Epiphone Jack Casady Signature

Features:
2004 Epiphone "Jack Casady" semi hollowbody 4-string. Maple neck, maple body 34" scale. Basically a copy of a 1970's Gibson Les Paul Signature. Gold Polyurethane finish on top, black finish on back and neck (very very clean). One single off white low impedance p/u about midway between the neck and bridge. 3 way varitone switch. Average vintage style nickle non locking tuners and hardware. Fat Fat neck shape with jumbo frets and rosewood fretboard. Mine came with an epiphone hard case with a slight exterior tear. One volume knob one tone knob. Hencho en korea but but it hasn't hurt this product any. Three point gibson style bass bridge.

I like the looks, but I love (the tone, the tone, the tone,) deep rich fat midrange that has a smooth round vocal quality to it, with good but not excessive sustain, this quality is what I chose this bass for. Direct into a console or even through a P.A. or amp you can consistently find good sounds in this bass. This Low impedence pickup is extremely quiet and articluate, it will annunciate what your fingers are doing with both hands. Great for the vintage P-bass lover tone. The varitone can very in usefullness depending on the amp you are playing; it can get too fat, loud and wooly for my tastes at the highest setting. This bass suits soul, blues, rock and alt-country styles just fine for me.

I don't know how the setup was from the factory I bought it used. Action is great I like big beefy necks and slightly higher action on a bass though. The one Pickup seems to be in the perfect spot harmonically. This instrument is neck heavy, although it is a light bass, I wear a big strap and avoid neck-dives with it. Lighter tuners might have been a good choice. For this price range I think the action fit and finish is truly exceptional. I have seen some junk Epiphones in my day, the bass I have is definately not.

This bass seems very durable but it is a semihollow so some degree of care is needed in handling it as with any good instrument, but it does not seem delicate at all. The hardware is pretty heavy duty but the three point bridge has a slight design flaw, the silkwindings over the back of the strings goes over the saddles. Strap buttons are rock solid and hold it securely. It hasn't failed to function as required yet. I have pretty acidic sweat so no doubt over time the finish may show some wear on the body and hardware, thats fine by me because I am not overly concerned with looks. It stays in tune just fine for me and I am a pretty physical player, no slapping though. The truss rod has needed no adjustments yet, but I've only had it a few months, and the setup from Elderly Instruments was exceptionally meticulous, and intonation is spot on, no major dead spots on this bass, currently set up with pyramid gold flatwounds on it. I have no real backup bass, only a very rare wierd vintage pawnshop prize 1967 japanese semi hollowbody 1220 by Aria. This one is it for my real playin' basses right now.

Never dealt with them. Couldn't say.

I have been playing for 13+ years mostly guitar but I do enjoy playing bass at blues jams ocassionally. I really wanted a good bass for home demoing rough drafts of songs. I play it through an Eden traveler 400 head and a beat up peavey 4X10 cabinet. I would probably buy another one if I lost this one. I love that its pretty light and records dead quiet direct in the studio. Most importantly It's a bass that sounds like (I) feel a bass should. The shape can cut into your right forearm if you don't adjust your playing technique. I've played lots of other classic fender and a few gibson styled basses. I really love the tone of this one for blues , rock and country the best. It might be cool and profitable for Epiphone to produce a lined fretless version of this...(hint)

mine is all black....removed the pickgaurd to make it look cooler.

came with a case that is really heavy ..but strong.

very usefull for all styles...versatile.

no real setup to speak of ...it had a sticker on the back saying made in korea and setup in the usa....i doubt if it ever went to the usa.

the nut was totally unshaped...the frets where sticking up to various heights so you could acctually slide your fingernail under the fretwire quite easily...it was that bad..buzzing even at quite a high action. Whoever is checker number 28 according to the check card that came with the guitar must be deaf dumb and blind to have checked all the boxes saying ok to go.

since i had it setup its all pretty much spot on....be sure not to screw down the rear bridge screws too much as all it will do is yank the ferrules out of the body. Other than this everything seems very solid and reliable.

i doubt its gonna be up to much judging on the qc check.

playing for 25 years and mainly do rock blues jazz and fusion...no slapping with the thumb but do punch and tap quite a bit.

