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Most Underrated Boutique Maker?
- Thread starter Dr. Cheese
- Start date
Spector is still great and was one of the original luthiers going against the grain, but I'd agree that his designs could use some updating. Back in the day, his stuff was pretty well designed, but there are plenty of builders who can make something a lot more comfortable and at a good price.
Specifically, I would like to see 3, maybe 4 band EQs offered and move the bridge closer to the edge of the body, which would make balance even better and shorten the first position reach.
Harvey Citron. There really isn't a lot of information about his basses out there. Harvey has some stunning designs and his instruments are incredible. I love his work.
Where did you come across it? Vadim has one guy in Jersey, I think, who sells his stuff. Link Removed It's basically a guy selling boutique basses out of his house, but since you're in New York, it's close enough that you can check out a few Vadims in person. And while they look great, they play amazingly and the tone... oh man... the tone... The preamp and pickups are hadmade by Illitch Electronics, a friend of his.
Here on Long Island, a Buddhist Monk named Norsang. He builds basses under the name "Clifford Roi". Estaban's bass player Mike Frost ( a gifted, beast of a bass player) plays them. They look great, but sound better than anything these ears have heard. He makes everything too, pickups, eq's, every part of his basses are hand made by Norsang himself, no outsourcing at all.
Gotta say Josh Helms also, high quality custom at a more than reasonable price.
Gotta say Josh Helms also, high quality custom at a more than reasonable price.
Underrated? I vote for luthier Mike Pedulla of Rockland, MA.
After playing a Fender Jazz for years and seeking out a new sound, I acquired one of his Rapture RBSB-4s in a trade recently.
I'm constantly in awe of the tight, immaculate build quality, versatility of tone, and gorgeous look. As for the tone, our sound guy at church actually came straight up to me after sound check this weekend to admire the new sounds he was hearing through the Mackie.
Keeping this one for a long time: it's the low resale value in the used market on these basses that even clue me into the fact that they're underrated instruments.
After playing a Fender Jazz for years and seeking out a new sound, I acquired one of his Rapture RBSB-4s in a trade recently.
I'm constantly in awe of the tight, immaculate build quality, versatility of tone, and gorgeous look. As for the tone, our sound guy at church actually came straight up to me after sound check this weekend to admire the new sounds he was hearing through the Mackie.
Keeping this one for a long time: it's the low resale value in the used market on these basses that even clue me into the fact that they're underrated instruments.
I think Roscoe is making some of the best basses currently on the market. Underrated? That is open to discussion.
Visually, some of the stuff Brubaker is making on the hig end is absolutely stunning. Nobody is finishing basses the way he is IMO.
Visually, some of the stuff Brubaker is making on the hig end is absolutely stunning. Nobody is finishing basses the way he is IMO.
I'll vote for Vadim Rubstov. Hardly known, does beautiful work.
does he have a website?
ESP's EDWARDS line (made for Japanese market only) is excellent quality stuff.
I own an Edwards 4 and it is a lovely looking and playing bass with a 9 piece through the body neck. It has the body of an ESP horizon guitar (only slightly larger). This is a high quality instrument that is overlooked here in the states because A) ESP's LTD line is buy and large cheap crap (IMO), and B) Edwards is not aimed at the U.S., although it is far superior to most of the semi-mass produced guitars and basses available here - ESP does not advertise the Edwards line here, but it's huge in Japan and Europe.
As an aside, my Edwards 4 was F/S here recently...If it were a 5 string, it would be my main player!
No, unfortunately. There may be an old one, but all the contact info has changed.
This is the most-circulated bit of info on him: http://www.globalbass.com/archives/dec2000/vadim.htm
He doesn't advertise, doesn't even use the internet, really. You can find bit and pieces on his basses here and there on the internet, but there's not much out there. He's very low-key.
bongomania
Commercial User
I dunno, a lot of the makers mentioned so far get nothing but massive raves here on TB all the time, so they may be "under owned" by dint of being expensive boutique items, but I'd hardly call them "under rated". Lull and Benavente underrated? Come on.
The ones that make sense to me are the ones that seem to not gather the same amount of acclaim for whatever reason. ESP custom shop is a good example because as noted before, almost all we see in the Western hemisphere are their cheapo LTD basses, so over here we think of ESP as cheap beginner stuff. Tom Clement and Mike Dolan are also underrated IMO, because even though the people that own their stuff love it, their names just don't get the instant widespread worship that Lull and Benavente et. al. get. Scott Hembry is a curious example, because as far as I have been able to determine, hardly anybody anywhere has ever touched one of his basses, so is he really underrated, or is it just that nobody would be able to rate him one way or the other? That Vadim looks like a prime candidate. I've seen the name here before, but he definitely hasn't gotten a ton of attention, yet that bass looks stunning!
The ones that make sense to me are the ones that seem to not gather the same amount of acclaim for whatever reason. ESP custom shop is a good example because as noted before, almost all we see in the Western hemisphere are their cheapo LTD basses, so over here we think of ESP as cheap beginner stuff. Tom Clement and Mike Dolan are also underrated IMO, because even though the people that own their stuff love it, their names just don't get the instant widespread worship that Lull and Benavente et. al. get. Scott Hembry is a curious example, because as far as I have been able to determine, hardly anybody anywhere has ever touched one of his basses, so is he really underrated, or is it just that nobody would be able to rate him one way or the other? That Vadim looks like a prime candidate. I've seen the name here before, but he definitely hasn't gotten a ton of attention, yet that bass looks stunning!
True....but simply judging by his guitars (I've played three) I wouldn't hesitate to assume his basses have the same quality.....which is definitely up there.
