20th Anniversary JCS [new pics]

[uwe]

Because flamed maple is more expensive.

That can't be much. But the certificate is of course value-enhancing.

[Basvarken]

A gold JCS costs € 597
A gig bag cost about € 50
A padded leather strap costs € 30

This would mean the flamed bookmatched maple top is € 72 more expensive than a regular maple top.

[Dave W]

The US price for the regular Casady bass is $800, although MF/GC has reduced that a bit now, they must be trying to close them out. These are now MIC, right? If I were in the market, that's more than I would pay, regardless of specs.  If the new one is any more expensive, I think they will see sales fall, if they haven't fallen already.

[Chris P.]

I think yours is the street price, Rob, and not the RRP

[the mojo hobo]

Sweetwater has the 20th anniversary available for pre-order at $799, same as the black and gold ones. MF has the Blue Royale at $829, but with the 15% discount they are running now it's actually $705. Unfortunately MF doesn't have the 20th anniversary available for pre-order.

[uwe]

A gold JCS costs € 597
A gig bag cost about € 50
A padded leather strap costs € 30

This would mean the flamed bookmatched maple top is € 72 more expensive than a regular maple top.

I find that reasonable, the translucent fin won't allow any type of flamed maple either, so they can't even use every sheet.

I must say ... I am tempted ... after all we are all sometimes guilty of ... (And don't you dare mention "Rhiannon" when Doro zings zis!)



Alas!

[Dave W]

Sweetwater has the 20th anniversary available for pre-order at $799, same as the black and gold ones. MF has the Blue Royale at $829, but with the 15% discount they are running now it's actually $705. Unfortunately MF doesn't have the 20th anniversary available for pre-order.

If the 20th winds up at $799 with the gig bag, it ought to sell at least as well as the original, which must have sold reasonably well to have lasted this long.

[the mojo hobo]

I did pre-order one from Sweetwater about a month ago. They called me last week saying it was expected this week, but called again this morning and said August now.

[uwe]

Apart from the TBird, the JCS is the most consistently selling bass model Gubson or Epiphone have put out in the last two to three decades. It started the semi-acoustic trend with basses.

[Alanko]

Because flamed maple is more expensive.

Do these have a solid maple top, or simply a veneer?

I also had a think about the bushings for the bridge, and are these drilled vertically down? How was it done on the original Les Paul Signature (?) bass? I know Epiphone used these 3-point bridges on the Rivoli reissue, but the original basses had the 2-point system. I'm thinking that bushings mounted vertically don't match well with a curved top, whereas a flat EB-3 or Thunderbird top makes better sense.

I'm keeping an eye on these JC basses actually, as I like the look of the red finish on these. I've never liked the gold finished JC basses as the finish doesn't look as regal as the '70s originals for whatever reason. If a black one showed up locally however I might spring for that.

Quite interested in the circuitry of a JC bass. Is it simply a low-Z pickup which is then fed into a transformer with a few different taps on it? What does the '50, 250' etc actually signify? It seems the lowest setting has the widest bandwidth but the lowest output, and the bandwidth diminishes as the output increases, with the 250 and 500 setting? As such these aren't strictly low impedance basses as a line transformer converts the output to high impedance, so that you can connect the bass to a conventional amplifier? Is this, then, a tradeoff between the higher fidelity of a low-Z pickup system and the general ease of usability of a high-Z bass?

[bassilisk]

Here's a thread from TB about the JC electronics. See if it helps you.

https://www.talkbass.com/threads/how-do-the-epiphone-jack-casady-electronics-work.1241184/

[uwe]

Frankly, the 250 and 500 settings do nothing for me, but Jack doesn't use them either. They might be interesting for people that want to drive their extreme effects with a beefed up signal, other than that it is hard to see what there is to like about sounds that take all the nuances out of this nuanced bass.

The original Gibson Les Paul Signatue had a second output at the side for "studio work" - I believe that was for the unadulterated low impedance signal to be fed into a mixing console etc. It was much quieter than anything that came out of the front jack irrespective of setting, in fact whatever the setting of the chicken head switch, its sound was unchanged.

The big dif between the Epi and the Gibson is that the latter regularly had a maple neck as opposed to a maho one. That makes all the difference in the attack of the thing, the Gibson is much snappier, unusually snappy for a hollow-body. But seeing how Jack plays, I believe he cares neither for snappiness or attack, but purity of tone and a certain mellowness. Which is ok, but the Epi has none of the Gibson LP Sig's P-Bass-bullish assertiveness.

I actually like the way JC promotes that bass, very understated, matter of fact. He also plays them off the rack from Epi, no fancy pants custom shop model for him. And it's nice that it is still in Epi's model line after all these years and that you actually see it quite a bit with pro players for an Epi (even if in the upper price range as Epis go). Is it versatile in sound? Not really. But players looking for a hollow-body are all about vibes and not versatility. It plays nice too.

[Alanko]

I'm going to give one a shot, if I can find one used. If I get on with the design, tone and neck then I might try and get one of these 20th anniversary ones.

[uwe]

Very few people are disappointed with it. I used to complain how it didn't sound/bite like a Gibson LP Signature until I realized that it can't in absence of a maple neck - the Epi's maho neck is a matter of taste and choice, not quality.

Of all the different fins they have offered over the years, that 20th Anniversary one is really the cream of the crop. And I agree with you, the original Epi gold fin can't compete with the gold of the Gibson model though I'm not a gold fin fan either way.

[Alanko]

Very few people are disappointed with it.

A challenge appears! 

Here's a thread from TB about the JC electronics. See if it helps you.

https://www.talkbass.com/threads/how-do-the-epiphone-jack-casady-electronics-work.1241184/

That is cool to see, many thanks! I think my basic premise was right, but I didn't realize that the 3-way switch settings actually indicate ohms.

I agree with you, the original Epi gold fin can't compete with the gold of the Gibson model though I'm not a gold fin fan either way.

Yeah the gold isn't really 'me'. But the original seems more vibrant somehow, and the Epi has a sort of plastic shine to it, whereas the '70s originals have a deeper luster. Hard to describe.