Once set up this bass plays as good as my stingray and tonewise the string sound is more defined and full with a rich full harmonic spectrum...very quiet and great for recording. Could be prone to feedback in live situations but thats because this is a true semi hollow rather than say something like an artcore which may as well be a solid.

So this is a great bass once setup..use a wide neckstrap to avoid neck dives which is another trait of true hollowbody basses.

If it was stolen i would definitely buy another ...in fact i may even buy another to defret...they are that good and look very cool !!

Make no mistake this guitar is a tonegod!!!! dont let the price fool you ..when setup by an expert luthier its up there in the pro range of basses. Because its basically well known that its sold without a setup i already figured one into the price so it came as no suprise ...thefore i can give this a 10!!!!

2005 Korean ,maple neck,rosewood fretboard.laminated hollow body.One low impedance Electar pickup, 34" scale set neck. Gold Top.

Comes with moulded lead and a Truss Rod Allen Key

Nothing to add to what others have said. Sounds fantastic.

Set-up? What setup? Bad frets on three of the four strings. Tried some Thomastik flatwounds and found even more.

Impedance transformer rattling around inside the body.
One strap button had fallen off.

Paint distinctly crumbly around the edges where it meets the neck.

Poor finish around the F-holes.

Some of these flaws are due to manufacture, some are set-up/QA problems and some are due to the pathetic packaging the instrument is supplied in. This is the second one I have received which has been damaged in transit.

This is not a cheap guitar. The build quality of my Ibanez AGB140 (for around half the price) is vastly superior.

It looks tough enough to survive if it's kept in a decent case for transport. Hardware looks good quality.

I'm in the process of having a second one replaced by the distributor, Thomann who have been very helpful.

Been playing for ages (on and off). Got several basses including a Lakland Darryl Jones and an Ibanez AGB140 with Bartolini pickup.

I'd buy another if it was lost or stolen.

I love the look and sound of this bass. I love the variation in tone from the impedance switch.

I hate waiting for a replacement to arrive.

I wish Epiphone's QA was better. I wish the packaging was better.

2005 Korean made,maple neck,rosewood fretboard.laminated hollow body.One low impedance Electar pickup, 34" scale set neck.

This bass sounds fantastic. Rich ,full sound with acoustic tones. It is extremely responsive and expressive. Go to casadybass.com and listen to Jack playing his. It is very quiet .Great for studio work. Everyone I've let play my JC has fallen in love with it.

The Jc seems to be well built and solid. The flaws in mine were all caused by damage done in shipping due to poor packaging.The U.S. inspectors are on permanent vacation. Of the three JCs Ive had only one came with a warranty card, manual and allen wrench. None were tuned or in any way professionally set up. T.

It seems that the most dangerous period in this bass' life will be it's journey from the factory to your fingers in the shitty little cardboard box Epiphone packs these in.I am a graduate of Art Center College of Design. I've studied package design. The box they ship these instruments in is trash. I had to send two basses back because they were damaged in shipping and the third had the bridge sticking through the cardboard when I recieved it. Make sure it's shipped in a case, buy it used from someone who cares or buy it directly from Jack.

I tried to get service from Epi/Gibson for the damaged bridge and noisy tone and volume pots.They insisted that I ship the bass in it's original cardboard box. They said if I shipped it in it's case that the case would most likely be lost at their repair facility.(I'm not Kidding!) I tried reasoning with them but Rame and the boys in Nashville wouldn't return my phone calls or e-mails.The warranty has since expired. Maybe that's a good thing.

I searched all of California to find a JC before I purchased one. After a year I gave up and just trusted that if Jack Casady put his name on it that it would be a great instrument. It is. It's just a shame that Epi/Gibson don't seem to agree. The designers and the Koreans who assembled the bass seem to have pride in their work and did a fine job.The U.S. inspectors,dealers and marketing team should be ashamed. They have a cool instrument here and it seems that they don't give a #$%^.

