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NBD! JC Sig


Bassilisk

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Here's my brand new Epiphone Jack Casady Signature bass in (limited run) Alpine White.

 

I had played one several years ago and was impressed with the playability and tone, so it was filed away for future consideration. A few weeks ago the future came around. I wasn't actually looking to get another bass (I really don't need one) but a deal came up that I just couldn't pass. One word - this bass does not come with a case. It's an extra wherever you get a new one.

 

Cons:

-- I'm not a fan of 3 point bridges. I've had several Gibsons with them and, though they can be problematic, once you get the hang of them they're pretty solid. It's still an outdated design and not nearly as flexible as new offerings. The Gibson 3-points are quite solid. The Epi version is not nearly as robust. It works but I didn't like it at all. I was even less enamored when a new set of strings started pulling one of the inserts out. Apparently this is not uncommon on Epi bass bridges - Talkbass has threads full of this very issue. Typically a simple glue-in will solve it, but I wasn't having any of that. I picked up a Hipshot Supertone and had my tech put it on. He even sanded a curve into the bottom to match the body! Gotta love that kind of attention to detail.

 

-- The tuners are Grovers and are only okay. I'm not going to change them as they work just well enough. I wish they made them in black though....

 

-- Because I cannot hang the bass very low to play comfortably the front edge of the lower bout digs into my forearm to some degree while playing. Not super comfortable to say the least. However this does help offset any neck dive and I am willing to deal with this for other reasons.

 

Pros:

-- Build quality overall is first rate. Nice tight joints and binding, clean neck set (and the neck on mine is perfect according to my tech - good news!), nice fret work and the finish was nicely done - very even all around.

 

-- Playability is great with a comfortable neck profile. Having the string spacing adjustment on the Hipshot helped make for a perfect setup in every direction. The notes respond very evenly across the entire neck.

 

-- The real jewel of this bass - the pickup!! Wow! Low impedance/low output with a Varitone and tone knob allow for a broad and flexible pallette. Settings on the varitone are 50-250-500 (ohms). At 50 it's rich and round, very full sounding with a nice mid girth that cuts through with a lot of support. 250 gives more of a big P sound on steroids, and 500 is in-your-face, as agressive as you like. Each kick up increases in volume from the previous and this pickup is way hot! Lots of output. I have it strung with Chromes and for the 2 gigs I had this weekend I never got past the 50 setting - just a beautiful rich tone. Every note so clear and focused I could swear this bass was active.

 

Bottom Line: I am truly impressed with the quality and performance of this bass, not just at its price point but compared to basses at one substantially higher. I am very happy to put this bass into my keeper circle.

 

Here's a phone shot - I'll get a better one shortly.

 

 

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