I just spent $130 on a Jay Turser JTB-401. It is a copy of the '54 Precision bass. This bass is amazing. It came out of the box TUNED! The fit and finish is perfect. The frets are smooth with no high or sharp frets. That little ugly pickup shoots thunder! They must have been listening because the knobs are now metal. The body is so light that it tends to neck dive. People have said that a Badass II bridge will alleviate this. I spent over a grand on a Rickenbacker 4003 which I adore but to spend $130 and be happy is something that I never thought would happen! I didn't think they could send an empty box from China for $130!! If you're looking for a great sounding bass with the Sting '54 Precision vibe, check out the Jay Turser JTB-401B. The only thing I would have liked if the neck was a little chunkier..it seems a little thin but it still plays like a dream! If anyone has any experience with any of the other Jay Turser guitars I would love to hear about it. They have a gorgeous Tele model with a humbucker up front.
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Unbelievable! Jay Turser JTB-401
- Thread starter kdangler
- Start date
It must be a copy of one of the rare invisible P-bass models because I don't see no bass my friend.
Post pix if you got 'em please.
Since you're new here you may not have heard: No Pix, No Bass. We like to see them new basses, not just read about 'em.
I got one...the neck dive doesn't bother me all that much, but I'll be putting a BA II on there eventually. The string spacing is a little off for my liking so I think I'll have to redo that...the G string is pretty quiet.
Other than that, I'm really impressed with the sound that comes out of that pickup! I also LOVE the feel of the neck. For $130 I'm more than pleased.
Other than that, I'm really impressed with the sound that comes out of that pickup! I also LOVE the feel of the neck. For $130 I'm more than pleased.
A bit of searching would find a VERY long, enthusiastic thread about this bass.
I have one and the BAII isn't nearly heavy enough to balance it out. I've added a bridge cover and will add as much tape weight (from mag wheels) as I can inside the cover, then report the result. I love the bass (with Labella Deep Talin' Flats added) but fight the neck dive.
Incidentally, I emailed Leo Quann to ask what the BA II weighs, and got a very nice, thoughtful reply telling me what a great bridge it was - but with no information at all about the weight of the bridge. Leo gets high marks for responding, but a grade of F for not providing the info requested. The Schaller bridge is the heaviest I've been able to find specs on, but it's more than $100. Hence---adding tape weight.
I have one and the BAII isn't nearly heavy enough to balance it out. I've added a bridge cover and will add as much tape weight (from mag wheels) as I can inside the cover, then report the result. I love the bass (with Labella Deep Talin' Flats added) but fight the neck dive.
Incidentally, I emailed Leo Quann to ask what the BA II weighs, and got a very nice, thoughtful reply telling me what a great bridge it was - but with no information at all about the weight of the bridge. Leo gets high marks for responding, but a grade of F for not providing the info requested. The Schaller bridge is the heaviest I've been able to find specs on, but it's more than $100. Hence---adding tape weight.
Fit and finish perfect? You must have gotten a much better one that I did. Look closely at the pickguard cut where it meets the chrome knob cover. Look closely at the evenness of the pickup rout. Check the nut installation. Measure the distances between the tuners.
I agree - great bass for the price and sounds absolutely fantastic!
I agree - great bass for the price and sounds absolutely fantastic!
Look what a guy on another page did to his Turser JTB-401: painted in Surf Green, recarved the headstock and added logo and vintage tint to the neck.
That's pretty awsome!
Incidentally, I went ahead and did the tape weight thing under the bridge cover and under the strings in front of the bridge. Here are pix:
Underside of bridge cover:
Weights under strings in front of bridge:
I was able to add about 11 ounces of weight and it's all invisible with the bridge cover in place. The result is that the bass is lon longer a serious neck-diver, it balances well with a wide strap, and it STILL only weighs about 7.5 pounds since it was so light in the first place.
Underside of bridge cover:
Weights under strings in front of bridge:
I was able to add about 11 ounces of weight and it's all invisible with the bridge cover in place. The result is that the bass is lon longer a serious neck-diver, it balances well with a wide strap, and it STILL only weighs about 7.5 pounds since it was so light in the first place.
