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Super Jazz advice?.. sadowsky, xotic, coda etc
- Thread starter sifi76
- Start date
You already have the answer. You want a Super J, check out the Dingwall Super series. Invalid Link Removed
Active or passive options, with a sweet passive tone control on the models with preamps, so you can go either way. You can get a JJ or a PJ in either the P bass body style or the J body. Four or five string. The fanned fret scale give you super balance and clarity. The shorter D and G strings are super punchy.
My four string Super P/J weighs under 8 lbs.
There's a couple for sale in the TB classifieds at this very moment.
Active or passive options, with a sweet passive tone control on the models with preamps, so you can go either way. You can get a JJ or a PJ in either the P bass body style or the J body. Four or five string. The fanned fret scale give you super balance and clarity. The shorter D and G strings are super punchy.
My four string Super P/J weighs under 8 lbs.
There's a couple for sale in the TB classifieds at this very moment.
Same thoughts here.
I have played well over a dozen Roscoes and gigged with a SKB 5 and a SKB 6 for a couple of years. Light and flimsy isn't a descriptor I would ever use for Roscoe basses. Roscoes can be light-ish, but so can most other manufacturers. My pair were both in the 8.5-9.0lb range.
Buy a bass that you have had the chance to play. Having one built (regardless of the builder) is a gamble - especially given your location. I love my Sadowskys (in both active and passive modes) but I'm not sure the label "Swiss Army Knife" would apply (then again I don't really know what a Swiss Army Knife bass would be). If all those basses you mentioned are available locally then go and try them and see which one you like best.
Sadowsky and Nordy are both top of the heap for super Jazz basses. The other one that I would add is Alleva Coppolo. AC's have a bit more of an authentic vintage vibe while Sadowsky and Nordy tend to be a little more modern. Both great.
Based on what I think you're looking for, I'd go for the Sadowsky or a G & L. The Sadowsky basses sound very good but cost more; the G & L's are an excellent value.
There are lots of good basses out there - especially if you're looking at $3,000 + instruments. Finding the perfect one for you isn't easy. You're not going to find it by asking others what you should have. Get out there, play some instruments and you'll know when its right
There are lots of good basses out there - especially if you're looking at $3,000 + instruments. Finding the perfect one for you isn't easy. You're not going to find it by asking others what you should have. Get out there, play some instruments and you'll know when its right
I posted a similar thread a few weeks ago! The best advice I got was to buy any J I wanted and slap a good preamp in it. Heard great stuff bout sadowsky, g&l, and a a lot of others.
I just wanted to say that you can't go wrong with any of those choices but at this level of instruments you owe it to yourself to take some time and thoroughly research every aspect of the instruments and the builders. It would also be wise to play as many variations of as many basses on your radar as possible so you can get familiar with any potential changes in design over a builder's timeline.
Happy hunting! I was in your shoes around 16 months ago and both loved and hated the journey to finding my first boutique J!
Happy hunting! I was in your shoes around 16 months ago and both loved and hated the journey to finding my first boutique J!
I have played a lot of different "Super Js" over the years (several Sadowskys, several Laklands, Trace-Elliot/Status, esh,...) and I am convinced a Nordy VJ4 (with a Nordstrand pre) is your best bet as it does both active and passive mode best!
MDBass
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- Nov 7, 2012
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This.
I own a Spector Coda, which is a phenomenal instrument, and have played all of the others you've mentioned, which are all superb in their own right as well...but my Dingwall Super J 3X is THE bass.
Ibanez SR1200E or a SR1400E.
The Nordstrand Big Singles in it are basically super Jazz pickups. It has a passive bypass switch, and of course, Ibanez's 3-way mid switch.
The bass sounds massive, but has an unmistakable Jazz tone.
The Nordstrand Big Singles in it are basically super Jazz pickups. It has a passive bypass switch, and of course, Ibanez's 3-way mid switch.
The bass sounds massive, but has an unmistakable Jazz tone.
My "super" jazz is Sandberg TM4. Not excessively expensive (equivalent $$$ to Fender Custom Shop), and the Delano humbucker in the bridge position is a bit different to other "super" jazzes.
I don't have much experience with J-basses of the "super" kind but as far as passive vs. active goes I'd stake my money on a fully passive bass. Or one that has a very good passive circuit.
As you pointed out in your original post your active basses don't play nice with your effects. This was the same reason I went back to a passive J and P -bass. Simple, yet very effective. You can always use an outboard preamp pedal like a Darkglass B7K, the Tone hammer from Aguilar etc.
My advice is, take your time and play as many super Jazzes as you can find.
Also, that Dingwall a few posts back looks stunning.
-Perry
As you pointed out in your original post your active basses don't play nice with your effects. This was the same reason I went back to a passive J and P -bass. Simple, yet very effective. You can always use an outboard preamp pedal like a Darkglass B7K, the Tone hammer from Aguilar etc.
My advice is, take your time and play as many super Jazzes as you can find.
Also, that Dingwall a few posts back looks stunning.
-Perry
The Passive mode on my Coda was one of the best passive J bass sounds I've heard. You can go active and get the Jazz on steroids kind of sound but I mainly stayed passive. Mine was just under 9 lbs. Great bass, funky headstock. Sounded similar to but better than my 62AVRI plus didn't have any neck stability issues. For the price thats what I'd go for.
Sadowsky basses are wonderful but The tone just isn't for me. Have only played a few but never really bonded with one. Couldn't dial out that sound.
Sadowsky basses are wonderful but The tone just isn't for me. Have only played a few but never really bonded with one. Couldn't dial out that sound.
I will 'third' the notion of a Dingwall. Sheldon has been making his pickups in-house for years and has got it down. I've owned five of them and none had a significant 'dead spot' anywhere on the neck. I believe this is a positive side-effect of the multi-scales. They sound SO good in active or passive mode. 
The current model now has the pickups in the "sixties positions" and will render a more classic jazz tone...
Yeah, it may look sweet, but it's a killer :
The current model now has the pickups in the "sixties positions" and will render a more classic jazz tone...Yeah, it may look sweet, but it's a killer :
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Can you expand on this? What makes a Sadowsky with a VTC in passive mode any different from any other jazz bass? Sadowsky is still on my "don't have one yet..." list.
