rumpelstiltskin. Posted May 22, 2006 Share Posted May 22, 2006 for those in the metro detroit area looking for a nice 4 string, i played a jerzy drozd excellency 4 at berkley music on 12 mile in berkley. it was marked at $1,500, which i thought was low for a nice custom bass. i guess it's an older model, because it has two bartolini J pickups. it also had a 3-band preamp with active/passive mini-toggle switch. overall, the bass was extremely well built, with several different wood laminations on the bolt-on neck. the body was small and very comfortable. the neck had a substantial feel to it. it wasn't extremely thick from front to back, but it had a squarish profile. it had high-end features like wooden control knobs. i wasn't playing through a very good amp. i mean, the head was nice -- a tech21nyc landmark head -- but the cabinet was the weak link. it didn't have a tweeter, and it also didn't have very good HF response. so it wasn't very articulate and didn't lend itself to the pickups. i'm not a huge fan of bartolini J pickups, but i have to say the lackluster sound was almost entirely due to the cabinet. the bass had a very good feel to it. still, though, i walked away feeling like my cirrus BXP really held its own in the comparison. i figured at $1,500, the drozd was priced to sell. but i wasn't even interested at that price because it just didn't offer anything substantially better to entice me. i mean, if wood knobs are a big deal to you, go for it. the neck was impressive in the number of laminations and accent laminations. and the feel was very good. i really liked the small body and it's fluid curves. but i walked away thinking i'd want to change the pickups, which isn't exactly where i want to be after playing such a high end instrument. robb. because i like people. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom Capasso Posted May 23, 2006 Share Posted May 23, 2006 Nice review. I played a newer one about a year ago - it was newer, and (if memory serves) it had 2 Bartolini soapbars. Lots of laminates in the body and neck. It was smooth and silky, but the price started with a 3 and had 4 digits. Not what I was looking for.... Some of the high-end basses are made so by laminates and woodwork extras. Beautiful, well made, and sweet, but sometimes not necessary. There is a review of a new one in this month's BP. Tom www.stoneflyrocks.com Acoustic Color Be practical as well as generous in your ideals. Keep your eyes on the stars and keep your feet on the ground. - Theodore Roosevelt Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
doc taz Posted May 23, 2006 Share Posted May 23, 2006 Not bad, but $1,500 would probably be enough for one of my Cirrus 6 prototypes... I don't think Mr. Drozd would be too happy with my color choices. I think I may have sighted one at Sam Ash on 48th in NYC last Sunday, behind the counter. But I was in the mood for a 7 string gtr, ha. sevenstring.org profile my flickr page Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cliff Bordwell Posted May 23, 2006 Share Posted May 23, 2006 That is a great price and a great bass! www.cbbasses.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rumpelstiltskin. Posted May 23, 2006 Author Share Posted May 23, 2006 yeah, it was a nice bass, no doubt. i'm surprised someone was consigning it for so low. still, for me the real surprise was how much more i like my cirrus BXP prototype. there was lots to love about the drozd, but not $1,400 more! robb. because i like people. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
-Will- Posted May 23, 2006 Share Posted May 23, 2006 There is a review in the June BP on the Jerzy Drozd Obsession Excellency V, the street price is listed at $4150, so $1500 sounds great if it is even half the bass as the V. Music has no boundaries. It is yours to discover, to enjoy, to draw from and to pass on to others. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
_Sweet Willie_ Posted May 24, 2006 Share Posted May 24, 2006 I played a Drozd at Luthiers Access Group a couple of years ago. It was an outstanding instrument. Felt great on the strap. The neck was delightful. The sound was to die for (especially thru the Glockenklang reference rig!). The aesthetic doesn't quite do it for me. Although the body shape is vaguely reminiscent of a Spector (which I dig most mightily). Peace. --Doctor Luv spreadluv Fanboy? Why, yes! Nordstrand Pickups and Guitars. Messiaen knew how to parlay the funk. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
... Posted May 24, 2006 Share Posted May 24, 2006 Speaking of Jerzy Drozd basses, there is a used double neck for sale at BassNW right now for a paltry $5000. Hizzah!! That's a sexy looking piece of wood for sure. It also looks like a heavy and difficult to play piece of wood because of it's sheer girth. I might drop in and see if Chad will let me test drive it tomorrow just for the hell of it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
_Sweet Willie_ Posted May 24, 2006 Share Posted May 24, 2006 Originally posted by Bumpcity: I might drop in and see if Chad will let me test drive it tomorrow just for the hell of it. Word. spreadluv Fanboy? Why, yes! Nordstrand Pickups and Guitars. Messiaen knew how to parlay the funk. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rumpelstiltskin. Posted May 25, 2006 Author Share Posted May 25, 2006 you know, one thing i really liked about this bass was the mandolin frets. they were really small, but they never felt like they caused any buzzing or other fret-related problems. i imagine the intonation is more precise with them, too. i liked how they feel. i might go with smaller frets on my next bass. robb. because i like people. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ArwinH Posted May 25, 2006 Share Posted May 25, 2006 Originally posted by robb.: you know, one thing i really liked about this bass was the mandolin frets. they were really small, but they never felt like they caused any buzzing or other fret-related problems. i imagine the intonation is more precise with them, too. i liked how they feel. i might go with smaller frets on my next bass. robb. +1, I'm a recent convert to smaller frets, they took me by suprise on my 60's reissue jbass. www.myspace.com/movementwithoutmotion Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.