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Skjold

#3
Yeah i called their company up today, didn't know who was on the other line, asked about their models, i was thinkin, WOW this customer service rocks! and then at the end he told me he was peter himself! i was shocked!!!! they help so much over there,
 
#5
RJSBASS:

I'm sorry that my PM inbox hasn't been working. Something is wrong with my membership right now. It should be "Gold Supporting Member", but I'm just a "Registered User" right now, so my inbox is overly full. Hopefully, we can get this straightened out soon.

At any rate, the Pro line from Pete would be awesome, and a great bang for the buck. I have a Custom 5 and an Exotic Custom 4 on order, but even without a "fancy" top, Pete's basses look awesome. Some of the body wood he uses is probably good enough for top woods, to be honest. The one upgrade that I would ask for would be to go for his custom electronics (which I think is standard on the Pro) with his custom 3-band preamp (which may be an upgrade). I was able to play a bunch of his basses when I visited his shop last December, including a number of basses with EMG and Bartolini pickups and preamps. I generally like Barts pretty well, but when playing basses with similar woods but different preamps/electronics (and he had some with his pickups but different preamps and vice versa), I was just amazed at how much more versatile and open the tone was with the Skjold pickups and preamp. And these basses play like a dream! I am a mostly fingerstyle player, but even I feel like I can slap/pop on a Skjold! :p

Pete's customer service really is second to none. He will go to amazing lengths to be sure that the customer is satisfied. And he really is a nice guy to talk to, as well. Being an experienced player (and let me tell you, Pete smokes!), he has owned/played a huge variety of basses (I think like 40-50 high end instruments before he started building his own), and of course this helps him to know what to shoot for in building his own basses. But it also cool in that you can tell him what you like or don't like about other basses, and he immediately knows what you are talking about. His knowledge and input are extremely valuable, and all part of the great 'bang for the buck' when you buy a Skjold.

I know that you are considering multiple manufacturers, but I give Pete Skjold my highest recommendation.

Tom.
 
#17
Well, I just got back from Pete's shop. He spent his Saturday away from home to come to the shop and do some routine maintenance on my basses. (that's customer service!!)

I have been able to play a lot of Pete's basses. I own two of them (I don't know if they are customs, or custom exotics, or what.. but I love them. Link Removed

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These both have the Skjold pickups and 3 band preamp with sweepable mids. I've played the Pro series with the two band preamp, and I've played the passive Stage series. The Stage series is an incredible bass for the price. And even a plain old mahogany body can look great (as you can see by the back of my fretted bass... that piece of mahogany is almost too beautiful to cover up). The Stage series is amazingly versatile for a passive bass. With Pete, you have to keep in mind... he IS a player. (a dern good player!!!) His idea for the stage series was to give everyday gigging players an amazing handbuilt bass, at an affordable price, that will come alive on stage. And he has done that with his basses. Everything after the Stage Series is just a bonus. Stepping up to the Pro series adds some cool options (2 band active pre) or you can go all out and add the 3 band pre with sweepable mids. It's just a matter of what you want to spend. If you want fancyh tops... he's got some beautiful wood. He showed me some quilt today that absolutely looked 3d, and that was just the rough wood with no finish... I can wait to see what he does with it. If you don't like quilts.. and prefer flames... he had one of the tightest flamed (I think it was maple??) chunks of wood that I've ever seen.

Also, Pete's build quality is as good as if not better than any of the top builders you can think of or name. And... it's gotten better in last year since I first met him. Pete really and truly has an honest passion for building a quality hand made bass for the working bassist.

The first bass he built for me was the fretless. When we first started talking about basses... I explaind to him what I didn't like in the bass I had at the time. I told him what I wished it would sound like. He explained what he could do, and how he could build a bass for me that did what I wanted using specific wood combinations and electronics. Before I knew what happened my "Pro series" fretless order grew into a custom jobber with that awesome redwood top, and matching knobs and pickup covers. (I think it was his first matching knob, and pickup covers bass). Since Pete is a fretless player I trusted that he knew what he was talking about. When the bass was done it exceeded even his expectations, and certainly exceeded mine.

After a few months with my fretless I knew I needed a fretted to match. But for the fretted I wanted something completely different tonally. Again he directed me to wood combinations, and again I think he even surpassed his expectations. My fretted Skjold is a freakin tone monster. I've let Juneau have a run with the bass, so he can attest to this statement. I'm sure Pete will agree but he might be a little biased!!

Obviously I've turned into a huge Skjold "mark". But that seems to be the case with most all people that have had the opportunity to play his basses. This is mostly because the basses are soooo great and built well. But also because Pete actually cares about his basses, and the players. He listens to the individuals desires, and knows how to make it happen.
 
#18
Biker4Him said:
Well, I just got back from Pete's shop. He spent his Saturday away from home to come to the shop and do some routine maintenance on my basses. (that's customer service!!)

I have been able to play a lot of Pete's basses. I own two of them (I don't know if they are customs, or custom exotics, or what.. but I love them. Link Removed

jesusr2.jpg


jesusr18.jpg



These both have the Skjold pickups and 3 band preamp with sweepable mids. I've played the Pro series with the two band preamp, and I've played the passive Stage series. The Stage series is an incredible bass for the price. And even a plain old mahogany body can look great (as you can see by the back of my fretted bass... that piece of mahogany is almost too beautiful to cover up). The Stage series is amazingly versatile for a passive bass. With Pete, you have to keep in mind... he IS a player. (a dern good player!!!) His idea for the stage series was to give everyday gigging players an amazing handbuilt bass, at an affordable price, that will come alive on stage. And he has done that with his basses. Everything after the Stage Series is just a bonus. Stepping up to the Pro series adds some cool options (2 band active pre) or you can go all out and add the 3 band pre with sweepable mids. It's just a matter of what you want to spend. If you want fancyh tops... he's got some beautiful wood. He showed me some quilt today that absolutely looked 3d, and that was just the rough wood with no finish... I can wait to see what he does with it. If you don't like quilts.. and prefer flames... he had one of the tightest flamed (I think it was maple??) chunks of wood that I've ever seen.

Also, Pete's build quality is as good as if not better than any of the top builders you can think of or name. And... it's gotten better in last year since I first met him. Pete really and truly has an honest passion for building a quality hand made bass for the working bassist.

The first bass he built for me was the fretless. When we first started talking about basses... I explaind to him what I didn't like in the bass I had at the time. I told him what I wished it would sound like. He explained what he could do, and how he could build a bass for me that did what I wanted using specific wood combinations and electronics. Before I knew what happened my "Pro series" fretless order grew into a custom jobber with that awesome redwood top, and matching knobs and pickup covers. (I think it was his first matching knob, and pickup covers bass). Since Pete is a fretless player I trusted that he knew what he was talking about. When the bass was done it exceeded even his expectations, and certainly exceeded mine.

After a few months with my fretless I knew I needed a fretted to match. But for the fretted I wanted something completely different tonally. Again he directed me to wood combinations, and again I think he even surpassed his expectations. My fretted Skjold is a freakin tone monster. I've let Juneau have a run with the bass, so he can attest to this statement. I'm sure Pete will agree but he might be a little biased!!

Obviously I've turned into a huge Skjold "mark". But that seems to be the case with most all people that have had the opportunity to play his basses. This is mostly because the basses are soooo great and built well. But also because Pete actually cares about his basses, and the players. He listens to the individuals desires, and knows how to make it happen.
Click to expand...
Thanks for a major case of GAS!
 

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