This is a little FYI for anyone who has ever thought about it, but never made the calls...
A little bit ago, I was in the process of looking into getting my "dream" 5-string jazz bass. I was going to sell off a bunch of stuff and go for it... especially since I really only play 2 basses at a time and I own 6... but I wasn't sure which direction to go.
I've been gassing HARD for a Sadowsky for like 15 years, so I was headed in that direction... but after recently aquiring a Custom Shop Fender Jazz that is literally EVERYTHING I think a passive 4-string Jazz should be, I thought I'd look into going the Fender route and get the "real deal."
My quote was for a 5-String Fender Jazz... 70's style. Think Marcus Miller bass, but without any of the fancy electronics... I just wanted standard passive V/V/T. Other selections were a quarter-sawn maple neck, maple fingerboard, pearl blocks with binding, one piece LIGHT solid ash body, b/w/b pickguard, natural nitro finish... modern additions would be the 5-bolt neck, hipshot ultralight tuners, and a Badass II bridge.
So, I made a few phone calls and finally got a return phone call from a dealer the other day.
My quote?
$5,250 with a minimum 6-month turnaround.
The bass would be built by ONE person start to finish and that person would contact me directly regularly throughout the process with questions and/or updates.
It's actually about what I expected, but... even if you expect a dollar figure that high, it still feels sort of like a punch in the gut when you get it.
So, yeah... needless to say, I will NOT be going that route... at least not until I inherit a bunch of money or win the lottery. Especially since I just got a Mike Lull and now know first hand what is available for literally HALF that amount of money.
Anyway... just thought I'd share in case anyone was interested.
