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Reviews
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Views
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Date of last review
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4
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7231
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Wed July 4, 2007
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Recommended By
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Average Price
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Average Rating
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75% of reviewers
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None indicated
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10.0
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Description:
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Features
• Two piece ash body
• Walnut top w/ flush inlayed spalted elm faux pickguard
• Three piece ash and maple neck
• Dual action truss rod
• Macassar ebony fingerboard
• Medium jumbo frets
• Bone nut, 1 7/8 inches wide
• Gotoh tuners
• ABM bridge, 18mm spacing
• Chrome metal knobs
• Bartolini 72M55C soapbar pickups
• Bartolini NTBT 3.3 A/P preamp w/coil splitter switches and active/passive switch (push/pull knob)
• Spalted elm and walnut pickup covers
• Separate battery box
• Body finish - hand rubbed catalyzed lacquer
• Neck finish - satin polyurethane finish
• 35" scale length
• DR Sunbeam Lites strings
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Author
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Quadzilla
Registered User
Registered: February 2002
Location: Mason Dixon Line Baby!!!
Posts: 6708
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Review Date: Fri May 13, 2005
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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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First rate craftmanship, proven electronics, top-shelf hardware, BIG bang for the buck!
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Cons:
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String spacing is wide (great for me but some don\\\'t like this), knobs and switches a bit tightly spaced too (you get used to it
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I just got the bass tonight so this is an initial review which I\'ll add to after I put a few miles on it. After pulling it from the box and getting all of the bubblewrap, etc off (great packing job, it could be dropped off a building and not damaged, well almost :-) At first glance....one word.....AMAZING! It\'s STUNNING to look at. Put it on my knee, tuned it (intonation was dead on too). Spacing is perfect for me, fits like a glove. Just felt right from the moment I plucked the first string. Neck profile is a lot different from what I\'m used to (flat back vs more rounded profiles I\'ve played) but I love it. I now can use my thumb to get better leverage. Just feels more natural...
BTW, it also has the Bart pre-amp with the passive option (push/pull volume knob). The only thing that I might have to get a little used to is the tighter spacing of the knobs and switches vs my other basses. Not a biggie though, I\'l get used to it quick I\'m sure. I almost feel bad playing this bass. It\'s like a freaken work of art, but she is going to be played, that\'s the reality!
Now to the sound. Plugged her up to the Kustom first (followed by my SWR). Has that great Bartolini tone! Low down, boom, boom, boom! Mids are punchie and highs are just right (not shrilly). Knobs and pots are solid with center dents. Stacked treble/bass knob is new to me also, but I\'ll get used to it. Action was nice and low, with no buzzing unless I really whale on it. Perfect setup from the factory Bud! Fretts were all crowned, dressed and finished well. No sharp edges on the nut or fretts.
Low B is very tight, tighter than my G&L 2500 USA. This is prob due to the fact that it\'s a 35\" scale vs a 34\" but I\'m sure that the craftsmanship also plays in here.
Finish is glossier than on the photos. Don\'t know why it didn\'t show that way. Finish is also a bit darker than in photos in most light. All woodwork is perfect. Walnut top and flush mount pickguard (no screws!) are a work of art. The P/U covers are a work of art too. Walnut on the bottom and Elm on top. All wood has more grain than shows in photos too. Pics don\'t do it ANY justice. This bass should be going for at least double that I paid for it (shhhh don\'t tell Bud!).
Popped off the back cover. Hats off to Bud. All electronics were EXTREMELY neat. Copper shielding was well applied on cavity and cover. Soldering was A-1 (I have experience here). One of if not the neatest jobs I\'ve seen! Only MINOR complaint is that the cover screws go right into wood vs having inserts. A lot of high-end builders do this too. No biggie as the battery compartment is separate, so I really don\'t see the screw holes wearing out...
Again, this is just from me banging it around for a few hours. More to come when I play with the guys at practice and as I get a few more miles on her. She\'s a keeper for sure!
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F-Bass Club Member #1 
Peavey Millennium USA Club #14 
Franken Bass Club Member #2 
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Quadzilla
Registered User
Registered: February 2002
Location: Mason Dixon Line Baby!!!
Posts: 6708
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Review Date: Mon May 23, 2005
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Would you recommend the product? No |
Price you paid?: None indicated
| Rating: 0
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10 DAY UPDATE:
Well I\'ve now put a bunch more miles on her and have taken her to practice. Let me just say that this is one BAD MUDDA FUKKA! I simply LOVE the wide, fat neck. I\'ve never played a bass without a rounded profile on the back of the neck before and I tell ya, I really love it. Switching back to my 4 just does not feel right. This neck is absolutely more comfortable and playable for my big hands!
