HI Folks:
If you’re looking for a truly superb P-bass at a very deflated price, please do consider this one. Dan Ransom has made an instrument per week for 30 years. He is a custom builder, and builds whatever customers request; he has no models, no website, no employees, no dealers. He also does OEM for a few builders, and did all the building for Modulus at one time. He selects, weighs, and purchases the wood himself. Because he works solo and under the radar, and has not built a public brand beyond west coast walk ins and word of mouth, his prices are just a bit higher than what it would cost to get a Warmouth or USAC, but the quality is up there at the peak with Sadowsky, Lakeland, etc. I’ve owned fender US, DLX, and Custom Shop, Sadowsky, Lull, Tyler, Suhr, and they are all gone, and as of now Dan has made 10 basses and guitars for me, and right now he is making 3 more (a 70’s J, a PJ with J neck and pre, and a 70’s tele deluxe). The only reason I am selling this wonderful P-bass is because one of those he’s making now is a P/J with a J neck and a 3 band pre. I need the J neck, but this neck is fantasic (he’s known for his necks and builds many many replacement necks). So this one will go. A P-bass is simple, so the details have to be right: great wood, finish, tight pocket, great neck, fretwork. And RESONANCE and evenness and no dead spots. That’s this bass. Really.
Details:
-alder body, hand selected and carved on a pin router by Dan
-true vintage contouring
-maple neck with flame maple, medium C (slight chunk), thin sealer, subtle volute, hand shaped by Dan, cut with a pin router. No logo.
-maple fingerboard, no flame, gently rounded, walnut dots
-bone nut
-standard modern P nut and radius
-standard modern frets (medium jumbo)
-LOW action with NO Buzzing (you’ll probably want to raise it).
-PLEK’d (Dan shares space with and runs the PLEK for Gary Brawer in SF)
-Frets are in great shape and close to new, a fretjob is a LONG way off.
-Fralin P pickups
-I will also include the original and now discontinued Basslines active pickup with 2 voice switches. I actually really like this pickup! There’s a battery door on the back.
-TIGHT neck pocket
-Three tone sunburst finish. THIN poly. The 3 tone is lovely and the pics don’t do it justice. It goes from a dark amber subtly into a lovely muted red, and then subtly into a dark tobacco. No yellow-cherry-black here!
-Brown tort guard, 3 ply, pretty sure made by Jennie (All my others are)
-Hipshot vintage tuners
-Gotoh 301 bridge, with ashtray cover
-TONE: even as can be, excellent sustain, VERY VERY resonant, loud deep acoustic tone, lows that rumble and highs that sing and bloom, complex mids. Wood and air. Very tactile and a delight to play. The Fralin captures it all and the Basslines took it to another place if you like active. No dead spots.
-EXCELLENT condition, NO issues. The bass lived on a stand in a smoke, kid, dog, flood, and friend-free home studio.
-Comes with an all-but-new, never used Fender hard rectangular bass case that lived in my closet
-$975 paypalled in CONUS. Shipping is extra, but will be at cost and shouldn’t be too much because I am close friends with the owners of the music emporium in Lexington, MA. They’ll provide box and packing materials, and let me ship via their UPS account. So figure $50. This is less than a USA Fender, a Warmouth, or a Skyline, and it is as good or better as any boutique bass made today. Really. The only exception could be avella-copolla if there's something to that OLD wood thing. Other than that, fughettaboutit
Having said all that I sure do hope that the PJ he’s making me is just as good!
BTW, I don't have a big presence here, but I have oodles of posts at TGP, some at gearslutz, great Ebay feedback, and can provide references from Dan, and from major high end retailers and boutique builders. We can also talk on the phone, so no worries. This is legit in every detail.
Thanks and enjoy.
Bill
Basslines:
Help me keep the wife smilin'! (No she doesn't come with it!
)
Great P-Bass! 
