Hi Greg Sweet looking and sounding bass Is the hollow body just for look Think Mani Stone Roses played one when the came back a few years ago Definitely old school bass sound Nice
Cheers David. The hollow body will contribute towards the overall sound. I was a serious Roses fan when the first album came out. The riff in the jam section of ‘I Am The Resurrection’ was one of the first things I played on bass!
I have one of these. It is a great bass but I have quite a few. If I had to get rid of all of my basses, I would keep this one. It does everything, even slap style. Roundwound strings make it sound so much different than flats. Rounds accentuate the tight, strong low E sound. It sounds like a solid body bass in that respect.
Hi Greg, Congrats on finding JC signature Epiphone that doesn't neck dive! I've had one since 2016 or so (Blue Royale) and it neck dives like crazy! I also have flats on mine (Pyramid Golds, just like Jack and Phil Lesh used back in the day, although Jack uses Dean Markley Blue Steels nowadays), and I switched out the Gibson bridge for a Hipshot one. Probably need to do the same with the tuners to help with the balance. I love the tone on this bass! As for the impedance selector, I think the 500 setting is for solo work or when you really need to stand out in the mix, the 250 setting is where I usually keep mine when playing with a group, and the 50 setting is when you need to go quieter. Enjoy your bass, Kit
Hey Kit, great advice about the impedance selector. I've ended up naturally using the 250 setting but good to think about 500 for a boost and 50 for softer playing. Cheers
Good choice, great basses. I got one a year or so back, like many swapped out the tuners for some ultralites and moved the strap pin on the horn, neck dive was driving me crazy. Now totally comfy for me.
Thanks for posting Greg. I have one of these on order right now and can't wait to get my hands on it. ordered it with LaBella deep talking flat wounds. cheers!
The Epiphone Jack Casady is a great bass regardless of the very affordable price. I use it both in the blues group and in the jazz orchestra. Good review.
Love your new bass, Greg! I have a Guild Starfire, also semi-hollow body. It has a short scale, about 30", 2 pickups and flatwounds. And it's a deep emerald green! I love its thumpy tone, accentuated by the flatwounds, especially for jazz and Motown-like songs. Enjoy your new bass and play it in good health!
Hey Charles, isn’t that what Jack Casady had originally, a Guild? Sounds like you have a nice instrument. I’m certainly getting some good use out if mine already.
Next you might like having a Versatone Panoflex built, a true to form amplifier that is a must when seeking out the ultimate bass tone. A Helmholtz chamber and a 12” ceramic speaker rated at 80 watts will color your world!
Yes Greg , cool looking bass sounds great was looking at that exact same guitar a while ago but couldnt commit ,sadly, maybe take another look ,cheers.
Greg, I agree that this is definitely a cool and versatile instrument. I got myself a Gold one just before Covid lock down in the USA. The fit and finish quality is impressive for the price point. I am still trying to dial in the sound in my head as I try to wade threw what amp would truly bring out it's best sound. I too put flat wounds on it right away, did not like the round wounds it came with at all. Just as a side note I just got a Squire vintage vibe P51, used , cause I loved your parts built one.I have been debating the P bass for awhile with the wider neck for my small hands, but love it and dig the single coil pickup! Thanks for the review, it made my Saturday morning. 😊
Hi Judy, we should all start a Jack Casady Hollowbody club! That’s an interesting topic on what amp to use with this bass. I guess an Ampeg stack would sound nice! Great to hear that my bass build encouraged you to go out and get your own one.
Hai Greg, congratulations on this instrument. The LongScale seems very interesting to me. I myself own a Höfner 500/1 Ignition and use it with Flat's. I like to do my blues exercises on the Höfner and on my Godin Shifter 4 (also with flats). Cheers Alf
Great to hear Alf, especially that you are doing the Blues exercises 😀 I’m surprised to find that the hollowbody basses are actually quite popular. I know why now.
These are amazing basses I’ve had one for a long time Always surprises me to see how cheap they are and until now under appreciated Great review and hopefully things will change and the bass become more loved Epiphone are producing great basses ATM I’ve got a pro epi thunderbird with all chrome fittings and the 760 pups on the way to me Looking forward to review of that bass too Greg
I have a Conrad violin bass. It's a 1964 instrument and it's as good as new and plays beautifully. It also has a string muting device. A fantastic bass with a great tone.
@@GregsBassShed there is a device between the bridge and the bridge pick up, which is a bar with felt attached, which is hinged to move up against the strings. You can use your thumb to operate it.
I've got one of these Basses in Gold Colour, with Epiphone Hard Case. Bought both about 3 years ago. Only played a handful of times and never been gigged. Sounds great but a little too big for me as I'm quite short.
