This is a bass that I built a couple of years ago. My first bass build project went so well that I got bitten by the building bug and when the 2017 Winter Build-Off came about, I was excited to compete. At the time, I decided to not only build the entry for the competition, but also build it's "reverse twin" at the same time.
Let me introduce you to "P3", the reverse twin bass of the winner of the 2017 Talkbass Winter Build-Off.
P3 sports a few amazing electronics upgrades that the WBO17 bass didn't get. My goal was to make it EXTREMELY versatile, so I devised a plan for this to have "kitchen sink wiring".
As you can see, P3 sports an incredibly nice set of Nordstrand BigRig pickups. Those are each wired to a series/parallel switch. You can blend those pickups OR you can pull the tone knob and run them in series (the "Global S/P switch). You can actually run each pickup in series or parallel, too, so you can get multiple sounds in global series mode.
Add to that, there is a 3 band Nordstrand preamp with a mid frequency push/pull for different sound and that can be bypassed by pulling the volume knob.
The electronics cavity has a solid maple cover that attaches with neo magnets, it's shielded with nickel paint, and the whole setup is very resistant to outside noise interference.
The neck features a 33.5" scale length, which I found to be very comfortable and still sport a massive B string response. The 20" radius allows for low action and fast playing.
The neck is very slim front to back, slightly asymmetrical, and super easy to play. It's constructed of walnut with maple stringers, has a 2-way truss and 2 carbon fiber neck supports built in. There is a beefy volute and a slight tiltback headstock design.
The fingerboard is Richlite, the same phenolic material used on Status basses. It doesn't shrink or expand and adds to the rigidity of this very playable neck. Frets are stainless steel. I love stainless frets, they basically don't wear out. It has a zero fret as well, for a more even response as you play open or fretted notes.
I used a 5-bolt asymmetrical attachment to the body with rather large stainless screws for superior sturdiness. The deep-set tenon also keeps things very sturdy. Truss access is at the heel.
As you can see, the body is a bit of a wood sandwich. The core is maple, the faces are bookmatched sapele. The core has been chambered to reduce weight, though I'll admit it here: it's not a super light bass. It's not drastically heavy, but it's certainly not a feather. But don't let that scare you, it's very comfortable to play and wear, and comes in at right at about 10.2 lbs per the bathroom scale method.
The overall shape of the bass was co-designed with my good friend and fellow bass nut, @rogerbmiller. The goal was to make something original, yet familiar. Being a bigger guy myself, I wanted it to be full sized because I look silly with a tiny-body bass. This was a great size and shape and it's become a standard for my future builds.
The body and neck are both finished in TruOil for a nice feeling and weather-resistant finish that allows for maximum resonance form all the woods, as well as accentuation of the lovely wood grain. It's also really easy to fix if you scratch it.
The hardware package is some of the best stuff around. It has the Hipshot A bridge in brass for piano-like clarity. The tuners are the Ultralight Y keys. The knobs are made by Kilo International. And it includes a set of Dunlop StrapLocks.
P3 ships with a Mono Vertigo case.
It was played lightly by me and a few people I know locally. I did send it to Roger to check out and he also let friends try it out. But it's still in amazingly great shape. The biggest downfall would be the fact that it shows some of my inexperience in finishing overall, but it's certainly nothing glaring. Long story short, I'd call the condition "DEMO".
If someone were to commission me to build this again, I'd probably charge about $2,500. So if you are into really awesome basses that AREN'T priced at retail, this is a chance to own a "prototype" of sorts for a lot less.
$1400 shipped to the US 48
Paypal or MO payment accepted.
Int'l PM me for shipped price.
The amazing pics above were taken by @petch, by the way. He's awesome!
But since I didn't have a back pic from that shoot, here's one taken by me that isn't nearly as nice:
Basic spec sheet:
- Maple body core, bookmatched Sapele facings
- 5 piece walnut/maple neck with carbon supports and 2-way truss
- Nordstrand BigRig pickups
- Nordstrand 3B preamp
- Kitchen sink wiring scheme (active/passive, blend, series/parallel switching with global, passive tone control)
- Hipshot A bridge, brass, 18mm spaced
- Hipshot Ultralight Y tuners
- 1.825" nut width
- 33.5" scale neck, 20" radius
- 10.2 lbs
- MONO Vertigo case
If you have questions, please feel free to ask!
