Best custom built basses?

[Eddie LeBlanc]

Nothing feels as good playing as the arched curved body design of a Spector NS2 or NS4. Through the body neck, graphite rods in the neck. Many possibilities.

But ever since I started playing pretty much nothing but my USA NS4s, nothing feels as good.

 

[franklindayala]

hi everyone,

Who builds the best custom basses these days and what are the prices?
I'm looking for a new instrument but haven't played electric bass for many years so I don't know where to look...
Thanks!

Hello Kristian,

Are you a J a P guy. Maybe you love humbuckers, neck true, number of strings... ?

I love my Wilkins P5 and my Huamani 5 string fretless bass...

 

[Alper Yilmaz]

Hi again Kristian,

I missed you by few days or weeks then!

In this case, going to one of the luthiers in Germany or Poland would be your best choice in terms of pricing and location as well as what you can ask for as far as customization goes. Maruszczyk (German) and Mayones (Polish) are the immediate names that come to my mind.

With the 5-string setup from C to E tuned in fifths, there will be some additional tension on the neck, so a luthier with experience with different neck woods (and/or stiffening rods) should be your choice and either of these guys should be able to assist you. Other than that, I would definitely go for a bolt-on (or should we say screw-on) topology as the neck with that kind of tension might be a bit unstable (I am just thinking out loud) and with a nech-thru or set-neck topology it would be risky. But again, either of these luthiers should be in a position to give you a more definite answer. As you are an upright player, a chunky (and more stable) neck on an electric should be fine as well...

Please let me know if you happen to come to Istanbul again. Cheers,

Alper

Hi Alper!
I came to one of your concerts in Istanbul, great playing!
I just left Turkey for Wien so it won't be that easy for me to buy from a Turkish Luthier. But thanks a lot!
I play tuned in fifths from low c to high e (five strings) on my double bass and i would like to try the same concept with an electric, that's why I'm considering a handbuilt bass. I'm also thinking of adding a piezo, to get a more "acoustic" sound.
Maybe it's unnecessary to get a custom built bass but since it will be a quite unique setup, I thought it would be the easiest to search like this first.

Hi

 

[kerrycares]

Bassmods has a great line of custom built basses in the sense that they have a line of basses that offer plenty of options and are incredibly low price , high quality basses starting at about $1,100.

 

[BassmanM]

Nothing feels as good playing as the arched curved body design of a Spector NS2 or NS4. Through the body neck, graphite rods in the neck. Many possibilities.

But ever since I started playing pretty much nothing but my USA NS4s, nothing feels as good.

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Going slightly off topic, but how do the Spectors position themselves on a strap? Bridge and upper horn position make me think that the 1st fret will be further away than e.g. on a Fender?

 

[Eddie LeBlanc]

Going slightly off topic, but how do the Spectors position themselves on a strap? Bridge and upper horn position make me think that the 1st fret will be further away than e.g. on a Fender?

Not a problem. it is the most comfortable bass I have every played.

And I have a collection of many other basses over my more than 5 decades of playing bass. In fact 1st fret is a better reach than on my G&L 2000.

I switched to mainly neck thrus some time back. Then found Spector, after going through the TBird, Toby, and Warwick thing. Now they are my go to basses.

 

[ThinCrappyTone]

hi everyone,

Who builds the best custom basses these days and what are the prices?
I'm looking for a new instrument but haven't played electric bass for many years so I don't know where to look...
Thanks!

I can’t say who is best, but I sure am happy with my Muckelroys. This one came in under 4k, but his prices have gone up a bit since then.

 

[micguy]

Custom builders have styles. You want the best Carl Thompson style bass? Carl Thompson. Best Ritter style basses? Ritter.

 

[spade2you]

The one with the EXACT tone(s) you want that fits your body like a glove and you can afford. We're in an era where there are so many great builders who can nail this.

 

[bassdude51]

Jerome Little gets my vote Torzal Guitars
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Neck's warped!

