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Custom Vadim 6-string

T

T.O.Bass

Jul 22, 2008
850
7
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
#1
*EDIT*

I finalized the design with Vadim yesterday, and have made the changes here as well.

Here are the (new and final) specs:

6-string fretted, 24 frets (18.5mm at the bridge)
J-bass body shape (in that Vadim style)
Body: curly walnut/maple veneer/black walnut/maple veneer/curly walnut with a sexy oil finish
neck-through: walnut/maple veneer/wenge/maple veneer/walnut/maple veneer/wenge/maple veneer/walnut
ebony fingerboard, no inlays except for a mother-of-pearl bass clef on the 12th fret
Hipshot ‘A’ bridge (black aluminum)
Hipshot machines
pickups will have wood covers, in the same wenge/black walnut pattern as the neck
Custom pickups: volume, blend, low, low-mid, hi-mid, hi.
 
#3
I've got a question for you, why would you not do one of his custom shapes rather than a J-bass clone? I have seen his designs and have played several and his shapes were quite nice in my opinion. I mean if you're going through the trouble of getting a custom bass why not really have a unique axe?
Just curious.
Dirk
 
#5
Pilotjones pretty much hit the nail on the head. It's definitely going to be J-ish (for lack of a better term) but with that "Vadimization", I guess you could say. So not a 100% J-bass clone, but the final shape will certainly be J-inspired. To be honest I prefer the simplicity of J bodies; the really crazy looking basses never really do it for me. Overall I'm going for a very dark, classic look. Nothing too wild, I'm not much of an exhibitionist.

Now, I'm off to dig through the pile of black walnut my father and I harvested 7 years ago to look for some choice pieces. As it turns out, there's enough there to make a hundred of these basses!
 
#9
:hyper:

Long time since an update, but here we are.

Glued and rough cut, the bass is beginnig to take shape. It's already more gorgeous than I imagined. In response to that, Vadim said, "If you think it looks good, wait till you hear it. The sound is gonna be just NASTY!" :bassist:

IMGP0219.jpg


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#11
Carver said:
Wow. That is going to be really nice...Vadim makes a heck of a bass!
Click to expand...

Yes, he really, REALLY does! And to top it off, he is an incredibly pleasant person to work with. Willing to spend hours discussing design, he's been getting progressivly more excited (as I am) about this build. I never imagined that when I chose to work with him, that he would prove to be such a brilliant artist - his theories on art, energy, music.. very refreshing to talk to someone who infuses their work with such passion and devotion to cultivating positive energy through art. A lot of eastern philosophical concepts are at the core of his attitude toward his work. I HIGHLY recomend him to anyone, he is just plain awsome.
 
#13
That is looking fantastic! I've never seen a Vadim in-progress shot before.

I'm assuming that the wood was "wet down" for the photos. The walnut looks great! If it wasn't wet down, and it's showing that much figure now, then it should be unbelievable once it's finished.

He did a nice job picking a different color walnut for the center of the neck compared to the outers of the neck.
 
#14
Pilotjones, yes, we wet down the wood for the photos, though the pictures simply don't do it justice. It's absolutely stunning in person, and I couldn't wipe the grin off my face when I saw it up close.

And as for the contrasts, that was his idea, I must admit. And what a good idea! It's a really neat contrast between the super-dark figured top, the dark straight-grained outer neck pieces, and the lighter straight-grained centre piece.

You can't see it very well, but the sideshot shows the same design. The core walnut of the body is a lighter, but still nicely figured walnut, which contrasts nicely with the dark top and back.
 
#18
pilotjones said:
T.O.

Do you know, is Vadim still building basses only part time? I'm thinking that the six month wait could either mean that he's still holding a "real world" job, or mean he has lots of orders.
Click to expand...

The unfortunate truth is that Vadim only builds basses in his spare time. He pays the bills by doing long distance trucking - his most recent job took him from Toronto to Florida and back.

While he does say that he'd like to be able to build full time, he doesn't get the volume of orders to justify giving up trucking. All his work is done in his basement on the few days he has here and there between jobs.

He's got a great head about it though. In his words (more or less):

"Sure, it would be great to build full time. But this way, I'm not rushed, I can take the time I need to make sure I get every aspect of this bass the way it needs to be. Also, there's no 'model A' or 'model B' Vadim, each bass is unique and is given the utmost attention."

He also pretty much summed it up with "These are my babies."

He is such a great guy. :)
 

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