VALLEY ARTS BASSES - How about them?

[Bassamatic]

There is a beautiful Valley Arts California Pro P/J bass on CL. Seems really nicely made with great parts - Wilkinson, EMG and Hipshot. The P set seems a little more towards the neck than usual - probably a little more bottom than most P/Js.

I don't know anything about these as far as quality, playability, etc. but this one really has my interest. It was made right about the transition from USA to Samick manufacturing, but don't know yet where it was made.

Comments?? Thanks!

 

[mmbongo]

Those bridges are horrendous, but on the flip side you can install a Babicz which will have the same footprint and won’t look weird.

 

[SgtHulka]

I'm not normally into gold hardware but that looks pretty pimp, esp against that forest green.

 

[ajkula66]

These basses are nowhere near as highly regarded as their guitar counterparts.

Some of them were made from U.S. parts but assembled in Korea. The others were completely U.S.A. The pickups are not original to that bass, and the bridge likely isn't either.

None of these pieces command any type of a serious price. They may be excellent instruments in their own right, but are not popular and tend to sell poorly. Just something to bear in mind.

Good luck.

 

[lowendblues]

I remember my earliest memories of Will Lee. He used to play a Jazz bass with a Valley Arts neck.

 

[Bassamatic]

Thanks! I haven't heard back from the seller so perhaps it is moot. Until we start playing out again, I shouldn't even be looking!! My bass closet is full as it is.

 

[Dalewyatt]

I remember my earliest memories of Will Lee. He used to play a Jazz bass with a Valley Arts neck.

That's where I remember them also!

 

[sonojono]

Never seen a PJ spread out like that

 

[Bassamatic]

Never seen a PJ spread out like that

The P is also in the "correct" position - with the treble side towards the neck!

 

[johnnynitro]

I live in SoCal. too. That ad has been on CL for a long time !

 

[two fingers]

I played several back in the early 2000s. Nice basses. Very dated in their appearance. But very well made.

The J pickup is too far back to he useful to me. And, if I recall, the P pickup is actually a little closer to the neck as well.

 

[gmarcus]

I bought a 5 string version last year and modified the hell out of it. It just screamed 90s. Now it's just a bit strange. The bridge is terrible. The neck was pretty nice. The body wood was very dense but pretty light. The pickup spacing is unique. It makes for a hollow sound that is really sensitive to string choice. It sounded almost like an upright with labella low tension flats but it disappeared in the mix as it did with chromes, sunbeams, highbeams, roto 77s and a few more. Then I put on a set of old TI jazz flats....bingo. the string's midrange complexity complemented it perfectly. Now I love it. Kind of like a slightly mellower p bass. I swapped in a nordstrand noiseless pj set, hipshot A style bridge and Res-O-lite tuners and a custom passive wiring harness. Yeah I spent way too much on parts but I needed a project during lock down.
Here is the original and modified

 

[stringthrough]

I came across a Korean made one in green about 20 years ago, just like the one pictured. It played nicely though I didn't plug it in. Because I love green anything I considered buying it but avoided the impulse buy thing.

[Update]

You made me look for one and found this Samick 5-stringer in green for $250. Hard to beat that price.

Samick Valley Arts 5 string bass Green w/ Hardcase and Stand | Failed Bassist | Reverb

 

[Bassamatic]

So much info! Thanks all. It is a shame that Valley Arts closed down when the store caught on fire. Seems they had minimal insurance - ouch! I seem to remember when that happened - it was in my neighborhood.

 

[MultiScaleMale]

I've seen a few that were very well made and played well at Guitar Center and they were usually dirt cheap. But I have plenty of gear, so I never bought one. Plus, my wife is cool with me buying gear, but her math is something like one bass equals one bass. So, if I bought a Valley Arts that's a bass. If I bought a Fodera, that's a bass. You have to space bass purchases out, so why ruin it with a Valley Arts?

 

[mikeoso]

Back when I first got my Martin ABG, the tuners on it had been messed up. The replacements I ended up with are the gold Valley Arts branded ones, which I suspect of being Wilkinsons.

 

[DELACIUS]

Guy what do you think about this Valley art 5 string bass, it was I think a custom order.
Signed by the serial number by John Gaudesi,
Maybe how much is that worth?

Thanks

 

[Big Louzer]

I bought a 5 string version last year and modified the hell out of it. It just screamed 90s. Now it's just a bit strange.

View attachment 4218370

Are you one of those guys who would shave a perfectly good Jazz bass body into a Teardrop shape?

 

[gmarcus]

Are you one of those guys who would shave a perfectly good Jazz bass body into a Teardrop shape?

No......it was during Covid and I always wanted a bass that was specifically shaped to use with a slinger strap.