Im not an owner, but IMHO the thing I would like most would be the fact Im the ONLY one with that bass. Period.
For me (aspiring custom owner) it's going to be the fact that I and I alone chose the woods for the axe and that it's not just another Swamp Ash, Maple neck cookie-cutter bass.
That's definitely a cool aspect of having a custom bass. But to me, the point of having a bass built completely to your specs means being able to combine all the aspects of other basses that you like into an instrument that is perfect for you. My basses aren't everyone's cup of tea, but they are exactly what I wanted. {}
ok lemme clarify: is it the tone? the wood? the volume control knob that came all the way from madagascar in the belly of a puppy?
What I really love: Quality of construction, that everything is the way *I* wanted it What I'm not so crazy about: Not knowing how it will play or sound until I get it
how are you defining custom? most people stick a new scratchplate and a new set of pickups in a bass and call it custom or they get it custom painted etc if your on about scratch built mucho expensive bass's i'm afraid i dont have any however i do have a frankenbass with custom paintwork
for me its having the pickups I like(nordy-singles) an Aggie pre obp-2, blocks and binding, hipshot tuners, badass V bridge, unique pickguard, and 21 frets!! So the "one thing" i like about it is that i dont have to wish i had it!! its built by a guy out in Hollywood.
You're buying much more than something that looks good. Sure, there are frills. Like BigO stated, it's all about getting the bass that's made for YOU and to your exact specs, which can often incorporate ideas and concepts that simply aren't available in the stock form. All basses will make that bumpy sound, but there's more to bass than just the sound. As a whole, luthiers earn their keep by selling stuff that plays pretty easily. The fret to fret and string to string consistency is often much better. It's hard to compete with the low B on a boutique bass. Then when ya factor in that you can get it all AND be 3-4lbs lighter than many stock basses, what's not to love?
If I had to pick one aspect, it would be the feel - the ergonomics if you will. That would be followed very closely by tone and after that by looks.
I love the neck of my bass, the neck and fretboard. They're gorgeous and smooth as silk. {} {} {} {} {}
Thanks. They are out of the norm so I don't expect everyone to feel the same way, but I'm very happy with them.
The thing I love the most is that it was built for ME!! I have other basses now, and I don't play my Moye Custom very much, but Stuart Moye built that bass specifically for me...that's pretty cool! I'll NEVER get rid of it!
Hard to pick one thing about my Moser Custom Shop Arachnid Ultra, but if I am forced to, it's the neck. Completely built to my specs (just like the rest of the bass), and MCS NAILED it (just like the rest of the bass! )!!! {} Cheers!
Everyone has slightly different tastes, so it's nice to be able to get something that exactly suits your individual tastes, instead of just settling for something off the shelf.
to have the builders idea of a bass and my idea of the perfect bass combine to make something wholly different that is more than the sum of its parts thats what its all about!
+1 Plus it's also nice to have options of what pickups or preamps you may want instead of getting a bass and having to mod it later on. And custom builders seem to pay more attention to detail.