Epiphone Jack Cassady Reviews 
4 / 5 based on 1 reviewsBass Northwest [online] $600 including
original case, all in close to perfect
condition [as pertains to Epiphone stuff anyway...].
I had played two JCs previously but both
were more expensive and one was not well
cared-for, but from both I could tell
that I liked the sound and feel of this
model. So I felt OK ordering online and
I have dealt with Bass Northwest a few
times already.
It sounds great, has a standard 34" scale,
plays easily [once properly set up], looks
cool, and has a 2+2 peg head [finding a
gig bag is hard enough for any oversized
bass, and if an oversize body is combined
with a 4-in-line peghead, it can prove to
be impossible].
The simplicity is refreshing: Passive all
around with two knobs for gain and tone,
plus a coil tap switch in case you really
need something to mess around with.
Strap button location typical for hollow bodies. A little reinforcement of the
upper horn would have allowed the button
to offer better balance instead of having it down at the neck joint. BTW, it's a
set neck [I prefer bolt-on so I can shim/
tilt a neck to my taste].
Epiphone uses these awful 3-point bridges
that ride in metal sockets just pressed
into the wood. I had to glue these back
into the body [as on my previous two Epis]
and I had to file the A and D saddles to
match the bridge to the fretboard radius,
since there is no individual saddle height
adjustment.
The finish is worn through in small spots
even though there is only minimal player
wear and no nicks or sign of carelessness.
Although I have "issues" with the bridge,
it IS top loading, and fairly heavy, so
it has its good qualities. Big duck-foot
paddle tuners are also OK. Neck is set
into body [no bolts] and has a tilt-back
headstock. It's a 20 or 21 fret neck so
it's for rather tradition bass styles.
Single humbucker in typical elevator ring
mount adjusts easily, little or no wobble.
The gain knob seems nicely progrssive in
action and the tone knob actually varies
the tone over a pretty wide range.
Body is hollow double cutaway arched top
f-hole type. The top is not glued to any
sort of center block or keel, so it's a
true hollow body, not a dual-chambered
f-hole semi-hollow like so many others.
Output jack is on the front. There is no
rear access panel so spray-cleaning your
pots or fixing the jack can become a real tedious project.
I think the free top and location of the
single PU must be responsible for the
great tone of this ax, since it certainly
can't be the EQ or pre-amp since it has
none of that stuff.
Built well enough to last very long time
if you take care of it but not something
worth mention in your "estate planning" :)
For $600 I've cured my longing for that
$1200 Guild Starfire. Everybody should
have one of these !
Sounds great, different from typical solid
electrics, deeeeep lows, horn-like mid and
upper mids, and a sweet transitioning from
deep to uppers as you cross the neck. In
some bands this could be the full time
bass, there's nothing "special purpose"
about it.
Golem rated this unit
on
2003-08-05.