A Korean made bass, 4 strings, 20 frets, hollow body, carved top, one pick-up ( passive ) with volume and bass controls. Maple neck, laminated body with gold finish front side and an almost black, maroon color on the full back side, neck and all. Body style is pretty much like the Chuck Berry Gibson model. Tuners are a Schaller type. It's a 34 inch scale with jumbo frets and rosewood fret board. With it comes a cable with a 90 degree jack on one end and an allen wrench for truss rod adjustments and an Epiphone owner's manuel. No case.

This is a very nice all purpose bass. Much like the Fender P Bass. Pretty much a one sound bass but a very good one and necessary for most bass playing. Great for R&B. Rock n Roll. Country. Jazz and Rock. Actually, it's good for about any type of playing except for slapping and string snapping. Most say this bass has a "woody sound". I agree with that comment. An earthy natural sound leaning toward a string bass. It has a full rich bassy sound but at the same time, it has definition. The G string doesn't have the annoying brittle twangy sound that most basses do. I like that.

There is a rotary switch with 3 settings....50, 250 & 500. 50 is the one you'll use most of the time. 250 is like going to a "hot pick up". And 500 is like too much. Very powerful, fat and muddy. But, it is there if you need it. I like this bass!!! I like it's sound and slight variations with the rotary switch. This bass is simple. To the point. It'll shake your pants legs for sure. Great sustain. Great bottom. Does what a bass should and does it nicely!!! Stage, studio.......go for it!!! No complaints with this bass in this area.

It was set up perfectly for me!!!! It was right on with the recommended set up. You might like lower action or higher but it was perfect for me!!! Any lower, the strings would rattle and buzz. Any higher and it would be a little hard to play. Good job, Epiphone! Truss rod was right on too. Pick up was adjusted perfectly.

The finish is pretty good. About 9.5 out of 10. Nothing is perfect and this bass isn't either. There's a few finish flaws. Extremely minior and very typical for a bass in this price range.

Here are some.... some what serious flaws. The holes for the tuners are a little off. Not badly but they are.

The nut is made of some kind of white fiber material and some of it had flaked away or chipped away at all 4 strings at the nut. I will fix it myself with some super glue and some sanding and shapping when I change the strings. It's not a major flaw but annoying. The chipping is on the side of the nut that begins the sting's length to the bridge. Less then 1/64th of an inch chipped off the G and D string. The E and A still have the fiber though it's pulled away but can easily be glued and pressed back. The G and D had a little notch of fiber missing and have to be filled in with glue.

I checked the truss rod tension and it is maxed out. Adjusted all the way tight. This concerns me because if in the future the neck bows and needs adjustment.........how am I gonna do that with a maxed out truss rod? It does have a limited life time warranty. So, I'll not worry about that now. I could go to smaller gauge strings to lessen the pull and bow if necessary.

Now it's time for me to mention the #1 flaw this this bass. The bridge. The distance from the ball end of the strings to the saddles is only about a 1/4 of an inch. Most strings have silk or about 1/2 an inch of rough construction before the string smooths out and is ready to park into the saddle. Now, the strings that came with this bass are ok but other strings will sit with the silk or rough winding into your saddles. A problem. For example, I want to remove the round wound strings that came with the bass and put on some flat wounds............problem!!!

But, I found a solution. I went to the hardware store and bought 4 stainless steel nuts which I will thread the strings through and will pull the strings back about 1/4 of an inch giving me the needed clearence. It'll look ok too. Not ugly. Probably unnoticable.

When we buy and play guitars and basses, many times we have to make mods on our instruments. But, this Epiphone bridge was not engineered correctly. If it weren't for this bridge problem, I'd give the bass a 9.5 in this area but instead it gets a 7.

The bass is neck heavy because the strap button is close to the last frets. But, a strap end can be tied to the head stock too if neck heavy bothers you. ( like straping a Martin accoustic ) For sitting, there is no problem. Standing, you might need a wide strap to keep bass from neck diving. The bass is noticably lighter than a Fender. A plus.

