Bass Lab – Payson SuperCharger J 37-34

Fanned-fret instruments have been lurking about in the underground for decades. Dingwall was the first larger-output builder to fully embrace this concept and bring it to a full lineup of electric basses; not as a spice, but as the centerpiece of their designs. Payson is doing similar work on a smaller scale. Presented here is a 5-string multi-scale fanned-fret bass that is at its core a Jazz Bass. Indeed, the woods on the bass start with a single-piece maple neck with a very light pau ferro fingerboard which is bolted up to a simple ash body formed into a very Fender-esque shape.

The pickups are a Nordstrand BigRig 5 set that is an original take on a humbucker/single-coil hybrid that maintains a Fender classic sound, without the hum. Each pickup has separate 3-way toggle switches selecting single-coil tapping and polarity, and a third switch modifying the relationship between the pairs (series/parallel). It is a passive system with master volume, blend, and passive treble roll-off, and it’s perfectly shielded. In single-coil mode, the pickups are actually still wired for hum-cancelling, with the outside coils active and with a N-S polarity. In series together, the pickups are auto hum-cancelling, as the balance pot is bypassed. There is no active preamp here, although there is enough space to allow installation of just about anything in the aftermarket, or as a custom build.

The tuners are the ever-present Hipshot Ultra Lites. The bridge components are Babicz Solo Rails using Babicz signature adjustable cam structure. Neck bolts are Hex Key nuts. For the most part, the construction follows traditional Fender style. It departs in the fanned frets and the single-saddle bridges needed to accommodate that. It uses five neck bolts in counter-sunk holes with no back plate. Strap buttons land very close to the usual Fender location at the heel of the body and the 12th fret of the neck, in this case relative to the 34” scale G string.  

The finish is clean and nicely buffed to a high gloss. The edge burst is well executed. The neck finish is more matte and smooth. All great choices. I did notice some spots on the edges under the transparent body finish where darker grain filler revealed scrapes and scratches in prep work that are usually sanded out before grain fill and painting.

Design-wise, it’s a Fender bass with fanned frets. As such, it is mostly familiar turf for traditionalists that want to wade into the new territory of multiple scales. It sounds pretty much like a Jazz Bass, too, albeit with a few more colors, given the switching complexity of the pickups. It plays well and seems to be adjustable to a wide range of setup possibilities. The single-action truss rod did its job moving the neck between relief and back bow.

It is a familiar-feeling bass, in spite of the fanned frets. The bass looks good and sounds good – especially when given a kick of bass boost on the amp to make up for the passive circuit. 

The frets were installed as if there were in binding – i.e., the tangs were undercut and set flush to the fingerboard, so no “T” was revealed. The cut of the tang was not as precise as I would like to see, and in many cases it looks rather rough on the fret ends, as a result. You couldn’t feel them, and they are small details, but details to contend with at a $4,000 price point.  

There are a few nitpicks I feel compelled to point out, considering the price range. Little things like a small gap between the fingerboard and the neck at the glue joint; some grain anomalies left several spots on the neck where they can be felt under the thumb; as mentioned before, there are spots under the transparent body paint where darker grain filler revealed scrapes and scratches in prep work. Under a translucent finish, this is irrelevant, but under a bursted transparent finish, it is somewhat accentuated. These items show the level of detail in construction, although quite good, is still improving. They haven’t arrived at Fodera or Sadowsky NYC level of quality control quite yet. Admittedly, they aren’t at that price tag, either. Perhaps it is a bit too much nit picking, but that’s what these reviews are for.

These nitpicks aside, this bass ticks off a whole lot of good boxes. Excellent electronic execution, weight and great tone and ease of play… After all, that’s what IT’s made for.