much exclusively for the last 11 years, I'm a bit mystified why it's not worked out for you.
The action on mine is consistently the lowest of any bass I see: A good friend (and better player than me!) had a G&L 2500 set up as well as it could be...still a higher action than the DJ4. He now has a custom made Maruszczyk P-bass...still a higher action than the DJ4! Same goes for another pal with a Sandberg.
I would say that you should go to Sweetwater and try another DJ4. If you don't bond with it, it might be because they have a VERY narrow nut. After a Squier PJ, it WILL feel weird!
Try a DJ4, then try this: Lakland Skyline 44-64 Custom P/J - Ice Blue Metallic - Alder
and try a bunch of fenders too. Take the afternoon, and whichever one speaks to you, take that one.

Lakland were overhyped a few years ago, along with all the other Fender clones (Lull, Sadowsky, Valenti, Nordstrand, Sandberg et al), but in the last 5 years Fender's QC has really improved and everybody's calmed down a bit.

Have fun at Sweetwater!

Thanks for the input. Yeah, it will be an interesting day at Sweetwater. Thanks again.

 

[Kipp Harrington]

Don't beat yourself up about it... we've all done it... especially, when you see something you like, and there's not a chance in Hades you'll actually see one in your area to try out.

That said, are you sure you're following the instructions put forth in the videos? How far are you from Columbus? I'll do it for you. Pretty sure that's a sweet bass, and your dislike for it is in how it's setup.

Thanks Spidey... awfully generous of you to offer that. You're about 3 hours away from me. I'm pretty set on getting a P-style bass. In fact, that Squier Vintage Modified P-bass 70s is looking good. Problem is, they currently don't have any in stock at Sweetwater for me to try out. It would be pretty much the same as my Squier Affinity PJ.

 

[bordinco90]

I've had a couple of basses that I ordered from Sweetwater that the setup was horrible. The truss rod was stripped on a Lakland J Bass I bought and a truss rod was tight on a Fender P Bass. What's the deal Sweetwater?

 

[GBBSbassist]

Return it. I've had some very nice guitars that I knew pretty much instantly weren't for me.

The opposite was also true. The moment I held my current main guitar, I knew it was perfect for me.

 

[Mugre]

None at all. In fact, I really don't like the idea of purchasing a sig bass.

Snipped by Mugre

Just feels right.

Thank you for your thoughtful and detailed reply.

Mugre

 

[ModuMan]

My experience with Sweetwater is that their service is top notch and I doubt they would have let a premium bass like a Lakland ship out while playing like crap.

While I am happy for your experience, mine was the opposite. They can and will ship instruments that have "passed" whatever their inspection is and that are unplayable or have obvious defects. They will also make it right. Or not. I've had both of those experiences.

Point is, there is no way to know what you are getting until you get it.

As for the DJ, I have a 4 and a 5, I love them. It's entirely possible the OP got a bum one or it just needs some work... or it just wasn't a good fit. But the important thing is to get a bass that speaks to you and the best way to do that is try everything you can get your mitts on!

 

[JeffJ2112]

How did the return process go?
How long did you have the bass before you returned it?

Thanks for any information regarding this!

If I remember correctly I had it about 3 weeks. For me the return process was very easy, but I took it directly to them as I only live about about an hour away from their retail store.

 

[Kipp Harrington]

If I remember correctly I had it about 3 weeks. For me the return process was very easy, but I took it directly to them as I only live about about an hour away from their retail store.

OK... cool. Yeah, I'm driving out there to return the bass on Friday. I live about 90 minutes away.

 

[pjbassist]

I'm driving out there to return the bass on Friday

Good luck with the drive tomorrow! I live in Fort Wayne and have spent copious amounts of time/$$$ in Sweetwater. They will absolutely hook you up, and make it right.

The nice thing about Sweetwater, is that they have thousands of basses in stock and will let you sit and play as many as you have time to play. $10,000 Fodera, no problem, $258 Squier, no problem...so plan plenty of time to play as many as you can.

Stop by the cafeteria area and have a great meal...and don't forget to go down the 2-story slide! It is truly a playground in there. You'll find one that floats your boat I am certain. Good luck, drive safe and welcome to our fair city, thanks for spending your hard earned $$$ here!

 

[Kipp Harrington]

Good luck with the drive tomorrow! I live in Fort Wayne and have spent copious amounts of time/$$$ in Sweetwater. They will absolutely hook you up, and make it right.

The nice thing about Sweetwater, is that they have thousands of basses in stock and will let you sit and play as many as you have time to play. $10,000 Fodera, no problem, $258 Squier, no problem...so plan plenty of time to play as many as you can.

Stop by the cafeteria area and have a great meal...and don't forget to go down the 2-story slide! It is truly a playground in there. You'll find one that floats your boat I am certain. Good luck, drive safe and welcome to our fair city, thanks for spending your hard earned $$$ here!

Thanks for all that information! I am leaving from work around 3pm (I'm a school teacher in Toledo, OH) and I have about a 45 minute drive home to Wauseon, OH. Going to stop there for a hot second, pick up the bass, and haul donkey to Sweetwater. They close at 8pm tomorrow, so I am hoping to get there around 5:30/5:45. That should give me a couple hours to check out some basses. Thanks again!

 

[JeffJ2112]

Good luck with the drive tomorrow! I live in Fort Wayne and have spent copious amounts of time/$$$ in Sweetwater. They will absolutely hook you up, and make it right.

The nice thing about Sweetwater, is that they have thousands of basses in stock and will let you sit and play as many as you have time to play. $10,000 Fodera, no problem, $258 Squier, no problem...so plan plenty of time to play as many as you can.

Stop by the cafeteria area and have a great meal...and don't forget to go down the 2-story slide! It is truly a playground in there. You'll find one that floats your boat I am certain. Good luck, drive safe and welcome to our fair city, thanks for spending your hard earned $$$ here!

Hey, we should meet up and have lunch there sometime.

 

[Spidey2112]

Good luck with the drive tomorrow! I live in Fort Wayne and have spent copious amounts of time/$$$ in Sweetwater. They will absolutely hook you up, and make it right.

The nice thing about Sweetwater, is that they have thousands of basses in stock and will let you sit and play as many as you have time to play. $10,000 Fodera, no problem, $258 Squier, no problem...so plan plenty of time to play as many as you can.

Stop by the cafeteria area and have a great meal...and don't forget to go down the 2-story slide! It is truly a playground in there. You'll find one that floats your boat I am certain. Good luck, drive safe and welcome to our fair city, thanks for spending your hard earned $$$ here!

Very nice.

 

[Spidey2112]

... and haul donkey to Sweetwater.