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Posted: Mon Aug 10, 2009 11:25 am
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Mastermold wrote:
brotherdave wrote:
The Douglas knockoff looks a lot like the Jay Turser 401 which is another '51 Tele bass knockoff. The Turser has a slab fretboard, some are rosewood. I have one of the Tursers with the rosewood board. Other than the stock strings it was ok out of the box but I upgraded the electronics anyway. They go for about $200.


Yeah I don't own a Jay Turser but I've read good reviews at talkbass.com from those that do. I actually considered buying a Turser but opted for the Douglas instead since they're new this year, plus the Douglas has an alder body and cost (with shipping) about $40 less.

When I bought my Fender 51 reissue last year I paid $650 and soon after that the price shot up to over $900. So it's nice to know there are some really cheap knock-offs that are much better basses than the price might imply. The quality of my Douglas is every bit as nice as the Squiers I've owned and played but at half the price. If you can get past the ugly headstock you'll save quite a bit of money.




Don't. My first bass was a Jay Turser, and to this day it is still the worst bass I have ever played. I've tried some of their 'nicer' basses, and they're just as crappy. I'd take a squir affinity, and SX, anything over a turser.[/img]


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Posted: Mon Aug 10, 2009 10:21 pm
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I understand that the neck is different as far as Precision neck vs. Jazz neck. What I meant was: Is the quality similar to the Geddy Lee jazz. I love the action and the feel of the Geddy but I prefer the P Bass and I love the looks of the '51. Also, is it really that uncomfortable to play without the cutaway?


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Posted: Mon Aug 10, 2009 11:49 pm
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landis13 wrote:
I understand that the neck is different as far as Precision neck vs. Jazz neck. What I meant was: Is the quality similar to the Geddy Lee jazz. I love the action and the feel of the Geddy but I prefer the P Bass and I love the looks of the '51. Also, is it really that uncomfortable to play without the cutaway?


It's going to feel different. That is just the nature of the P neck vs. the J neck. Now they both use the same gloss urethane finish (though the original 51 basses did not have this finish), so that will be consistent. As far as I know the quality should be pretty much the same between the basses (though I haven't played the 51 RI).

Ultimately you just have to try them out. I've played plenty of jazz basses that have virtually the same specs but feel totally different. Anything you read online about playability is crap compared to actually trying it out.


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Posted: Tue Aug 11, 2009 6:10 am
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The feel is quite different. The Geddy neck is narrower and flatter (1.5" nut, 9.5" radius) than the '51 (1.75", 7.25") and thinner as well. The high crown on the fingerboard may slow you down: I found, when I went to the older style neck, that some material (Black Magic Woman, for example) took a bit of practice to play up to speed. Make no mistake: they are two different necks.

I have long fingers, and my hands cramp up on thin necks, so the Precision is a natural for me. Many others don't like the Precision at all, since they are used to guitar proportions. Out of all the bands that I've seen locally, I'm the only P player.

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Posted: Wed Aug 26, 2009 10:41 am
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lpdeluxe wrote:
The feel is quite different. The Geddy neck is narrower and flatter (1.5" nut, 9.5" radius) than the '51 (1.75", 7.25") and thinner as well. The high crown on the fingerboard may slow you down: I found, when I went to the older style neck, that some material (Black Magic Woman, for example) took a bit of practice to play up to speed. Make no mistake: they are two different necks.

I have long fingers, and my hands cramp up on thin necks, so the Precision is a natural for me. Many others don't like the Precision at all, since they are used to guitar proportions. Out of all the bands that I've seen locally, I'm the only P player.


I'm really surprised in Texas everyone isn't playing P-basses! Doesn't anyone play blues in Texas anymore!!? :shock:

For me, I play both Precision and Jazz basses, Rickenbackers and an Epiphone Jack Casady signature bass. I have others too I play from time to time, like my Squier Jazz Fretless and Rogue viola bass.

My hands are big enought that I have no trouble with fingering when changing basses, but I do like to stick with whatever bass I use for the entire set. That gives me enough time to adjust if, say, I'm changing between a Jazz and P-bass.


