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Yeah, the looks are an added bonus. It would be cool if they could also make it have not as much tonal bite for those of us going for that kind of vibe. I'm most interested in the added stability. My ultra humid summers and very dry winters can lead to a lot of adjustments and certain woods freaking out twice a year, which is why I tend to avoid gaboon ebony and oil finishes.
I am the proud new owner of a CB Custom fanned-fret, single-cut, 5 string bass. I just received it from Bass NW, so I do not know a tremendous amount about it. I know it has a camphor burl top, Nordy big singles and an OBP-3. Does anyone know if I can get a build sheet from Cliff? It may not be that important, but i would like to know everything that went into building her. This is truly my dream bass.
Cliff sent me the original specs of the bass if anyone is interested. I say original because the preamp was added by a previous owner.
Singlecut(B)modified -Bass 5-string
Dimensions
Scale length: 35-32
Neck shape: Oval
Width at nut: 1.875
String spacing at Bridge: 19mm
Body thickness: 1.525
Weight:
Construction
Neck: Maple/Wenge "Modern"
Fingerboard: Pau Ferro
Fingerboard Radius: 16"
Nut: Ebony
Full faced:Yes
Body woods
Top: Camphor
Core:Butternut
Headstock Plate:Camphor
Hardware
Color:Gold
Bridge: Hipshot "A"
Tuners: Hipshot Ultralites
Truss rod: two-way adjustable
Fretted(24)
Dunlop Strap locks 3places.
Output: 1/4" Side moun
Electronics
Pickups: Nordstrand SEs custom spacing (Pau Ferro wood covers)
Preamp: Passive
Controls: Volume, Blend, Passive tone (Pau Ferro knobs?)
I freaking love this bass, it is exactly what I was looking for in a bass for a long time. I can hardly put it down, except to watch the season finale of Dexter.
That bass looks amazing. I'm a bit indifferent on fanned frets, but that thing is a stunner!
Congratulations mate, enjoy it
Congratulations mate, enjoy it
Wow. I think I'm gonna have to start saving my pennies for a Standard 5-string w/ Big Singles. Just amazing work.
Well, my new bass was just delivered to my office 
. I am so anxious to hear this baby, but I have to wait to open it for a day due to weather conditions (currently -1 and snowing)!
Here is the last update picture from last Friday.
I can't wait. I will let you know how it is later.
Justin Beck
p.s. I am playing my old Ball Bass 4-string again tonight, and boy do I love everything about that bass.
. I am so anxious to hear this baby, but I have to wait to open it for a day due to weather conditions (currently -1 and snowing)!Here is the last update picture from last Friday.
I can't wait. I will let you know how it is later.
Justin Beck
p.s. I am playing my old Ball Bass 4-string again tonight, and boy do I love everything about that bass.
Tslicebass
Commercial User
Just got word from Cliff that my 2nd CB bass is under way. I am stoked about having a fretless again. It has been awhile since I have even played a fretless bass. You guys should like this one... it is definitely influenced by the pink panther bass.
Justin Beck,
Congratulations! Please update us with a review when you can finally break away from it
Tslicebass, can't wait to see what the next one will look like. You're going to have a heck of a time trying to out do the last one!
-ScottM
Congratulations! Please update us with a review when you can finally break away from it
Tslicebass, can't wait to see what the next one will look like. You're going to have a heck of a time trying to out do the last one!
-ScottM
Justin, pics!!!!!!!!!!
I can't wait to see this group of basses finished.
Tslicebass, a pink panther influenced fretless sounds very cool. I'm going to enjoy seeing this one built!
Cheers
I can't wait to see this group of basses finished.
Tslicebass, a pink panther influenced fretless sounds very cool. I'm going to enjoy seeing this one built!
Cheers
Finally got around to setting her up in preparation for our Saturday night gig at the Gloucester Moose Lodge (scottm's neck of the woods). The Nordstrand / Audere combination was outstanding and required little in the way of EQing despite having 4 bands available. Tone and volume were well balanced up and down the fingerboard with no discernible bumps or deadspots. All was going well....until the lights went down.
As you can see, the FB is a highly figured maple (spalted maybe?) with small abalone side dot markers. There is virtually no contrast so, in dim light, the markers and fret ends disappear within the camouflage. The FB radius is also flat so there is no fret "arc" visible while in a normal standing / playing. In essence, all reference points vanish which makes it difficult for a hack like me to navigate. Guess I'm going to have to learn to play without looking at the fingerboard!
There's a lesson to be learned here: be careful what you ask for when building your "dream" bass.
Riis
Zoober that is a gorgeous bass and with the Nordy PU's it gotta sound huge yet familiar.
It sounds like all you need really is to change the abalone dots to white plastic dots and you're good.
It sounds like all you need really is to change the abalone dots to white plastic dots and you're good.
