honestly, I don't care for "boutique" basses like these. I love P's, J's and a few other classics, but to each his own
I dig classic basses/shapes too which is why I've owned Fender P's and J's (and boutique versions of each) as well as Rics and Stingrays. But I also like having some more unusual basses as well. Of course, mine are based on the old Guilds which I would consider very underrated classics in their own right.
Those are some cool basses! I like the natural wood look. If I saw you playing one of those in a club I'd probably come up to the stage at break and ask about them. In a world full of Fenders and Fender lookalikes it's nice to see something different.
Thanks! I dig Fenders and the upscale versions of them as much as the next guy but having something out of the ordinary is fun. And I DO get asked about them at gigs fairly often, which is why I was surprised that I very rarely got any response on TB.
Always loved the b-300 basses but that neckdive is a bummer. Looks like you fixed that! Would love to see one of these with dark stars
Yep, great balance but they definitely play like the old Guilds. The fretted even has short frets to simulate the fingerboards of the B301/302 which played like butter. Funny enough I nearly chose Darkstars for the fretted before going with Nordstrand Fat Stacks.
Or...you could think outside the box. You could have Chris build you a Fender clone. That's what I did. Imagine a Fender style bass with the build quality of a Sadowsky and the purchase price of an American Fender. Nah, that's a lame idea.
M. M.
Yep, I nearly did exactly that for my passive five string P-bass. I ended up going with Nino Valenti because (a) it was the same price but a shorter wait and someone who specializes in P and J's and (b) if I order from Chris I like doing things a bit more unusual. And I love my Valenti P5. But your Fender/Stammie is fantastic too. Marcus Willet had Chris build him a custom jazz and it also came out great. The guy can do just about anything.
If you, the owner, likes how they play, then isn't that enough?
It would *never* occur to me to ask folks "do you think my bass looks cool..." - not because I'm "above" that - it's just that how a bass looks is WAY down the list for me. That, and I just don't care what other folks thing... unless I'm playing badly - THEN I get all kinda self-conscious...
I DO like how they play and sound. And I've got compliments on my tone after gigs using both of them. The fretless especially since it has a more unusual sound (the fretted is more of a smooth, clear jazz bass tone) and I get a lot of questions about both basses.
A big reason for this thread was to think about whether I wanted to keep this design for a third Stambaugh or do something different aesthetically. And that's the thing about a
fully custom bass. I'm sure you don't ask strangers if they like the looks of your basses, but how many of them did you design yourself? I know exactly what I want from this bass spec wise but I also have to dictate the woods, finish and/or paint and of course the body shape. I'm not asking people whether they think my basses are cool or not so much as asking what they do or don't like about how they look as I decide what my next one will look like.