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Posted: Wed Aug 26, 2009 11:37 am
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I'm speaking of the area I live in. I don't know if it's the water supply, or what, but when I go to clubs, everybody is playing a black Jazz solord on the bridge pickup. I guess all the current generation want to be the lead player.

Me, I've got an E-335 for that. I'd rather keep the butts swingin' out on the dance floor when I've got a bass in my hands

The truth is, a lot of guys around here have no understanding of the blues. In my late gig as a honky tonk bassist, the drummer and the lead player and I would do some 12-bar blues at sound check to loosen up, while the vocalist would go out on the floor and tweak the overall sound. He loved what he heard us playing, but once he got back on stage, he couldn't find the back beat. And to hear him try to sing The Thrill Is Gone was painful.

Having lived in Austin, it's amazing to me, but these guys are all steeped in top-40 country.

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Posted: Wed Aug 26, 2009 12:13 pm
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lpdeluxe wrote:
I'm speaking of the area I live in. I don't know if it's the water supply, or what, but when I go to clubs, everybody is playing a black Jazz solord on the bridge pickup. I guess all the current generation want to be the lead player.

Me, I've got an E-335 for that. I'd rather keep the butts swingin' out on the dance floor when I've got a bass in my hands

The truth is, a lot of guys around here have no understanding of the blues. In my late gig as a honky tonk bassist, the drummer and the lead player and I would do some 12-bar blues at sound check to loosen up, while the vocalist would go out on the floor and tweak the overall sound. He loved what he heard us playing, but once he got back on stage, he couldn't find the back beat. And to hear him try to sing The Thrill Is Gone was painful.

Having lived in Austin, it's amazing to me, but these guys are all steeped in top-40 country.


Wow .... I cut my teeth learning to play bass in the early 80's listening to Tommy Shannon over and over and over ... People eventually said I sounded like him -- because I ripped off everything he did. I can't imagine Texas without seriously good blues! Austin especially!


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Posted: Thu Aug 27, 2009 1:39 am
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anubis16 wrote:

Don't. My first bass was a Jay Turser, and to this day it is still the worst bass I have ever played. I've tried some of their 'nicer' basses, and they're just as crappy. I'd take a squir affinity, and SX, anything over a turser.[/img]


AND that bass was specifically a Jay Turser 401? If so what didn't you like?

I was not speaking of Tursers in general but this one particular instrument I have. It might be a 1 in a thousand good one. But mine is good.

The JT401 is a more expensive passive bass than the other JT passives. I've replaced the strings, pickup, pots and cap plus copper
shielded it and added pickup/bridge covers. It has been one of my favorite gigging basses for the past 4 years. In the meantime I've bought and sold a MIM Fender P, A USA Jazz and a Highway One Jazz because I wasn't using them and didn't like playing them as much as this "crappy" gig maker of mine. It is a great player and even with the mods I've only got about $350 US in it. The only thing I don't like about it is neck dive, which I've cured with a 4 inch suede lined strap. Very gigable and if it gets trashed in a bar brawl, a stage fall or outdoors in a rain squall...I can duplicate it again and my better basses are safe at home. I always take a backup, but the JT401 has NEVER given me a minute's trouble and if I'm playing outdoors it is the one!

I've tried the Turser Jazz and P-bass knock offs and I agree they fall short of the 401.


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Posted: Fri Sep 04, 2009 2:57 pm
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I like the red sunburst Turser -- cool color!


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Posted: Sat Sep 05, 2009 1:15 pm
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If you found a good turser Brother Dave, then that's great. I don't think it's a common occurrence.

I have the turser 401C. I replaced the pots and pickups, and it did make an improvement. The stock electronics were a joke.... it used 500k pots and a strange value for the cap, I don't remember what it was, but it lead to glassy/unusable hi end.

Even after all the mods it still just doesn't do it for me. The body is made out of something that is VERY light, I think it might be partical board. Suffice to say, the body has poor resonance and tone.

My biggest issue with it is the neck. It uses slightly smaller frets than normal, and no matter how I set up the neck, it just feels awful. I've had it set up several times by different people who have done a beautiful job on other basses, and it just feels bad.

I've also played a turser Strat, and once again I would take a squier over it.


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