Shawn May Custom Basses

[gnarkill]

You can pick any pickups and preamp that you want. Mine has a Michael Pope Flexcore with Kent Armstrong hand wound pups. Very warm even and smooth and with a 4 band eq on the pre I can dial in about anything. Your sound will depend on wood choices too. Playability on mine is so easy every other bass I have feels like a tank now. Flattest neck and lowest action I've ever had.

 

[mkfanforever58]

The feel is like butter, very easy to play and the sound is killer, but with the pickups and wood choices I went with, I was going for a Spector metal tone, and it nails it to a tee. But, you can also get awesome slap tones out of it too. Shawn posted a video on his Facebook page of him playing slap on it, it sounded awesome.
Trust me, you would LOVE a May Custom.

I would mostly be using one for fingerstyle metal. I hope I can get one one day.

 

[Spector2112]

This is a video from last year of my buddy playing my May, (#34), through his SVT-7, (set completely flat), Ampeg 410 and SWR 210.
Nordstrand Bigman pickup & Nordstrand 3b-3 preamp, all controls flat except very slight bass boost.

 

[blindrabbit]

This is a video from last year of my buddy playing my May, (#34), through his SVT-7, (set completely flat), Ampeg 410 and SWR 210.
Nordstrand Bigman pickup & Nordstrand 3b-3 preamp, all controls flat except very slight bass boost.

That sounds soooooooooooo good!

 

[Spector2112]

That sounds soooooooooooo good!

Ha, thanks!
And remember, that's almost all flat eq. It can go many directions from there.
Plus since the pickup is essentially two Nordy Big Singles slapped together, Shawn installed a selector switch, so there can be two slightly different single-coil tones as well as the blended humbucking one in this vid.

 

[Spector2112]

it also can be fully passive, bypassing all eq....
pickup/vol/jack

 

[wmcran]

Time for me to join the Shawn May bass club. I found his work on Facebook.

Originally I was going for a Buckeye Burl but after seeing gnarkill's built I went for the same wood config but a 5 string short scale version with a high C. Gnarkill, you have great taste

I have a Alembic Stanley Clarke that I love. He is going to duplicate the thin neck is has.

Below is what we are starting with and please chime in with ideas. What should I do with the fret markers, color of Fiber Optic side position markers and what type of nut?

DCS5 Walnut Burl
- DCS5 (High C)
- 30 or 32 Scale length (24 fret)
- Walnut burl top / back
- Koa body core / maple & bloodwood veneers
- Walnut / Bloodwood neck
- Bound Gabon or Mac ebony fretboard /dot or block inlays
- Fiber optic position markers
- Kent Armstrong DC pickups
- Aguilar 3 Band preamp
- Black Hipshot hardware
- Wood, bone, or graphite nut

I'll try to post the process when Shawn sends me photos. Here is one of the bass top choices...

 

[gnarkill]

Time for me to join the Shawn May bass club. I found his work on Facebook.

Originally I was going for a Buckeye Burl but after seeing gnarkill's built I went for the same wood config but a 5 string short scale version with a high C. Gnarkill, you have great taste

I have a Alembic Stanley Clarke that I love. He is going to duplicate the thin neck is has.

Below is what we are starting with and please chime in with ideas. What should I do with the fret markers, color of Fiber Optic side position markers and what type of nut?

DCS5 Walnut Burl
- DCS5 (High C)
- 30 or 32 Scale length (24 fret)
- Walnut burl top / back
- Koa body core / maple & bloodwood veneers
- Walnut / Bloodwood neck
- Bound Gabon or Mac ebony fretboard /dot or block inlays
- Fiber optic position markers
- Kent Armstrong DC pickups
- Aguilar 3 Band preamp
- Black Hipshot hardware
- Wood, bone, or graphite nut

I'll try to post the process when Shawn sends me photos. Here is one of the bass top choices...
View attachment 607531

Very nice piece for a top wood. When Shawn gets as far as the fiber optic installed he'll be able to show you pics with different pics color leds. I wanted red initially but picked amber after I saw it.

 

[wmcran]

Her are two photos of the neck wood minus the maple strips and the neck glued and clamped.

 

[mkfanforever58]

Time for me to join the Shawn May bass club. I found his work on Facebook.

Originally I was going for a Buckeye Burl but after seeing gnarkill's built I went for the same wood config but a 5 string short scale version with a high C. Gnarkill, you have great taste

I have a Alembic Stanley Clarke that I love. He is going to duplicate the thin neck is has.

Below is what we are starting with and please chime in with ideas. What should I do with the fret markers, color of Fiber Optic side position markers and what type of nut?

DCS5 Walnut Burl
- DCS5 (High C)
- 30 or 32 Scale length (24 fret)
- Walnut burl top / back
- Koa body core / maple & bloodwood veneers
- Walnut / Bloodwood neck
- Bound Gabon or Mac ebony fretboard /dot or block inlays
- Fiber optic position markers
- Kent Armstrong DC pickups
- Aguilar 3 Band preamp
- Black Hipshot hardware
- Wood, bone, or graphite nut

I'll try to post the process when Shawn sends me photos. Here is one of the bass top choices...
View attachment 607531

Maybe a bone nut? I don't have any other ideas but you have already got yourself a mighty bass there.

 

[wmcran]

I agree, can't go wrong with a bone nut. Right now Shawn is having a hard time finding Koa in the right color for the core wood. Plus he's waiting for a custom truss rod for the short scale neck.

 

[mkfanforever58]

How are these basses compared to Ibanez? I know you are gonna say these are better because they probably are but I want to know pros and cons between these basses?

 

[wmcran]

Never seen or played an Ibanez so don't know.

 

[wmcran]

Update to my bass built. Shawn had to custom order the truss rod. Short scale 30.75" model after a Alembic SC Deluxe. It also took awhile to get the right color Koa for the core body wood.
Here are some photos of a cross section of the body wings, the fretboard and my short scale fretboard next to a long scale one for another client.

 

[wmcran]

Getting closer to a finish bass everyday! It's great for me to see the process thanks to Shawn.

 

[wmcran]

Here is a few more photos of the built...

.

My short scale next to a long scale bass...

 

[Dug2]

i wish the owners of these basses would post the price. i'd like to pick one up some day.
awesome basses

 

[Dug2]

wats the wood of the (white) long scale ^

 

[wmcran]

Quilted maple I think. About price, check out his website, and get in touch with him about what you want. His price is very reasonable. I believe that he is a "diamond in the rough." As people become more aware of him, his demand will go up along with his overhead and price. Good man and very much a top craftsman and artist.

 

[wmcran]

Things are moving along quickly now. Just got this photo today. The bass has been strung up so now Shawn can do his other
calculations.