The bass guitar is an often-overlooked instrument - providing essential anchoring for the modern rock band, helping to create some of the best riffs in the last 60 years and yet, to many people, a bass guitar is a bass guitar and that's all there is to it.
It's fair to say that if there's one man who truly understands the subtleties of the bass guitar, it's Jack Casady. Having played many basses over the years, he has spent decades searching for the perfect sound and feel. Working together with Epiphone, he now has his own signature model which is perfect for him - and for us!
Jack himself says that he's been searching for a guitar with the specifications of his signature model since he started playing - he found a short-scale semi-hollow bass guitar that felt good, but didn't quite have the right tone. In 1985 he found a Les Paul Bass (as they were once known) which was full scale - much to his preference - but the pickup wasn't quite right.
Fast forward to today, and Jack's dedication to finding the perfect bass guitar has given us all the Epiphone Jack Casady Signature Bass. Combining the classic semi-hollow "Les Paul bass" styling with a specially-designed pickup, and using a full-length scale for the neck, this metallic gold beauty is a triumph of design.
The first question with a semi-hollow bass is whether it's more like an acoustic bass or an electric bass. The closest thing to the Jack Casady is probably the Epiphone Zenith Bass, though that isn't a true semi-acoustic, and an electro-acoustic such as the Ibanez AEB8E definitely doesn't have the same electric bass slickness - but the Jack Casady wouldn't hold its own so well unplugged, so it's horses for courses.
I've given this bass a bit of a try - I mean, look at it, how could I not - and I have to say it really is incredibly comfortable. The semi-hollow body means that it's stunningly light and easy to play, while the neck feels like pretty much the perfect profile to my hands. I was expecting it to be less comfortable than it is due to the size, but it really does fit the player very well.
The sound is beautifully mellow, although the maple body does give it the snap that ensures that it is a true rock and roll guitar. The pickup has been specially designed by Epiphone and Jack himself to ensure that this bass sounds exactly as Jack always wanted it to, and I wouldn't argue with a man who has spent decades looking for the perfect sound!
I suggest that all of you low-end lovers come down to our flagship music store in Leicester and give it a try. You won't regret it!