T HELOWEN D
The Four Rs – Replicas
Hello and welcome back to the Low End,
and our second installment of the four Rs:
replicas. To begin, we should define
replica. Is a replica something as simple as a
pre-CBS Fender Jazz copy, or could it be a
completely tricked out, 18-volt psychopathic
slap machine disguised as an old J-bass? Is it
possible that the true definition of a replica
falls between those two? The truth is that a
replica can be any of these. A replica is nothing more than someone else’s interpretation
of an original. It is a player’s instrument that
looks old school, but may have more going
on under the surface.
I hear a lot of guys who want to buy the
components and assemble a type A replica
themselves. While it can be done, you may
run into two issues. The first is quality; your
newly-acquired neck and body might not
match up, or the finished product might just
sound and play rotten. The other issue is
that your parts bass – yes, it is a parts bass
– will be worth nowhere near the amount of
money you have invested in it. If you end up
selling, it will have to be parted out to get
the most out of your investment. Conversely,
a “built” bass seems to hold its value even
electronics in this group are usually either 9
or 18-volt with a passive option. They play
incredibly fast and tend to be articulate and
modern-sounding with the preamp engaged,
but yield a nice old school sound when running passively. Three of the best type B
and C brands of basses are made in NYC:
Sadowsky, Pensa and Avella Coppolo. If you
can dream it, it’s either already available or
can be built for you.
In the spirit of research, I took a ride
into NYC to visit Dean Moody at
Rudy’s, Jimmy Coppolo at N. Y. Guitar
and Bass Boutique and the Sadowsky
crew. I ended up dropping some serious dough after falling for one of the
tested basses (the lengths I go to for
a good column…). Kevin – the vintage
guy, the passive bass purist – fell in
love with a battery-box bass. Why? It
fit the bill!
My wishlist type B bass would have ‘ 64 Jazz
bass specs with vintage style hardware, a 9-
volt preamp with passive override, have a
Shoreline Gold finish with an ebony board
– and weigh under 8. 5 pounds. When I
stopped by Rudy’s on 48th Street they had
the exact bass I was looking for, and out
came the Visa. Take if from me; if an old
vintage guy like me could get possessed by
a brand new bass, you are at risk as well.
In the end, I learned that replicas all
essentially fall into one of three categories:
A: An emulation of the real deal,
complete with variable amounts of
wear
B: An emulation that looks and feels
vintage but has modern electronics
C: A totally tricked out emulation
that retains a classic, vintage vibe
Kevin’s newest purchase, a Shoreline Gold Pensa
Many a man’s soul and wallet have been
taken over by type C basses. These are type
B basses to the Nth degree that appeal to
players like Will Lee. They feature highly-figured bodies, incredible preamps and
gorgeous paint jobs – and they play like
the devil. Of course, I know you’re probably
saying, “What does this have to do with
a replica/vintage column?” The answer is
most vintage Fender players are not going
to buy a boutique bass, because it feels different – the ergonomics and control layout
feel completely foreign. However, a replica bass, while boutique, can basically be
played with little or no acclimation. If you’re
looking for a “Fenderesque” bass with all of
the modern amenities, one of these could
be perfect.
Type A basses make sense. The builders
who make these usually use Fender licensed
products, so the basses tend to look like real,
old school Fenders, right down to the headstock. These items are aged to look like 40
to 50-year-old basses and feature premium,
vintage style hardware and electronics. The
typical street price on these basses is around
$1500 for an off-the-rack item, and the typical buyer either doesn’t have the capital for
a real pre-CBS bass or they already own the
old wood but don’t want to take it to gigs.
The build quality is high, the setups are nice
and the tonal and visual aspects effectively
capture the vibe of a rowdy, old Fender.
better than a factory custom shop item. The
basses in this category, while not cheap, are
in reach of many players and may end up
being a bargain.
Type B basses are typically custom built
to an extremely high standard. These are
usually Jazz basses, but other models or
combination models (P-J hybrids) are easy
to find. Commonly found in fifties or sixties
solid colors and traditional sunburst finishes,
the basses tend to have old school-look-ing hardware with modern electronics. The
headstocks tend to stay away from the
Fender shape because of copyright issues,
but the rest of the bass looks familiar. The
Next month we will continue this installment with the two remaining Rs. Until next
time, drop the gigbag and don’t forget
the cannolis.
Kevin Borden
Kevin Borden has been a bass player since 1975, and is
currently President of Goodguysguitars.com.
Feel free to call him KeBo.
He can be reached at
Kebobass@yahoo.com
