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Nate Mendel P w/ knot in FB - thoughts?

Would you accept a (9.7lb) Mendel P with a knot in the fingerboard like this?

  • Yes

    Votes: 52 61.2%

  • No

    Votes: 21 24.7%

  • OCD Carrots

    Votes: 12 14.1%
  • Total voters
    85
MicG

MicG

Gold Supporting Member
Jan 2, 2006
1,100
279
41
Garden City, Michigan
#1
Hey guys,

This is probably OCD and dumb but I've gotta ask your opinion:

Would you accept a bass (particularily a Nate Mendel Sig) that was 9.7lbs and had a knot like this in the fingerboard? Purely aesthetic? Deal-breaker? It's listed at full price $925.
20170818_164058.jpg
20170818_164131.jpg
I get it that "wood is wood" and the area around it doesn't feel raised - just never seen it.

These Nate Mendel basses do seem like they're getting harder to find..

Thoughts?
 
#4
eccles77 said:
The board looks very dry but it might just be the photo. I don`t recall seeing a knot in a fingerboard before. It is also quite heavy, my NM only weighs 8.5lb. I would look elsewhere.
Click to expand...

Isn't Nate Mendel's original bass that this artist model is based on from the 70's, and if that's the case I'd say that it's pretty much more in line with what the basses from that era weighed, and yours may be an anomaly.
 
#8
MicG said:
Hey guys,

This is probably OCD and dumb but I've gotta ask your opinion:

Would you accept a bass (particularily a Nate Mendel Sig) that was 9.7lbs and had a knot like this in the fingerboard? Purely aesthetic? Deal-breaker? It's listed at full price $925.View attachment 1431703 View attachment 1431706 I get it that "wood is wood" and the area around it doesn't feel raised - just never seen it.

These Nate Mendel basses do seem like they're getting harder to find..

Thoughts?
Click to expand...

I would get it. The NM P is fantastic, and if the knot isn’t going to affect fretting then it’s not an issue.

My NM P is 10 lbs. I’ve heard some weigh less than 9 lbs, others closer to mine. If the weight isn’t an issue, either, then go for it.
 
#10
I'd pass... but knot... er, NOT because of the knot. I'm with eccles77 -- 9.7 pounds is too hefty for my tastes, especially for a P-Bass.

Plus, I'm not into signature models.
 
#13
I say if you like it get it. The Nate P I have comes in at 9.3 oz which seems like a normal weight for this bass. Adding light weight tuners would bring it under 9lbs but it honestly doesn't feel much heavier than the 8.7lb RW precision I have. As far as the knot goes its not a deal breaker for me.
 
#18
eccles77 said:
The board looks very dry but it might just be the photo. I don`t recall seeing a knot in a fingerboard before. It is also quite heavy, my NM only weighs 8.5lb. I would look elsewhere.
Click to expand...

I've noticed the fingerboard looks this way in every photo I find of a Nate Mendel P. It must be part of the slight relic process they did...I'm aching to oil that fingerboard!
 

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