rossmacdonaldbass's Jazz Bass Rig

This bass is fast under your fingers. It growls, it purrs. Single-note lines stand-out and are noticed. Chords sound better than any non-fanned fret bass. The EQ is exceptionally powerful and usable. The pickups are badass.

Lightweight, highly resonant, dual density Northern ash/alder body with a gorgeous high-gloss finish. The sleek 24 fret two-octave bolt-on maple neck has a Novak fanned Wenge fretboard with stainless steel mandolin-size frets and a pearl "D" logo at the twelfth fret. The scale length of this bass varies from 37" to 34" from the "B" string to the "G" string for the optimum tone of each string. The pickups are the passive Dingwall "Super Fatty" type with Z2 spacing and they are run through a multi-mode pickup selector switch and an active Glockenklang 3-band eq. system with an active/passive treble. The bass also has a Hipshot Xtender tuning key that allows you to go from a low "B" to a floor-shaking low "A" and back with the flip of a lever.

The Japanese-built Sadowsky Ultra-Vintage '70s Jazz Bass stands head and shoulders above the Fender Jazz. It's the smoothest Jazz I've played in terms of both sound and feel, and can get both old-school or a more modern sound, thanks to its super hi-fi preamp. Joe Osborn, Paul Jackson, Bootsy; it can do them all. It also excels for slapping and popping, with the center detent between the two pickups being about the most perfect Marcus Miller sound, and the neck pickup sounding great for a throaty old-school Larry Graham sound.

The world becomes a less scary place when you hold the Fodera Monarch-P. The neck is to die for, the finish quality alone will likely see you crying the first time you chip it. (I did.) I bought mine thinking I would upgrade it later with a preamp and a J bridge pickup to be a "Poor" Man's Monarch ("Poor" is not exactly the right word), but I haven't tired of the sound since I bought it. I keep wondering why I have a bunch of other basses hanging on the wall.

The sound is the perfect early-60s passive Precision sound, favoured by bassists and producers, ideal for a lot of music from the last 60 years or so that requires electric bass. The body resonates beautifully. Occasionally I wish mine had 5 strings, but 4-strings are their own thing and I do feel the music differently when playing through it than I would a 5-string.

It honestly feels better than any other bass I have played. It's easy to play, fun to dig in. The fingerboard is nice and flat so it's great for double-stops and chords. The fret job is inspired. The Monarch-P is perfect.

Its weight is very pleasant on the shoulder (I use a neoprene strap: the "Comfort Strapp"). The recessed straplocks look nice, but I use a strap even when sitting, so the lack of a strap button mostly just gives me anxiety that I might not be able to borrow a compatible strap if I ever forget mine on a gig. Not a deal breaker. The tone and volume work as you would expect. I really love that the input jack is on the top of the instrument. For the first time it doesn't matter if I have a right-angle instrument cable.