Jay Turser JTB-2B Violin Beatle Bass

Same description as the previous ones. Finishing details are certainly decent. I'm glad it has fret markers on the edge of the finger board because the original Hofner didn't have them.

I discovered that Turser does not follow the Hofner wiring scheme and I had to modify that to get a variety of bass/treble tones.

To obtain the rhythm/solo attenuation, Turser just used a single 10 K Ohm resistor. There's a small cap on the bass pickup switch but it doesn't do the job of bleeding highs. The stock pots are 500 K Ohm linears which is fundamentally wrong for audio purposes.

To fix this I installed 250 K audio (log) taper pots and removed the 10 K resistor - replace it with a 0.1 uF capacitor. Now the rhythm/solo switch works like a 2 position tone control. One position is raw pickup tone, the other is rolled off bass tone. Removing the 10 K resistor also makes the pots work normally instead of sounding on/off.

If you find that the stock controls don't work for you, changing this one component (also remove the stock cap) can give you 'normal' tone selection results.

I like this bass and it's a good bargain. Most, not all, beatle basses are made in China so they are very much alike in their manufacturing.

now that I've got the tone thing dialed in, I'm happy. It now sounds as deep as my full scale Fender bass.

Surprisingly good for an inexpensive instrument. All the key pieces line up. Better tuners would be nice but you get what you pay for.

I use it for gigs and use Dunlop strap locks.

no contact with JT.

40 yrs experience
I like this enough that I leave the Fender bass at home. It's light and fun to play. The tone is there and that's what counts.

This is a directly replica of Macca???s bass though the front is slightly flatter than the original (or at least one in a Beatles band I saw last month). I had no idea the body was hollow and it gives quite a loud sound, certainly loud enough to play alongside the TV without disturbing any neighbours.

The bass gives a nice warm, pleasant sound though it lacks in sustain. You really do have to keep picking the strings rather than let a note ring out for ages. It is worth noting that Paul McCartney did use other basses as well from 1967 onwards. On a positive side, the controls vary very little so if you accidentally hit and switch or forget to turn a control up it still sounds okay.

It was very well finished throughout. Good hardware. Jay Turser have not cut any corners in making a much sought-after product affordable.

I have used it live but as mentioned above it does lack sustain. It is great for playing fast rock n roll (like the Beatles did in the Cavern and Hamburg). The bass is so light that you could actually play for hours on end! I certainly found it easy to sing and play with this bass.

No idea

Due to the light weight I found myself singing and harmonising more. Very few guitar teachers, books, DVDs and online instruction manuals actually encourage young kids to play AND sing at the same time. This is one of the reasons The Beatles and the other Merseybeat groups were so good. This bass just lends itself for this and for that reason I really like this bass. I have an active Ibanez bass which sounds better but with this one I contributed more as a band member. I sang more, bounced around on stage, and did not moan about an aching shoulder.

At just one hundred and eighty pounds I fulfilled a lifetimes wish of having a Beatle bass.

For anyone who likes tons of extra crap in a bass (preamp, active pickups, etc.) this is probably not the bass for you, but for people like myself who prefer to keep things simple, this instrument is unbeatable. Mine was bought new, and still has stock everything (except for the strings of course). This is a short scale bass, which for people like me who were guitarists first means it is a lot easier to play than some 36 inch monstrosity. Stock tuners are good quality, and the pickups smoke!

Being a hollow body and playing in a loud three piece, I was concerned that I may have sound issues with this bass. Fortunately, I was way wrong. You can get a great range of sounds by adjusting the switches, and in particular I've found it best to always keep "Bass" on, have the "Solo/Rhythm" set to "Rhythm", and get most of your tonal variances by turning the "Treble" on and off. In addition to being a great stage instrument, it is also really good for just sitting around playing, as it is louder unplugged than most basses. I prefer to use Rotosound medium or light gauge bass strings.

I have seen some models of this type where the finish was a bit sketchy, but mine was one of the ones that is absolutely beautiful. Just the look of this thing pretty much had me sold on it, and audiences react just at the sight of this thing. There were slight intonation issues when it was purchased, but adjusting the floating bridge fixed that. While I prefer a bridge that is fixed into the body, it is only a minor inconvenience.

I went from playing a Squire P-bass to this one, and I never looked back. While I've only had it six months and therefore can't really attest to how long lasting it will be, I can say that as a person who has built instruments, I see absolutely no construction flaws in this instrument. One must of course be delicate and bare in mind that it is a hollow body, but anyone with half a brain will know how to handle that.

