Testimonials

Hi John,

I just received the bass and I’m in shock about how good it is! The photos did not do this bass justice, I’m seriously stunned, it is the best bass I have ever seen! It’s oozing mojo vibe and the finish on the body and neck is unbelievably glassy, smooth and even, I haven’t seen a bass with a better finish wow!. Also the polished tortoise shell, man! Awesome!. The weight is absolutely perfect and a bit deceiving as I have picked up so many heavy basses over the years! Absolutely worth the wait and received 100% perfect, mate you have done unbelievable job, I’m nervous picking her up! I have had a quick play with out amp (as at work!!) and she plays like a dream but I’ll have to wait to the end of the day to plug her in!! I can’t wait! It’s 11am in Adelaide at moment! It going to be a very loooong day. I‘ll speak tomorrow after I play her at band prac tonight! John I could not be happier mate Thank you so much, you have created my dream bass! legend.

Cheers,

Clint (12/19-11)

The best bass (jazz or other) that I have ever played. I have played early and late 60's, owned a few 70's and later models and gigged (though never owned) several custom shops including the 64 nos and relic and one out of japan and a few ri's out of fullerton. This blowsthem away. Great neck (best I ve played ), best tone ( the bass resonates very nicely great harmonics and fundamental), and I cant believe how light it is ( if someone gave this to me id say chambered body its so light). I love it. Its really unbelievable how

beautiful this thing plays, even my keyboard player here is shocked and how accurate the sound is, we just plugged it into an old sunn. Thank you again and would love to share this on talkbass with your permission.

Thank you a million times! I cant wait to play this live later in the week. Man its going to kill on teen town and even the walking on say ladybird or just friends.

You have really outdone yourself and you should be proud.

With warm regards,

Sri (8-18-11)

I love your '66 Jazz builds so much. Easily the best playing bass out of everything I've played over the years.- Alex (8-26-11)

No joke- probably the best bass I own. Couldn't put it down last night. I love the flats, so much less string noise. It plays better than anything else on the planet, and the finish looks ridiculously beautiful. There isn't a gig it can't cover. This bass is a tone monster. I've been playing active basses a lot lately, and while waiting for this bass I was concerned that it might not be fat enough for me after getting used to the active basses (MTD 535's and Carvin B50's). My concern was unfounded- this passive bass has all the tone in the world. Pleasantly surprised, for sure. BTW- got to acknowledge John's meticulous and expert craftsmanship. Very few people operating in the realm that John is, and I am glad that he's available to bring these stellar musical instruments to life. This sonic blue beauty is not just a pretty face- it is show and go.

Great job, John. You outdid yourself with this one!

Rich Smith (12-1-11)

The bass is here and if there was one word I had to use to describe it, it would be "PERFECT". Plan and simple.

Luckily I can use more than just one word. This thing is absolutely killer! The pics really do not do this thing justice, it is drop dead gorgeous in person. All of the work on it is completely top notch.

John turned this thing into essentially a brand new bass. And not just any old off the wall brand new bass, this thing is boutique quality all the way. I've owned Sadowsky's and Laklands, and have played a few Lulls and others and this seriously tops them all.

The neck on this bass is as straight as an arrow, the action is super low and there is not a buzz in sight. Impeccable fretwork! Beautiful work on the new nut as well. This is hands down the best feeling neck I've ever played!

Thats not to mention the amazing nitro that John finished it with, silky smooth. The matching headstock is clean and crisp as is the new decal, which is totally authentic looking. The repaired binding is absolutely invisible. If I hadn't known it was there before, there would be no way to tell. Same goes for all those dings around the headstock that are now magically gone without a trace.

On to the body, again the finish work is top notch. The olympic white nitro is flawless. John used genuine Fender replacement parts for the pickguard, knobs, pickup/bridge covers, and thumbrest. The pickguard was dyed to be more authentic and looks great.

Now the sound of this bass is a whole other story. You honestly don't even have to plug it in to hear how nice it sounds. When I first got it I knew it was a good one with just how well it sounded acoustically. With the pickups that were rewound by Seymour Duncan to vintage spec, it just roars plugged it. Just classic Jazz bass tone from top to bottom. It sounded insane through my Aguilar rig. I won't have a chance to play with my band until next week, but I have zero doubts that it will sound killer in the mix.

Another thing to mention is the crazy good job John did on the black plastic pickup covers. They were gouged and scratched and just a mess. John spent an hour a piece on each of them to clean them up for me and they look awesome.

