I've posted earlier about some apprehension regarding the bridge. Firstly, the picture didn't exactly lie: there is definitely a bit of offset on the bridge installation. It's about two millimeters or so shifted to the bass side. The good news is that there is absolutely no adverse effect regarding playability, at least as far as I can tell so far. It's only really noticeable if one looks for it. If I ever take the bass to the rounds of beauty pageants, I'll consider getting it reinstalled, but it probably isn't worth the bother until then.
Overall, I am gobsmacked at how great it looks in person. I was prepared to be very impressed, but my expectations were, in fact, exceeded. I'll post pics the next time we get some natural sunlight through the sky lights where I live. (Which might be a matter of months, unfortunately.)
Moving onto the important stuff - playability and sound. Ordering a $2K instrument sight unseen is always a bit of a gamble, and my biggest concern (other than the bridge) is the neck. And. . . it's fantastic. Yes, wider than a Jazz by the nut, but not uncomfortably so. I really, really dig the very restrained taper up on the neck - it's MUCH cozier to play than my old J bass. The location of the treble pup works wonderfully as a thumb anchor. It also loves to be played with a pick. . . it feels very natural.
Obviously it will take some time to settle in to its new home. The setup is good, but I did need to raise all of the strings a bit to get rid of some fret buzz. It's probably a "medium low" action right now, which I like.
Re: sound. Through a Vox amplug it sounds.. . . really pretty bad, using both cheapo headphones and audio-technica noise-cancellers. But directly into my PC via a Scarlett interface, it is MUCH better. Probably still not an accurate reflection of running through a decent amp, but very tasty. Unmistakably Rick-like. Even with the humbuckers. Also dead-quiet, as one would expect. I have a GK 200 watt combo on order; these comments should obviously be taken as initial impressions rather than a thorough review.
Chris at POTR was helpful enough to install one of Dane's VVT harnesses with coil taps. The jazz-type controls are fantastic, and worth the price of the harness alone. Switching to tapped coils on either pickup reduced the fullness, but (again, without a real amp) I could not hear a great change in the character of the bass. I'll update this part of my impressions once the amp arrives (hopefully next week).
Yeah, I'm absolutely setting off on a honeymoon, but this one feels like a keeper