Haven't needed repairs

You absolutely cannot beat this instrument for value or quality. An actual Hofner will easily run you into the thousands, and the differences in quality and sound are likely to be nill. This instrument is also far superior to other McCartney bass copies I've seen, such as the really shotty Epiphone Viola bass. While I'm normally a sworn Epiphone user, the Viola bass was not up to their usual quality. Anyone like me who reveres Paul McCartney as the alpha and omega of bassists would do well to obtain one of these.

I was talked into this bass by bassist Neil Walker. Its a 30 inch neck short scale. Humbucker pick-ups. A real close copy of a Hofner. It comes standard with round-wound strings. Its extremely light-weight, easy to handle, easy to carry. Ergonomically, this bass is fantastic! Tone controls are easy to use. I'm using a Hartke HA-2500 head and a VX-115 cabinet.

I loved the action but hated the sound. The solution was to switch strings. With the D'Adderio ECB-82 strings this machine really rocks!The bottom end is outrageous! Both pick-ups on full, give a woody up-right sound. Cut off the neck and kick up the bridge pick-up and you have more twang than any country player. But, I have to admit, Its not as mellow as a Hofner. But, it definately leaves any, Ibanez, Yamaha, or Fender to gather dust. Epiphone and Brownsville also make violin basses. But, they don't sound as good.

I actually like the action better than the Hofner. The strings feel tighter. Its easier for me to play quick passages. My vibratos come off clean and smooth. Fingerings are close, so you can move nimbley without much effort. The more I play it, the more I like it.

Let's be honest! Any spruce, hollow-body bass is delicate. You need to take care of it and baby it. Keep it in the case! I rely on it! I'm not using any of my other bases. If you want durability buy yourself an oak / walnut composite bass with a laminated neck. Expect it to cost $3,000.00 and weigh 60 Lbs.

The warranty is now expired, but I've had the bass for 4 years, I'm still using my second pair of strings, and I haven't had any problems with it.

I'm trying to find a left-handed version for two of my kids. And, I would most definitely get another if something happened to it. The only other bass that I would add to my collection would be a Hofner.

Very QUIET circuit...It uses the Pickup placement / on-off configuration to accomplish EQ..I Love this style of Eq..I have owned
Active EQ circuits on other basses that I did not like as well..It is a very 60's sounding EQ kinda like the old Decca and Tiesco guitars.

It has a sound that is at the same time very deep yet well defined and not muddy..It has a lively sound and chords can be played easily..
I originally played thru an Eden WT400 and Eden 4x10..but now play thru 70's Fender Bassman 100 head and 15" cab...This Bass played thru
a vintage tube amp is very 60's sounding, warm, well defined, a suggested combination if you can swing it

I like my action high. Compared to what I am used to, the action on this bass was low. I like the Skinny neck and I can play it fast, more like a guitar. The guitar looks beautiful and people constantly
ask if it is a Hofner, from a dstance it is impposible to tell..
It is however an inexpensive Chinese copy and there as imperfections
in the fit (binding is rough) and so on, but overall it plays noticeably better than other basses I have (Fender, ESP) which cost much more and have better reputations

I have gigged with it..I took out in sub-zero weather using only a
padded gig bag and I have had no problems with it..The neck stays
straight, the tuning is solid, the electronics remain quiet.

N/A

I have been playing for 37 years, both bass and guitar..I am currently
playing in 3 bands using this instrument exclusively..I play without
a backup..I play this thru a 70's Fender Bassman 100 head into a 15"
cabinet.. for a 60's - 70's sound..all classic styles rock, blues,
country..This bass gives me the classic sound I want and it looks
great on stage !! It plays extremely fast and I love the Eq setup.
I can EQ right from the guitar. If lost or stolen, I would get another, but would always play before I buy since it is inexpensively
made and Quality issues could always appear. Another option might be the Hofner Icon bass, which is essentially the same guitar (probably
nade in the same factory) with the Hofner Logo on it..and probably more readily available

My Jay Turser Beatle Bass is white with gold trim, never seen one prettier. This bass needed only a little string lowering and because it was a special short scale model you can really fly on it with fingers or a soft pick. Ther are a lot of different tones on this bass most of which I find too high and not appropriate for the type of music I play. No problem because you can set the controls on the bass and your amp and get a sound almost like my American made P-bass . I have had no problems with the build quality or electronics,why buy a Hofner when you get this for one fifth the price.

