NBD: Mensinger Cazpar 5 string short scale fretless

[Inara]

I've been waiting for this for about 3 months since ordering from Adrian Maruszczyk. The bass arrived yesterday, and I'm in love.

5 string Mensinger Cazpar,
30" scale,
17mm spacing,
katalox fretless fingerboard,
matching katalox ramp,
blue Luminlay side dots,
alder body with koa top,
Delano Xtender pickups,
series/parallel/single switch for each,
passive V/B/T controls,
7.8 pounds

She arrived yesterday after only being in transit for four days! I'm getting to know her, and noticing changes as I learn how she wants to sing, and as the woods in the instrument learn how to be a bass. I love her, and am already playing some of my solo fretless pieces on her as well or better than I ever have.

There's a matching dot for the two octave mark on the ramp. I'm using it as a fingerboard extension for the strings that aren't over the truss rod access area, mostly just the D and G strings. I have the equivalent of 26 "frets" by the end of the ramp. The balance on the beautiful leather Mensinger strap is wonderful.

The only thing I'm not 100% happy about is that I went to do a setup, and the bridge saddles are already all bottomed out. I would like to lower the action slightly, just slightly. I'll have to shim the neck to do so. I've ordered a couple of blank, .25 degree maple shims. It will be quick work to fit one, and .25 degrees should give me what I want, as the action is close to what I want already.

Here are a front and back pic. The koa looks much nicer in person!

 

[bholder]

Elegant.

 

[Lackey]

Cool bass... ...if I were you I would raise hell about the bridge / action issue. That's absolutely unacceptable for a high end bass. I had the same issue with a Wood and Tronics last year and I sent it back. Really irritating.

 

[Inara]

Cool bass... ...if I were you I would raise hell about the bridge / action issue. That's absolutely unacceptable for a high end bass. I had the same issue with a Wood and Tronics last year and I sent it back. Really irritating.

Nah. I love the bass and it's an easy fix. I agree that it shouldn't have come this way, but I'm not sending it back or throwing any fits over it. I can certainly understand others handling it differently, of course, but I'm fine.

 

[LadyLoveStingRay5]

Going custom build is always a gamble. So glad it paid off . Sweet bass. Enjoy !!

 

[Fonkamex]

Adrian is not only building great basses, he is also a seasoned bass player. The videos of Adrian and Wojtek, are really good. As they they put it : “from player to player”. That makes a lot of sense to me.
Congrats for your awesome bass.

 

[2cooltoolz]

That is a gorgeous bass. Will shimming the neck affect the fingerboard/ramp transition, should you want to play above the second octave? I would go as minimal as possible.

 

[JuanB]

Nice bass. Could you sand the bottom of the saddles?

 

[Inara]

That is a gorgeous bass. Will shimming the neck affect the fingerboard/ramp transition, should you want to play above the second octave? I would go as minimal as possible.

Thanks! If needed, I can build up and shim the ramp as well. .25 degrees is the smallest angle that Stewmac sells, and from previous experience, it's pretty mild.

Nice bass. Could you sand the bottom of the saddles?

That could work, and I might be able to do that, but I'm personally more comfortable shimming the neck versus filing on metal.

Thanks for the input, guys

 

[Gianni "Orlandez" Orlati]

Nah. I love the bass and it's an easy fix. I agree that it shouldn't have come this way, but I'm not sending it back or throwing any fits over it. I can certainly understand others handling it differently, of course, but I'm fine.

@Lackey is right IMHO ..

 

[JRA]

too cool, and beautiful! what a looker, @Inara! i know how important the string height issue is but i'm sure you'll get it fixed with the shim. that ax just looks perfect --- congratulations on your new instrument!

 

[Kirk Bryant]

Ok, so I’ve attempted to do this before. I tried using a piece of a business card, with little success. When you use the wood shim, which direction does it face, to achieve this, relative lifting of the saddle height?

