JP Plume 5 fretless
www.jpbasses.com
pics
on xush site
Features:
JP
specs on site
Body: Black limba
Neck: J-Neck wenge/wenge
Fingerboard: unlined macassar ebony
Pickups: JP by Armstrong
Controls: E-Pro BTB-01, ebony knobs
Bridge: ABM
Tuners: Hipshot ultralite
Construction:
Neck: interesting design! Very flat and smooth, nice and thin. I loves me some
wenge, that’s for sure! Headstock doesn’t tilt back because of this
construction style, but it doesn’t need to.
Body: Well executed. Very elegant shape. Extremely resonant. Good wood! Tony,
the bassist I’m working with (the only other person to play it yet) said he
found it much more lively and resonant than his Pedullas. It has a powerful
acoustic voice, and this really comes thru in passive mode.
FB: Nice colorful striations in the ebony, looks good. Side dots at every fret
position, takes a little getting used to, but no big deal…
Tone:
Bridge
p'up
Neck
p'up
Both,
flat
Both,
w/ half bass boost
Passive: Smooth, fat tone. Bridge p’up barks and growls, neck is mellow and
woody- very round, downright huge! More on the tone after I’ve gotten to know
her better…
Active circuit: Bass control is insane! Way more lows than you could ever need.
I’ve pretty much been running it flat, which is turned all the way down
(it’s boost only.) It would definitely make up for any weaknesses in an amp. I
hear no need for a mid control on this particular bass, so it’s not missed
here…I guess the wenge/ebony/limba combo handles the mids just fine.
This
combination of preamp/pickups is powerful! Very very strong signal!
This bass is loud. Quite versatile too.
B string: This one ranks up there with my FBB
fretless. Surpasses the F BNF5 and
Pentabuzz by a small margin. This is one of the only B strings I’ve
heard that sounds like it fits right in; it doesn’t lack any of the nuances of
the other strings. This is critical on a five, and is why I’ve been
gravitating back to the 4 lately; I just don’t find many B strings I like.
This and my FBB rate at the top of what I’ve found so far.
Weight/balance:
Balance is perfect, no neck dive. Stretch to first position: one of the best
yet, as far as ergonomics. JP really thought this one out. There is no
‘stretch’ involved, first position is in a very comfortable zone. The upper
horn reaching to the 12th fret is no doubt responsible for that.
Weight: right at 9 lbs. No problems there.
Slappable?
Both,
slap
Bridge,
slap
We’ll see…I find it to be, but we’ll let the audio samples speak for
themselves.
What I love about it:
Neck profile, now I won’t miss my Pentabuzz at all! This profile is as close
as they come, very thin/flat. Quite nice! Tony said it has a Warwick vibe,
wood-wise. I guess this would be a Warwick on Adkins then, considering the light
weight and svelte neck profile.
Aesthetics: Simple/elegant. FB/knobs/p’up covers follow the ebony theme. Nice
wenge control cover on back. Pink ivory nut catches attention, Tony says it
gives the bass a nice artistic flair…
I’m not known for pursuing the straightforward/basic design ethic (I likes the
crazy stuff!!)… But this bass helps me see its appeal. It’s quite
unpretentious, in my opinion. In a way I guess it’s not that elaborate or
ornate, but it’s definitely sophisticated. It presents the basics, the modest
necessities, in a very natural way.
What I’d spec differently if I customized one:
I’d probably want a truss rod cover.
JP
says: the truss rod sports a spoke nut (no allen wrench needed) which stands up
from the body face. It would be hard and probably not looking good to hide it
behind a cover.
Differentiate marker at 7th fret position. I can do this myself.
Side input jack?
JP
says: my bodies are a little thinner than most basses and I use a greater radius
value for rounding edges. I always had bad luck with "tube" jacks that
need to be replaced to often and cat's eye or electrosocket plates do not fit
the bodies ! BTW, I'm sending you a black nut and washer combo for the
bass cause I just received them
Exotic top? There I go again…
JP
says: for the next one ?
Very superficial changes at best. It does what you need it to do perfectly;
JP’s recipe is definitely spot-on! Simple, effective, with a strong
voice.
Customer Service:
Very pleasant to deal with JP. I’d been chatting with him from www.Talkbass.com
for
about a year now, before this deal ever came up. I’m pretty committed to
FBB’s, but not averse to trying something different. And this is definitely
different. JP and Matt have very divergent styles, but the quality level is very
high. I’d definitely recommend checking out a JP!
He was willing to work with me on the options I had, and conceded to me on the
hardware color, which I appreciate. I’m very happy with it, but I know he’d
have preferred chrome. I don’t think he’d compromise on a design feature
that he felt was fundamental, but he does leave room for preferences.
He also personalized a little JPG for me explaining the controls, no biggie he
claims, but it was a nice extra touch I thought. You get a feeling of personal
involvement, and he’s just a great guy to work with. Went the extra mile for
sure!
Since
this was his first bass shipped to the US, there were some issues to work out as
we went. It all proceeded smoothly though, and wasn't painful at
all! I'd have no qualms recommending an international transaction with
JP.
Overall impression of bass:
Sleek. Natural. Well-named; ‘feather.’ Huge tone! Solid. Comfortable.
I am impressed, and quite satisfied. More later, as I get to know her better.