I really like the light weight, especially after playing a P-bass for a while. I don't care for the neck diveat all, but that's the only phycical problem. This bass can be made to emulate almost any bass tone, with enough adjustment on the guitar and amp. I don't use any effects just my Ampeg amp. Seems more at home on the stage than the studio where the p-bass sees most of the action. The Humbuckers are noticable louder than the pick-ups in my Fender and that can sometimes be a problem. The Jay Turser Beatle bass is a decent quality instrument and a nice change from nearly all those others.

The bass was well set up at the factory, only needing a slight string lowering. Pick-ups were perfectly adjusted, no flaws of any type on the entire bass.

The bass takes live gigs fine. There may be some problem with cheap bridge down the road, but it's fine now.Since mine is white the finish seems absolutely perfect and showing no signs of wear.Truss rod is fine and hasn't needed any adjustment yet. NO, I would never play a gig without a back up bass.

I believe the warranty is a joke and wouldn't even try usin it if something went wrong I'd take it upon myself to get it fixed.

I've been playing and recording for a few years, and own a fretless American Fender Precision Bass and a Sanatoga Jazz Bass,all played through my Ampeg Bass amp. I would definitely get another if something happened to this one. I love the weight, look and variety of tones. I hate the neck dive. I chose this one because I considered it the best for the money. I wish it had a free Corvette with every purchase. I bought mine over e-bay and although I was very lucky I don't recommend buying instruments without playing them first.

2004,Chinese, 4 strings(replaced stock rounds with D'dardio flatwound
made big difference),2 ordinary volume knobs, 2 switches (bass,treble
selectors), 2 chrome covered humbuckers (generic for bass or 6 string
guitar models), unfixed wood bridge (like Hofner);chrome tuners are
pretty good,no slippage. Natural "blonde" maple finish body and neck
very nice looking, bought it for vintage 60's McCartney bass look.
Nice light weight (but neck heavy) like a Hofner. Came with a black
faux "alligator skin" case that looks like a tradional violin case,
10' cord, and a cloth.NOTE: THIS IS SUPPOSEDLY A SHORT SCALE 30" BASS
BUT BECAUSE OF THE TAILPIECE, I NEEDED XTRA LONG SCALE STRINGS, I
THINK THEY WERE 36".

I LOVE that 60's deep, "oozing" bass tone (Beatles "Come Together")
and ultra rhythmic, pulsing motown riffing (Four Tops,Jay and the
Techniques). With the change to flatwound strings, this bass delivers
that sound I want; I use a Digitech pedal eq, and compression and it
takes to the pedals amp modeling beautifully getting sounds I only hear on old recordings usually (oddly, a dry unprocessed signal into
my recorders sounds sort of "second generation", muffled). I record
direct-in mostly. I have a Behringer amp and the bass sounds slightly
trebley through it; I rarely play live these days, I use this bass to
record my original songs on digital, and favorite oldies on my old 8
track Tascam tape deck. Sounds good with a soft pick.

I had read that the stock strings didn't sound good, and thats true,
so I switched to flatwound D'dardio .100 and the difference was quite
dramatic. I of course had to reset up, adjusting the bridge height
position and angle, and adjusting the pickup height to prevent rattle
and fret buzz; not much tweaking, and it sounded fine. The pickups,
knobs and hardware are stock and ordinary looking, but function just
fine; quiet, no line noise, no scratchiness. The classic Beatle bass
look was gorgeous to my eyes, the finish and workmanship looked great. Replace the tailpiece and knobs, and it would look like a
$2000 instrument.

I baby this, stored in its case in factory, plastic sheath. Looks
brand new. Nothing I will do to it will mess it up, but someone else
playing it hard, and less than meticulous in its care? Well, the
bridge is iffy, so intonation and action might need regular tweaking.
I wouldn't worry about the neck (not adjusted truss rod yet 2 years),
the frets and tuners seem very solid. The finish on my instrument is
just sweet, still looks brand new (but remember, I DO Baby it). I'll
say this: if you're into thrashmetal, this is all wrong for you in
every way, but if you do anything from country,blues, classic pop
rock, alternative it will sub for a $1500 Hofner 64 reissue nicely.

