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Club Clement (Part 7: Post your basses here)

#281
MrWalker said:
And for me the equation is easy to solve... Why would I spend $2000 on a standard model built in a factory when I can get a truly custom built bass for the same amount of money that is to my exact specifications and to much higher accuracy and with a totally different eye to playability and level of tolerance?

And in the process you get to follow the process from raw wood to finished bass... A process which is truly amazing and addictive in itself.

I'm a Clement player by choice, not by endorsement or free gifts or anything close to that. Not that I'm attractive bass wise enough to be of any interest to anyone in the industry :-D I stumbled upon Tom 's basses by coincidence many years ago, and it gave me the opportunity to make a bass that I had dreamt of come through at a fraction of the cost I was expecting, and with a result that exceeded my dream by far. It changed my view on basses and taught me that I don't have to be John Patitucci or Victor Wooten to have a bass built to my specifications. :-D

I think we should make a slogan for Tom. My suggestion would be something like
"Tom Clement Instruments - the instrument of your dreams at a price you could only dream of "

:-D
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Also, word!
 
#288
Yes, got her yesterday. Wow, what a bass! First impressions:
Its exactly what I was hoping for.
The body design is truly ergonomic. The slimmer body cut fits me perfect, its the most comfortable bass I've played in a seated position. Its a 35 inch scale, and compared to my other basses the headstock is a little bit closer, making the lower positions a bit easier to reach too.
The neck is very thin, very fast, and just plain silky feeling.
My favorite standout feature is the mesquite fingerboard. I was a bit unsure of it at first when I ordered it, but now that I have it in my hands, I'm glad Tom suggested it. I think if more people knew how this wood sounds and feels as a fingerboard (particularly fretless), it would be used a lot more. It feels like butter, and has a beautifully clear mwah.
Tone-wise, its got a very clear sound, and with the electronics package Tom put in, is very versatile (Nordy big splits, Nordy 3-band, piezo bridge pick-ups with Bartolini buffer). Honestly I haven't had enough time to explore the full palate yet, but so far I'm very happy with it. Just as comparable and high end as everything else I own.
I own, and have owned, several high-end custom basses. This one sits right there with them in terms of quality and craftsmanship, and at least to me, one ups them in terms of playability.
 
#292
Clement friends, it's a sad day for us Clement bass players today. Chuck Jones, bassist with Eric Lee Beddingfield and Medieval Steel passed away earlier today. Chuck was the man who toured with Clement basses for Tom and helped raise money for the Christie Corpus Ronald McDonald house. Together with fellow Norwegian bass player Stein Olav - who is also on the forum here - Chuck was the first to be profiled as a "Clement Artist" on Tom's web page less than a month ago. After being so happy with Tom's basses after touring with both the charity basses, Chuck got his own personal Clement bass just a few months ago. Here are Tom's words:
It is with great sadness I today received the news that Chuck had passed away today. Chuck was the man that helped me raise money for the Corpus Christie Ronald McDonald house. We were supposed to get together later this month and we were both excited about doing future ventures together. I can't believe the man, the grin and the energy that was Chuck Jones is gone. Thank you for everything, Chuck!
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RIP Chuck Jones, we will miss you, Clement bass friend!

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#294
So, I liked my Clement #330 Fretless 5 so much, I've already commissioned Tom to build #337...a fretted 5'er to match!

Same model (Wide Joan)
Same scale (35 inch)
Same fingerboard wood (Mesquite), but Fretted this time
Maple Top
Black limba body
5 piece neck- maple with black limba stringers
Audere Z pre
2 Nordy Big Splits
 
#295
Oh, I completely forgot to show this off: Tom was kind enough to send me the leftover pieces of my body sandwich woods from #330. I'm a bit of a wood hobbyist and got to work on the lathe and turned some matching knobs for myself. I'm not the greatest photographer and these are from a cell phone, so the light and angle make it look like the top wood and the knobs don't match, but in reality they do and are the exact same woods. Have to take some better pics sometime:

NewKnobs1_zps2f309ffa.jpg


NewKnobs2_zps26b4f414.jpg
 
#298
I use DR High Beams on everything, fretless and fretted. I prefer the feel of them and they have a very clear modern tone overall, very bright with lots of mid-range without loosing the fundamental lows. There's something about the stainless steel growl of them that I like on fretless particularly. They do tend to loose their brightness fairly quickly though, but by throwing them in a denatured alcohol bath overnight they become brand new again essentially. I can do this multiple times before needing to replace them. I tend to keep an extra set around so I can alternate them when cleaning. So for me they tend to have a good long lifespan too.
 
#299
GODSBASSMAN said:
See? You can't have just one. Hee Hee. Love your knobs. Great stuff there.
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I'll be selling a couple of my other customs and replacing them with Clements, I like it so much. Its hands down the most comfortable bass I've ever played. Every instrument I've had, it seemed I was always "fighting" it in some way to find a playing position that was comfortable, and there was always a compromise with either wrist positioning or a bunched up shoulder. Not so with the Clement wide Joan model. Its seems I've finally found my perfect bass shape.:hyper:
 

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