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Cliff Bordwell Bass (CBbasses) BIG McNeely
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Recommended By
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Average Price
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Average Rating
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100% of reviewers
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None indicated
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10.0
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Description:
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Five String Fretless
Made Summer 2009
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Author
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scottm
Registered User
Registered: August 2005
Location: Newport News Virginia
Posts: 720
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Review Date: Tue July 28, 2009
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Would you recommend the product? Yes |
Price you paid?: None indicated
| Rating: 10
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Pros:
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Everything.
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Cons:
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Nothing.
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Aesthetics:
First off, the picture that you’ll get from Cliff before you receive your bass does not do the bass justice!!! The bass looks amazing! This is my third bass made by Cliff, and everyone of them have taken my breath away when I took them out of the case for the first time, the second time, and ... well, it's been about two years since I got my first one and I still smile when I look at it. The neck joints on his basses are a work of art. I still can't figure out how he brings all the wood together in his neck joints. This bass came set up perfectly and in tune just like the other two basses did. Cliff's basses are ready to walk on stage with and play right out of the UPS truck. The neck is perfect and very comfortable to play for long periods of time. The carving on this bass is truly beautiful. The looks and positive comments I get with this bass never end when I take it out.
Construction:
Just in case you haven't heard, Cliff's basses have the straightest necks I have ever seen! This bass is no different; it is perfectly straight no matter what temperature I keep my home at. This bass has a Burl Maple top/Purple Heart layer/ Spanish Cedar with a thick Wenge layer through it that is decorated with Purple Heart/ Purple Heart layer/ Bridseye Maple back.
I got Cliff's chambered body design, which made the bass really light and makes the fretless really sing! I ordered this bass with a two tone maple fret board that Cliff suggested that really makes the bass sound incredible too. This bass has a Wenge neck, and it has more growl than any of the ten Warwick basses that I use to own.
Never have a played a bass that has the build quality of my CB basses.
Tone and Playability:
This bass plays very comfortably. I always tend to favor my single cut CB bass over my six string Ball bass because it is very comfortable to play sitting down (not that my Ball bass is in any way uncomfortable to play). It just seems like the body on the single cut rest better up against my chest. This bass was a custom shape that Cliff named after me called the "BIG McNeely". The larger ball horn makes it feel more like a single cut, so I find it very comfortable to play for long periods of time sitting down or standing up.
The tone on this bass is killer! I asked Cliff to have Kent Armstrong make me a quad coil pickup, but Kent Armstrong didn't offer one. So Mr. Armstrong took two quad coil pickups and tied them together. The pickup sounds as huge as it looks paired with the Audere Z mode preamp. It also doubles as a ramp, making it much easier to play fast runs on. I really like that Cliff offers about any kind of electronics that you can think of to order.
Value:
I feel like I got more bass than I paid for with this order just like the last ones. Cliff's basses are well worth the money! I must have sent more emails to Cliff than I would like anyone to ever know! Every time I send out an email, I get an email back within that day. This always makes me feel like I am getting even better service than what I paid for. Cliff also spent lots of time helping me find just the right pieces of wood for this bass. I find his prices to be more than fair when comparing him to other builders that will offer you what they call a custom bass, but limit you to a small amount of options.
Overall:
I feel like I got another bass that I plan on keeping forever. This was the first time that I had Cliff make a bass with a custom body style that I had dreamed up. It was a lot of fun working with him and seeing how patient he was with some of the ideas I had him try. I'm a big guy, and I wanted a larger CB Ball bass body to fit me. Cliff went out of his way and gave me a bass that looked and sounded just like I had dreamed of. I highly doubt that this will be my last order from CBBasses.
*Note: I added a picture off all three of my CB basses so I could show the difference in the BIG McNeely Ball bass shape next to the regular Ball bass shape.
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Bordwell Club member #5
Markbass Club member #212
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