The Last Bass Outpost

Looks almost exactly like a sketch from years ago that I had of Sheldon's idea for this Dingwal Tbird...except I think the headstock was nicer. I have to find that sketch and doublecheck.

Yeah, that is a good album.

Looking forward to see what the new one coming out will be like, after they get inducted into the RnR Hall of Fame. I'm tempted to go, since they are supposed to play live with Bun E. and it's a half hour from me.

Hello all,

I've noticed a few discussions about JPJ's tone online, and analysis of his tone doesn't really ever get beyond his use of rounds and flats on various cuts. The general consensus is that he used a Jazz bass in the early-to-mid era, then swapped that out for the Becvar and Alembic basses we see from 1977 onwards. He also used a fretless CBS-era Precision bass, a stripped finish Tele bass and some sort of electric upright bass live, and that is that!

However I've listened to the intro to Dazed and Confused a lot over the years, and I cannot hear a Jazz bass in that tone at all. To my ears it sounds like an EB0/EB1/EB2 with flatwounds, played with a pick and hitting an oldschool studio compressor quite hard. The notes are pillowy, but the attach is percussive with a bit of a 'click' present.

My fan theory is that Jimmy Page picked up his more experimental studio chops in the latter days of the Yardbirds, and when he knew he had to record tracks quickly and economically for LZ1 he remembered how easily the Rivoli went onto tape on the Yardies tunes. That sort of bass wouldn't really fug up the middle frequencies like a Fender bass would, so he could separate the instruments out quite easily and quickly creating a (relatively) clear, expansive mix on a tight budget and time constraint.

JPJ is pictured holding an EB1 on the rotating disk thingy for LZ III but it doesn't mean he played it on that, or any, album.

Funny....I actually sold Jason Bonham a hollowbody '74 Les Paul Signature a little before Christmas.
I was wondering if he bought it as a Christmas gift for John Paul Jones.

I've owned a ridiculous number of 8-strings. Was only playing 8-strings for around 5 years at ne point, so really got into them.

A number of the cheaper import ones often have issues. If they used cheap soft maple frmthe ncks they bow. I have found a number of them have bad neck pocket angles, where you cannot lower the qction enough. Also a few also set the bridges where they do not drop down low enough. Some set the bridges in body slots and they are mounted off and hit the edge of the routes. Also, some brands do not use eight string saddles....avoid those, as you cannot intonate the octaves and will be oit of tune.

If you could handle a long-scale, I would have seconded the motion....a used Carlo Robelli is the ticket. That is actually Sam Ash's store brand. They bought the old name and revived it with imports.
But you would have to like silver sparkle...that was the only color they came in I think. It was sort of a copy of a Hamer B8S, except in a 34" scale.

Old Yamahas from 70s are decent, if you can find one cheap enough.

Aluminum neck Kramers are short scale and sometimes pop up cheap. The earlier pointy model has a 4-saddle bridge but you can swap it out easily. The rounder later body has 8-saddles. They are a little heavy but not crazy.

Old Hagstroms from the late 60s are short-scale and used to be cheap but no longer. The originals were nice, albeit very guitarlike. The reissue HB-8 above is OK but an import, sometimes with some of the issues I mentioned...like bad neck pocket, etc. plus, I think those use a 4-saddle bridge. You could swap that out with a Schaller 8 bridge for $50 bucks used.

Hamer made some of the absolute best 8- and 12-string basses but are not cheap. Their B8S model is the short-scale one. They also made a handful of medium ones of that model....technically a B8M, also called a Blades Bass (after Jack Blades of Nighranger.)


Recommendation.....

Due to lack of cheap short-scale 8-strings currently being made, you may wany to consider converting a used Fender bolt-on and slap on a paddle heqdstock neck. You can pick both up for under $100 each. All you would need after that is a decnt 8 saddle bridge like a Schaller....four octave tuners and an 8-slot nut. You may even be able to just add slots to the existing nut. So, maybe $400 total cost and a little work to make your own. I may have a used Schaller 8 bridge if you go that route.

For instance....

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Squier-Jaguar-Short-Scale-Bass-w-Broken-Truss-Rod-for-parts-or-project-/322029557094?hash=item4afa751566:g:wZkAAOSwh-1W2yot

http://www.ebay.com/itm/EDEN-30-Short-Scale-Fretless-Paddle-Bass-Neck-Maple-Rosewood-NO-Inlay-/151973774106?hash=item236257c31a:g:GUYAAOSwZd1VZmrp

A HUGE TURD would be a compliment.

I have heard ZERO good feedback on these.....even for this cheap price.

Firewood.

Yeah, that's exactly where we are both at.

It would make a cool build...and being able to have a luthier who owns a shitload of early 60s Fender Basses do the job and match it to qn actual Jaco bass, would indeed be the optimum situation

.....bt the two of us are still saying "BUT.....where the hell would you ever find another NOS, never routed 1962 Jazz Bass body with all the documentation and backstory?"

So, it may ver well be more interesting UN-built.

But you then get those who are of the opinion that it is a waste to have the body sit around not beng used.

I'm leaning toward leqving it as a NOS never completed oddity from Leo Fender.

Well.....recently picked this up. A 20+ y.o. Spector 12ver husk. Dual-truss, 7-piece neck-thru with abalone inlays. It's routed perfectly for TBird pickups and has posts for a Hamer 12ver bridge, all,of which I already have for it.

Also have all the Schallers I need.

Just needs to be painted and put together.

Also snagged a same period fretless Spector, complete except for the PJ PUPs.

Long story....but they were sitting at a luthier friend of mine.s shop, apparently a loooong time. He got them in a pile of stuff he bought from someone years ago. He isn't familiar with 12vers, so just had it sitting  on a shelf all these years.

While snagging two cool Spectors might normally be a cool enough story.....that is the boring part of the story. My friend also happened to grow up as a close pal of Jaco Pastorius in FL and NYC. He can also play great and toured as bassist in Blood Sweat & Tears.

So.....he pulls out a 1960 fretless Jazz Bass that Jaco gave him as a present many years ago. That alone was cool to see. I didn't think he'd actually hand it to me to play. Even cooler.
And that after I played a jazzy "Norwegian Wood," to have him say "very cool" was even better.
The bass is a natural color, recleared over the typical screw holes from a missing pick-guard...inlaid plastic wood in the defretted neck that is cleared over with somethng. Incredibly cool bass that played fantastic.

I had brought over my Lane Poor Minima 5-string that Lane gave me years ago and one of those oddball semi-teardrop Gibson prototypes I have. He said I hold the record for the two weirdest basses to walk i to the shop together.

Will qdd a photo of the Spector later. The one I have is too big to upload.

Gremans.......always 10 pounds of gun powder, when an ounch will do