In terms of COOL!!!!........this bass is very cool looking. Very cool!!!!!! If ya get tired of all the solid bodies, this bass is refreshing to play, hold and see.

It is a semi-hollow bass. It ain't no Fender or solid body. It's a bit more fragile but if it's taken care of......it's rugged enough. Good chrome on the hardware. The finish is hardy enough. Yes, this bass can be depended on for live or studio. I wouldn't want to drop it. I don't think it would fair as well as a solid body being dropped.

Limited life time warranty. If any problems, take it to any Epiphone dealer..........there are tons of them around.

I got 15 basses. Fenders and Stingrays. The Jack Casady is a wonderful addition.

Yes, I'd buy it again. I love this bass!

$800 is a bit high priced for a Korean made bass I think it should be a little bit cheaper. Probably Jack gets a slice of the pie for each one sold. Maybe that adds to the expense. I'm not sure. Ibanez sells a China made semi-hollow bass for about $300. Bass Player magazine gave it good reviews. So, this bass ain't cheap. But it is well made. I recommend it.

The bass is as described by others in terms of features.

Tried it out on an Ampeg. Sounded like I expected since I heard Jack play his live.

Ok , heres the deal - I returned the bass to the dealer for a full refund (The on line retailer was very helpful and understanding. Did not quetion the return for a moment). Features, sound and playability were not the issue. The finish was cracked and coming off around the nut and the neck joint. The dealer was helpful in advising they had had several like this. I wrote Epiphone/Gibson about when they were going to have a run of them that they actually checked before they sent it out. I never got a response. Which was what happened on a previous Epiphone product that was advertized by Epiphone and never shipped. They finally advised the dealer they simply were not going to make the product. Dealers are fine nad helpful, but it is apparently Gibson/Epiphone is nor very service orientated. Their quality is uneaven. Tehy are loosing dealers because they are only interested in sales numbers. I will think hard before I buy any new Gibson/Epiphone products. I have several but tey have a serious problem in their current approach to business. I am surprised that it even went out of the USA set up to a dealer. The finish issues were that bad.

Have read other reports of finish issue in the same location on the neck.

I love Jack's playing and what was intended to come from this bass. Many folks are happy but must have one made when they had quality control.

Overall, its a well built bass, solid.

As stated above, Gibson/Epiphone has qualtiy control problems and a grwing disreguard to customer service. Thier immage is tarnishing faster than gold on a cheap watch.

I will watch for a used one and if its in great shape I will buy it.

Looks Great, Plays Great, Sounds Great. I'm left handed and it was an easy conversion. I did the nut and bridge conversion on the tailgate during my son's lacrosse game and gigged that night with it. It has a cutaway for me and looks cool with the knobs and small horn up top.

I play Hawaiian music, Roots, and Swing but do some variety and Rock gigs too. It's capable of a blend of old and new sounds- nothing fancy, just warm,honest and bassy. It keeps the string bass at home on a cramped bandstand (flatwounds)and revs up for Rockabilly, Motown and Funk. If anything, I lay back on the Varitone- It's a little too much bass for some bandleaders. I've gotten the eyeball before and backed it off to be cool.

Mine's great I love the GoldTop and Mahogany spray job. I haven't babied the top or the back and it hasn't chipped or faded anything. Maybe the plating on the tuning machines is a little cheesy but mine haven't tarnished and they work fine. I noticed others complaining about the lower bout cutting into their rib but being lefty, I have turned fenders updide down they can hurt too. I have figured out a way to bring my strap around the top to anchor the bass out at a little bit of an angle and I do the same with this bass and it feels fine.

I can play seven nights a week and use this bass alot- hundreds of times and nothing is worn on it yet. I got a case on Ebay, It's the only bass I carry in a hard case because it does seem like it would suffer from a hit, more than my Jazz or P Bass.

Who knows? I've never taken any instrument back to a dealer or factory. If I don't like it in the first place, I don't buy it.

