NBD - Custom Shop '58 Precsion

Beano_z · #1 04-04-2013, 08:52 PM

Big surprise as I walked into my office this morning, was on holiday for a week and didn't check the tracking information.

2 NBD's in 2 months, both P-basses, guess I caught the bug badly, but think I'm going to stop shopping for basses for the rest of 2013.

Anyway, as a sort of back-up for my '59, I bought an almost identical CS version of it, a closet classic '58. From the first looks of it the frets and neck are the biggest differences. at 8lbs14oz, it feels a little heavier than the '59. Still has rounds on it, gonna change to flats when I get home tonight.

Don't know how it sounds like, also haven't really checked the bass in detail, hope nothing has cracked or was damaged during shipping, will find out tonight. It's going to be a long day...

New pictures:

**LoTone** · #2 04-04-2013, 08:58 PM

Your lucky that the bass did not get stolen. If only people knew what was in the box!

Great score; enjoy.

Atlanta Dave · #3 04-04-2013, 09:02 PM

She's a beauty!

P. Aaron · #4 04-04-2013, 09:14 PM

Lovely bass(es).

Dude, now you need a band to find out how really nice those basses are.

mellowinman · #5 04-04-2013, 09:21 PM

Man, I cannot believe how nice that is. I'm not a P-Bass guy, normally, but that is just fantastic!

Beano_z · #6 04-04-2013, 09:25 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by LoTone

Your lucky that the bass did not get stolen. If only people knew what was in the box!

Great score; enjoy.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Atlanta Dave

She's a beauty!

Quote:

Originally Posted by mellowinman

Man, I cannot believe how nice that is. I'm not a P-Bass guy, normally, but that is just fantastic!

Thanks guys!

Stolen? Does that happen? Don't scare me, I'm hoping to buy more stuff online in the future. Prices are really good in the US. I wanted to order a beat up Nash in the beginning, not to mention the 4 month lead time, our local dealer quoted me around US$3000,-, for which I could get a new Custom Shop bass. Needless to say I went for the latter.

Beano_z · #7 04-04-2013, 09:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by P. Aaron

Lovely bass(es).

Dude, now you need a band to find out how really nice those basses are.

I actually am in a band, but the other 3 mandmembers are located in a city which is a 2 hour flight away. So I'm going there once a month or so. And if someone happens to be busy, then rehearsal gets postponed. It's going nowhere, util I can move back that is. So hoping that my company will grant me the re-location in the future

ShowLow · #8 04-04-2013, 11:45 PM

Congrats! Play that beauty in good health.

Dragan · #9 04-05-2013, 01:00 AM

that is a gorgeous thing!

IAmACrocodile · #10 04-05-2013, 05:06 AM

That is such an elegant, beautiful bass! I'm sure that you'll love playing it - how could anyone not?

Major congratulations are in order, and I hope that it is a dream to play! Let us know about the feel of the neck and the tone, won't you?

Cheers,

Peter

sevenyearsdown · #11 04-05-2013, 05:14 AM

drooooolllll.....

Beano_z · #12 04-05-2013, 07:16 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ShowLow

Congrats! Play that beauty in good health.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dragan

that is a gorgeous thing!

Quote:

Originally Posted by IAmACrocodile

That is such an elegant, beautiful bass! I'm sure that you'll love playing it - how could anyone not?

Major congratulations are in order, and I hope that it is a dream to play! Let us know about the feel of the neck and the tone, won't you?

Cheers,

Peter

Quote:

Originally Posted by sevenyearsdown

drooooolllll.....

Thanks guys for the kind words.

Just finished changing the strings to D'Addario Chromes Flats and played for 15 minutes and took the point and shoot to get a few initial shots.

Didn't A/B it with the '59, but initial impression is, construction is very very good, two piece ash body, about the same weight as the '59. Neck is soft V, but very plain, no figuring at all, whereas the '59 has a flatter C shape and feels slightly narrower, no difference beyond the 9th fret, action is set up slightly higher, but I will lower it tomorrow with appropriate tools. There is however a sort of flaw, the walnut skunk stripe has a little edge near the nut end, you can feel it when you slowly run your fingers pass the joint between the maple and walnut, would have expected that from a Custom Shop bass, but I'm sure it happened after the bass left the factory, or it would have been sanded out during finishing, no major issue though.

The body paint is significantly different, the see through blonde is quite evenly applied over the entire body, also around the edges. The '59 has a far more solid finishing towards the edges of the body, you can just see the grain of the ash through it. The checking on the finish is quite subtle, but the finish is clearly not as "sunk in" as on the real vintage.

About the sound, I was surprised how much louder it is, at the same amp setting the new bass manages to push the front into clipping when played hard, the raised pole pieces for the A string didn't really make a huge difference, sound level is quite even overall. It's a little brighter, but could be because of the new strings, let's see whether it mellows out over the coming months. The tone knob works great, usable all the way until both ends, it's very easy to find that sweet spot time after time. In fact, I adjust it every time I plug it in, finding the optimal position for the mood I'm in takes about 15 seconds.

Just one more thing, played acoustically, the vintage bass has more resonance, you can hear the "growl" on the open E and A strings. It is far less evident on the Custom Shop instrument. I'm sure I've got more opinions after playing it for a while

Here's a couple more pictures...

sven kalmar · #13 04-07-2013, 05:22 AM

awesome.

Jwood · #14 04-07-2013, 05:54 AM

Very cool! If I had a CS bass on the way theres no way I could forget to check the tracking number at least 3 times a day! Congrats on your new bass.

fretno · #15 04-07-2013, 07:24 AM

Sweet !

Turtle71 · #16 04-07-2013, 07:31 AM

Wow! How awesome is that!!

Those 2 basses are beautiful!

Congrats on NBD!!

Beano_z · #17 04-07-2013, 07:55 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sven kalmar

awesome.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jwood

Very cool! If I had a CS bass on the way theres no way I could forget to check the tracking number at least 3 times a day! Congrats on your new bass.

Quote:

Originally Posted by fretno

Sweet !

Quote:

Originally Posted by Turtle71

Wow! How awesome is that!!

Those 2 basses are beautiful!

Congrats on NBD!!

Thanks guys. I was on a holiday with my wife, didn't want to spoil it by thinking about the bass all the time

Anyway, took a few more serious pictures of the twins (please excuse the flower power bedsheets):

TomB · #18 04-07-2013, 08:49 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Beano_z

Thanks guys. I was on a holiday with my wife, didn't want to spoil it by thinking about the bass all the time

Anyway, took a few more serious pictures of the twins (please excuse the flower power bedsheets):

Nice! What is the actual width of the neck at the nut on these two? Thanks.

Lowbrow · #19 04-07-2013, 10:00 AM

Terrific pair of twins. Congratulations on the new addition and thank you for sharing the photos.

georgestrings · #20 04-07-2013, 11:09 AM

Oh, my - what a beautiful pair of basses!!!

- georgestrings