Jay Turser JTB-2B Violin Beatle Bass

Very nice for the price--much better than the Epiphone Viola I had, especially the pick-ups!

It sounds very much like a Hofner--It has smooth pots and decent switches.
Dump the cheap strings and go for the Fender flats for that vintage sound.

It has decent action, and a very good finish, considering the price of 200 bucks.

It is probably more frail than a solid body. Don't drop it or throw it and it will be fine. It seems to be remarkably solid. On arrival, 1 tuning peg was loose, but 10 seconds with a wrench took care of it. I put heavier guage strings on and I did not have to adjust the truss rod.

Jerry at Jammers was first rate. The bass was represented honestly and it showed up on time--great price as well!

This is a spare or second bass for gigs. I have some Warwicks and Fenders so it has some competition. It is excellent quality for the money---period. I would buy it again.

Made in china, cause thats what it said on the sticker on the back. Normal amount of frets, 4 string bass. Volume and solo, bass, and treble are the main controls givin. It is a little off balance when playing with a strap on, standing up , i went from a peavey milestone to this and there is a huge difference, light as a feather, not as small as some people say it is just the normal size of bass but very very light!

My music style is good ol classic rock and most importantly the Beatles. I use a Peavey Microbass amp with it and it sounds fine. Its very loud without the amp, mom says TURN THAT DOWN, but you cant when the amp off! I would use it on stage more than in the studio if I ever got around to it, my other bass is a little less noisy, but i love the noise it makes!!

I had it set up at the music pantry in richmond, in. The 11th fret buzzed horribly and they had to raise it, so that wasnt a plus, but now it plays just awsome,never had one like it!

I think it would stand live playing, it just feels like it is going to break all the time(probably because im so reckless)i hope it doesnt though because i love it. The finish was great nice and shiney no problems there! The strap buttons are great which is a plus cause on my other bass the are realy loose and i have to re-screw them all the time. I wouldn't gig without a backup, even if i had a hofner

It came with a horrible buzzy 11th fret, they don't do anything about it

I have been playing for a year and this is the best bass i have come across so far, very catchy looks, and great sound, if you want to look like paul m. but dont have the money for a hofner, this would be my first choice!It said it listed for $400 on the jay turser web site and I got it for $230 felt like i stole it!

Got it in 2000, assume it was made then since I got it new. It's a beautiful copy of the McCartney violin bass. Very nice sunburst finish and has the three switches with two volume knobs. It takes a little tinkering to figure out what the switches actually do to the sound, there are a lot of combinations with the three switches.
The tuners work nicely and evenly, the neck suits me just fine, not too wide or thick.

I love the sound of this guitar. I play a variety of styles from early Beatles stuff to STP, Creed, Zeppelin, Blink182, etc. and I can get a lot of different tones from this bass. But it really shines on Beatles tunes, it has that deep, low, booming sound of the Beatles recordings. I haven't had any noise problems.
I like it on stage because it looks so cool, and it is very lightweight. Your neck and shoulders aren't sore after several hours like they get when playing a Fender P-Bass.

It came set up pretty well, although I did raise the bridge slightly to eliminate minor string buzz (when playing hard with a pick). There wereno flaws in the finish, it looks great. The action is fine, I find this bass is very easy to play.

I have used this bass in rehearsals for about 3 months (6 times a month) and have played live twice. Haven't had any problems yet. You always get a comment or two from people like "wow-nice looking Beatle bass", etc.
I've had the bass for about a year now and play it constantly, there haven't noticed any wear of the finish. I do however take a backup with me when playing live (mostly in case a string breaks).

Never had to use customer support

I've been playing for over 30 years and have 2 basses, 2 electric 6-string guitars, a 12-string electric, a 12-string acoustic, and 2 6-string acoustic guitars. This bass is a great addition to my gear, I'd probably buy it again if needed. If you like playing any of the 60's - 70's era stuff, this bass gives you that sound, especially on Beatles tunes. Plus, it's versatile enough to get different tones that fit well with more recent styles.

Brand new, dead ringer for the "you-know-who" violin shaped bass. Same # of frets, same pickguard, same nice thin neck. I also play a ric (gee, who's my favorite bass player?) and the neck on this is like a mandolin. Basic 2 pick ups. Selector is a bit strange, that 'Solo" switch really boosts the volume.Light as a feather, which, again, compared to the Rickenbacker, is a delight. I play long nights, lots of classic rock and roll, and this bass is ideal. The inout jack was a bit loose when I got it, but it's okay now. The bas, I guess due to it's shape, is a bit off balance, but the so is it's owner.

