What exactly does gel-coated mean? Is this a soft, lacquer-type finish, or a more durable synthetic (or something else)? Is it a smooth end result, or is it "pores showing - woody feel" like a lighter oil finish?
In this case, the gel coat probably isn't the defining factor in how the finish feels; the wax really determines that. After applying the wax, the finish has a slight sheen to it, and you can really feel the grain on the guitar. However, we have done some reworking on some APs in the past, and I steel wooled the hell out of them after they were waxed to see what would happen, and it turned out very nice--a feel not unlike a satin finish.
I remember pre-lightwave bodies that you could order already assembled. Are there any of these bodies left?, some had some great wood combo's.
Unfortunately, I don't believe Jack has any of those bodies left, but you're definitely right about the exotic woods. Jack did some work for Lightwave, and he experimented with some insane wood combinations that were just awesome. If anyone's interested, I threw together a page with some of Jack's Lightwave pieces [Invalid or Expired Link Removed] This is the type of work that he really loves, and he can't wait to open the custom shop to start it up again.
Any plans for a 35" neck on the 5 string J's?
I talked to Jack about a lot of things that you guys have brought up in this forum, and the 35" scale 5 strings was something that we talked about at great length. It seems that in the past, Jack has gotten mixed feedback from both sides concerning the "proper" scale length for 5 strings. He explained to me that he noticed that many of the higher-end boutique basses offered 35" scale models, whereas most mass-produced 5 strings are 34" scale length. He consulted a great deal of people about this, and some said that the 35" scale sort of threw them off when they were used to the typical 34" scale. Thus he was faced with the problem of offering a boutique option or offering what he thought most players would be used to. Because he was producing them on a larger scale, and wanted to cater to a larger audience, he decided to simply offer his 5 strings in two different scale lengths: the JT in 34", and the AP in 35". Of course, this presents a problem for those who want a JT in 35" scale, but unfortunately I don't think he's going to change it anytime soon.
I really love the look of this bass, and I badly want an affordable fretless. Also, any plans for some neck-through models?
This is another one of the issues I brought up to Jack. He said that he would absolutely be making more fretless basses (he's been making fretless basses for notable players for years, but has never done a larger production run). I'm not sure what models he'd end up doing, but the Single M is certainly a possibility. As for neck-throughs, I honestly don't know. It seems more like a custom-shop thing, but you never know. I'll have to check it out first and get back to you.
Overall, this forum has been fantastic for input and feedback. I showed it to Jack, and he was amazed at the sense of community that these forums are capable of generating. Very soon, I'll be seriously looking into integrating a forum into the TBC website.
Also, I really pushed the active/passive switch option, and Jack agreed. We'll be offering the option as soon as we get toggle switches in stock.
