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The Mustang bass stripe....

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copacetic:
By the way, how does that JTB-401 (54 clone) sound? Is that pickup just like a '54 or updated slightly? Body balance?

Pilgrim:

--- Quote from: copacetic on August 19, 2009, 08:46:15 AM ---By the way, how does that JTB-401 (54 clone) sound? Is that pickup just like a '54 or updated slightly? Body balance?

--- End quote ---

It's an extremely light bass, under 7 pounds.  As a result, with the 34" maple neck (maple cap for the fretboard), in stock form it's a neck-diver.  What I did was add about 11 oz. of adhesive tire weights on the front part of the bridge and on the inner surface of the bridge cover. The bass still only weighs about 7.5 pounds, and now it balances well.  I wouldn't have added that much weight as a balance solution if the bass hadn't been unusually light to start with.

Here are photos of the weights - a local tire shop where I do biz just handed them to me, no charge:




I can't answer whether the Turser sounds like a '54, as I've never heard one.  I can tell you that with Labella Deep Talkin' flats, it sounds very nice and definitely has a classic sound.  As far as I can tell (and I've never pulled it out to look it over) it's a direct copy of the Fender pickup.  Let's face it, the pickup in those basses wasn't exactly the highest-tech thing Fender ever did, so I don't think it would be hard to copy.

I have followed discussions about this bass on TalkBass and another forum, and those who own them seem to be very happy with the pickup and its sound.  I read posts where a couple of guys had tried swapping in a Fender pickup and actually took it back out because they liked the sound of the Turser pickup better!  Go figure.

In any case, it's certainly not an exotic bass, but the action on mine is low and fast, it required minimal setup, and it sounds good.  For a price of under $200 it was definitely a worthwhile addition for me.

copacetic:
Thanks for that detailed info and pictures. Really intriguing and just goes to show how simple and profound things can be. I like that balancing act as well. Congratulations!

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