Jay Turser JTB-550 Bass

i bought my jtb550 somewhere between 2000 & 2002 not sure maybe even in 2003 it looks like yellow but from what i have read it is a a honey color on maple and was probably made in china. 24fret and 5 string it has three nobs two volume and one tone. i dont know much about pick up styles and technical words but i everything is stock except the strings i have not had any problems or complaints only adjustment i made was lower the strings a little.

i pesonaly like the sound i can get a deep low and a crisp high sound when desired i do a lot of jazz and i just love the sustain. many diffent bass players have ask if my jtb 550 is on sale as soon as i get off stage the most i have been offered for it has been $800 which is awsome because i think i paid about $250 +tax i have also noticed that is more of a gig bass not that good for studio

i have no complains i just feel the guy that placed the ispection sticker should be a the store to help remove it form the neck

this bass has never given me any problems on stage or off. yes it still looks like new everyone who sees it thinks it is like a few months old i also dont let anyone i trust touch it. i have not had to ajust the bass in any form since the first time i bought it and lowered the strings i dont think i will ever need a back up bass at any time soon i have had it for about 6 years more less

i have never had to mess with customer support dont know any warranty info have not needed

i have been playing for about 9 years i also have a four sting peavy presison bass sounds great but real heavy. actually i would have asked the brand because i didnt know the brand name till maybe a year later that a friend told me. where i bought they let you try them out so i did and i loved it because that is what i could afford and sounded good to me. i have had alot of people tell me that my bass is a cheap brand and that it is just no good. but once they hear me play my music with my jtb550 there jaws just drop to the ground and form a river of salaiva. i think i got more than my moneys worth

Appears to be the same year and model as my blue one. All the specs are the same except the color-this one is Honey over quilted maple. Now only a couple more colors to find! Fit and finish is just amazing for such an inexpensive intrument. Action is even better now (after a slight tweek) and it plays like butter.

Although this one sounded better than the blue one stock, I changed out the pickups-a Dimarzio Split-P in the front, and a Carvin H50S in the rear. Whoa Boy! What a difference! Deep deep lows, sparkly highs and just a killer tone. Oh, I did have to replace the pots-two of them died. I'm giving it a post modification rating of 9.

It is amazing that such an inexpensive bass can be put together so well. It has excellent hardware (I understand that the non-oval fret marker models have pretty cheap hardware) it always holds a tune well, and is one of the nicest looking basses around (my opinion, of course)

Well, I'm gigging regularly now, 2-3 times a week, and it's holding it's own. I do bring the blue one with me just in case I break a string, but havent used it yet. It's pretty light, so it makes it easier to stand there and play a couple hours.

Have no Idea

I will say it again, Best bang for the buck that I know of. If I ever have a custom bass made, I'll have them copy this bass exactly-just use exotic woods.

Don't know what year it is-probably a 2002 or so. They only made this particular model for a short time (5-string,quilted maple top, oval fret markers). 24 frets, made in China like the rest of them. PJ setup for the pickups-This is really the only weak part of this instrument. Rosewood fingerboard, transparent blue finish (nice!), decent hardware, havent had any trouble with the tuners like I read in the other reviews, and I've had mine for 2 years. I give it a 8 just for the pickups-the rest of the Bass is close to first class.

I am currently playing Contemporary Christian and Praise and Worship music in a band called The 11th Hour. This Bass covers just about all of it. I play through an Ashdown MAG 300R and Presonus Blue Max into a Steelsound 2-12". I replaced the pickups with a EMG PJ set @ 18v (that the local Guitar center salesman said were the right ones), and discovered a year later that they were for a 4 string. No wonder the "B" was a little weak! Working on getting the right pickups in it. I mainly play on the front pickup, and I don't slap much, and it sustains real well. I would use this Bass for just about any situation (especially once I get the P5J set). It's never let me down, and I've never taken a spare with me to gigs. I'll give it an 8 again-just because of the stock electronics.

The fit and finish on my Bass were truly superb! Action was VERY low (like I prefer) and the neck is truly an awesome thing! This is what sold me on this Bass to begin with. I just love the way the neck feels and plays. I was well aware of the short comings of the electronics going in, but also knew they were the easiest to change. The rest of the instrument is very high quality. In fact, a Turser rep told me that the reason they discontinued this particular model was because it was too good. They weren't making enough money on them, and decided to cheapen up a bit on them. But, there are Basses out there that are better, so it gets a 9. There are also quite a few Basses out there that are way more expensive that dont play or feel as good as this one-but it still gets a 9.

I've been playing it live for a couple years now, with Zero problems. The hardware seems to be wearing fine, as is the finish. I always replace all my strap buttons with straplocks, but I remember that the original buttons were nice and hefty. Nothing is perfect, so 9 again.

Never dealt with them.

