Beautiful woods! Enjoy the process.
And yes, I always said my Bordwell was going to be my one and only custom. But now I'm tentatively thinking about a fretless to go with it.
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Beautiful woods! Enjoy the process.
And yes, I always said my Bordwell was going to be my one and only custom. But now I'm tentatively thinking about a fretless to go with it.
The bass I have earned on order (which will hopefully be ready by next summer) will be my 4th or 5th Bordwell. Way fewer than some of you, but as far as I am concerned, Cliff and Shawn May are literally THE cats knocking it out of the park right now, ESPECIALLY in the crowded under 5k custom bass arena.
I was able to lock down my pickups, tuners, bridge and back wood, as well as body wood! Cliff said he got some really light Spanish Cedar. I gotta have the bass in the low 8s, so this will help, as well as the Gotoh GB350 tuners.
So, it'll be a 4 string 33" SCB Italian Olive top, purple-ish Indian Rosewood board, nice spalted maple back, Nordstrand dual coils, Trickfish, Smith sized face dots, black hardware.
I was in a string of ugly car accidents (not my fault...elderly drivers) which have completely blasted out my back. I have probably the most incredible bass I have ever owned up for sale when this is done.
The CB in my profile (#1 of 14 basses I own AND play) is literally like a Ferrari with strings, but weighs 9.3. Very, very light, but 4 blown discs, 11 surgeries and the back of a DCI snare drummer who wore an 18 pound snare drum for 11 years has made it necessary to sell anything over the high 8s, even with a 4" wide Italia strap. Either that or I learn to play the banjo, but I am a gentleman.
It's a 33, Amboyna burl top with blue resin, a 5A birdseye maple back, pau ferro, j neck, Ulyate pickups, Trickfish 3 band. When my new one is ready, warm up your PayPal account!
Here are a few morning Texas sunshine pics to brighten up your Wednesday!
I was able to lock down my pickups, tuners, bridge and back wood, as well as body wood! Cliff said he got some really light Spanish Cedar. I gotta have the bass in the low 8s, so this will help, as well as the Gotoh GB350 tuners.
So, it'll be a 4 string 33" SCB Italian Olive top, purple-ish Indian Rosewood board, nice spalted maple back, Nordstrand dual coils, Trickfish, Smith sized face dots, black hardware.
I was in a string of ugly car accidents (not my fault...elderly drivers) which have completely blasted out my back. I have probably the most incredible bass I have ever owned up for sale when this is done.
The CB in my profile (#1 of 14 basses I own AND play) is literally like a Ferrari with strings, but weighs 9.3. Very, very light, but 4 blown discs, 11 surgeries and the back of a DCI snare drummer who wore an 18 pound snare drum for 11 years has made it necessary to sell anything over the high 8s, even with a 4" wide Italia strap. Either that or I learn to play the banjo, but I am a gentleman.
It's a 33, Amboyna burl top with blue resin, a 5A birdseye maple back, pau ferro, j neck, Ulyate pickups, Trickfish 3 band. When my new one is ready, warm up your PayPal account!
Here are a few morning Texas sunshine pics to brighten up your Wednesday!
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The bass I have earned on order (which will hopefully be ready by next summer) will be my 4th or 5th Bordwell. Way fewer than some of you, but as far as I am concerned, Cliff and Shawn May are literally THE cats knocking it out of the park right now, ESPECIALLY in the crowded under 5k custom bass arena.
I was able to lock down my pickups, tuners, bridge and back wood, as well as body wood! Cliff said he got some really light Spanish Cedar. I gotta have the bass in the low 8s, so this will help, as well as the Gotoh GB350 tuners.
So, it'll be a 4 string 33" SCB Italian Olive top, purple-ish Indian Rosewood board, nice spalted maple back, Nordstrand dual coils, Trickfish, Smith sized face dots, black hardware.
I was in a string of ugly car accidents (not my fault...elderly drivers) which have completely blasted out my back. I have probably the most incredible bass I have ever owned up for sale when this is done.
The CB in my profile (#1 of 14 basses I own AND play) is literally like a Ferrari with strings, but weighs 9.3. Very, very light, but 4 blown discs, 11 surgeries and the back of a DCI snare drummer who wore an 18 pound snare drum for 11 years has made it necessary to sell anything over the high 8s, even with a 4" wide Italia strap. Either that or I learn to play the banjo, but I am a gentleman.
It's a 33, Amboyna burl top with blue resin, a 5A birdseye maple back, pau ferro, j neck, Ulyate pickups, Trickfish 3 band. When my new one is ready, warm up your PayPal account!
Here are a few morning Texas sunshine pics to brighten up your Wednesday!
GLWTS man. That's an exceptional bass.
I said this once. My one and only custom. I have 5 bordwells. 4 I had made myself. And 2 more in the queue. They're like potato chips. Can't have just 1.
Okay, some first pics... I went and saturated them a bit, hoping it would give me a better idea of what it will look like when it has the finish. I emailed em to Cliff and he told me it'd look even better.
That is wild @lordradish
What kind of top is that?
My new build for 2026.
I had AI do its best to do a Holly top version of my son's bass to show Cliff the idea for my build a year from now.
I sent in the deposit and I'm in line now waiting.
Edited: it could end up a fretless with lines.
-ScottM
What kind of top is that?
My new build for 2026.
I had AI do its best to do a Holly top version of my son's bass to show Cliff the idea for my build a year from now.
I sent in the deposit and I'm in line now waiting.
Edited: it could end up a fretless with lines.
-ScottM
Last edited:
Yeah, couldn't pass it up. I'd had Tom Clement build me a spalted bass a few years ago that he utterly botched the hell out of and sent back, but I've always wanted one, so it might as well be good.That is the MOST spalted for real
-ScottM
I had a stunning spalted maple Brubaker single cut I had to let go for a number of reasons. I'd love to find a nice top for an upcoming build with Cliff to replace it.
Is some one here doing a build in this batch or the next with a Gordo Duo pickup by Turner? I'm very excited by that build. I saw it on Cliff's instagram.
Mine coming up next year will have a colorful spalted maple back, although that piece above is insane!
You could always ask Cliff if he has another one, but I vaguely remember him saying it was the only one like that.
I already asked. And he said exactly what you just said.
I hope you don't mind I stole your idea (and your image). Ebony top and birdseye board is what I was thinking for a fretless
This one went through a few iterations which is why it looks like a trip
was trying to get it to put a soapbar closer to the bridge