I did end up finding two VERY small finishing flaws. I want to emphasize VERY small. One appears to be a dot of excess clear coat (could be something else?) just below the neck joint on the body. The other VERY small flaw is on the top horn where two dots (the size of pin heads) of what appears to be stain from the walnut top appear on the ash. Again, two EXTEMELY small finshing flaws, but I want to be as open as I can with my review. I did not even notice these flaws until days later when I went over the bass with a VERY fine tooth comb. I\'ve certainly seen more (or bigger) flaws on much higher priced customs. Again, these are EXTREMELY small flaws (you practically have to break out the magnifying glass)...
The Bart electronics did their job at practice. My guitarist said that he loved the tone except maybe on harder, heavier songs where he commented that my G&L L-2500 sounded \"grittier\". I\'ll continue to play with the knobs and switches to see if I can get it a little more dirty, maybe cranking up the output on the Bart pre-amp might help here or maybe it\'s just that the Bart electronics will never be as raw or gritty as the G&L\'s (in other words, they are designed this way). The bass did cut thru well (especially in single coil setting on the bridge pup). I love the low and deep tone of the neck pup in humbucking mode. Blending the pups gets killer tones too, nice and growly!
In any event, I\'m much happier with this bass than my G&L L-2500 or my Yamaha BB 5 string. It\'s a keeper for sure. My only other cosmetic wish I\'d like the headstock front/top matched that walnut body (I may ask Bud if he can do this for me). This is strictly a matter of personal taste, I\'m sure that others would prefer it as is but I really think that would be the icing on the cake for me :-) ! Other than that, it\'s everything that I\'ve been looking for in a bass (yes it\'s that good)! This bass will be in my arsenal for years and years to come!
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F-Bass Club Member #1
Peavey Millennium USA Club #14
Franken Bass Club Member #2
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Brad Johnson
Supporting Member
Registered: March 2000
Location: Gaithersburg, Md
Posts: 29914
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Review Date: Sun June 5, 2005
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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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Nice design, quality parts, excellent construction
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Cons:
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none
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I had the oppportunity to play Fred\'s LeCompte 5 and was very impressed. It\'s a very well built instrument, sounds very good, especially for the price. It has it\'s own voice, sounds great IMO especially with the bridge pickup soloed. Very versatile electronics package, easy to dial in many sounds. The low B was very nice and controllable.
No weaknesses as far as I was concerned, just personal preference stuff like the spacing between the body and strings in the area between the neck pickup and the end of the neck. For slap I prefer less space in that area between the body and the bottom of the strings but for others it\'s probably of no concern.
The neck profile is a bit on the square side and, while I prefer more of a taper, when I strapped the bass on it really wasn\'t all that noticeable. Again, this may be no issue for other players. I came across a Kydd EUB yesterday that had a very similar profile. It too was easy to play and I hadn\'t really noticed the similarity before. I\'m sure Bud can do whatever profile one desires.
Again, neither of these are issues, just what I prefer. Build quality was excellent. Attention to detail would be on par with a builder with many years under their belt. I especially liked the large pickup covers which work well as a Willis style ramp for fingerstyle.
Great job, Bud.
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As always, I could be wrong.
www.brubakerguitars.com
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ebladeboi123
Registered User
Registered: July 2005
Location: Oberlin, Oh
Posts: 568
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Review Date: Wed July 4, 2007
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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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Playability, tone, string spacing
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Cons:
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weight
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Well I just got this bad boy from Nicky Bass. And I must say I'm very impressed with buds work. From what I understand its an earlier model, but it still plays great.
I play anything from funk to rock to classical, and its a very clear sounding bass. The only thing it doesn't do better than my precision is the precision tone, which is pretty understandable. I would say that anyone looking for a boutique bass should for sure give bud a call, his prices are reasonable, and if you can find a used lecompte, its for sure reasonable.
Playability is superb, I can actually get all 24 frets. The neck is amazing. Unfinished and flattens out. So its good for my smaller hands since I usually can't get all the way around the "full circular" necks.
Tone I allready said, with the (not listed) aggie pre its very clear sounding. The "woody" tone is very prevelant. I dig it.
All in all its a great bass, and buds work should def. be looked at by anyone looking for a new or used bass.
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www.myspace.com/eclyptic
Quad's Old LeCompte ST-5
MIA Deleuxe Precision
Custom warmoth dinky j/j
Gallien Krueger 800 RB II
Schroeder 1212
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