I've played now for 30 years, have had mostly lefthanded Fenders, a couple of Hofners, Gretsch, Guild and a couple dozen guitars and string basses. I've had most of the good 210's, 410's and 15's, Ampeg, SWR and Eden heads. I'm now using a 15" BagEnd,210 Peavey 4ohm and a GK400. I don't drag alot of equipment around and anymore. I'm not impressed by gadgetry much either. The Varirone and a Fishman Pre Amp are my only effects really.

Long scale hollow body, same design/style as the Les Paul Signature single passive pickup, set neck.

I bought this bass online purely because I thought it was one of the coolest looking basses I'd ever seen. I knew pretty much what hollow body Gibsons sounded like and didn't care for it but this thing was so cool looking. I used it on stage that night, didn't like the way it sounded and having mostly played Fenders, I didn't care for the way it felt either. I went back to my Fenders and pretty much only brought it out for band photos. A little while later I purchased a Sansamp bass driver stomp box and tried it with the Epi. I put the "Vari tone" switch to 50 (high treble), set the stomp box to roughly emulate an SVT amp that changed everything. All of a sudden it sounded just as full as it did before but it was also punchy as hell. I play a lot of small clubs where we don't bother with mics on the guitars and bass. Using this bass with the stomp box I'm getting all the bottom for a good stage mix but and at the same time It's cutting thru very nicely, plenty of definition.

Like I said, at first I didn't care for the way the bass felt. The neck was okay but I just wasnt comfortable with that big hollow body, the way I placed my arm made the square edge of the body cut into my forearm. It took about three days before I got used to it. A week later I couldn;t remember why it was a problem. Two years later it's my main bass. Epiphone make a lot of cheaper Gibson style models with bolt on necks. This isn't one of them. It's got a set neck and as near as I can tell it's as well put together as anything out there. Mine's a gold top and it never fails, everytime I play a bigger gig the sound crew guys are complimenting it and asking questions about it.

I play out on an average of three nights a week and I've been using this one every night for about two years.. I'm careful with my stuff, but not THAT careful. This thing is as tough as anything, holds a tune beautiful. If you've never played Gibsons then be careful changing strings cause when they're off the bridge slides right off the posts.

Never had to deal with them.

I'm an old guy and I been playing forever. I pride myself in NOT being a gearhead, either I like something or I don't. I've got Quite a few basses, mostly Fender and Fender style, a Rick, a few oddballs. Right now this is my favorite and I'd replace it in a minute.

This rascal is a 2003 Made in Korea. 20 Frets. It is a 34" scale archtop. Volume and tone control as you know. Tri-tone selector switch. There is one passive Electar pickup which I heard is unavailable outside of these basses and I pretty sure I know why. It is amazing in it's natural contribution to the basses tones. I think it is maple in construction but light enough. It is a hollow base there is no block under the pickups as in the Gibson 335, but it still has a solid body sound like the best P-Bass you have ever played. It is a fat neck but I have large hands and it feels a lot like a P-Bass neck maybe a tiny bit thicker. All the features you need in a groovy punchy bass. Cool hard shell case.

OK. It is a honey in the sound department. The tone is like a semi-hollow P-Bass. It sounds like the best P-bass you ever played. I hear some of my old Rickenbacker tones along with P-Bass on steroids and hollow thick approaching uprightish tones if you have the feel with your fingers. Basically butter. I play funk jazz and I normally have played jazz basses but I love the old P-Bass sound especially like Chuck Rainey's sound from 70's Steely Dan recordings. This has that sound and more. I am a slapper and I get a punchy growly best of P-Bass sound when I slap and pluck on this. Very usable if you like that sound. Some prefer the slap sound of a jazz or an active setup like a Stingray or L-2000 and I would guide you away from this bass if that is the only sound you like. If you like a righteous P-bass punch and growl or would like the sound of a Rickenbacker that is punchier and breathier then this is your honey. Very quiet electronis for recording. Plenty of growl if you want it and plenty of huge smooth bass if you want it. Like others have stated I had to pull some of the bass out on my amp. I love the tone so much and it is so reponsive that this will become my number one instrument no question.