Great Rob. Yeah it is fairly big isn’t it. I’m also quite short but I get on well with this bass. Maybe because I’ve adjusted after playing double bass for years!
A very nice one! I've got a new Guild Starfire I recently (the one with a P style pickup) - I like it a lot. I need to test a Casady one day and compare
I got my Epiphone, Jack Cassidy Signature, gold top, made in China, in October of 2019. And I really like it, even though I have some complaints. I Love the tone, so rich, deep, and mellow, neck feels good ,light weight, problems are it's neck heavy, wants to dive, the strap mounts are centered and the top tends to lean away from your body. I know it sounds crazy, but I have a Love/Hate relationship going on here. And worst of all, she's so Damn Pretty. I will recommend to everyone, just be ready for a wild ride.
Hey Fred, I do have the problem of the bass leaning away from my body. I used this bass standing up in a live video with my band a couple of weeks ago and I usually sit with the instrument. It did take some getting use to but it felt ok by the end of the session. I might get the strap nut moved to the horn of the instrument because I've heard that the bass sits much better this way. Worth a try! My bass is Korean made.
@@GregsBassShed, Thanks Greg, Yeah, my plucking hand forearm would hold the Bass body in and eventually start cutting off the circulation at the forearm. So, after writing to you before, I revisited my setup of the strap and lowered it some. On a good note, I found that this Epiphone JCS feels much better in the lower position when standing (I always stand anyway). Thank you for helping me by sparking off some good logical thought. Yes, the strap to the horn should work, I think I'll just work with it a little longer before changing it. I had read somewhere that the earlier Epiphones from Korea were well made with good craftsmanship, in the Epiphone timeline.
Sounds and looks like you are in love ;-) Once tried out a Macca Violin bass;cant say the neck was my favourite that I've ever tried.Pretty much a Fender J bass fan.
What a beautiful instrument! Was that a little DMB on the outro??? Maybe it's just me, but a hollow body bass with flats has a pic-like percussive sound even when finger picked. I dig it!
That was just me messing around with some 10ths at the end of the video! I thought exactly the same thing, that it sort of sounds like a muted pick when played with the fingers.
I’ve just subscribed to your channel today and what’s the first video I get from you since then…? A review of my bass…! It must be a sign…! 😅 I’ve got it in Pelham blue…! 💙
Hi Greg, I have a semi-hollow Guild Starfire II and just love it. Your tone is wonderful! I have tape wound strings on mine and might switch to flat wounds. It really does have woody, standup bass sound which I can't get out of my solid body basses.
@@alastairkerr1994 it’s worth a try. These feel a little lighter than the usual heavier flatwounds gauge. I think they are Fender strings but not totally sure.
Hi Greg, In your video, mentioned you didn't have much of any neck dive on your 2014 Epiphone JCS. Mine was made 2019 in China, and I know during other time periods they were made in different countries. Where was your made...? Maybe the headstock is a different wood.
😂 that made me laugh! I've played quite a few basses with a lot more 'neck-dive' than this bass. I guess it's all a matter of perspective. It's not an issue for me with this bass.
Greg, thanks a lot. This has been fascinating. I’d never heard of Jack Casady or hollow body basses. Now I want one and my bass knowledge has expanded. Do you have any plans on changing the bridge? My research suggests the bridge is poor and is the first thing that gets changed.
Jack is a great bassist. Check out Hot Tuna with him and Jorma Kaukonen on gtr. They were both in Jefferson airplane but I prefer Hot Tuna. He also played Bass on Hendrix's Voodoo Chile among much more.
@@mbass718 I have been looking into Jack Casady. He gets a lot of respect from many musicians. Hot Tuna have been a band for over 40 years! If you play bass with Hendrix then you are instantly a bass god.
@@BassNSax628 He's very well respected. Hendrix picked him over Noel Redding so that's gotta say something though I think Jimi was better than Noel on Bass anyway. Hot Tuna is amazing if you like real rootsy down home stuff. Well ...the acoustic stuff. Electric Hot Tuna is more rockin. I like both.
Yes you can use it for quiet practice. It’s better than the usual rattle that you get from an electric bass unplugged! I should have played it acoustically in video.
@@GregsBassShed Thanks; I'm interested enough to look for one on sale and see if it can be heard above the hubbub of the shop. That convenience (not needing to plug in for practice) plus that gorgeous tone make it serious contender for my next bass.
Try headphones or proper speakers Robert and the level of the bass will be great. Small speakers on phones or other devices aren’t designed for a proper bass experience.