I've been playing Bass for about 29 years, had a lot of gear over that period of time-even worked at a music store for a year or so. So I feel qualified to give my opinion. And I think this Bass is a great deal for the money. It is a profesional grade intrument-except maybe the electronics-but that is an easy fix. In fact, I just found a transparent honey quilted top one on Ebay that I scored for $150.00. The pickups on this one are quite a bit better than my blue one-and its setup and playability was fantastic right out of the box!(literally). If it was lost or stolen, I would definately try to replace it. (theres three other colors to aquire!) You cant go wrong with this Bass whether you are a beginner or a professional. There are better (and more expensive) Basses out there, so it gets another 9, but I'm sure happy with this one. (Or two :-)

The features were good. The Natural Honey finish on my JTB-550 was especially attractive to me. The size is good for a 5-string in comparison to some of the bulkier modles that are going around. The neck specifically is a major plus. The thin neck allows greater mobility up and down the neck, and allows you to reach even the highest tones with ease and clarity. But, I will say that the pickups are a little less than impressive. But, then again, nothing is perfect. After all, what do you expect for $300?

Mainly I play a southern Gospel style, but even through contemporary Christian and "Choir" Gospel. And, I have found that this model is very VERY suprisingly versitile. With simple adjustments on the bass, I can go from a deep rich sound to a bright punch. All in all, I'd say that, in the hands of the right player, this bass can reach a very broad spectrum of sounds. And, yes, I would also say that it is noticeably better for the stage than the studio.

The bass came from the factory exactly how I wanted it actually with only one exception (the preamp--or the lack thereof). I was expecting to have to have the strings lowered and much work done, but I found that, straight from the factory, the bass pretty much met my needs. There were no defects or flaws in the bass at purchase, but I didn't really appreciate someone sticking the "Inspected by" sticker right in the middle of the back of the neck! Wise up guys!

This bass I feel can last through anything from a 2 hour jam session to a 5 hour concert in the hands of the right player, and depending on the style of music. This is deffinately not a grunge bass. The tuners would easily fall off after about 1 hour of heavy grunging. This is the biggest flaw in the hardware. Now, the finish is awesome on my model (Natural Honey), and it seems like it would outlast a nuclear winter. I would deffinately say that it could be a very good solo bass, BUT, again, the pickups might hinder the effect a little bit.

I have been seriously playing for about two years now, and just fooled around for about two years before that. I do really wish that I had asked about the pickups a little more "in-depth" before I purchased it, BUT, again, what do you expect for $300? I expected a JTB-550 Jay Turser 5-string bass that gave me a $700 satisfaction, and that's pretty much what I got. If this were lost or stolen, I'd deffinately replace it. This is deffinately a good bass for someone just starting out, all the way through to the serious profeshional. Just keep in mind that EVERY bass has it's ups and downs. I'd say that the JTB-550's ups MAJORLY outweigh the downs!

Umm, i like this... and to the top review, it doesnt matter how the bass sounds in A, because i play about 3 steps lower then that, and i play very dark, satanic, demonic, thrash, death metal, and as long as the bass makes a sound, i could care less about the sound. very nice

5-string;
24 frets;
solid body;
maple neck;
rosewood fingerboard;
split and single coil pick-up configuration;
2-V, 1-T;
black die-cast machines and hardware.

Sounds incredible, especially when i run it threw my danelectro, boss, ibanez, and oh well, i have some pedals, because i am rich, it sounds great. Also, when it is run threw around 50 or so, ampeg/marshel/mesa boogie/peavey amps, and pa, the low deep sound to make you throw up, is great!

I riped the finish off, when i was drunk, high, wasted, whatever at a party, so i cant say really if the finish was good. but it was good, as what i remember.

Well, i was drunk on stage, i droped it, and nothing happened, yet i droped it, because i pasted out. NO DINGS ON IT!

I bought it at a store, the delivery was great!

It sounds good, it makes you puke, so i would buy this bass again.
So to everyone, this me, and my beer!

This bass is great!

Hmmmm, pretty basic here, it tunes, and has a neck, some knobs, normal stuff for a bass. Rosewood fretboard, maple/maple body and neck, transparent red finish(about the basses ONLY good quality), OH YEAH, and a PIECE OF PAPER, to shim up the neck to the strings for better action. I'll give this category a FOUR, simply because I like the finish.

Oh yeah, sounds alright, until you try to get the A string to make any noticable sound AT ALL, since Jay Turser decided that 4 string pickups would work fine on a Five string. Other than that they, oh wait, I ripped them out first(they are in the trash, so make an offer), then i decided it could use a better bridge(Carvin), and the electronics are crap, noisy as hell, but it sounds alright now since it has a pair of Active EMG's(P, and J), and a good preamp. The bass is not a good choice for popping and slapping, but for everyday picking im sure it would be fine. I use an SWR 500 watt head through an SWR 4x10 cab, and until i put the EMG's in, this bass disgraced this amp worse than touching the hot end of the cord and getting that buzzing noise that scares the crap outta me when I leave the amp on and get outta bed and step on it. I'm rating it as a 2(stock), if Jay Turser had sprung for some EMG's, it would get at least a 7 on sound, but they didnt, oh well, probly why it cost me 150 bucks.

