I have decided to sell my beloved Tom Clement bass, #181. It has a redwood burl top, mahogany body, bolt-on neck, P-J pickups in a Bartolini 18V setup. This is a fretless 5-string bass with inlaid fret markers. All the hardware is black. This bass will come with a high quality SKB case. Everything is in excellent condition - I have babied this instrument. You can see this instrument on Tom's site at: http://www.clementbass.com/web/Gall...rip/1/Default.aspx?path=moderndouble/bass 181
$1500 shipped CONUS.
Here is what I posted in December 2009 when it arrived from Tom:
"#181 arrived today in fine shape. I'm in love. First impressions: it's visually beautiful. the redwood top just glows, and the black hardware sets it off nicely. The build quality is really high - it was clearly made by a thoughtful craftsman. The neck is incredibly comfortable, even for a 5. It has almost no taper from 12th to 1st fret which took me a couple minutes to get used to - not a problem just different. It's comfortable around the neck and sitting (better than a J body), not heavy at all (will weigh it and report back).
Tom, the action is unbelievably low. It really threw me at first; I'm used to digging in. This bass as set up requires a light touch. However, now that I'm getting used to it, it just may spoil me for my other basses! It is almost a revelation how fast and easy this thing is to play, and the action is flawless from fret 1 to fret 24.
For tone, it has mwaaaaah that just won't quit. With the bridge (J) pickup, it just crys and develops a note for a few seconds, like wmaaaaooouuww, like Jaco was playing a fretted P-Bass by comparison. I have a PJ setup; the split P pickup at the neck is not really very P-like. It also has a growly mwah that I'm really going to have to figure out how to use to good effect. I can't see this bass standing in for a P-bass at all - it's got too distinct and unique a tone of its own. The sustain is incredible, especially for a fretless - I actually had to check to make sure I didn't have my compressor pedal on. I think the mahogany body has something to do with this? Absolutely Sick. The output was a bit low for my tastes but I tweaked the pickup heights and preamp trimmer which brought it more in line with my own preferences.
Thanks, Tom, it is a great sounding and looking instrument."
$1500 shipped CONUS.
Here is what I posted in December 2009 when it arrived from Tom:
"#181 arrived today in fine shape. I'm in love. First impressions: it's visually beautiful. the redwood top just glows, and the black hardware sets it off nicely. The build quality is really high - it was clearly made by a thoughtful craftsman. The neck is incredibly comfortable, even for a 5. It has almost no taper from 12th to 1st fret which took me a couple minutes to get used to - not a problem just different. It's comfortable around the neck and sitting (better than a J body), not heavy at all (will weigh it and report back).
Tom, the action is unbelievably low. It really threw me at first; I'm used to digging in. This bass as set up requires a light touch. However, now that I'm getting used to it, it just may spoil me for my other basses! It is almost a revelation how fast and easy this thing is to play, and the action is flawless from fret 1 to fret 24.
For tone, it has mwaaaaah that just won't quit. With the bridge (J) pickup, it just crys and develops a note for a few seconds, like wmaaaaooouuww, like Jaco was playing a fretted P-Bass by comparison. I have a PJ setup; the split P pickup at the neck is not really very P-like. It also has a growly mwah that I'm really going to have to figure out how to use to good effect. I can't see this bass standing in for a P-bass at all - it's got too distinct and unique a tone of its own. The sustain is incredible, especially for a fretless - I actually had to check to make sure I didn't have my compressor pedal on. I think the mahogany body has something to do with this? Absolutely Sick. The output was a bit low for my tastes but I tweaked the pickup heights and preamp trimmer which brought it more in line with my own preferences.
Thanks, Tom, it is a great sounding and looking instrument."