Hopefully this video has given you a taste of what this bass is all about. If you are interested in getting one, you really need to try one yourself though to get the full experience as you will be the one playing it. So i advise going down to a music shop and doing this, then you can go through all the possible permutations and sit with the instrument for a while.
![Everyone NEEDS To Try A Semi-Hollow... | Epiphone Jack Casady Bass [Review/Demo]](/img/1.gif)
Hi Greg
Sweet looking and sounding bass
Is the hollow body just for look
Think Mani Stone Roses played one when the came back a few years ago
Definitely old school bass sound
Nice
Cheers David. The hollow body will contribute towards the overall sound.
I was a serious Roses fan when the first album came out. The riff in the jam section of ‘I Am The Resurrection’ was one of the first things I played on bass!
@@GregsBassShed Cheers Greg
Yeah great debut album
I enjoy your channel
Cheers
@@davidfox7983 thanks!
Check out Jet's Are You Gonna Be My Girl video for another JC player.
I just picked up a older Korean-made black Jack Casady and I ❤it. Thanks for the demo...👍
Brilliant. Glad the demo helped.
I just bought the Epiphone Jack Casady bass and I love it, bought you a few coffee !
Happy to help Tom. They are really good basses. Appreciate the coffees 👍
I have one of these. It is a great bass but I have quite a few. If I had to get rid of all of my basses, I would keep this one. It does everything, even slap style. Roundwound strings make it sound so much different than flats. Rounds accentuate the tight, strong low E sound. It sounds like a solid body bass in that respect.
I’m tempted to try move with roundwounds now!
Hi Greg,
Congrats on finding JC signature Epiphone that doesn't neck dive! I've had one since 2016 or so (Blue Royale) and it neck dives like crazy! I also have flats on mine (Pyramid Golds, just like Jack and Phil Lesh used back in the day, although Jack uses Dean Markley Blue Steels nowadays), and I switched out the Gibson bridge for a Hipshot one. Probably need to do the same with the tuners to help with the balance. I love the tone on this bass! As for the impedance selector, I think the 500 setting is for solo work or when you really need to stand out in the mix, the 250 setting is where I usually keep mine when playing with a group, and the 50 setting is when you need to go quieter.
Enjoy your bass,
Kit
Hey Kit, great advice about the impedance selector. I've ended up naturally using the 250 setting but good to think about 500 for a boost and 50 for softer playing. Cheers
Good choice, great basses. I got one a year or so back, like many swapped out the tuners for some ultralites and moved the strap pin on the horn, neck dive was driving me crazy. Now totally comfy for me.
Ah, great trick to move the strap pin. I haven’t tried it with a strap yet but was wondering about how that would work position wise!
Thanks for posting Greg. I have one of these on order right now and can't wait to get my hands on it. ordered it with LaBella deep talking flat wounds. cheers!
Excellent Rob, enjoy the bass when it arrives. I might well replace the strings on mine with LaBella flats!
Got a gold one about 10 years ago. . Has as fantastic vintage vibe.
Great isn't it Kevin
got a Jack and love it thanks Greg
Great to hear, playing mine most days at the moment!
looks and sounds beautiful.
Cheers, I'm really impressed with this bass, I feature it in my latest video out this Saturday.
The Epiphone Jack Casady is a great bass regardless of the very affordable price. I use it both in the blues group and in the jazz orchestra. Good review.
Thanks very much and great to hear that you use this bass.
Love your new bass, Greg! I have a Guild Starfire, also semi-hollow body. It has a short scale, about 30", 2 pickups and flatwounds. And it's a deep emerald green! I love its thumpy tone, accentuated by the flatwounds, especially for jazz and Motown-like songs. Enjoy your new bass and play it in good health!
Hey Charles, isn’t that what Jack Casady had originally, a Guild?
Sounds like you have a nice instrument.
I’m certainly getting some good use out if mine already.
@@GregsBassShed Yes, I believe Jack Casady played a Guild back in the day. These basses have a good heritage!
Next you might like having a Versatone Panoflex built, a true to form amplifier that is a must when seeking out the ultimate bass tone. A Helmholtz chamber and a 12” ceramic speaker rated at 80 watts will color your world!
Great Sound !!!!
Cheers!
Sounds wicked, Greg!
Cheers James. It’s a.really handy instrument to have.
Been craving this bass for awhile. My D'Angelico is pretty cool as well.
Go for it Steven 😀
Yes Greg , cool looking bass sounds great was looking at that exact same guitar a while ago but couldnt commit ,sadly, maybe take another look ,cheers.
Cheers James, hopefully you can get your hands on one at some point.