Any tire shop has them. They come about 8 pieces wide in strips, each chunk .5 oz, so a strip is 4 oz. My Goodyear store gave them to me, since I'm a regular customer. Auto Parts stores probably have them too - they'll be cheap.
One caution - the Turser is poly and I'm not worried about the adhesive on that finish. You'd want to be careful with non-poly finishes...might be lasting visible effect on the finish.
One caution - the Turser is poly and I'm not worried about the adhesive on that finish. You'd want to be careful with non-poly finishes...might be lasting visible effect on the finish.
I gotta admit that Seafoam Green Turser looks sweet. It must kill the Fender people when they see one of their logos on these instruments.
Pilgrim, is a lot of the neck dive due to the weight of the tuners? If so, how much do they weigh and how much do the lightweight (and pricey) aftermarket tuners weigh?
Technically speaking, could adding weight (that is not directly related to the string vibration, like say a bridge) rob sustain on an instrument? There are probably some great threads on TB dealing specifically with mass and vibration, I'd appreciate any links to them.
Pilgrim, is a lot of the neck dive due to the weight of the tuners? If so, how much do they weigh and how much do the lightweight (and pricey) aftermarket tuners weigh?
Technically speaking, could adding weight (that is not directly related to the string vibration, like say a bridge) rob sustain on an instrument? There are probably some great threads on TB dealing specifically with mass and vibration, I'd appreciate any links to them.
My standard solution to neck dive is to simply relocate strap button on the 'butt end' of the bass higher - works like a charm, doesn't add to the weight of the bass, doesn't cost anything and takes 5 mins to do.
I played around with a LOT of different strap button locations. I moved it both directions from the stock location, including trying various places on back of the instrument and using the output jack as a location. None of them were nearly as effective as adding weight.
I ran some numbers on stock Fender tuners and Hipshot Ultralights once, and it appeared there was only 3-4 oz difference in weight per set of 4. That's NOT much difference to pay nearly $100 for, and I wasn't interested. I honestly don't think that changing tuners would have any appreciable impact on the neck dive, and I wouldn't waste money on it. The stock tuners work fine.
Since the stock Turser was only about 6.5 pounds, the issue is the neck. It's a 34" scale bass, and the weight of a maple neck is simply too much for the light body. Adding a bridge cover (which IMO looks much, much better) and tape weight was a simple, visually stealthy way to solve the problem. Moreover, with a bass that's as light as the Turser, you could add a pound and still have a lighter than average bass.
I can't imagine that adding mass to a bass would reduce sustain. My Turser has plenty of sustain - and I like to ask: how much do we need? I don't often play a note for more than two seconds.
I ran some numbers on stock Fender tuners and Hipshot Ultralights once, and it appeared there was only 3-4 oz difference in weight per set of 4. That's NOT much difference to pay nearly $100 for, and I wasn't interested. I honestly don't think that changing tuners would have any appreciable impact on the neck dive, and I wouldn't waste money on it. The stock tuners work fine.
Since the stock Turser was only about 6.5 pounds, the issue is the neck. It's a 34" scale bass, and the weight of a maple neck is simply too much for the light body. Adding a bridge cover (which IMO looks much, much better) and tape weight was a simple, visually stealthy way to solve the problem. Moreover, with a bass that's as light as the Turser, you could add a pound and still have a lighter than average bass.
I can't imagine that adding mass to a bass would reduce sustain. My Turser has plenty of sustain - and I like to ask: how much do we need? I don't often play a note for more than two seconds.
E-bay, Google. My locally owned shop, a Jay Turser dealer, just happened to have one in stock when I called. The rest, as they say, is history.
Mine has no neck dive problems that concern me in completely stock state.
Have you considered moving the bottom strap button up an inch? Some folks have done so and reported it helped immensely. I did it and it helped with one bass that was a floor diver. But what helped the most is a wide, padded strap plus the move of the strap button.
