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Blade Tetra B-1

H

heath_the_great

Jan 27, 2002
5,201
15
40
Newcastle - Australia
www.myspace.com
#1
ive been playing one of these the last few weeks...very very nice, nice neck not quite satin not quite gloss but very comfortable...the mid boost i can see coming in handy..if they had maple fingerboards they'd be a fine competetion for the 70's KSD's....its also almost convincing me out of an LTD jazz
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the one im falling in love with is vintage white with a shell pickguard
im just curious i havent seen much chatter about them around here..does anyone have one or used one before?..how do the b-2 and b-25's go against it
 
#3
I have the feeling that the Blade basses would be of a higher quality than the KSDs. Blades are supposedly designed by Swede Gary Levinsohn and made in Japan. Their electronics are supposed to be quite sophisticated, but this was the time before J-Retros and other Big Preamp names of today.

I've been curious about Blades since the late 80s but I've never seen one.
 
#4
well IMO i think the blades and KSD's are close competition, i can barely find flaws in either of them...the blade has a better neck finish, but with the ksd i feel more "at home"....if i got a blade i think id put a badass on that as well..i really dont like those flimsy "vintage' bridges..but thats just me i think

the blades are built in switzerland and assembled in japan then sent back to switzerland to be setup...the tetra b1 hasnt got the BVSC-3 like the b2 and b25...the BVSC-3 looks like rather complex stuff though
 
#6
The odd used Blade (pre-Tetra run) turns up on Ishibashi's U-Box. They look good for the price. I've played a Blade Telecaster before in the UK and was happy with the detail and sounds you could get from it.

Heath, how are you liking your KSD? I'm considering a "60's" 5-string because I already have a maple jazz.
 
#7
heath_the_great said:
ive been playing one of these the last few weeks...very very nice, nice neck not quite satin not quite gloss but very comfortable...the mid boost i can see coming in handy..if they had maple fingerboards they'd be a fine competetion for the 70's KSD's....its also almost convincing me out of an LTD jazz
Invalid Link Removed
the one im falling in love with is vintage white with a shell pickguard
im just curious i havent seen much chatter about them around here..does anyone have one or used one before?..how do the b-2 and b-25's go against it
Click to expand...


Heath...that picture is of my bass. I have had it since March. Love it. I haven't enjoyed a bass as much since my 66 Jazz in the 70's. There is just something about that neck that is divine. I can't put my finger on it, if it's the excellent fret job, action, finish, dimensions. It's subtle, but really really nice to play.

Blade is a bout 2 hours away from here by car. I chat with them from time to time. Gary Levinson is from New York, but has been living here for over 20 years.

Someone else from Australia was asking about them recently, so I did a search to find that thread because Blade sent me an email today suggesting they contact the distributor in Australia. Here is what he wrote:

QUOTE
Tell your friend that he can contact our distributor in Australia, Warrick is a nice guy:

Cutting Edge Music
4/1601 Main Road
AU-3095 Research Vic
Tel. 0061 3 9437 0444
Fax. 0061 3 9437 2098
[email protected]

Best regards
Levinson Ltd.
Christian Hatstatt

www.bladeguitars.com

UNQUOTE
 
#8
Picked up a B-2 a few months ago:

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Very nice bass actually. One of the most comfortable necks I've run across in a long time and the fretwork is first-rate. The preamp is a bit unusual with your usual treble/bass boost knobs that also pop up to activate trimpots on the back, one of which is a mid boost. I think they list for around $1900 USD. Quality stuff...on par with just about anything out there, really.
 
#9
Soulbanana said:
Heath, how are you liking your KSD? I'm considering a "60's" 5-string because I already have a maple jazz.
Click to expand...
im loving my ksd...i think it'll always be my main bass...the only problems i have with it is that a few frets are sharp on the edges and on mine, i dunno if any others are like this, but the volume pot doesnt completely mute the output...but they are really great jazz basses..

Mr_Dave said:
where did you find a blade, is it second hand or had someone got them in australia? how much it be costing?
Click to expand...
its brand new, theres a store here in newcastle..city music...i can get the tetra b-1 for $1200(aus) if you want pm me and i can find out more prices or i can give ya phone number if you want


that b-2 of yours marcus looks a bit different from the one in the catalog...id be interested....next time im on ill pm ya...otherwise just shoot me a pm with some info
 
#10
heath_the_great said:
that b-2 of yours marcus looks a bit different from the one in the catalog
Click to expand...
My understanding is that it's a model from the mid 90's or so; they've since changed the headstock and the preamp a bit. Plus the newer ones look like they have pups with exposed poles. Mine are like the Lace Sensor design.
 
#13
Well, as a few folks know I recently sold the body of my Blade bass. Nothing wrong with it at all, but I already had another trans blue bass and....well, I'm weird that way. I'm very happy with how it turned out with the new body tho....behold:
 
#15
It was a straight swap more-or-less. I took the neck, hardware and pickups from the Blade and put it on the new body. I had to lose the preamp tho, because it was mounted on a small circuit board and would not line up with the standard Jazz control plate. So I went with an Aguilar OBP-1, the 2nd vol knob being a push/pull for active/passive operation.
 
#17
So am I. Saw it on eBay and just fell in love. Always liked cherryburst and it was really driving me crazy having 2 trans blue basses (I did admit to being weird about that, right?). It also was one of the few finishes I could deal with having gold hardware on; all the Blade hardware being gold. Turned out nicely tho it was a bit of a gamble.
 
#18
Hi folks,
I´m really a double bass player, but I have owned two Blade B-2´s for more than 10 years. The 4-string fretless is a plain maple plank with rosewood fingerboard. The 5-stringer fretted looks just like the B-2 in Marcus Willett´s post, with the exception that the colour is more purple shade.
Both are just so excellent instruments that I haven´t had a heart to sell them, even though I don´t play them regularly.
If you ever get your hands on one, don´t miss to try them. They are simply very well made and great basses to play. The looks are a plus.

R2
 
#19
arto alho said:
Both are just so excellent instruments that I haven´t had a heart to sell them, even though I don´t play them regularly.
Click to expand...

Agreed. I rarely play 4 string basses anymore; my Blade spends a lot of it's life hanging on the wall. :( But it's a damn fine instrument and every time I pick it up I'm reminded of that truth. Whenever the opportunity comes up (like a jazz gig or maybe classic rock) i.e., where 4 strings is plenty, I love to grab my Blade.
 
#20
My Blade gets taken to more gigs than my 75 Precision or my MIJ jazz with Fender Custom Shops.

I asked Blade about where they're made. They're designed by Gary Levinson, an American that's been in Switzerland for 20+ years, built in China, assembled in Japan, set up in Basel, Switzerland. There are hand made Blade's that pop up every so often on Switzerland's version of Ebay. These date back to the 80's/90's.

The necks on these basses are really nice.
 

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