Anyone else here play a Guitar Factory brand bass?

By Guitar Factory, I mean this:

Bill Fels and Doug Montgomery- two gents who apparently worked with Michael Tobias in the early days.

Guitar Factory (official site)

Some articles about them:
For guitarists, this factory feels like home
Business-William Fels and Douglas Montgomery - Newspapers.com
Guitar gurus celebrate long-standing business | College Park Community Paper

About 5 or so years ago, I procured one of these boutique bass beauties secondhand. When I first picked it up, I knew it was a high end instrument, what with components like a Kahler bridge, EMG pickups (6-string EMG pups aren't cheap), Schaller tuners that say "Made in W. Germany," and the way it was so incredibly well crafted and constructed. Of course, extended range basses didn't really sell in that store, no one's heard of Guitar Factory, and the music store employee who sold it to me was the second owner who needed the money as he'd just started a family... so I got a Bentley at a Chevy price.

I'm the third owner of this bass and don't know anything of its history. I have no clue who the original owner was, what the woods are (beyond a figured maple top), nothing beyond the components and the battle scars showing that this bass was gigged hard as a road warrior. But I'm okay with not knowing. A little mystery in life is never a bad thing. Adds to the whole mystique of the instrument.

It's crazy... I don't need more than 5-strings, and this bass is a 6-string. I prefer passive electronics and Duncan pickups, but this bass has fully active EMGs, which I've never been a fan of. It's also a heavy 12.5 pound beast that I can only shoulder for about 40 minutes at most, even with my 4" wide strap. Basically, this bass is not what I'd usually go for. It's not my "type" at all.

But damn if it's not the absolute BEST instrument I've ever owned. The way it feels in my hands when I play it, the way it responds to my touch, the gargantuan tone, and the best low-B I've ever played (the bass only has a 34" scale neck; I once played a 35" scale Fodera and I vastly prefer my bass's B)... I can't put a price tag on any of that.

It's like my overused dating analogy. Sometimes you meet someone who's totally your type on paper and meets all of your criteria, but on an actual date there's... nothing; it's totally "meh." On the other hand, you might meet someone who's not your type at all but decide "ehh, why not?" to a date... and you end have having a stellar time. That latter scenario is how I feel about my Guitar Factory 6.

What I'm curious about is whether other TalkBassers have heard of Guitar Factory basses? Anyone here played another one of these incredible creations? Anyone else here own a Guitar Factory bass? Do you find yours as amazing as I do mine?

I know TalkBass folks know about the wonderful independent luthiers out there creating handcrafted basses, but I haven't found much of anything about Guitar Factory during my searches. So I figured I'd pose the query and see if there are any other Guitar Factory players out there.

 

Sweet basses, Jimmy! I especially like that 5er. And are those Sperzel locking tuners on that 4? I remember the days when Carvins used to come standard with those.

And thanks for the information about Doug and Bill.

I like that even though they've done work for big name clients, their instruments are still like a best kept secret and super under the radar. It just adds to the mystique in my mind. I tend to like things that are unique and not something everyone else has.

I knew someone else at TalkBass would know about Guitar Factory. That's why I love this forum.

I'm still in disbelief that I stumbled upon my bass at a mom 'n pop music shop in southern New Jersey all those years ago. It's pretty serendipitous.

 

Makes sense.

 

Gard is the GM for Roscoe Guitars, is he not? And he was a Guitar Factory player? So cool!

I feel like I'm in very good company with the handful of other Guitar Factory players.

 

All good. Seeing Guitar Factory's connection to Michael Tobias and the former GM of Roscoe is pretty darn cool.

Good company is good company.

 

My GF 6er has tighter than normal string spacing; 2" nut, 3" at the 24th fret. This is pretty unique among 6-strings, as far as I know. The string spacing is definitely tighter than a stock Soundgear 6er, though wider than the Gerald Veasley sig.

The bottom line is that the narrow neck and tight string spacing totally work for me! I have small hands and any other 6-string I've played felt like I was trying to cross an entire continent. I don't fight with this bass, I flow with it. Even when slapping, I'm fine with it. Having the option to widen the spacing with the Kahler bridge is nice, but I don't need to. The "extra narrow" default spacing fits me beautifully, despite having been clearly handmade for someone else. (I'm the 3rd owner.)

 

Cats do have 9 lives after all, so Buffy's probably in the process of being reborn like a phoenix.

 

So glad I was/am able to talk to people here on TalkBass about Guitar Factory. Only this community would even know about it. It's still crazy to me that despite the insider knowledge of so many independent luthiers and TalkBass clubs for them, we Guitar Factory owners/users/havers are too few to even have a club. It's that rare exclusive level of cool.

I'll admit that my Guitar Factory bass sometimes has me conflicted. It's a boutique instrument that's more bass than I really need (it's a 6-string and all I really need is a 5) and it's a heavy beast (even with a 4" wide padded strap it feels heavier than the 12.5 pound weight the bathroom scale says). Heh, I named that bass The Incredible Hulk because it's a big, (sorta) green, heavy bruiser. There are days I ask myself if I should be a "weight weenie" and trade for something lighter, or just put in a few extra reps at the gym to make myself stronger, because it is the BEST bass I've ever owned.

I still wonder how in blue blazes such a fine instrument found its way to little old me. The low B on it is unreal and the one thing that would keep this bass in my stable.

 

I just got this baby back from my luthier friend's workshop yesterday. It was getting a much-needed setup. He's sure the body is solid maple, which explains why it's so heavy yet sounds soooo goooooood!

I spent time jamming on it a bunch today, and, well... extra time at the gym it is, then! The tone, low B, responsiveness to my touch, the neck, and "exclusivity cool factor" of my bass are worth the effort.

 

The first bass I ever owned had a maple body, so I've always loved that tone. Since then I've had mostly alder basses and one bubinga bass, but that punchy maple tone always stuck in my brain as that benchmark. If my luthier friend is correct, I guess I've kinda come full circle.

And I'll admit, I never liked active EMG pickups until this bass came into my possession. I've always been a Duncans guy, but I can't imagine this bass without active EMGs.

The recording engineer my current musical project is working with is also an active gigging bassist who has a collection of basses that would be the envy of most anyone here on this forum. The first time I brought my Guitar Factory bass in and he gave it a spin, he jokingly told me to keep a close eye on it or he'd try to steal it for his collection. After the session, he said that the tone was absolutely monstrous and that it's the only bass I should ever bring to his studio.