Atkinson Basses J Bass

* Warmoth alder body: Stained walnut brown and finished in tung oil. Body weighs less than 5 pounds.
* DiMarzio "Model J" DP123 pickups: These pickups reproduce the warmth and roundness of the traditional Jazz Bass sound with increased power and hum-cancellation
* Genuine Fender neck: The new "classic vibe '60s" Jazz bass from Squier is getting rave reviews. I pulled this neck from a brand new Classic Vibe model. The neck essentially duplicates the 1962 specs (complete with vintage-style frets) but with the modern 9.5" radius. I removed the logo from the front of the headstock and refinished it in vintage amber. The back of the neck has been sanded lightly to give a "broken in" satin feel. Also, I did a very light "relic" treatment to the headstock.
* Quality Electronics: I used 250K CTS pots, as well as a .100??F capacitor (like the vintage Fenders). All wiring is clean and wiring runs are trimmed to be as short and neat as possible.
* Genuine Fender brige: The brige is from a Fender 75 Jazz bass reissue.

The sound of a Jazz bass, pure and simple. The Dimarzio's give it a nice midrange punch. They are great for getting a nice, tight slap sound and can produce a nice Jaco-like fingerstyle tone.

The bass was setup the way I like it: the action was not too low. The neck feels smooth and the walnut stain on the body looks awesome.

Never had a problem with any of the features or electronics

I've only talked to Dan via emails. His response has always been prompt.

It's a great bass that has been made with a lot thought and consideration given to playability and sound. It may not be a those "boutique bass", but given that this bass is only one Dan's early creations, I can see that each new creation will only be better!

J-Bass body in Alder, natural finish with a triple layer tortoise shell pickguard. Fender American Vintage pickups, and associated electronics. I purchased the loaded body and added a Fender American Jazz neck to complete the project.

The sound of this bass body is clean and natural. Since it has essentially the same electronics as the Geddy Lee Signature J-bass I've been playing, it sounds very similar to it, but somehow warmer. All of the electronics were wired very well, and care was taken to ground everything so there is no noise at all. The quality workmanship comes through in the sound. I've played this body through a Fender Bassman 135 with a pair of 15in. cabs, as well as an Ampeg Solid State 15in combo, and been pleased. In addition I've also run it through a Tech-21 Sans Amp directly into our PA, and was just plain wow'd.

The build of this body was perfect. There was a blemish on the back of the body that was well noted, and I understood I was buying a body that had a small mark on it, but that has nothing to do with the quality of the build, which was excellent.

Been playing through this body every week for a few months now, and there have been absolutely no issues whatsoever. I'm looking forward to a long relationship with this one.

I have not had to contact Atkinson beyond the initial purchase of this bass body, because it has performed so well. Based on the thoughtful and thorough communication during the purchase, I have every expectation that the service would be excellent as well.

I've only been playing for 4 years, and in that time have been developing a feel for what I like best in the was of equipment. The sound of the Fender American Vintage Jazz pickups is one I really like, and with those electronics in this body, it's a combination that works well for me. Since everyone has different tastes, this review is really meant to more about the Atkinson shop, rather than the particular body I purchased from them. Regardless of what you're looking for, you will find them (I dealt with Dan) very helpful, and truly skilled.

Custom Jazz bass body, made by a guy named Dan Atkinson in Atlanta. Bought this from him on eBay. Standard controls, DiMarzio pickups, very nice alder body finished in walnut stain and tung oil. Bridge is a solid Fender-style bridge. Overall, a typical J bass set of features.

Great, great sound. Quality tone. Very punchy and growly, like a Jazz bass should be. Compared to my MIM bass, it has more bottom end and clarity, and isn't as noisy. I wonder if the natural no-paint finish makes it ring better or something.

Well, since I bought the finished body only, there was no setup to be done. But everything on the body was done right - the pickups were installed neat and clean, the pickguard was lined up right with the control plate, etc. I put a warmoth neck on it, and it installed ok, except I had to sand down the neck a bit to make it fit.

The finish is really cool. Looks boutique. It's got a natural, dark walnut stain finish, with tung oil on top. Very different from most Fender-type axes. I dig it.

I've owned this bass for about 4 months, and it's done fine so far. I've done 2 gigs and never had a problem. The build is quality, as far as I can tell. But we'll see.

My only concern is the finish. A natural finish like this won't take a bunch of wear and tear. You gotta baby it, a little.

I haven't dealt with him except for the purchase on eBay. He seemed helpful enough.

I've got a MIM Jazz and an Ibanez SR500. This bass has become my main "go to" baby lately. I am pleasantly surprised. It looks cool, sounds good, and didn't cost too much. I might contact him about making me a P-Bass copy.

Yes, if it was stolen, I'd definitely get another.