 

[Inara]

Ok, so I’ve attempted to do this before. I tried using a piece of a business card, with little success. When you use the wood shim, which direction does it face, to achieve this, relative lifting of the saddle height?

With an angled shim, the thick end goes toward the end you want raised, in this case the heel of the neck. If it was a piece of business card rather than an angled shim, the principle is still the same, and that piece of business card would be placed at the heel end of the neck, closest to the bridge. Either way, it angles the heel of the neck upward.

 

[kobass]

Beautiful instrument!

Congrats and enjoy!

 

[rashrader]

I’m guessing that shimming the neck will alter the angle enough to make the ramp not really an extension anymore? Just a thought. What sort of bridge is it? Are you sure it wouldn’t be easier just to file it down?

 

[J_Bass]

Strange problem for a bass from Adrian.

From the basses I have/had from him, 3 total, I always had to raise the action. The fretless would go so low, the strings would touch the fingerboard.

Could you post some pictures of the bridge with the saddles bottomed out and the fingerboard, too?

I'm really curious.

 

[Killing Floor]

Congrats! That is really lovely. I like the look of that board and I'm curious to hear your thoughts about it. How does it compare to other fretless boards?

 

[Inara]

Congrats! That is really lovely. I like the look of that board and I'm curious to hear your thoughts about it. How does it compare to other fretless boards?

Thanks! So far I love it. It feels good on my fingers, and I find it very attractive. I was unfamiliar with it until I started speccing out this bass. Adrian prefers it for fretless fingerboards. It's very hard, much harder than rosewood and even a good deal harder than Gaboon ebony on the Janka scale, so it seems like a perfect fit for the application.

 

[Inara]

I've been waiting for this for about 3 months since ordering from Adrian Maruszczyk. The bass arrived yesterday, and I'm in love.

5 string Mensinger Cazpar,
30" scale,
17mm spacing,
katalox fretless fingerboard,
matching katalox ramp,
blue Luminlay side dots,
alder body with koa top,
Delano Xtender pickups,
series/parallel/single switch for each,
passive V/B/T controls,
7.8 pounds

She arrived yesterday after only being in transit for four days! I'm getting to know her, and noticing changes as I learn how she wants to sing, and as the woods in the instrument learn how to be a bass. I love her, and am already playing some of my solo fretless pieces on her as well or better than I ever have.

There's a matching dot for the two octave mark on the ramp. I'm using it as a fingerboard extension for the strings that aren't over the truss rod access area, mostly just the D and G strings. I have the equivalent of 26 "frets" by the end of the ramp. The balance on the beautiful leather Mensinger strap is wonderful.

The only thing I'm not 100% happy about is that I went to do a setup, and the bridge saddles are already all bottomed out. I would like to lower the action slightly, just slightly. I'll have to shim the neck to do so. I've ordered a couple of blank, .25 degree maple shims. It will be quick work to fit one, and .25 degrees should give me what I want, as the action is close to what I want already.

Here are a front and back pic. The koa looks much nicer in person!
View attachment 4508392 View attachment 4508391

Cool bass... ...if I were you I would raise hell about the bridge / action issue. That's absolutely unacceptable for a high end bass. I had the same issue with a Wood and Tronics last year and I sent it back. Really irritating.

@Lackey is right IMHO ..

I’m guessing that shimming the neck will alter the angle enough to make the ramp not really an extension anymore? Just a thought. What sort of bridge is it? Are you sure it wouldn’t be easier just to file it down?

I must apologize - I've discovered that the bridge on this bass adjusts differently than any I've ever seen before, and while it appeared that the saddles were bottomed out, this was due to my ignorance. There is plenty of room for adjustment, and I'm truly sorry for this misinformation!

 

[rashrader]

I must apologize - I've discovered that the bridge on this bass adjusts differently than any I've ever seen before, and while it appeared that the saddles were bottomed out, this was due to my ignorance. There is plenty of room for adjustment, and I'm truly sorry for this misinformation!

Is that an ETS bridge?