Nash Basses

[BenLoy]

Hey all, long time no speak. I've been off the radar as of late, but thought I'd spring back with this conversation starter:

 

I think Nash Guitars are amazing. I am now owner of two of his basses (a JB and a PB) and they have both amazed and delighted all types of experienced players and engineers who noticed how good they sounded with their ears before they noticed with their eyes.

 

Bill doesn't just "slap together some random cheap Warmoth/Allparts bodies and necks and shoot them with Nitro" as some have claimed. He actually takes the time to find real good, resonant pieces of wood and pays careful attention to fretwork and neck angle to build a bass that sounds and feels like a broken in, familiar friend.

 

My PB-63 nails the sound I've been hearing and searching for on all my old R&B records. The first time I played along with "come on, come over" with my JB-63 I had to do a double take to make sure the thing was plugged in because the tone was so eerily close to what I was hearing through my stereo.

 

Given the price point, I think they're out of this world. Discuss.

[rumpelstiltskin.]

do they have to be relic'd?

 

i have trouble getting too excited about another take on a classic, but it makes sense and i can't really condemn anyone for it, either. besides, the tone is the tone, and if the feel is right, how can that be a bad thing? i do like the idea of a 50s P (either the 55 or the 57).

 

i've never used a dimarzio model P. i am in love with the reverend P pickup i bought from joe a few years ago. the 50s P models use lollar pickups, which is a new name to me. i've leaned towards bill lawrence or kent armstrong based on my experiences with reverend (and dimarzio, for that matter), but maybe lollar is the new hotness.

 

which pickup are you using in your PB-63?

 

robb.

[rumpelstiltskin.]

also, if you like classic tones, check out raphael saadiq's "the way i see it." bad. ass.

 

robb.

[picker]

Nash Basses? Is he related to Nash Bridges?

 

 

tee hee...

[jeremy c]

A while back I played a Nash bass belonging to 57pbass and I really liked it. Thanks, Dan.

 

here I am with the bass: (I'm also using Capasso's amp)(thanks to the Lowdown and my Long Island friends, I was able to do this gig at the Long Island Children's museum.)

http://home.earthlink.net/~threehandstephen/LI7.jpg

[Davo-London]

This is what I've been saying. The point of the Nash guitars is that they have nitrocellulose finish and then most of it is taken off. This coupled with decent stock wood means the guitar/bass can breathe and dry out and this improves the tone.

 

I'm totally with you Benloy. I'm a convert.

 

Davo

[jeremy c]

You could buy this one. It's a beauty.

 

 

[kenfxj]

Has anyone played a Nash and a Fender Road-Worn? Both "reliced" nitro finishes. Is the Nash worth almost twice as much?

 

I never bought into the whole beat-up manufactured mojo thing. Then I played a Road-Worn Jazz and found myself saying "Well..maybe..."

[jeremy c]

I have played a Fender road-worn Strat and a Tele. I was very impressed and am seriously considering getting the Tele.

 

Yes, I play guitar in addition to bass. I have 10 basses and 3 guitars, so I do keep the proper perspective.

[Juancarlin]

Yes, I play guitar in addition to bass. I have 10 basses and 3 guitars, so I do keep the proper perspective.

 

Me too... on a 12 against 7 proportion... Is my perspective warped?

[Nicklab]

I was seriously pondering trading my 73/74 Jazz Bass (a vintage BenLoy) for a Nash J and some cash. I may have to revisit that idea in the very near future. But the trouble for me is that I haven't been able to find a Nash J Bass around that I can try out!

[BenLoy]

A while back I played a Nash bass belonging to 57pbass and I really liked it. Thanks, Dan.

 

Jeremy, Dan let me borrow both that Nash JB and his Nash PB a couple years ago when I recorded The Last Broadcast's record. You can hear it on "Blah Blah" accessible on the player.

 

That bass sounded and played so good that I bought my own JB-63 sight unseen from the LowEnd bass shop(a Lake Placid Blue with Lollar single coil pickups). The moment I played it I was shocked how consistently similar an experience it was to playing Dan's.

 

Robb, the PB-63 has a DiMarzio pickup in it and sounds great.

[rumpelstiltskin.]

You could buy this one. It's a beauty.

 

i would buy it for $1,700.

 

robb.

[_Sweet Willie_]

I have yet to play one, but perhaps will have an opportunity to play Dan's or Ben's one of these days. (I'll make a gig one of these days, fellahs! Maybe I can help you soundcheck?)

 

I don't care one way or the other about the "worn" look. However, from what I understand from Nash's website, the "relic'ing" isn't simply cosmetic. For example, some of the work done on the back of the neck is to make it feel better to play.

 

I don't have the coin for one of these right now, but I did make an inquiry to Fish NW. It seems like the $1700-$2000 range for these basses is not crazy.

 

I know that tnb played one down in FL not too long ago and dug it.

 

Peace.

--SW

 

[Tom Capasso]

I played Dan's Nash JB for a set in 2008 (I then gave it to Jeremy to use at the gig pictured above). Very nice.

 

I'm also not sold on the relic thing, because I don't like the idea that the bass is trying to look like something it is not.

 

There is no question that Nash does a first-rate job of acquiring parts, preparing, and constructing a first-rate instrument.

 

I haven't played the Fender versions, but knowing the care that Nash takes, I'd buy Nash if I was looking for that type of bass. I borrowed the Nash from Dan when I was shopping, but bought my BenLoy instead. I made the choice to balance my desire for a J bass with the money I had available.

