FT/FS: Fender Custom Shop Reggie Hamilton 5 – Sonic Blue

john nam · #1 01-03-2010, 01:14 PM

NO LONGER FOR SALE. I really feel like I'm going to regret letting this one go, thanks for the nice comments though. Bassarama, the bass was refinished by Wilkins, the one who does the finishes for Lakland and Sadowsky.

john nam · #2 01-03-2010, 01:41 PM

More pics.

john nam · #3 01-03-2010, 01:43 PM

And some more.

PSPookie · #4 01-03-2010, 01:54 PM

Zoinks!!!

Dr. Cheese · #5 01-03-2010, 02:18 PM

Man, those Reggie Hamilton Custom Shop Vs are all jaw droppers, but that sonic blue is something else. The only thing that could possibly make that bass look better would have been a birdseye maple neck and fingerboard.

honest abe · #6 01-03-2010, 02:33 PM

This used to be mine. I can tell you first hand this is an amazing bass both visually and sonically. If I come up with some cash I might just snatch it up again! Also, John is a great individual to do business with. Class all the way.

john nam · #7 01-05-2010, 11:20 PM

Thanks Abe!

john nam · #8 01-11-2010, 04:30 PM

vep63 · #9 01-11-2010, 04:34 PM

Where's the J-Retro???

Bass2daMix · #10 01-11-2010, 04:38 PM

OHHHH I WANT IT!!

OriginalKeyster · #11 01-11-2010, 06:13 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bass2daMix

OHHHH I WANT IT!!

ME TOO!!!!!!

Mrdak · #12 01-12-2010, 03:37 AM

Lawd hab moicey

john nam · #13 01-12-2010, 09:28 AM

I tried the original preamp and it sounded a LOT better than the J-Retro and so that's what is on there. I think the J-Retro was meant for J/J pickups and not P/J pickups. I'm having second thoughts on letting this one go since receiving a PM from the orignal owner so if it doesn't go soon, I'll have to come up with a good scheme to convince my wife of keeping it for good

After all, I've wanted a Fender for a long time and it's the nicest playing and nicest looking Fender I've ever come across.

bassarama · #14 01-17-2010, 05:58 PM

is the SONIC BLUE a factory special order color ? as REGGIE`s don`t normally come in that color ?
what does stuck in passive mode mean ? does the active position work? i have played 3 REGGIE 5`s-- a black, candy apple red and a blue metallic. Very unusual bass for sure and likely under rated in the bass community. I have a Ltd Edition 1970 Jazz I may trade or sell. Cheers !
NICE BASS.

Reggie Hamilton · #15 01-20-2010, 06:31 PM

Truthfully, I almost bought that bass when I saw it on eBay. It looks gorgeous. Is it a nitro finish?

john nam · #16 01-20-2010, 09:27 PM

Reggie Hamilton, cool to see you post here! I thought it was nitro too, but I found out that it was a thin poly finish. By the way, I really think that this is the best 5 string that Fender makes. Did you come up with the specs or was it a joint effort with Fender?

Reggie Hamilton · #17 01-21-2010, 10:50 AM

Thank you. I love it a lot. The concept was mine. I had it in my head for quite some time but building her was a joint effort between Dan Smith, Michael Frank-Braun, Mark Kendrick, Alan Hamel and myself. The neck on the RH-IV is a copy of my '67 jazz. The neck on the RH-V is an asymmetrical idea that I wanted. Mark Kendrick made it to perfection. He's a fantastic luthier. Alan Hamel, another great, made the body and a mechanism that helped me decide on pickup placement for the neck. Michael Frank-Braun and I spent many hours with the electronics. Dan Smith oversaw the project and had great ideas as well. He was VP of the Custom Shop at that time. My five bolt neck rolled over into all the other models. Fender was fantastic in helping me to have the instrument that I will be spend the rest of my life playing. It was a great experience for me. I learned a lot.

Reggie Hamilton · #18 01-21-2010, 10:53 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by john nam

NO LONGER FOR SALE. I really feel like I'm going to regret letting this one go, thanks for the nice comments though. Bassarama, the bass was refinished by Wilkins, the one who does the finishes for Lakland and Sadowsky.

Incidentally, the strings that should be on the bass are:

Stainless steel round core. .135 tw, .110tw, .085, .065, .045

J Hud · #19 01-21-2010, 11:07 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Reggie Hamilton

Stainless steel round core. .135 tw, .110tw, .085, .065, .045

Question for you Reggie, if you don't mind. What brand of string did you use during the pre-amp voice testing? Have you stuck with that brand or are you using something else?

If you have switched brands, what (if any) affect has that had on what you established as your bass's tone during the design phase?

Just curious.

Lastly, your bass model, in 4 & 5, is possibly my favorite looking Fender to date and probably the most practically appointed too....(although that strange 1-off 6 they made for Tye Zamora was pretty cool).

As far as yours, nice job! I've never played one, but it stays on my list of "must have" basses.

honest abe · #20 01-21-2010, 11:46 AM

Wow! Nice of you to chime in on knowledge no one knows about your bass, Reggie. I so regret having sold this one. I've tried to get it back from John but he seems to grip on to it tighter and tighter every time we talk about it. LOL! I have yet to find a tighter B string on any other 34" scale bass. Great job with the design. That five string just feels so natural. I'm sorry I never tried it with the original preamp. I just assumed the Jretro it had when I bought it was the best choice.