(joking, of course) Unusual none the less.

 

[k5koy]

Jerome Little gets my vote Torzal Guitars
View attachment 3569882
View attachment 3569883

Twisted neck? Does it play at all?
Koy

 

[DaveAceofBass]

Lots of good choices out there. I really have enjoyed working with Mike Kinal over the years. I have three of them. I also own a Maruszczyk and a Sadowsky, both are excellent.

I’m surprised no one mentioned Ken Smith yet. His stuff is always superb. Modulus is another one, and they are back in business so I’m sure that’s worth a look.

 

[MultiScaleMale]

If you let us know your budget you will get far more helpful suggestions.

 

[neddyrow]

I am very happy with my Tom Clement build. Lots of options to choose from. Starting price around $1750 and goes up as you choose options.

 

[ELG60]

I've been blessed to own and try alot of high-end boutique basses from the likes of Warrior, Roscoe, MTD, Lakland, STR, Custom Bacchus, Ristola, and many more. The best I've played for total value has been my Devon basses. You simply won't beat them for the money. Matter a fact I've owned several 2-3 times the money that aren't nearly as good.

I concur. I own three of them which I acquired from @campbems . Beautiful playable works of art.

 

[tleebassist11]

Has nobody said Fodera? Cuz that is the top tier in my opinion. They really can make you whatever you dream of
For a more affordable option I second Bassmods. Those basses are awesome!

 

[Acoop]

Custom? ... Double edged sword. ... And since you haven't played bass, for awhile, you run the risk of dropping big $ and just looking at it. ... Which isn't a bad thing. ... I recently sold a 74 P-bass to a fellow who wasn't a player but, he wanted to try. ... He decided, rightly so, that buying a bass he'll always get his money back out of is a pretty safe bet. ... You won't find that with a new 'of the rack' or custom instrument. ... Start by making a short list and weighing your options. ...

 

[Nephilymbass]

hi everyone,

Who builds the best custom basses these days and what are the prices?
I'm looking for a new instrument but haven't played electric bass for many years so I don't know where to look...
Thanks!

I’m planning to order a bass from Tom Clement next year when I have saved up enough to pay for it. Its going to be a pretty wild singlecut ERB. Sort of a specialty bass that I can use more so for when Im playing by myself outside of a band situation. I’ve owned a couple 6 and 7 string basses and Tom seems to have been able to work out how to build them so they aren’t boat anchors. He is located down in Florida and works out of a shop in his backyard. His prices and build times are pretty reasonable compared to some of the craziness I’ve seen. Have been following him on Facebook for a while so I have seen posts with pictures of a lot of his builds coming together and he also seems like a really nice guy. I’m on the east coast as well so we tend to get hit by the same hurricanes every year. But yeah he seems like the kind of person Im happy to do business with. He’s already announced that there will be a price increase for 2020 but these are his current prices on his site for those who order before the end of the year.

This is the body style I’m going to go with

Here are a few others. He does a big range of shapes. Some which are more classic, some that look like ergonomic wonders, some that have a similar vibe to some bodies I’ve seen before like some with a little of a fodera or Zon vibe but with his own twist

There’s not a lot of good video demos of his basses but here are a couple from the bass whisperer himself.


And another decent one

 

[Beej]

Funny, I guess I define "custom" differently from those who say "oh, try these guys" and then list a bunch of manufacturers. Custom to me means working with a luthier to build what you want, not just an extra fancy wood bass that is basically a Fender...

 

[BassmanM]

There is no such thing as the "best custom basses these days". What is the best for me may not be the best for you. Asking such a general question, you will hear zillions of brands, bass types and budgets. This might inspire you to some extent, but I doubt it will help you find a suitable bass.

I would therefore suggest you give some basic information about the instrument you are looking for, provided you know yourself.... For example:

- Traditional or modern bass?
- How many strings?
- Active or passive?
- What type of sound do you want, e.g. what kind of music do you play?
- Your BUDGET

Etc. etc.