Received my new bass Friday : A custom build from a local luthier. Specs: 34'' scale; Swamp ash body; Flamed maple neck (24 frets, 12'' radius, 1.5'' wide at the nut); Ebony fingerboard with offset dot inlays; Hipshot headless hardware kit; Pickups are Aguilar 4PJ-HC matched PJ set; Passive electronics, controls are V/V/T + 3-way pickup selector switch; "Open grain" oil finish with 2 coats of clear on top; 8 lbs. Fits in a guitar gig bag with room to spare! Tonally it is much snappier than my main player (G&L LB-100) and could be an interesting option when playing genres that call for a more "in your face" sound. I had never played a PJ before and I think my favourite sound is both pickups on full - it gives a bit of zing and scoop to the P sound, and having played just a little bit with it so far I find these pickups really seem to shine when you dig in and make them bark! {} {} This was my first time getting a "completely from scratch" bass done, overall very happy of how it turned out. I think this is the smoothest neck I've ever played. Only things I'd do different if I was to do this one over again would be to change the controls to stacked master volume / master tone pots and a 3-way switch - I find there is not enough resolution with separate volume pots to make that much of a difference, so I'd simplify the layout. I'm seeing my luthier either next week or early January for a minor ergonomic tweak, and after that I think she'll be a very solid player!
that ax is a beauty! it's a neat 'journey' (and educational, too!) to get a custom built ax. congratulations on your new instrument!
Thanks man! You're right it's quite educational and an experience in itself: To imagine an instrument, talk to a luthier about it and then see this: {} ...gradually turn into this: {} ...is quite a trip!