As I said, it's ideal for the classic rock stuff. I play through a Hartke 115 Combo, and while it could be a bit louder, it's fine for the bar thingy. Nice deep sound, black fender strings. Treble sound is a bit lacking, but that's not why I bought it, so I don't really care. Again, great for the long gigs, as it's so light.

Called Maggio Bros in Bklyn with a rush job. They set up the bass for me and did an outstanding job. Ran in, picked it up, ran out to a gig. Those folks are the best.

Seems to be pretty durable, but may be too soon to tell. I've playedabout 8 shows with it,(at 4 hours a piece) and it seems fine so far. I always bring another bass any way, no matter what I'm playing.

Didn't deal with the factory, but again, Maggio Bros. is the best

I've been playing for 20 years, also own a Rickenbacker and a Mosrite knockoff, and this is a fine bass. If I lost it somehow, yeah, I'd get another one. I'd say to anyone that has that wish for a Hofner, but doesn't have $1300 for one, or if you play a lot of gigs and wouldn't want to risk that $1300 investment, because I'd be crapping with fear as well, then this is the bass for you

This is the Best copy of the Hofner 501 I've seen. I think it's made in china (Especially since it does say Made in China on it). It had those horrible Large generic Machines heads, (I've since have changed them with original Hofners Machines). Look great next to real Hofners, (I own 2, 1-Cavern model-Purchased from Music ground in England, & 1 Purchased from Subway guitar on the Left coast). Great finish. Love the Mother of toilet seat pick-guard. Does not-I repeat does not sound like a Hofner, But does sound great, great for R & B, Just put on some Rotosound or Pyamid flat rounds. I purchased because I did not want to take a chance beating=up my real ones. I Play thru a Vox B-25 & T-60 bass amp.body made of sycamore, not maple as some people say, but still great. espically for $249.00

Great for Beatles stuff, let's face it, Live, nobody hears how your bass sounds, they just want to see a Violin bass, lets be real, looks super cool!
Great dark sound, i play thru a B-25 & T-60 vox amp.(Again, for the look!!!!)

Great finish, great set-up at the store, Again, I had the machine heads changed, The original ones worked, i just hated the look.

I can only answer this question next year this time, but again, why would a company give a lifetime warranty for something they did not believe it???????

I go to my own technician (Rick-owner of Carmine guitars in the Village in manhattan) Life-time warranty (Is that My-life-time or the manufacturers?)

Been playing over 25 years. Would replace it immeditely with another one. Compares with Fenders,Epiphones, Hofners, etc. I choose it for the Playability & looks. I wish they made a Cavern model, (Pick-up's near each other & next to the neck, would buy this second model in a flash!!!)
2 friends of mine play Paul & are lefty, they wish there was a lefty model.

This instrument was made in China new in 2000. It has a short 30" inch scale. and the top could be laminated , oer should be for the price paid . The controls are very similar to the real Hofner . and it has two humbucker style pickups which are passive . The overall construction seems very good , above average I would say . The general finish is as good or better than you would find on the Epiphone copy. As far as metal parts the finish seems very good , and only time will tell how well it stands up to wear and tarnish.

I bought this instrument basically because i am a certified beatles fanatic , and since I own other instruments could not justify laying out the big bucks for the real thing . If you are after a solid vintage sound and look ,this is the instrument for you . I play this through an S.W.R.400 and a Trace Elliot single 18 cabinet and it sounds really authentic . It is a good idea to change the factory strings to flat wounds . I'm using Pyramid , The same as Sir Pauls , expensive but worth the effort.

Flawless finish !!!!!!!!

Very delicate feel after playing a Pre. bass requires a very gentle touch . no Megadeth on this puppy.

Lifetime warrenty , and from asking around they seem serious .hope it doesn't need it

I've been playing about Thirty years , and know the Beatles like the back if my hand . This guitar will not let you down . I've played the Hofner and it does feel better but not by much . By the way Hofners come stock with Pyramid flats . and this contributes greatly to that feel and sound.

A Hofner Style lawsuit bass.....Short scale, two pick-ups with the Hofner style "Mother of Toilet Seat" pick gaurd and electronics. Two volume controls, a bass & treble switch as well as a rhythm-solo switch. Very nice looking replica....Feature wise it's everything a Hofner is....Quaity is another issue but this Chinese Hofner copy is very well done.

Sound wise...again Hofner all the way. It came with round wound strings and sounded very good. I put a set of D'Addario half wound flats on it and it made it sound a little a little deeper but really cut out the bite..Just a matter of taste. Still a nice vintage sound.

