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Seeking advice on which Bass to purchase

OhDee

OhDee

May 14, 2017
86
106
#1
Hi,
I'll start off with these questions I have... After that there's a backround story which might help you understand what's the deal... Feel free to not read it and just answer the q's :)

  1. Which Jazz Bass's have the widest necks? (the strings are farthest apart). I know they are known for the narrow neck, I found that uncomfortable, but I like the sound of a Jazz.
  2. P Bass Neck on Jazz Bass Body - would that work? I know people do it the other way around...
  3. Are there any models of P Bass that have Jazz like features?
  4. Where would you look for a Bass in the New York area? (I am not for the US, but I'll be there in a couple of months)


So I started playing Bass full time in a band recently, but have always felt a strong connection to this instrument.
I am a professional musician, I teach piano and play sessions on keys and piano... and like everyone nowadays- a producer... lol

I am very comfortable on a Precision, but as a listener I prefer the sound of a Jazz Bass or a Rickenbacker.
Most of my time on Bass was on a Precision... So with time I might be able to used to a Jazz... But as of now I found the Jazz neck way too small, the strings too close together and an overall 'sensetive' vibe to the Jazz... Gotta really pay attention... Where as the P Bass it's like riding a Bike, 'plays itself' vibe. It's quite possible I didn't play enough good Jazz to have a solid opinion, but I got that impression from quite a few...
It's a hard decision because I want to purchase one great Bass and that's it, not start collecting and all that... Also my style on stage is playing straight into the amp. I use no pedals, so the sound of the actual guitar and it's stability and dynamic qualities are important. That's why it's a conflict... I love the P Bass's feel, but slightly ambivalent about it's kinda single minded "old school rocknroll" sound. Jazz just sounds better to me.
My favorite P Bass so far is my friends 1983 Precision Special (active). I play it with the booster on at all times and it's just amazing.
Also loaned a 1981 Rickenbacker 4003 which sounded amazing but was extremely demanding to play, very uncomfortable especially at first. New Rickenbackers don't sound that good IMO.
My budget is around 1500$ USD, so that's not enough for most of what I want...
I'm not actually picky or anything... More or less any quality instrument will do so feel free to offer ideas outside my current box of thinking :)
I know that people who know can surely find a quality instrument for this money, I just can't seem to...

P.S:
My favorite Bassists at the moment are Carlos Dengler and Joe Lally (apart from the obvious ones McCartney, Entwistle, Flea...)
 
#3
OhDee said:
My favorite P Bass so far is my friends 1983 Precision Special (active). I play it with the booster on at all times and it's just amazing.
Click to expand...
Just buy this: Invalid Link Removed
Other colors are available
0196900700_gtr_frt_001_rr.jpg
 
#6
As far as a P neck with a J body, the Mark Hoppus signature bass comes to mind, but that has a P pickup. Although if you were so inclined I suppose you could always have new pickups routed.

Also, if you were so inclined you could build your own from Warmoth. The basic options are fairly cheap. I think the Warmoth necks will fit Fender bodies. Here's a basic P bass neck starting at $180 (granted it $205 with the nut and you'll need to add tuners). Buy that and slap it on any J body you like- there are plenty of loaded Jazz bodies in the TB classifieds.

Read up on some info here: Invalid Link Removed

And it looks like Warmoth specs are modeled after MIM Fenders.
 
#9
You might try looking up Gamma basses in New Jersey before you come to the US. The guy is a TB member though I don't remember his nic. He makes custom-assembled basses at a pretty reasonable rate, within the OP's budget. I don't know how fast he works or what he might already have handy, but he might be able to have a jazz-with-P-neck ready by the time you get to NYC. Another option would be to contact a G&L dealer and custom-order, say, a JB2 with the neck you want.
 
#11
JACink said:
Buy a J with a body and sound you like, buy a P with a neck you like, mount J neck on P and sell, mount P neck on J and enjoy.

If you buy both the J and P used, then you shouldn't lose much cash on selling the P with J neck in comparison to what you paid for the P.
Click to expand...

And there are people like me that prefer the P body / J neck config
 
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#12
OhDee said:
Hi,
I'll start off with these questions I have... After that there's a backround story which might help you understand what's the deal... Feel free to not read it and just answer the q's :)

  1. Which Jazz Bass's have the widest necks? (the strings are farthest apart). I know they are known for the narrow neck, I found that uncomfortable, but I like the sound of a Jazz.
  2. P Bass Neck on Jazz Bass Body - would that work? I know people do it the other way around...
  3. Are there any models of P Bass that have Jazz like features?
  4. Where would you look for a Bass in the New York area? (I am not for the US, but I'll be there in a couple of months)
...
Click to expand...

