Hello all
Up for sale is my incredible “Otter” five string acoustic bass, made by the wonderful team at
Brook Guitars down in Devon and finished in September 2008.
It is the first fiver they ever made, so they really took their time to make sure they got it right. The build quality is fantastic, from the detailed purfling to the slight bow in the back of the body to give extra strength and projection to the sound, it really does exude quality all over.
It’s quite loud acoustically, especially played with a pick, easily coping with one strummed guitar and not doing too badly against two, and plugged in it becomes a total tone monster. It's set up with a low action, much like a typical electric bass, so if you want to dig in acoustically I'd suggest a tweak of the trussrod to raise the action a touch.
Specification:
- European spruce top with flame myrtle back/sides and walnut/rosewood/maple/ebony purfling
- 34” scale mahogany neck with an ebony fingerboard and headstock veneer
- Ebony bridge with bone saddle
- Hipshot Ultralite tuners
- LR Baggs Element Active piezo pickup
- Elixir strings
The neck is incredible, 1 ¾” wide at the nut with 18mm spacing at the bridge (same as a Ken Smith 5 string), it feels really skinny and is very fast.
The LR Baggs pickup replaced the original Headway Snake (included in the sale) that I felt was a bit too harsh, and also a bit uneven in string balance, to my ear. The Baggs has the added advantge of volume and tone controls inside the soundhole, which are very useful for adjustments away from the amp.
The original ABS case is also included.
And now for some pictures…
The stunning flame myrtle back:
The following were taken with flash so they aren't the best, but they do show the fantastic attention to detail and finish on the bass.
Obviously, a high end, hand made acoustic bass is going to have a limited appeal in the market place, so I am not expecting people to rush at me to buy this.
To buy the same bass new would cost you around £2195 today (and to show what a good deal even that is, a 4 string made by Fylde would cost you a shade under £2900!). This one is in superb condition, with just a few nicks in the edges and a shallow dent on the top, and is available for
£1800 plus postage.
I would consider part trades for a PJB 6B cab, or a nice Fender P5 or PJ.
Cheers
Gareth