The body, neck and finish workmanship are flat out spectacular. Clean binding job, flawless finish, even some flame in the neck. The pickguard is poorly finished. It almost looks as if it was cut out with a knife instead of a router. The action was a little high and I lowered it. The neck also had some bow that couldn't be taken all the way out but it is still very playable...but clearly not like my Alembics. Hey, it didn't cost thousands either...

Two hours after playing it, a loud hum developed and the treble pick-up went out. After pulling the control panel I saw the worst wiring in history. The soldier joints all looked cold, the ground had fallen off the treble pot and insulation on various leads had been burned thru. Took a good hour to clean things up. It's hard to believe that such superior wood working skills are met with an extremely poor wiring job. I've read other Jay Turser reviews and wiring is a problem...Add to this a neck that can't be properly adjusted and it is more a wall hanger and occasional use bass than a main axe...thus my poor rating. I wouldn't take it to a gig until I've played it a home for several months to see if the electronics hold up..

Hard to say....I paid $199.00 for it new and would have had to ship it back to N.Y....Warrantee says lifetime...That's pretty good...

All in all...it looks KILLER...plays very well even with the very slight bow and sounds great...Durablity is a big unknown. For the money $199.00...a steal.....but not worth the $450.00 list. My overall 9 is based on VALUE....

I assume it was made in 2001, since I bought it new on ebay. It was made in China. It has 22 frets and is short scale. It is a Hofner-like bass. It appears to have a one piece maple top and back, semi hollow, with top and back edge binding. It has 2 volume knobs, of whick I don't care for and will replace. and the usual 2 slide switches. It has 2 humbucking? pickups, chrome, with plain covers and black plastic surrounds. Passive electronics, I plan on wiring it stereo someday. To me, the control panel is installed upside down, I will change it. Semi-hollow maple body, maple one piece neck. The bass has a set neck, which seems very nice. Body style is violin shaped, no f holes, and a pearloid pickguard and truss rod cover. Thye finish is a honey burst (?), kind of plain maple. I think the Rogue Bass is the same bass with flame maple top and back and a black truss rod cover. Binding is very nice and I could only find 2 very small flaws in the finish(both on the headstock...over all a very, very nice finish. The tuners are die cast, mini Grover-like, and work fine. The maple set neck has a dark finish and rosewood fretboard, with small frets, short scale, narrow, small and very easy to play. Other than the hangtag, I did not receive anything else with this instrument. I have played the bass guitar for over 33 years. This will not be my main bass, but fills that Hofner niche.

This will not be my main bass, but fills that Hofner niche. I primarly play fretless, but wanted this for fun. I play it through a rack system and 2 JBL's and an Acoustic 301 18" speaker and a Peavey sub cabinetthat was designed for a 15", but I installed an 18".The bass sound great, but not like that Fender-like sound I'm used to. But that's what I expected. It has plenty of bass response with plenty of unexpected treble. I do not currently play with a band, so I have not used it in a "live" situation. I have not found any problems with the sound yet. Altho, I will wire it stereo.

The bass was set up very nice, with somewhat light gauge strings, roundwound. The action was somewhat high like all new guitars, but I have lowered the action a bit. The pickup are adjusted correctly. I found one fret with a flaw, only seen when sighting down the neck and dose not seem to affect the playability. One tuning peg had a loose nut and the pickguard was loose, both fixed now. The fret edges are really smooth( better than expected), but the nut has sharp edges, soon to smoothed out. The pickguard has very minor edge roughness that will be easily corrected. As stated above the bass had 2 minor flaws in the finish(both in the headstock, overall....very nice.

I sure this bass will stand up, I probably would not used as my only bass in a job. The chrome does look a little thin. The strap buttons seem to be real solid. The neck was very straight and true. It hasn't need a truss rod adjustment yet! As far as finish durability....I sure you get what you pay for.

It has a limited lifetime warranty. I have never owned a Jay Turser instrument before.

I have played for over 33 years.. I own many basses and amps. I would buy this bass again if lost or stolen. I love the sound and playability of it....I hate the knobs(like radio shack), I don't really care for the tailpiece either.I compared to other knockoffs and mainly choose this because it look so nice on the ebay ad and the price.