Hello and welcome to TalkBass. In NYC there is Rudy's Music. Along with their more expensive basses are some "normal" ones. Surely you won't find in New York a better bass guitar-oriented store or that is run by cooler people.

Get a Jazz Bass that you like; one you like everything about except the width of its neck that narrows its string spacing. Then get a P neck that you like, swap it onto your Jazz Bass, then sell the Jazz Bass neck. The bass you get can be passive, so you can add a preamp to it later.

Good luck!
 
#14
JACink said:
Buy a J with a body and sound you like, buy a P with a neck you like, mount J neck on P and sell, mount P neck on J and enjoy.

If you buy both the J and P used, then you shouldn't lose much cash on selling the P with J neck in comparison to what you paid for the P.
Click to expand...

…or one could buy the parts separately from somewhere like The Stratosphere and just assemble them. It may seem a bit overpriced, but in my opinion, sometimes paying a little extra for "the convenience" can be worth it, especially if it means the OP doesn't have to sell off any unused parts. Here's an example…
  • Invalid Link Removed $600
  • Invalid Link Removed $500
That's $1100, plus shipping. No fuss…no muss! :thumbsup: And if the OP wants a different color or a rosewood neck, there are other options as well. They'll just require a little bit more elbow grease to finish it.
 
#17
Hey wow thanks for all these answers.
Very helpful and a variety of directions to consider!
The only thing I'm concerned with is I might not have the knowledge to find a body and neck that would combine well.
You know, like I would find a good neck and a good body but they would for some reason not 'work together'.
Of course I will give it to a good guitar tech and not do it myself, but still, any tips on making a hybrid?

Thanks
 
#18
As for the possibilty of buying two-
Good idea, unfortunately I will be in the US for a period that is not long enough to sell..I think.. unless a store is interested.

As for this Stratosphere website - are they reliable?
and what do you think about Japanese made necks? I saw one Japanese guitar that I liked but had alot of lacquer like the shiniest thing I ever saw... So if it says its a Japan "RI" does that mean it's finish is nitro or modern?

I thought maybe..
[Invalid or Expired Link Removed]
+
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?
 
#19
OhDee said:
Hey wow thanks for all these answers.
Very helpful and a variety of directions to consider!
The only thing I'm concerned with is I might not have the knowledge to find a body and neck that would combine well.
You know, like I would find a good neck and a good body but they would for some reason not 'work together'.
Of course I will give it to a good guitar tech and not do it myself, but still, any tips on making a hybrid?

Thanks
Click to expand...

There is always a possibility of parts not fitting together correctly, but if they're from the same manufacturer and the years they were made are fairly close, the odds of a good, proper fit are in your favor.

As far as assembling a loaded body and neck ("loaded" = it has all the necessary parts…pickups, tuners, hardware, etc…), all you have to do is make sure the screws line up and are fully tightened. After that, all you need to do is add strings and perform a setup.

For a little first-hand experience, here's a link to my parts-bass project threads;

OhDee said:
As for the possibilty of buying two-
Good idea, unfortunately I will be in the US for a period that is not long enough to sell..I think.. unless a store is interested.

As for this Stratosphere website - are they reliable?
and what do you think about Japanese made necks? I saw one Japanese guitar that I liked but had alot of lacquer like the shiniest thing I ever saw... So if it says its a Japan "RI" does that mean it's finish is nitro or modern?

I thought maybe..
[Invalid or Expired Link Removed]
+
[Invalid or Expired Link Removed]
?
Click to expand...

First thing…the body looks just fine, but that neck is for a left-handed bass.

Second…I've shopped at The Stratosphere a few times and haven't had any problems. I don't know how they'd handle overseas shipping, so I'd send them an email first. For more accounts of their service record, just search the forum for the term "stratosphere". It's a fairly safe bet most references to it are about the online store, not the atmosphere.

Third…"RI" is short for "reissue", which is when an older style of instrument is reproduced and "reissued". For example, that '74 RI body has what's called "seventies-era pickup placement" which has the bridge pickup a little closer towards the bridge. It creates a slightly different sound, some say it has more "growl", than the Jazz basses made before and after.
 
#20
You could still put a left hand neck on a right hand body. You'd just have to replace the nut. Not sure how the break angle would work for all the strings. Would look cool. Dusty Hill kind of thing. Might be awkward to tune.
 

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