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Who makes a great J right now?
- Thread starter 600 Ohms
- Start date
Kiesel, best value for your money and rock solid instrument.
I really want one of the Sandberg P/MMs. Very cool combination of new and traditional there.
Lots of great J style basses to choose from, many of them mentioned here. My favorite is the Mike Lull that I currently own because the thing checks in at under 8 lbs. weight didn't used to be an issue for me but now it is. Other than the light weight it's just an all around great bass. bang for the buck wise G&L is tough to beat. Just my two cents worth. 
Possibly not as expensive as they should be, either. I have my eye on a California VM5 at about $1800, seems like it would be more.
Lots of nice jazz basses out there. If you're low on funds, get a Sire and upgrade the tuners. This bass right here is a parts build. Fender MIM body. Mighty Mite neck. Hipshot Lic. Ultralite tuners. Anodized Aluminum pickguard. Aguilar Super Doubles+Aguilar OPB-3 preamp. I got rid of my US Fender jazz and Lakland JO because this thing outperformed them easily. Total spent? Less than $600.
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Okay, I know I talked up Sadowsky earlier but that is a REALLY lovely J. Seriously, wow.
Moollon makes incredible-sounding instruments in the Fender mold.
Any higher end jazz bass discussion would be remiss if not including Low End as an option.
Not sure if it's been mentioned, but if you do decide to build your own bass, you should realize that your $1,400 Warmoth bass will probably be only worth $700 or maybe $900 if you decide to sell it.
Same goes for a modded Fender Jazz...$1,200 bass, $200 for Fender Super 55s, $300 for an Audere JZ3 preamp, and $150 for a Babicz bridge, for example, doesn't mean someone's going to pay a penny more than $1,200 if you do decide if you it's not for you.
Same goes for a modded Fender Jazz...$1,200 bass, $200 for Fender Super 55s, $300 for an Audere JZ3 preamp, and $150 for a Babicz bridge, for example, doesn't mean someone's going to pay a penny more than $1,200 if you do decide if you it's not for you.
Xotic XJ-1T? Not your preferred wood combi, but still one of the best sounding J type basses I've ever heard, especially in the hands of Larry Kimpel.
One of My DIY Warmoths:
Warmoth Body & neck, Fender bridge, Hipshot U/L tuners EMG pickups & preamp.
Warmoth Body & neck, Fender bridge, Hipshot U/L tuners EMG pickups & preamp.
That's about where I'm at too. I have a passive Lull J and it's a fantastic bass. I don't own a Sadowsky but I've played them (and heard many) and for active, I'd give them the nod.
I like and use these myself.
Available 4 & 5 string, fretted and fretless.
In the J-bass region but a bit downsized and lighter.
Available 4 & 5 string, fretted and fretless.
In the J-bass region but a bit downsized and lighter.