Just got a Jay Turser Beatle Bass.It was shipped as a temporary "Blem" pertaining to the finish.Two pick-ups. After digging inside to repair a wiring fault to the neck P/U. It is apparently made of plywood veneer but very nice.Neck is thin and easy(maple) but strings sit loose (may need another brand) It feels very fragile but its virture is weight or the lack of it.Very light.Reasonable tuners.I gave a 5 rating because it is not intended to be loaded with features.Its a good basic,semi-acoustic bass

after the p/u repair I had only an opportunity to use my small marshall lead (backed off a bit) and was surprised by the sound and smoothness of it.The rythem/lead switch(on a bass???) even works well.Ive been playing up a streak with it the truth will come with a bass amp that can handle it.It seems to have a decent warm range since thats what I wanted for a kick-around bass(old man -old music)

Remember,this was a factory blem. compromise.The finish I thought was pretty good.Alot better than the old Hofners I just seen at a guitar show(Hofners' were 80 bucks American when I was in the Army 71-73 and my guitar teaching buddy at the time said thats all they're worth)The bridge could be improved upon.I had to repair a ground wire to the pick-up.A choice of my own I decided to keep this one after the repair(I was given excellent compromise and service from Proffesiongear who I bought it from It was only to be a temporary replacement)

Everything seems pretty good.Alot of low end guitars have been improved quite a bit and this ones no exception.Ill only play the thing when other old hack drinking buddies show up and that will be a true test of reliability but I like this thing so much I just might hide it.As with the Hofners of the past ,its light and just as fragile but fun and you wont or mabe you will cry if you drop it.

I dealt mostly with with professiongear on e-bay and not to sound like a plug ,they were excellent,highly recommended.As far as Jay Turser goes,I made the repair myself since from past reviews,noone has gooten any satifaction out of them I figured why frustrate myself if Im going to wind up talking to my own ass-hole.The rating for Progear would have been high

I had Gretsch Tennessean in the past(wonderful)Rickenbacker 365 Fender Jag and now a Fender Mex (which is ok)Since Im not making a fortune why spend one).I would buy another one,It like a Blonde date You know you're going to have trouble with it down the line but its worth it.I like the semi hollow thump in a bass and this has it.Ill p[robably bring it in to have it set by a guy here.But I really like itNice variety of tone.I would like the strings with a little less fret buzz but mabe thats part of the strings they use.Ill find out when I bring it in

I traded for this bass, it's about a year old. Glued neck (not bolt-on), 2 chrome humbuckers, decent tuners, mother-of-toilet-seat pickguard and switch cover. This is a short-scale bass with maple back, top and neck, nice deeply-lacquered sunburst finish. Two volumes plus two pickup swithches and a "rhythm/solo" boost switch.
Bound neck and body, violin/mandolin style bridge with tailpiece slotted for string ends.

I play bass for a living, own eight basses (mostly Fender P's and J's). This little Hofner copy has a very authentic sound - I owned a Hofner back the days, and the Turser copy is very close in sound. Electronics are noisy, some 60-cycle hum in certain clubs, but my Hofner did the same thing. I run this bass through an old Peavey 400B bass head into either a two-ten PAF cabinet or a Peavey single-fifteen loaded with Carvin 600w 4-ohm speaker. This bass is strung with Fender stainless flat-wounds, which I had to cut to length. Beatle Bass strings are available from a few sources, but they're expensive and basically the same thing. If anything, my Fender flats are a little stiffer than the famous old Beatle Bass strings, but that helps fatten the sound a bit, I believe.

The Turser copy has a very dark, string-bass quality, especially when plucked with the thumb mid-course. I have used it both onstage and in the studio with perfect results. It even has deadspots like my old Hofner, which add more authenticity to the sound.

The electronics are most likely sub-standard, given the propensity for noise, but maybe that's another reason the bass sounds so period.

The finishing on this bass is pretty amazing considering the price range, somewhere in the mid-$200's... binding is straight, frets are set correctly and polished, nut is aligned well. When I got this bass, someone had tried to string it with Rotosound flats (115 on the E string, way too heavy for this baby), and the neck understandably became very curved. I simply put the Fender strings on, a much lighter guage, and adjusted the truss rod, and the bass came together beautifully.

The paint job and lacquer is particularly good here, no overspray, no pitting.

I use this bass on tons of gigs and never bring a backup, it's totally dependable at about half the weight of a Fender Precision. For the blues, it's unbeatable, perfect old Chicago electric bass sound, and a breeze to play with the small scale and thin neck width.

However, it's a hollow-body bass, vulnerable to cracking if dropped.

Overall, this bass is a 9, if only for the cheap price and decent workmanship. This is the best Hofner copy I've seen; almost all other copies are bolt-on neck instruments. This bass having a set-in neck is a big plus. I would definitely get another Turser Beatle copy.

Again, it's a Beatle Bass. It sounds like a Beatle Bass, or perhaps like an old Kay electric bass guitar from the early Sixties... no sustain, no Geddy Lee tone, none of that. It's all woof. That makes it a good tool for situations that require that sound. Be ready for wisecracks about Paul McCartney, though.