Okay…when if ever do you see a NYBW bass on TalkBass? Here is an opportunity to get your hands on one of the most amazing basses you will ever play. Created by Dave Segal…one of the true giants of the custom bass world. Dave is also a monster bass player. He knows what bass players want in an instrument and then he builds them.
This bass has an alder body with the most incredible sunburst finish you have ever seen. It is truly stunning!
It has an Aguilar OBP-3 preamp in it. However the upgrade to the preamp is the NYBW “Full Control Suite” which gives you all the tonal control the bass has to offer in a very straight-forward manner. Prior to this bass Dave has never designed a Studio 5 with the "Full Control Suite". That makes this bass very unique...one of a kind actually! The knob layout is Volume / Volume / Passive Tone (large knobs) and Bass / Mid / Treble (small knobs).
Pickups are Areo single coils and are in the 60’s style spacing.
Of course it has an active/passive toggle switch but yet another upgrade was installing an on/off switch.
The neck is a 35” scale w/22 frets. Dave’s design allows for easy access and playability all the way up to the 22nd fret. Again another upgrade was made here. Instead of just a plain maple neck this one has a beautiful birdseye maple neck and it does look awesome.
String spacing is 19 mm at the bridge.
The bass has black Hipshot hardware and Dunlop starplocks.
Tonally the bass is extremely versatile. Everything from a phat finger style sound to Marcus to that Joco vibe. From traditional to modern...all in one instrument. It truly has an incredibly beautiful voice.
So how does it feel and play? Like BUTTAH! Seriously the bass feels absolutely incredible. The neck is super fast and so easy to play up and down the neck. Dave’s fret work is second to none. If you run your fingers up each side of the neck you’ll find that you don’t even feel the frets. It’s as smooth as glass.
With most basses, going past the 5th fret on the B string produces a very woofy sound with undesirable overtones. This bass has a B string that is tight, articulate and rings for days. As a matter of fact the B string doesn’t get woofy even past the 12th fret.
There is a slight blemish on the back of the bass where one of the bolts secures the body to the neck. This happened during the assembly process. Dave and I discussed this issue. Given the fact that it is located where no one can see it and in an effort to get the bass in my hands quickly I chose not to send the body back to the painter. It is truly negligible and of course has no effect on the incredible sound of the instrument. But please see the pics because if you decide to buy the bass I want to you be aware.
I’m not a spokesman for NYBW but it could take up to 2 years to wait for one of Dave’s masterpieces. This bass is essentially brand new. Dave delivered it to me on March 7, 2010. It has never been gigged with. It has never been out of my smoke free studio. The bass looks as perfect as it did the day he delivered it. So why wait? Enjoy your “dream bass” now!
$3,775 plus shipping gets you this masterpiece. If you'd like to see larger pictures e-mail me directly at
neildamato@gmail.com and I'll send them to you. If you have any questions don't hesitate to contact me at the same e-mail address.
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