The neck is heavy and if you let the neck go the bass will want to slide toward the neck side. The large body will dig in to your right forearm but there are techniques that I use that it does not do that. It is not that bad for me but I am 6'3". I can definitely get used to the feel, but I love that awesome P-Bass on steroids sound that it provides to the groove so I will learn to live with it. Nothing is as comfy as a Fender Jazz and the Jazz has all the tones in the world too so you should have one of those to supliment this bass. No serious bass player should have just one bass. That's my opinion though. This bass was a factory second with an ebony finish. There is a tiny binding flaw about the size of the very end of your pinky fingernail and I guess that makes this a second. Other than that, it is sweet perfection.

This will be my main gigging machine out of 12 basses. I am sure that it will hold up but I will treat it nice. Rock, punk, country, jazz and P-Bass funk lovers will go ape-shit for this fine instrument. I had to wait four months from the time I ordered it and needless to say I am finally glad that it is here and I have had a chance to gig with it and it is definitely worth the wait and the money. Not as durable as a solidbody but it can take the road if you are nice to it.

Gibson distribution on this instrument is currently in the shambles as of summer 2004. Waiting for 4 months for a factory second when you are told 30-60 days sucks. Be ready for that but you will not be disappointed if you are a bass lover like I am. I will take it to my local luthier if I have to. I have read horror stories on Epi support and I am not going there.

I have been playing bass for 20 years this year. I have a G&L P-Bass, 4 jazz basses, now the Jack Casady in Ebony. I would replace it if something happened. I love the look and the feel. I had it set up right. I absolutely love the tone. To me, it is P-Bass meets Rickenbacker 4003 meets acoustic bass. Plenty of bass, warmth, crunch and growl and punch where you want it. It is a large bass, but it fits me well. Gorgeous. I love Jack Casady and Epiphone for this wonder contribution to bass players. Thank you.

Just a nice, elegantly simple update of the classic Gibson hollow body electric bass. To my mind, real design improvements have been made. For example, the bridge is stil an old-school 3 point style (certainly not everyone's cup of tea and, admittedly, string height is a little tricky to adjust) but the saddles are modern and intonation is easily adjusted. The Varitone circuit - a simple, 3 position switch - changes pickup impedance and shifts the tone from clear and woody to thick and snarly. And the set neck, nice to find in a contemporary bass, is just a joy. I have small hands, and I've always struggled with the upper register on bolt neck basses. With the Casady I can move effortlessly all the way way up the neck.

One small complaint: this is a superb instrument, and it deserves superb strap buttons. Dunlop Straplocks should be standard equipment on this bass.

I'd love to say more about the exquisite tone of this bass, but mere words truly cannot describe it. Don't expect it to sound like a P-bass (for that matter, don't expect it to sound like anything you've ever heard before.) The tone is MUCH warmer and fuller than any solid body will deliver, and the output is MUCH hotter than any other passive bass I've ever played.

I've strung mine with Thomastik-Infeld Jazz Flats, and I send it through a PreSonus tube preamp to either a Carvin 100W 1x10 or an Ampeg B100R. Does it sound vintage or contemporary? Yes!

Don't let that "Made in Korea" sticker scare you away. This is a solid, beautifully crafted bass.

Epiphone sets up all its guitars and basses in the US, and I think they did a fine job with mine. The action is a bit lower that I've grown accustomed to, but I'm learning to love it (it's really fast and expressive.)

I do have to say that the volume and tone pots are a bit scratchy, but I always just open both all the way and leave 'em there, so it's no big deal for me.

Hey, no hollow body will ever be as durable as a solid body. DO NOT buy this bass unless you're ready to take really good care of it and, by all means, get the hardshell case. Only a fool would carry this bass in a gig bag.

Limited Lifetime Warranty - looks good to me. But I really haven't dealt with Epiphone, so I won't try to comment.

Get the best of both worlds with this bass: a fully modern instrument that incorporates the qualities and characteristics of a vintage Gibson hollow body. It's also very affordable. Now, what are you waiting for?