Action??? hahahahaha, id call it more or less boring, but after taking this bass apart and fixing JT's little FOLDED PAPER SHIM to make the neck fit right, I found that it can achieve low action without much buzz. The finish is what sold this guitar, it is translucent red, and if anything, is worth the 150 bucks just to have it hang on my wall as a decoration, the bass looks phenomenal. The pickups?? hahaha, refer to "SOUND", to see how they were set up, 4 string pickups DO NOT WORK for a 5 string bass. The tuners were a little loose when I got it, but thats not too hard to fix. I'm rating this a 10 because it looks great in my studio room.

Withstand live playing?? Never played it live, will never play it live, and probly wont ever play it too often, I bought it so that i could have a cheapo 5 string, and ended up sinking a little extra money into it, simply so it would actually pickup the A string, which runs right in the middle of the P humbucker. Hardware will last, mainly because It has a Carvin(Hipshot maybe, It was ordered thru carvin) bridge, and metal knobs, those are hard to mess up, and the tuners were replaced with REAL Gotoh's, which were bought off Ebay for 10 bucks. Strap buttons are solid, wouldnt use it on a gig, and im sure its dependable now.

I have been playing for about 8 years now, and I know a thing or two about playing, and also working on and building guitars, If it were stolen, I think I could train Mojo the helper Monkey to build me a better stock bass, but after a few mods, it is a good overall bass. I might buy another Jay Turser, but not likely, well maybe if there is a good looking blue finish and the price is right. I would rate this bass overall(With my mods) a 6, but stock... beware, you get what you pay for, and anyone who payed over 300 bucks for this, I have a few bridges for sale, cheap.

This bass was made in 2000 in George W's favorite country, China. It is a 24 fret, 5 string job. It has a very small (but heavy) maple body with a maple neck w/rosewood fingerboard. Access to all 24 frets is good. It has both a P-Bass and J-Bass pickup (passive) with a blend control knob, along with a volume and tone knob. The finish is a transparent bluish-green, and the body style is similar to a very popular Ibanez model. The tuners are nice gotoh style(not plastic, like I read in the other review) and work just fine. The neck is very wide (to accomodate those five strings) and somewhat thin.

I pretty much use this bass for recording (I am primarily a guitarist) and it works fine, with a nice bright, clean, punchy sound. I prefer the P-Bass pickup, but the J-Bass is a nice option to have. I play Vai/Satriani/VH type music and this works just fine.

It was set up fine from the shop. It was a sale item and I think it had been in the shop a while because there were several minor scratches on it....not the factory's fault. I was dissapointed in this because the lights at the shop hid the flaws. The frets are nicely installed and crowned. Everything is fine. I would expect this kind of craftsmanship on a much more expensive instrument. However, be a better shopper than I was!

It's two hunks of maple bolted together. It will probably survive nuclear war.

No idea.

For the money, I probably couldn't have done better, feature wise. Now, I think I could have done better if I had looked for a used bass, but I'm not unhappy. I've been playing bass for probably about 15 years off and on. This bass replaced a disaster of an instrument that I had for years...you'd have to see it to believe it....It's at the landfill now. ;-) I like the features and it's sound...dislike the scratches.

Made in China. 22 fret rosewood fretboard, solid maple body. Bolt-on neck, with qusi-reversed head (2 tuners top, 3 bottom). Semi-transparent aqua body. 2 pickups, 1 P mid, 1 J mid. Volume, 2 tone controls for the pickups.

This is a very _bright_ sounding bass, maybe a little too bright for my tastes (metal/grunge). Still, with the tone selectors bottomed out you get enough sludge to make metal grind, and cranking them up really suits this bass's intended style (jazz/rock). Slight his when the two pickups are both cranked up, not really noticeable once playing starts. Some buzz from frets and truss rod, which doesn't come over the electronics. The strings themselves all sound solid, except for the B, which tends to be a little sloppy and dull...a common problem for cheap 5's, I'm told.

I'm not a really experienced bassist, so I don't know much about detailed setup, but the way this bass is setup, I'm very happy. Action is low and fast, and the 5-strings on the narrow neck means it's very fast to play. Slapping and popping are difficult on this, but since I pick, I don't care that much. The major gripe here is the tuners, cheap plastic things that slip out of tune way too easy, esp. the G-string. That'll be the first hardware upgrade on it.

Except for the afforementioned tuner problems this is a solid base. The bridge and saddles are solid, far more durable-looking than my old JT P-bass copy. Neck might be a bit thin and the truss rod (if it's there) isn't visible or adjustable at all...a potential problem I'm not worrying too much about.

Haven't used them yet.

I'm not an experienced player, only having been playing for about 10 months, so I don't know yet what's really good and what's really bad. What I do know is that I love the feel and fit of this bass. This is my second inntrument, my first was a Jay Turser P-bass copy. This doesn't have the growl that the P-bass did, but in general it's got way better sound and is simply a pleasure to pick up and play.