Supposedly, this had a limited lifetime warranty, but I have had no
need yet to find out. I DID NOT RECEIVE A WARRANTY CARD, even when
I contacted the ebay seller, but I keep this bass in like factory new condition, so personal care to me is what really matters.

I took up guitar in 1968. I have owned in order a '67 Harmony acoustic, '70 Crown acoustic 12, '69 Ventura "Gretsch Country Gent"
replica, '69 USA made smoke finish FENDER STRAT, '69 FENDER
CORONADO 12, '70 GIBSON SG Brown, '67 RICKENBACKER 330-12 FIREGLO (my
favorite), '90 LES PAUL CUSTOM BLACK BEAUTY, and a couple of OVATION
acoustic electric Balladeers. I had played a couple of whatsit
brand basses I bought just to jam and record (they were no name junk)
this was my first serious bass purchase, chosen for its classic 60's
style and surprisingly high quality appearance. I LOVE its classy,
natural, unadorned maple finish, which looks very professional, not
shoddy or knockoff. I don't like the cheapy looking tailpiece, which
I have seen on any number of imported guitars and basses. Maybe I'll
replace it someday; but then, I might want better pickups too, and
would customizing cost as much as this bass-maybe? If I had $2000 to
spend, I could have gotten a real Hofner, but would it be worth 8X
the cost of my Turser. NOT TO ME.

Well, the features are well known enough : 2 volumes, 2 pickup on/off switches, and a rhythm/solo switch that cuts the output by about 6 dB.

2 humbucking pickups. Bound neck, which is a bit rare in beatle-bass land.

I give it a 7 - it has all the features an instrument of this type requires, but is a little short by modern standards.

1st thing: take the stock strings & throw them away. They're junk. With some flats on it, it really sings.

Very quiet, good circuit, but the pots are a bit cheap. Replace them if you can (cheap to do.)

There are a few tones on offer here, from woody, full uprightish, to more nasal/midrangey. Not tremendously versatile, but the available tones are extremely good.

OK - here's what you need to know. I played three of them. The QC varies a bit on these. Play a couple, and pick the best one. The 1st one I picked up was fairly awful, mine was well made. I would not buy one mail order for this reason.

As for action : it needed some minor trussrod tweaks, but don't all off-the-shelf instruments? I like my action a bit tall.

Frets were perfectly made. Better than most stuff you see these days.

Live? I haven't used it, but I see no reason why not. Get a hardshell case though!

Finish: Beautiful & very, very well done. Better than most these days. There's a minor paint flaw on my instrument where the neck meets the body, approx 1/2" long. Otherwise perfect.

The hardware is adequate. I think the bridge could be improved. Tuners are OK, but I'll wait & see if they live on the long term.

Dependability: yes, I've had it for 2 years now, done a few dozen sessions with it. Very solid.

Backup: ALWAYS have a backup, no matter how good or bad your bass is!

Have not dealt w/them.

I have been playing for 23 years now. I own a lot of different basses from uprights to vintage to modern.

The only bits I'd change (apart from what's listed above) would be the neck dive. It could balance a bit better. This is not terribly serious.

I love the weight! Nice & light! IT is very comfortable to play.

If it were stolen/lost, I would absolutely buy it again. A thoroughly charming instrument & a bargain to boot. This bass is a star, cannot be beat @ this price!

Interesting approach to tone control on this bass: rather than having the typical volume and tone knobs, it just has 2 volume knobs; one for "bass" and one for "treble". You can also turn bass and treble one and off using the switch panel (I don't know what this does in terms of which pickups are used). There is also a switch between "solo" and "rhythm", which basically just makes the sound louder or quiter without using the volume knobs. The bridge is terrible, and the strings are unevenly spaced apart because of it. I'm interested to see what difference a better one (Allparts.com) will make. The factory bridge seems made out of wood from someone's old termite forest. I love the style of the headstock, though, beautiful aesthetically and just like a Hofner. And the neck is a set neck through the body, which is nice although I had to adjust the truss rod upon recieving my bass.

