LeftyBassist.com

http://cgi.ebay.com/New-Fender-1975-NOS ... 45fba00e38

No affiliation with seller.

Whoa.

Awesome! But why black bindings and white blocks?

If anyone turned up to a gig with that bass, the expectations would be hard to live up to.....what a beauty tho', wish I had a lazy 3Gs

As someone who's girlfriend watches alot of hgtv I can say with conviction that the black binding serves as a frame for the maple neck causing more of a visual "pop" and bringing more focus to the blocks. Or you know...maybe he just wanted black binding.

It sounds like a famous lefty bass player - go on tour...let a $6,000 Fender CS bass take the dust in a closet for 4 years..
I wonder who it is. Any guess?

Apparently not the only bass he forgot in his closet.

http://cgi.ebay.com/USED-SCHECTER-004-B ... 922wt_1139

Is it really the price of a CS Fender bass?

The quote I received on a lefty Fender "Master Built" Custom Shop 5-string Jazz Bass was $5,500 USD.

The specs weren't even too crazy... it was basically a passive 5-string version of a "Marcus Miller" looking Jazz.

Natural ash body, black guard, maple fingerboard, pearl blocks, white binding, passive electronics, and a Bad Ass bridge... and then I asked for a few "modern" things like a quarter-sawn maple neck, 5-bolt neck, ultralite tuners, and strap-locks.

Now that Mike Lull is making 34" scale 5-string basses, I will never even consider paying that much for a new Fender Masterbuilt or Sadowsky bass.

I second this and Mike's basses are GREAT!

I was quoted $2800 for a CS P, and that was from a retailer who didn't do much business with Fender CS.

The Masterbuilts are much more expensive for a reason and I wouldn't price-compare Masterbuilts and CSs.

I got also a funny quote from the Custom Shop lately -

I asked for a lefty Version of the American Deluxe 5 string - they wanted me to pay 5500,- Euros (7800,- dollars) for this Bass that would have to be a Master Built (decided by them not by me)

after that I've bought Stryker's MIJ Jazz Bass 5 here and couldn't be happier - together with my Sadowsky Preamp/DI this Bass is a Killer !!! and they price (700,- dollars) was great too


but I have to say that my Master Built Jazz Bass (by Dennis Galuszka) is the most lively Bass that I have ever played - great wood selection and great job on the whole finish & set up !

Well, I did have the ML P5 and even put a jazz at the bridge to get some bite to it and I ended up selling it after a tour. it was a good 5 strings with the 35" but it was just ok for me. But now with that new Sadowsky 5 strings, that bass is becoming my first choice on gigs. Even today with a new soundman at the board, he totally flipped when he turned on the pot. It was all there, even in passive mode, so Chris, if I sell the Sad, you should consider it !!! LOL

I am a BIG fan of 35" scale basses for my drop tune stuff. All my Spector basses are 35" scale, even the 4 stringers I custom ordered. To me it's comfortable but any other boutique bass I own has to be a 34" scale. I almost went 35" on my Zon but Joe insisted getting the 519 in a custom 34" scale. I kept saying no but...... I thank him dearly now. It's much more comfortable and the low B still is full and fat with a very fast neck. Nothing against his 35's but they are only 21 frets, the 34 is 24 frets. Very glad to hear Mike's doing 34' now. His 35's are good but the 34 is the perfect Jazz/P scale if you don't lose the "B" in the mix.

Again, this is personal preference as every player likes a different style/tone and setup. What works for one doesn't always work for another.

The 519 series of basses are "standard" with 35" scale and 19mm spacing (hence the name 519)... it's odd that he would insist on deviating from that. Did he ever say why he was so adamant about it?

No big deal... just interested in why. When I talked to him about the 519 he built for me, he had a lot of nice things to say about 35" scale. I actually wanted 34" scale originally... but, I'm glad I went 35". It's funny how our stories are exact opposites in that regard.

My reasoning is that, for whatever reason (probably due to the insane setup), his basses "feel" low tension to me... I'm probably insane and it's totally in my head, but I have 45-130's on my 519 tuned standard, and they don't feel overly tight at all... in fact, tension is definitely on the low side. I'd be afraid that 34" scale on my particular bass with the way it's set up would be too mushy for me... unless it was fretless maybe.


519's come standard with 22 frets. Since I don't think I've ever touched the 23rd fret on a bass in my life, it works out ok for me. But I can see how you might want the extra two frets if you're into a lot of tapping and/or chordal type stuff. I guess I'm sorta into that stuff too... but I guess I've just never missed the two frets.

Anyway... I only brought up the 34" scale thing to begin with because it seems to be a pretty important feature to a lot of "Fender Purists" and that, along with Lull's 18mm spacing, has kept some of the Sadowsky and Fender CS purists away from his basses... but now, (aside from the 18mm spacing, which I'm OK with), there's no longer an excuse for people NOT to check out his line.

Ha, Chris.. I didnt want to mention your name here but almost did.... Thats why I stated its all in the users preference. I LOVE 35" Scale. I have all Spectors that are 35's. When I tried a 34' Zon, it just felt more comfortable to me and easier to play. His artists are going shorter scale because the fast tapping and playing is getting the best of them. They are going 34, 33, and even 32" scales these days due to wrist strain. He has it down to get a great tone with shorter scales now.

String Tension: It must be the 35" scale length. My Spector's are like that with my Dunlop strings compared to the Zon with same strings. Loose tension due to longer length. My Zon 34" scale with a set of standard steels 45-128/130 at 440 is perfect tension and not floppy.

My bad, the typo was supposed to say 22 fret. That neck you have is great, I saw it at the shop before he shipped it to you. I almost got it prior to my decision. Regardless, any bass you get from Joe Zon is gonna be top notch good and that composite neck is very nice and every note sustains superb. That's my 2 cents and I am sticking with it!!

Ok, cool... You made it sound like Joe talked you out of 35" scale, which was why I was curious.

You have it opposite with the scale length thing... A 35" scale length bass would have more tension than a 34" scale bass would, if they were both tuned to the same pitch and using the same strings... so your Spectors should have slightly more tension than your Zon if tuned to the same pitch and using the same strings.

Anyway... that's all I was saying about my 519... it "feels" like a 34" compared to my other 35"s. I'm sure some of it's the strings I use and the setup of the bass itself... but none of my other basses feel like it.