Also, one of the pots was making a weird click. Instead of just replacing it, John took it apart and reworked it and now its totally smooth. I didn't even know you could repair a pot! lol

When I was on the phone with him he said that he treats all the basses he works on like they're his own, and it certainly shows in his work.

So thank you again John for all of your hard work and for taking care of my bass for me.

-Henry

PS Oh and he even cleaned up the beat up case that I shipped the bass in, and now it looks great! How awesome is that?

Thanks again, JohnK, for doing a frickin' awesome job on my baby!

-Stuart Vernon- '66 Precison bass restoration

I have a 59 P bass that I recently decided to have my 1959 P bass restored. When I bought it from a friend 30 years ago the sunburst was just about gone on the back of the bass. Not knowing back then what it would be worth down the road I had it refinished in fiesta red poly. Also a J pup was installed by the bridge and another bridge. All foolish mistakes. I heard about a guy in California that restores basses. I called John Kallas and after a few conversations I knew he was the person to take on this project. I wasn't wrong. He did a magnificent job. He was able to do the original burst after repairing the routes. Not only does it look great it sounds great. It rings like a piano now. I have attached a couple of pics and recommend you visit the luthier's forum for a full description of the project. John thank you man. You have made this bass what it once was, a true classic.

Stephen Spear

Spencer Pyne’s Kallas review

My name is Spencer Pyne and I first became aware of Kallas Bass Guitars about 5 years ago. I ran across a couple new ones that were being offered up on Ebay. In the photos they looked very nice so I did some research on them and discovered that they were being built in California by a luthier named John Kallas.

Having been a bassist for over 40 years I have owned and played most of the famous brands and models. When I was 16, in 1966, I bought a brand new Fender Precision Bass and thus began my lifelong love affair with vintage Fender bass guitars.

In recent years the Fender basses that were built in the 1950’s and 1960’s have become rather expensive collector’s items and they are typically out of the financial reach of many bassists. Their value is largely based on the fact that they have a very rich, warm and distinctive tone that’s partly the result of having had many years to age and cure. A lot of bassists spend a lot of time and money trying to find instruments that will deliver this classic vintage tone without having to spend many thousands of dollars to acquire the “real” thing!

After reading all about John Kallas on his website I decided to contact him to discuss having him build me a replica of a 1966 Fender Jazz bass. Once I decided on the color (Fiesta Red) and a few other options, it took about 5 months for John to build my new bass.

When I received it I sat down and just played it acoustically without even plugging it in. I could actually “hear” the natural tone of the instrument. I was totally amazed at how resonant it was. I knew that John had some tricks up his sleeve when it came to giving his basses a vintage voice but I was astounded at how great this bass sounded unplugged.

When I plugged it in I was even more impressed. This bass completely captured that vintage Fender Jazz Bass sound. The “holy grail” of tone if you will! Its voice was round and warm but still had that distinctive clarity and punch which the vintage Fender’s are known for. Suffice to say I was totally knocked out by this instrument.

Over the next couple years I played my Kallas regularly and always received compliments on its appearance and it’s tone. But like many of us, my tastes changed a bit over time and I decided that a Fiesta Red bass was no longer the color I wanted. I ended up selling my red Kallas J and began, once again, to look for the “right” bass for me. Fortunately within a year I happened to come across someone who was selling a used Kallas J that was finished in a beautiful faded Lake Placid Blue color. It was exactly what I had been looking for so I snapped it up immediately.

I didn’t think it was possible but when I received this bass, I felt that it actually surpassed my original red one. The tone on this bass is to die for and its appearance is second to none with a flawless finish, a tight neck pocket, perfect pickup routes and great attention to detail. When John built this bass he used aged nickel hardware and the vintage vibe of this particular bass is really off the charts!

Apparently this bass had made many friends before I had the good fortune to stumble on to it. I have actually run into two other bassists who had owned it prior to me and they both lamented having ever let it go. They made me promise to look them up if I ever decided to let it go.

This Lake Placid Blue Kallas Jazz Bass is now my “first call” fretted four string and no matter what other bass I compare it to (I own many), it always amazes me with its great tone and incredibly playability. I have the action down to just under 3/32” at the 12th fret with absolutely no string buzz. Its passive electronics are extremely quiet in spite of the fact it has single coil pickups. The bass is lightweight and very resonant. It’s an absolute pleasure to play!

