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Reasonably Priced custom basses

#62
#63
malthumb said:
Ditto on Roscoe (now that I've played one) and Pete Hanewinckel (got two of 'em :hyper: :hyper: )

But don't forget Jake Marchlewski

Peace,

James
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Since this thread's been revived, I'll point out the irony of my post from over a year ago. If you look at my avatar picture, there's a Marchlewski on the far left, a Roscoe on the far right.

Well, at least I'm consistent!! (The ones in between are not-quite-so-reasonably priced customs :hiding: )

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Peace,

James
 
#64
Dbassmon said:
Alot of great suggestions for reasonable custom bass in this thread.

Unfortunately, many custom basses do not hold their value on the resale market very well. I think with the exception of Fodera, this is a fair statement. (There are others but follow the reasoning here) That being said, if you look on the resale boards, most every custom bass gets a lot more reasonable. Consider letting someone else take the depreciation hit.

This works if you can:
a) find something that is close to what you would have built yourself and
b) if you are willing to compramise a little and
c) if the bass is coming from a reputable seller.

Some points worth considering.

+2 on Roscoe
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You can include Fodera in that IME. You have to look at what the bass originally cost vs. it's resale value. Because a bass sells used for $4k or $5k doesn't mean it retained it's value. This is not a slight on Fodera, it's just how, at least in my travels, it seems to be.

Other than that I agree wholeheartedly with this post and have taken advantage of the depreciation factor way more times than I care to mention.
:bassist:
 
#66
Are we talking "custom" custom or boutique?
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This is my question as well. Does Carvin count as custom? Does Tobias-by-Gibson count as boutique? Does any bass made at a factory count, if you have a chinese menu of options to order from (like, say, Modulus)? For my money, all three of these builders are quite excellent ways to spend $2K-$3K.
 
#67
Old thread but I will bite... best thing to do is figure out exactly what you want.. body style, woods etc etc and then find the right builder for your project. If your having something custom built there are alot of options (and very goods ones mind you) within your price range.
 
#68
pointbass said:
An extremely biased vote for FBB :hyper:

Link in my sig below ....... :cool:
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I know there are many people here who like him and are very happy with his work, but I have decided not to go with him because of his philosophy of not building according to the sound that the customer describes. In an email to me he said he can build a bass that is "well constructed, plays
great, and has good ergonomics" but will not promise a certain sound based on different woods and etc.

This is why I have narrowed my list down to Stambaugh and (if I can get the cash together) NYBW.
 
#69
Here is an Aussie custom builder:

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They do some nice stuff. They are reasonably priced...even better if your gonna be buying one with US dollars :)

Here is a Wenge Bass they made that I was checking out:

boltonwenge.jpg


:bassist:
 
#71
These seem to be great basses Invalid Link Removed but I was wondering if he would be flexible on the shape of the body. I'm definately looking for a exotic type bass, but I am trying to find builders that will let me design the body shape so that I can do something similar to a warwick streamer with the specs that I want.
Reply With Quote
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He is a very nice guy to deal with and he is always open for your ideas. Just write him an email and ask. Or then you can just straight send him a picture of what you had in mind so he can tell you if it's possible or not.
 
#72
Fishbrain said:
dont think anyones said this one yet

AC Guitars www.acguitars.com

bery reasonably priced and a really nice guy. I've not got one, but I am in talks over my first and I've only heard good things about them!
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It's no secret that I am a huge fan of Pete Skjold's work, and I think his basses offer a lot of 'bang for the buck' within the high end custom bass realm. But I do want to also mention that I have been following Alan's work over at A.C. Guitars, and I really like what he is putting out, and the components/designs behind his basses. His prices do seem very reasonable. Of course, I have no firsthand experience (yet), so take that for what it's worth.

Tom.
 
#75
Warmoth. Do it yourself and it will be custom. Pick you wood, neck, headstock style, body style - everything. Choose your own pickups. It is the perfect opertunity to put a project together as a absolute 1 of a kind. Not to pricey either. Or you can get pretty down right expensive if you prefer.
 
#77
Flintc said:
Does Carvin count as custom? Does Tobias-by-Gibson count as boutique? Does any bass made at a factory count, if you have a chinese menu of options to order from (like, say, Modulus)? For my money, all three of these builders are quite excellent ways to spend $2K-$3K.
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I consider basses like that, where the specs are buyer-selected but the bass is factory built, to be custom but not boutique.
 

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