Sound is pretty good. It has a very bright sound, and some might describe it as "meaty". It has good treble when you turn up the treble colume, but maintains a deep bass response at the same time. The only thing that could be better is the lowest string, which doesn't seem to get great response from the pickups - probably because this bass has a shorter fingerboard than most and the strings are looser as a result. The lowest string has more of a "flappy" sound than I would like - kind of like playing a large steel cable rather than an instrument - but it's not so bad that I will stop playing the instrument. The strings also tend to rattle against the fretboard frequently; especially the lowest two. This makes for a loud rattling noise since the body is hollow! You will have to turn is way way up to eliminate the annoying sound. I don't know if better strings will help this. As I said above, the tone is very versatile since the bass and treble tones are controlled through the volume knobs. The special thing about this bass's sound is that it handles effects very well. With a good distortion it will actually sound a bit like a super-low electric guitar (in a good way), and it also takes to a wah pedal very well for those who are interested in that sort of thing. I really like playing hard rock on this bass because of how well it sounds when distorted. It is not noisy at all, and in fact is incredibly quiet at all levels. I would use it for studio, but only if I can put the amp far away from the bass to keep out that annoying rattle from the strings in the acoustic body!

The action is bittersweet for me. On the one hand, the fingerboard is shorter than a usual bass, and thus it is a lot easier to play fast and to switch between strings, but on the other hand the strings tend to rattle against the fretboard frequently. Putting some better strings on the thing may help that, but maybe it's just a permanent problem due to the shorter fingerboard and thus looser strings. I will always use this bass when I want to play fast or with a pick. The fit is okay. Like I said, the original bridge might as well be made of balsa wood for its quality, and a new one is in order. You may need to adjust the truss rod out of the box too. But other than that it seems straight. It's funny that the hollow body is lighter than the neck, so when you let go of the neck it swings down and points toward the ground. I guess you'd have to get a leather or padded strap to make more friction so it won't do that.

It seems like a fragile instrument. It has a hollow body and is very light weight. I like the light weight, but I always handle this very carefully, like I would a nice acoustic guitar. Also, the finish looks nice but is very fragile as well, and this bass scrathes very easily. Mine is the black and white model, and so scratches show up even easier. The electronics seem reliable and I have not had a problem yet. The volume knobs turn easily with no crackling and the tuning pegs hold up better than I expected with a Chinese bass.

Bought it from Maggio Music, a dealer in NY. Their customer service was great, and they were patient when UPS delivered the bass to the wrong apartment and they worked with me and stayed in contact. But I have no experience with Jay Turser customer support.

For the money, can't go wrong. This is a much greater bass than I thought it would be. I paid $190 for mine on Ebay, from a seller in NY called Maggio Music, and it seems that they sell a lot of these for around that price on Ebay. If it broke, I would probably move on to another maker, unless I couldn't find one as versatile as this one. The thing that attracted me to this one was the look. It looks great in black and white, and is a head-turner, but I liked the sound it made too and I appreciate the versatility.

This has been covered below and the specs are on the web. Subjectively, I quickly realized great tone possibilities even through bass>cable>amp. More with effects in the chain. I use this primarily in the studio and apply all sorts of effects with great success. A very very quiet bass (no hum). I remember when Japanese guitars in the 70's were sneered at. Over the last decades it has been Korean instruments. Now it is Chinese. The identical instrument with a "Made in the USA" sticker on it would be at least 5x the price to cover the labour costs not because of greater inherent value. China is becoming the world's workshop and the products are of increasingly high quality. This is a relative score... did I get more than I thought I would for the money.... Yes!

I wanted a nice round harmonic-rich tone and got it in spades. With a little EQ it gets nearly everything I need and through my pedal board I can go from pop to metal, country to soul. Again, a relative score.... does it sound better than I expected from an "inexpensive" bass - Yes! Does it stack up well against some of my more expensive instruments - Yes!

Excellent in every way. Action was great out of the box. Fit and finish smooth, tight, uniform, etc.

I would play this bass live - with strap locks. I always have a backup or two (ie a P-bass and something fretless). That issue is a bit of a dumb question. If this is what you can afford as your only bass and you have a live gig... guess what - you gig with it without a backup. You'll be fine if you don't plan on smacking it on the stage or shoving it through a grill.

I deal with local music shops with excellent independent customer support. No idea about JT's direct support.

Long time. Lots of instruments and gear. Lots to compare it to. This bass is versatile and becuase it has a very clean signal it responds to processing very well. While I was able to buy a nice no-name hardshell case I would have preferred a form-fitting "violin-bass" case for the aesthetic appeal. I understand JT no longer makes a case for this bass. True? I am planning on experimentaing with flat-wound and nylon wound strings for variety's sake. The tone out of the box is great. Several other musicians' responses have generally been along the lines of "wow great tone" "looks and feels well made" and "incredible value for the money". I agree.