 

Tom

[57pbass]

I am loving my Nash Basses.... he makes excellent instruments..the 57 P Bass is my main bass since I purchased it. It feels and sounds perfect to me...it has the Dimarzio DP 122 PUPs installed..they have less treble and a bump in the bass and mids and a higher output..

I dont know how they compare to a standard Fender P Bass Pick Up..but I really like the way they sound...I think the pricing is just about right for Nash basses and guitars...and there is great value in the used market for Nash gear..

I read a profile on Bill Nash in Vintage Guitar and his favorite bass set up is a P Bass with Dimarzios and an SVT....

I like the way his basses look and thats another reason why I purchased it...I occasionally get a comment on the relicing.."the bass is fake"...or "let it age on its own"...

but I just ignore that stuff..but the Nash 57 P Bass is the only bass I have played and have have an engineer and a soundman comment on how good the bass sounded...

 

 

[jeremy c]

I get tired of people looking at my beat-up old Fender and saying, "wow that bass is really old" and I bought it when I was 22.

 

If I bought a relic'd bass, I'd be 40 years younger.

 

Or when I see someone like Adam Clayton, Chris Wood, or Sting playing an instrument that was built before they were born. How is buying a bass that someone else wore out different from buying a relic'd bass?

[The Bear Jew]

There is no difference, Mr. C.

[57pbass]

I dont play the Nash J Bass too much..I have been playing just a P Bass these days.... but the few times that I have used the Nash J..I always got a great result..I might take it out on a few March gigs...that bass has the Lollar J bass pickups...

[kenfxj]

Speaking of reliced and vintage and all, anyone ever play anything by this guy ?

[Nicklab]

I think Nash might be trying to lure Jeremy into the fold!

 

http://www.nashguitars.com/images/the_guitars/jb63/jb63-5.jpg

[jcadmus]

Do they feature Nash bridges?

 

http://lost.cubit.net/assets_c/2009/04/NashBridges_S1_early-thumb-350x485-2342.jpg

[Nicklab]

 

That bass sounded and played so good that I bought my own JB-63 sight unseen from the LowEnd bass shop(a Lake Placid Blue with Lollar single coil pickups). The moment I played it I was shocked how consistently similar an experience it was to playing Dan's.

 

Robb, the PB-63 has a DiMarzio pickup in it and sounds great.

 

 

BUMP!

 

So how is the JB63 holding up for you Ben? I've been searching all over, but haven't been able to find one of these that I can try out. I know of only one Nash dealer in the NYC area, and they only have the PB model on hand.

[Davo-London]

Wow, the Big Chief Guitars these are relic'd right?

 

These are a different ball game from the Nash.

 

The Nash becomes psuedo-relic'd. The relicing (sp) looks false on a Nash and a road-worn Fender. Whereas, the Big Chief Custom basses look totally like the real thing.

 

That doesn't mean that the Nash's aren't great. They just look like someone has relic'd them. Maybe that's a good thing!

 

Davo

[_Sweet Willie_]

I've had a Nash J bass in my possession on loan for a few weeks. I need to return it soon.

 

It's great. Lovely to play, terrific sound. I haven't gigged or rehearsed with it -- only home practice.

 

As for the relic'ing, it's worth visiting Nash's website and reading his words about the relic'ing. He is NOT trying to make it look exactly like it was worn in through years of playing. He is trying to provide a well-built, highly playable, good sounding instrument that you can play without worrying about it getting an additional nick, scratch, ding, etc. (which some folks worry about).

 

Peace.

--SW

 

[wraub]

He is trying to provide a well-built, highly playable, good sounding instrument that you can play without worrying about it getting an additional nick, scratch, ding, etc. (which some folks worry about).

 

This is why I love my MIJ Squier jazz bass.

25 years of actual wear, super cheap buy-in, plays really nicely, sounds great, and I have no qualms about dragging it across the floor if I desire. (I actually learned this valuable bass transport technique watching Tal Wilkenfeld drag her Sadowsky around BPLive.)

 

The Nash instruments do look nice, but I am probably not gonna find one around here to try out.

 

Peace,

 

wraub

[Nicklab]

 

As for the relic'ing, it's worth visiting Nash's website and reading his words about the relic'ing. He is NOT trying to make it look exactly like it was worn in through years of playing. He is trying to provide a well-built, highly playable, good sounding instrument that you can play without worrying about it getting an additional nick, scratch, ding, etc. (which some folks worry about).

 

 

This is actually the kind of rationale for the relic process that I can get behind. In the past I've been nearly insane about keeping my new instruments in as close to mint condition as humanly possible. And when one of my instruments got a few very significant dings it drove me crazy. I had some other concerns about that particular bass, but that cosmetic damage was the deciding factor which drove me to sell it.

 

But to get an instrument that's been "broken in" already so that I don't need to deal with worries like that? And with strategic wear on the back of the neck that may enhance playability? That's something I find pretty cool.

 

I've been trying like crazy to find a Nash JB-63 that I can try out. And I guess it's a testament to Bill Nash's work that they're in short supply at MI stores because I haven't been able to find one. I've only ever seen a couple of Nash's at a g***** show. One was his take on a P-bass, and the other was a fretless J bass.

 

When I look at the landscape of smaller luthiers who are producing their own take on classic Fender designs, Nash is looking pretty good. The pricing is very competitive for something like this. And I've been looking around at a number of other boutique builders who make J basses, but their pricing has climbed over that $2K precipice which I don't feel good about crossing right now.