I picked up a Read Customs Model J (as seen in TB For Sale area) and had Jack Read give it an inspection, cleaning, and setup before I took posession of it. I've been a big fan of Jack's work and his open-mindedness since I met him a few years back. He assembled a fretless Jazz for me based on a MIJ body and a Moses neck that I had, and when he was done it was way beyond the sum of the parts. I also own a Purity that I use mostly for recording, but have used live. The guy has great ears, great skills as an electronics designer, and he builds a heck of a bass. I've played a bunch of his basses and no matter the profile he shapes they are all very comfortable. You can tell that he plays because the stuff is not wall-art, it is made to get a job done, and in style.
So the day after I got home with the bass I had a coffeehouse gig and I brought this bass. The fact that I didn't bring a backup means that I am either insane, very trusting in Jack's work, or both. Probably both. My lil' rig as of late is an Ashdown Electric Blue 12-130 and I used that since I am very familiar and comfortable with it. The verdict is that the bass has a great voice, plays great, and is very comfortable. I've been through a bunch of J basses in the past few years and this is a step up from any of them including a Skyline Darry Jones, Fender Noel Redding, Fender American, and it is a better fit for me than the 3 USA Lakland JOs that I have played.
The sound is very muscular, and my first reaction through Jack's demo rig (another story in itself) was that it has a "Marcus" kind of sound. Very meaty and not suffering from the hollow midrange that some j-style basses have. In the coffeehouse it sounded like a big full bass, and didn't seem out of place with small kit and a telecaster. I like a bass to react when I change my technique, from say a dark thumb pluck but the neck joint to snapping fingerstyle by the bridge. This bass definitely reacts, but it isn't a massive reaction. The timbral and percussive elements come through but the overall character of the bass doesn't go away.
Deets: This bass is ash bodied with a candy apple red finish, rosewood board, hipshot hardware, Bartolini CB humbuckers, and a passive V-V-T tine stack. The neck is flatsawn maple with nice birdseye.
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Pete
So the day after I got home with the bass I had a coffeehouse gig and I brought this bass. The fact that I didn't bring a backup means that I am either insane, very trusting in Jack's work, or both. Probably both. My lil' rig as of late is an Ashdown Electric Blue 12-130 and I used that since I am very familiar and comfortable with it. The verdict is that the bass has a great voice, plays great, and is very comfortable. I've been through a bunch of J basses in the past few years and this is a step up from any of them including a Skyline Darry Jones, Fender Noel Redding, Fender American, and it is a better fit for me than the 3 USA Lakland JOs that I have played.
The sound is very muscular, and my first reaction through Jack's demo rig (another story in itself) was that it has a "Marcus" kind of sound. Very meaty and not suffering from the hollow midrange that some j-style basses have. In the coffeehouse it sounded like a big full bass, and didn't seem out of place with small kit and a telecaster. I like a bass to react when I change my technique, from say a dark thumb pluck but the neck joint to snapping fingerstyle by the bridge. This bass definitely reacts, but it isn't a massive reaction. The timbral and percussive elements come through but the overall character of the bass doesn't go away.
Deets: This bass is ash bodied with a candy apple red finish, rosewood board, hipshot hardware, Bartolini CB humbuckers, and a passive V-V-T tine stack. The neck is flatsawn maple with nice birdseye.
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Pete
