First the TLDR stuff
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18" scale 5 string tuned E - C up 1 octave (actually, currently in drop D)
Padauk body. Walnut & padauk "neck-through" top. Ebony board.
17mm spacing
Nordstrand Zen Blades (passive V V T)
Pix below.
I don't recall exactly when and where I found Maurizio Uber Basses, but I somehow started following them on IG, and I knew it was only a matter of time before I caved. I'd been wanting a single cut for a while but hadn't found one I really lusted after. I had also been looking at shorter or half-scale bass (Kala, Wing, Mayones), mostly to accommodate an injury that limits my left hand/arm reach, but also to find something with a different voice from my current, well rounded arsenal. I've been doing a lot of "ambient" work and I wanted something with more of a lyrical voice than a typical bass, including something that could do chords, and wouldn't get muddy with boom when soaked with delays and reverb.
I started getting serious back in January. I paid my deposit and got in line. Mau was great about corresponding. He responded quickly despite being in Malaysia, and also has Sacha in Canada who monitors the IG messages in my daylight hours (also a great and knowledgable guy). We were able to email a few ideas to get started, then progressed to video calls. Mau walked me through the process, showed me his shop and some wood samples on hand, and let me know what to expect through the build. I got regular updates, including pics.
The build would've been done much sooner, but there were some COVID delays. Additionally, I was undecided about which pickups I wanted. The build was well underway when I finally consulted @MDBass and got a suggestion for the Nordy Zen Blades. I followed up with Nodstrand directly and they thought the pickups would work for what I was after. Unfortunately, they had production delays that held up finalizing the build. After plugging in, I have zero regrets about the decision or the wait time.
The bass shipped out from Malaysia last week and just arrived today. DHL was great with updates, and the box arrived with only a few minoR bumps and scratches.
I plugged in and found the sounds I wanted right off the bat. The hand positioning was a different story. It isn't bad, it is just different. I'm not used to playing with the frets so tightly spaced. That said, if I'm clean with my fingering technique there's no buzz, and the action is relatively low. Notes ring out nicely. There's a decent amount of sustain and punch. Each pickup has a distinct voice. My preamp of choice is a Hilbish Sol Invictus and it works wonderfully with the Miezo. I was able to experiment with some fuzz, delay, and reverb, and I'm very happy with the sounds I'm finding. I'll try to get some clips up, but honestly, they might be fairly wet and dirty sounds.
[Invalid or Expired Link Removed]
18" scale 5 string tuned E - C up 1 octave (actually, currently in drop D)
Padauk body. Walnut & padauk "neck-through" top. Ebony board.
17mm spacing
Nordstrand Zen Blades (passive V V T)
Pix below.
I don't recall exactly when and where I found Maurizio Uber Basses, but I somehow started following them on IG, and I knew it was only a matter of time before I caved. I'd been wanting a single cut for a while but hadn't found one I really lusted after. I had also been looking at shorter or half-scale bass (Kala, Wing, Mayones), mostly to accommodate an injury that limits my left hand/arm reach, but also to find something with a different voice from my current, well rounded arsenal. I've been doing a lot of "ambient" work and I wanted something with more of a lyrical voice than a typical bass, including something that could do chords, and wouldn't get muddy with boom when soaked with delays and reverb.
I started getting serious back in January. I paid my deposit and got in line. Mau was great about corresponding. He responded quickly despite being in Malaysia, and also has Sacha in Canada who monitors the IG messages in my daylight hours (also a great and knowledgable guy). We were able to email a few ideas to get started, then progressed to video calls. Mau walked me through the process, showed me his shop and some wood samples on hand, and let me know what to expect through the build. I got regular updates, including pics.
The build would've been done much sooner, but there were some COVID delays. Additionally, I was undecided about which pickups I wanted. The build was well underway when I finally consulted @MDBass and got a suggestion for the Nordy Zen Blades. I followed up with Nodstrand directly and they thought the pickups would work for what I was after. Unfortunately, they had production delays that held up finalizing the build. After plugging in, I have zero regrets about the decision or the wait time.
The bass shipped out from Malaysia last week and just arrived today. DHL was great with updates, and the box arrived with only a few minoR bumps and scratches.
I plugged in and found the sounds I wanted right off the bat. The hand positioning was a different story. It isn't bad, it is just different. I'm not used to playing with the frets so tightly spaced. That said, if I'm clean with my fingering technique there's no buzz, and the action is relatively low. Notes ring out nicely. There's a decent amount of sustain and punch. Each pickup has a distinct voice. My preamp of choice is a Hilbish Sol Invictus and it works wonderfully with the Miezo. I was able to experiment with some fuzz, delay, and reverb, and I'm very happy with the sounds I'm finding. I'll try to get some clips up, but honestly, they might be fairly wet and dirty sounds.
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