Greg,
I agree that this is definitely a cool and versatile instrument. I got myself a Gold one just before Covid lock down in the USA.
The fit and finish quality is impressive for the price point.
I am still trying to dial in the sound in my head as I try to wade threw what amp would truly bring out it's best sound.
I too put flat wounds on it right away, did not like the round wounds it came with at all.
Just as a side note I just got a Squire vintage vibe P51, used , cause I loved your parts built one.I have been debating the P bass for awhile with the wider neck for my small hands, but love it and dig the single coil pickup!
Thanks for the review, it made my Saturday morning. 😊
Hi Judy, we should all start a Jack Casady Hollowbody club! That’s an interesting topic on what amp to use with this bass. I guess an Ampeg stack would sound nice!
Great to hear that my bass build encouraged you to go out and get your own one.
Good topic for a video, what amp is best for the JC bass....
and yes, we need a club.
@@judywinters8013 I’ll see if a guitar shop will let me try out a load of amps and shoot a video. Actually that is a great idea!
👍
Hai Greg, congratulations on this instrument. The LongScale seems very interesting to me. I myself own a Höfner 500/1 Ignition and use it with Flat's. I like to do my blues exercises on the Höfner and on my Godin Shifter 4 (also with flats). Cheers Alf
Great to hear Alf, especially that you are doing the Blues exercises 😀
I’m surprised to find that the hollowbody basses are actually quite popular. I know why now.
These are amazing basses
I’ve had one for a long time
Always surprises me to see how cheap they are and until now under appreciated
Great review and hopefully things will change and the bass become more loved
Epiphone are producing great basses ATM
I’ve got a pro epi thunderbird with all chrome fittings and the 760 pups on the way to me
Looking forward to review of that bass too Greg
I was pretty surprised at the price too, it’s such good value!
I’ll have to get hold of a Thunderbird then before I make a review!
I have a Conrad violin bass. It's a 1964 instrument and it's as good as new and plays beautifully. It also has a string muting device. A fantastic bass with a great tone.
I haven’t seen one of those muting devices. Sounds very handy.
Do you slide something over the string?
@@GregsBassShed there is a device between the bridge and the bridge pick up, which is a bar with felt attached, which is hinged to move up against the strings. You can use your thumb to operate it.
I would send you a picture, but I don't know if this chat thingy supports media.
@@GregsBassShed I've sent you a couple of pictures of the Conrad and the muting device, on Instagram.
@@Ghost_Vulgarian great, I’ll check it out. Thanks.
I've got one of these Basses in Gold Colour, with Epiphone Hard Case. Bought both about 3 years ago. Only played a handful of times and never been gigged. Sounds great but a little too big for me as I'm quite short.
Great Rob. Yeah it is fairly big isn’t it. I’m also quite short but I get on well with this bass. Maybe because I’ve adjusted after playing double bass for years!
A very nice one!
I've got a new Guild Starfire I recently (the one with a P style pickup) - I like it a lot. I need to test a Casady one day and compare
Cheers Badscrew, I must try a Guild now!
@@GregsBassShed Mine is very nice :)
I got my Epiphone, Jack Cassidy Signature, gold top, made in China, in October of 2019. And I really like it, even though I have some complaints. I Love the tone, so rich, deep, and mellow, neck feels good ,light weight, problems are it's neck heavy, wants to dive, the strap mounts are centered and the top tends to lean away from your body. I know it sounds crazy, but I have a Love/Hate relationship going on here. And worst of all, she's so Damn Pretty. I will recommend to everyone, just be ready for a wild ride.
Hey Fred, I do have the problem of the bass leaning away from my body. I used this bass standing up in a live video with my band a couple of weeks ago and I usually sit with the instrument. It did take some getting use to but it felt ok by the end of the session.
I might get the strap nut moved to the horn of the instrument because I've heard that the bass sits much better this way. Worth a try!
My bass is Korean made.
@@GregsBassShed, Thanks Greg, Yeah, my plucking hand forearm would hold the Bass body in and eventually start cutting off the circulation at the forearm. So, after writing to you before, I revisited my setup of the strap and lowered it some. On a good note, I found that this Epiphone JCS feels much better in the lower position when standing (I always stand anyway). Thank you for helping me by sparking off some good logical thought.
Yes, the strap to the horn should work, I think I'll just work with it a little longer before changing it. I had read somewhere that the earlier Epiphones from Korea were well made with good craftsmanship, in the Epiphone timeline.
@@fredbush9480 glad to help! The build quality is definitely good on my bass. I’m very impressed with it.