Riis, sure is a beauty. I know what you mean, I have a Stambaugh fretless 5 that I asked Chris to put really thin ghost lines on. The do as they should and disappear from about 4 feet away however they disappear from the top looking down at the FB from just a few inches away. Sadly I've played it only a few times and the rest of the time it has sat in my closet. I tried selling it but people were really trying to low ball me, since I wasn't in a hurry to loose a lot of money I'm holding onto it. If I can get it sold then a new CB will be in my future.
I'm sure you will get use to it with some practice and it sure is a beauty!
Cheers
I'm sure you will get use to it with some practice and it sure is a beauty!
Cheers
I noticed TB-er, Davo, had stuck luminous markers on his ball bass - so presumably he had the same problem with his bass!
Hey Zooberwerx, do you think some big MOP dots might work? I'm thinking about ordering the bass almost exactly like this first Rami.
Hey, what an understanding bunch! I'm almost in tears.
Not sure if MOP would provide enough contrast but the suggestion certainly merits investigation. I was thinking along the lines of elongated white "bars" instead of dots. A lot depends on what Cliff can offer. In the meantime, I'll apply some white automotive pinstriping and see if that improves the situation. My thumb rarely, if ever, comes into contact with the bass side of the FB so the temporary patch may last quite a while.
As I said earlier, I encourage folks to take this into consideration during the build process. FTR, my Performance 5 had a bubinga FB which presented no problems whatsoever.
Thanks!
Riis
Here's a side shot of my Rob Allen MB-2. Think something like this might help. Not only are they MOP, but they're friggin' big. Even in low light environments they tend to reflect pretty well.
Perhaps a photo might shed a little light on the issue.
nippes,
I currently own a Rami (have had it for two days), and a Ball, and I can't really compare them. They both hang well, but the Ball is walnut and the Rami is alder, so the weight is making a big difference, however, they both do balance well.
The new bass is awesome. It is lighter than both of my 4 bangers, which are both pretty light. I love the neck, wide, flat and comfy. Tone for days. The pickups and preamp both mate very well, and I love the passive tone. I am really liking the Z-Mode switch. It gives three distinct tones easily, but I don't ever see me using the Hi Z mode live. It has a little less booty than my walnut Ball bass, which is ok.
The neck has some nice flame to it (thanks Cliff), and the fretboard grain is beautiful. The top is awesome looking, very shimmering and almost 3-D looking. The alder is warm and buttery looking. I am loving the ramp I hade made, it functions just as I wanted, and lets me play where I am used to playing on my Ball bass.
I have rosewood knobs on it, and they are a bit different than the wenge knobs on my Ball bass. They are dome topped, knurled, and a little narrower.
A little surprise to me was that it came with a ProTec gig bag, not a Levy's LM-8 like my old bass, but I like it. it has more storage room and is a little better padded.
Overall, I am initially in love with this bass, but I will let you know how it is in a couple weeks after I play it with my P&W band.
Justin
p.s.
I will try to get my own pics of both basses up sometime soon.
I currently own a Rami (have had it for two days), and a Ball, and I can't really compare them. They both hang well, but the Ball is walnut and the Rami is alder, so the weight is making a big difference, however, they both do balance well.
The new bass is awesome. It is lighter than both of my 4 bangers, which are both pretty light. I love the neck, wide, flat and comfy. Tone for days. The pickups and preamp both mate very well, and I love the passive tone. I am really liking the Z-Mode switch. It gives three distinct tones easily, but I don't ever see me using the Hi Z mode live. It has a little less booty than my walnut Ball bass, which is ok.
The neck has some nice flame to it (thanks Cliff), and the fretboard grain is beautiful. The top is awesome looking, very shimmering and almost 3-D looking. The alder is warm and buttery looking. I am loving the ramp I hade made, it functions just as I wanted, and lets me play where I am used to playing on my Ball bass.
I have rosewood knobs on it, and they are a bit different than the wenge knobs on my Ball bass. They are dome topped, knurled, and a little narrower.
A little surprise to me was that it came with a ProTec gig bag, not a Levy's LM-8 like my old bass, but I like it. it has more storage room and is a little better padded.
Overall, I am initially in love with this bass, but I will let you know how it is in a couple weeks after I play it with my P&W band.
Justin
p.s.
I will try to get my own pics of both basses up sometime soon.
Never played a BallBass but I've got a sneaking suspicion that all the CB models are close in terms of balance and ergonomics. The Rami smacks heavily of my Performance 5 which is a good thing.
Riis
Here's a side shot of my Rob Allen MB-2. Think something like this might help. Not only are they MOP, but they're friggin' big. Even in low light environments they tend to reflect pretty well.
Perhaps a photo might shed a little light on the issue.
You're right, the MOP really stands out on a solid dark background. The Rami FB in question has a very busy, almost marbled grain ranging from dark brown to light tan in color. I'll see if I can snag a pic or two tomorrow. If I decide to go the new inlay route, I'll probably go to the extreme with MOP or white bars. Might even consider the addition of face dots as well.
Just got an e-mail from Cliff. He's never had to do this type of repair or replacement before but is confident that any skilled repairman would be capable. Well, I'm not gonna let any local guys try this so here's a question: anybody know any primo inlay artists here on the east coast?
Riis
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