John really “knows” how to built a top quality vintage sounding (and looking) bass that totally rivals anything that today’s Fender custom shop can produce. I have referred several bassists who were looking for the “holy grail” of tone to John, and will continue to do so. In my opinion his basses are as good, if not better, that a real vintage Fender for a whole lot less money.

Spencer Pyne – www.swpyne.com - facebass@msn.com

Hey John I just got a chance to take this baby through the paces, and this bass guitar that you built for me, is a thing of Beauty. It plays like a well seasoned instrument, and actually the Set up makes it a "Dream" to play. Thanks so much for working with me on the details that I wanted in building the bass. I would have considered this a wonderful Investment, but I don't!! To me it would have been a solid investment ONLY if I ever planned on Selling it...:) I may sell the Hotwire Bass one day, but I will NEVER sell this bass. It reminds me too much of when I started playing at 13 years old, when it was quite easy to purchase a fine well built bass guitar. This thing is a total walk down memory lane, for me, and reminds me of the sounds of my youth and you can't put a price on that... My tenacity in holding on to this Bass kinda reminds me of what Charlton Heston said concerning taking his "Guns" from him..ONLY "From My Cold Dead Hands"...that is what he said and I concur. So my point is I will Never be selling this bass for any price because it fits me like a glove in terms of playability, build quality, tonal qualities, and sheer enjoyment of touching the "worn in" feeling of the fretboard. John this thing is magnificent and I am speechless at the Quality of this Bass. I can never thank you enough...

With the greatest pride and respect for your work and attention to detail,

Milton Anderson

Milt's second email:

John I like this thing so much I and I stand behind both my background in music and this bass because they are Both Irrefutable and can be disproved by no one. So you are certainly welcomed to print any or all of it with my consent and excitement. And Yes Sir!, I do know what you mean by finicky. Your attention to detail has made this so much fun playing that this bass is lying across my lap as i write this email to you. I just paused to respond to your email because I was just enjoying playing it with the Ojays, Aretha Franklin, The Temptations, Teddy Pendergrass, The Chilites, and Sly and the Family Stone to name a few...lol... I have totally muted the Bass in my Acousic Image Subwoofer from my system, so I can play along with some of my CDs... I am like a kid in a candy store right now. Gosh this thing is fun... I am playing through my Mesa Boogie Walkabout and man this thing is just rockin.... Ok going back to have some more fun with this...thanks for making my day man...this is truly a pleasure for me...

ttylater...Milt.

btw...email me your site location after you get it set up and running... and dude this thing is way beyond the sadowsky and lakeland clones... they are copying the pure and I know that. This is the reason I have never owned any one of them even though I have played them. they are not close to this bass...honestly they are a decent copy of that "pure sound" but not CLOSE or at least not close to the one that I got today... I am just nuts over this bass, and it's Sound...

(you are welcomed to print this as a testimony whenever you like because I feel so strongly about these words, and don't at all mind sharing them with prospective customers)

Hey John,

Just sending you a note to tell you how much I love the bass you made.. It is everything you said it was....great weight and highly resonant. You did a great job putting it together; I've never seen a neck joint so tight!! I've been looking for a replacement for my 74 Jazz bass for some time now. I've pretty much tried all of the reissues (even Custom Shop) and they all fall short. Your's hit the target! I hope to put an order in for another as we approach summer. I’ve used it now on quite a few gigs. It has a great, resonant, low end. The weight and balance is perfect as well. It is now my main bass!! I mentioned before that I’m interested in purchasing another from you (one of these days). Thanks again John.

-Fred

EBAY FEEDBACK:

THIS GUY IS GREAT. THIS IS THE BASS OF MY DREAMS A MASTER BASS BUILDER 4 SUREBuyer: 97bubba714 ( 2 )

Jan-02-08 23:01

Custom made bass

His product is superior and his service was as well.Buyer: auntyninja ( 134 )

Jan-02-08 17:18

Custom made bass

Fantastic bass! Thanks for the great auction.Buyer: fullertonman ( 138 )

Dec-07-07 15:47

Custom made bass

Great seller, bass is amazing, shipped safe and fastBuyer: akolt ( 7 )

Nov-16-07 05:31

American Vintage '57 Precision P Bass Custom Shop USA

A+A+A+ Arrived beautifully packed and quickly. Great instrument! Thankyou!Buyer: litsablue ( 29 )

Nov-16-07 02:14

custom made bass

Great bass! Quick shipping! A++Buyer: lovespear ( 28 )

Nov-08-07 20:40

custom made bass