Sounds and looks like you are in love ;-) Once tried out a Macca Violin bass;cant say the neck was my favourite that I've ever tried.Pretty much a Fender J bass fan.
It's a match made in heaven Jon :-)
@@GregsBassShed I saw JC bass advertised at my local guitar shop today,£749 !!!!!!! not sure if it was the limited edition though.
@@jonswift7174 was that new? I was very shocked at how reasonably priced these basses are when I first started looking.
@@GregsBassShed Yes,new.
What a beautiful instrument! Was that a little DMB on the outro??? Maybe it's just me, but a hollow body bass with flats has a pic-like percussive sound even when finger picked. I dig it!
That was just me messing around with some 10ths at the end of the video!
I thought exactly the same thing, that it sort of sounds like a muted pick when played with the fingers.
@@GregsBassShed It sounds a little like the beginning of #41 so I thought that's what you were doing
I’ve just subscribed to your channel today and what’s the first video I get from you since then…? A review of my bass…! It must be a sign…! 😅
I’ve got it in Pelham blue…! 💙
Hi Greg, I have a semi-hollow Guild Starfire II and just love it. Your tone is wonderful! I have tape wound strings on mine and might switch to flat wounds. It really does have woody, standup bass sound which I can't get out of my solid body basses.
Welcome to the channel Jed, must be a sign!
That sounds like a lovely colour.
@@GregsBassShed it is indeed…! 😉
@@alastairkerr1994 I also have tape wound strings on mine… lovely…! 😉
@@alastairkerr1994 it’s worth a try. These feel a little lighter than the usual heavier flatwounds gauge. I think they are Fender strings but not totally sure.
Does the bass have any acoustic volume without amplification? Enough to hear it while just playing alone and practicing?
Yes it does have some acoustic sound. I sometime use it around the house without any amplification.
Hi Greg,
In your video, mentioned you didn't have much of any neck dive on your 2014 Epiphone JCS. Mine was made 2019 in China, and I know during other time periods they were made in different countries. Where was your made...? Maybe the headstock is a different wood.
If you you notice, the instant he says it isn't neck heavy he let's go and the neck starts diving 😉
😂 that made me laugh!
I've played quite a few basses with a lot more 'neck-dive' than this bass. I guess it's all a matter of perspective. It's not an issue for me with this bass.
Greg, thanks a lot. This has been fascinating. I’d never heard of Jack Casady or hollow body basses. Now I want one and my bass knowledge has expanded. Do you have any plans on changing the bridge? My research suggests the bridge is poor and is the first thing that gets changed.
Hey Mark, I have had a few messages suggesting swapping out the bridge and the tuners.
I’ll see how I get on and whether the bridge annoys me or not!
Jack is a great bassist. Check out Hot Tuna with him and Jorma Kaukonen on gtr. They were both in Jefferson airplane but I prefer Hot Tuna. He also played Bass on Hendrix's Voodoo Chile among much more.
@@mbass718 I have been looking into Jack Casady. He gets a lot of respect from many musicians. Hot Tuna have been a band for over 40 years! If you play bass with Hendrix then you are instantly a bass god.
@@BassNSax628 He's very well respected. Hendrix picked him over Noel Redding so that's gotta say something though I think Jimi was better than Noel on Bass anyway. Hot Tuna is amazing if you like real rootsy down home stuff. Well ...the acoustic stuff. Electric Hot Tuna is more rockin. I like both.
Hi Greg,
Has this instrument enough acoustic output for 'quiet' practice, as well as sounding just awesome in a live setting?
Yes you can use it for quiet practice. It’s better than the usual rattle that you get from an electric bass unplugged!
I should have played it acoustically in video.
@@GregsBassShed Thanks; I'm interested enough to look for one on sale and see if it can be heard above the hubbub of the shop. That convenience (not needing to plug in for practice) plus that gorgeous tone make it serious contender for my next bass.
@@AustinArto that’s great to hear. Good luck finding one, I noticed quite a few on sale secondhand when I looked for this one.
Turn the volume up so that we can hear it!!!
Try headphones or proper speakers Robert and the level of the bass will be great. Small speakers on phones or other devices aren’t designed for a proper bass experience.
a lot of explanation but not playing with all the options with knobs and varitone makes these minutes very, hmm "usefull"
Hopefully this video has given you a taste of what this bass is all about. If you are interested in getting one, you really need to try one yourself though to get the full experience as you will be the one playing it. So i advise going down to a music shop and doing this, then you can go through all the possible permutations and sit with the instrument for a while.
Couldn't hear the bass because of the drums.
Hey George try listening with decent speakers or headphones and you won’t have the same issue.