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US Masters club
- Thread starter Longshot
- Start date
Another lovely instrument!
If it is going into the shop for a neck adjustment, I'd ask the tech to replace the foam under the pickups, too. After 13 years, it's probably broken down, and you aren't getting as much signal as possible from them. They are designed by Bill Lawrence (I think manufactured, too), so they are good pickups.
A string change may help the buzz, too. If you aren't using a hex-core string, that may do the trick; something like the DR Lo-Rider or DDT.
I'd hate to see a low serial number instrument like yours get modded since there aren't that many, but it is yours, after all, to do with as you wish. I've done preamp swaps on two of mine (a Bartolini 5.2 and an OBP-3) that had the factory EMG preamp, and am happy with them. One of the EMGs went into my EPi4 which made a huge improvement.
Or you could sell it to me...
Just a feeler ... how much You willing to go in on the old gal?
The tool you need is a 1/4” truss rod wrench. Look for one with a short socket. On one of my basses, the pickup is very close to the truss opening, so I had to grind the corner off the wrench to a 45* angle so it will fit into the opening.
See post 48 in this thread.
US Masters club
Hello!
I just bought this very pretty bass, and thanks to Versatek6, it now plays as good as it looks! What a L-O-N-G neck though . . . I'm moving up from short scale so the move is even more dramatic.
I'm wondering if anyone knows what the serial number means, and
What do all the knobs do? Just when I think I'm getting them figured out, something strange happens :-/
And if I want to change pickup covers, are they compatible with any P-bass pickup covers?
And are US Masters' import basses as sweet as the US made?
Very excited to join the club!
I just bought this very pretty bass, and thanks to Versatek6, it now plays as good as it looks! What a L-O-N-G neck though . . . I'm moving up from short scale so the move is even more dramatic.
I'm wondering if anyone knows what the serial number means, and
What do all the knobs do? Just when I think I'm getting them figured out, something strange happens :-/
And if I want to change pickup covers, are they compatible with any P-bass pickup covers?
And are US Masters' import basses as sweet as the US made?
Very excited to join the club!
I didn't know US Masters made imports. I thought it was an all-American entity! They made some great basses but went out of business before I got a chance to buy one. Prices were great.
Congrats on a nice instrument. That will serve you well for many years!
Regarding serial numbers, all the US made basses start with "B", and the earliest were two-digit numbers.
At some point in the later years, the emblem on the neck changed from brass-colored to red.
It isn't really any longer; the body is just small, so it feels like it is small, and can be a touch neck heavy.
This is not meant to rain on your New Bass Day, but I am pretty certain that yours is not in original condition, for the following reasons:
- The bodies were never released in raw natural finish. Even the natural lacewood models had some kind of sealer to protect the wood.
- All of the US basses had Sperzel tuners, and I think they were all locking. Some US giutars had non-locking sperzels.
- The bridge would be a Hipshot B-style
- The knobs would be small rubber with a white indicator line.
- The single P-style pickups on the later models had no exposed pole pieces. This looks ike a DiMarzio to me. The old Bill Lawrence-made pickups had five pole pieces each, probably the Wylde P-46 pickup. If it is a DiMarzio, I think you cna get differet covers.
- A passive ep41 would have only volume and tone controls. An active ep41 would have three tone controls (B-M-T) and one volume. I have no idea what that extra knob is for. Pull off the back plate and post a photo so we can see what's going on in there.
It is still a US Masters body with their great neck, and will play well. It may not have the original components, but you'll still sound like you when you play it.
Regards,
V6
As the market started softening toward the company's end, they teamed with an Asian builder to make the "Msaters Design" series f guitars and basses. They do not have the oval logo plate, but a abalone-looking "Masters" inlaid in the headstock. They are not bad basses, but are built to a price point using non-premium components. I posted about my epin4 several pages back, which I got as an unfinished (assumed) end-of-run piece. I rebuilt it with off-the-shelf bits and a preamp from one of my US models. It isn't as nice as my US made basses, but it is fine in its own right.
Hope this helps.
V6
Many times I am cheered by the generosity of folks on these forums. Thanks for your quick and knowledgeable response! Being an amateur furniture maker I was seduced by the birdseye, so I'm not too saddened by the news of its modifications. Trying it out in the store, it instantly made me a better player; there's some magic in that neck!
I took the back plate (itself obviously not a stock piece) and took a few pictures. I tried to get the board in, but didn't want to move the wires around too much.
Thanks again for your willingness to help a newbie!
So, I've bought a 2013 Carvin Brian Bromberg on Thursday, then reading about it, I found out that Brian Bromberg had a bass made from US Masters prior moving to Carvin, what got me really curious about USM as I have never heard or seen an instrument of the brand.
Going through my local craigslist on a Friday before going to sleep I found one EP5 listed... It got me so curious that I couldn't sleep right, I could not justify buying a third bass in a week (washburn XB925, Carvin B25 and the USM) but I wanted this bass so BAD. I haven't even yet informed my wife that I bought the carvin, but that is another problem.
But I knew I couldn't let this one pass and after some negotiation I bought for $400.
I have no Idea when it was made, I bet around 2003/04? Serial B3692. It Has an EMG P pickup, EMG 2 band preamp, a Kill switch with a kill button, but the worst was the thumb rest, that I took off immediately.
Of course the bass is not original it was modified at least with EMGs, but I what caught my eyes was 35" scale, 19mm spacing and offset conic Radius on a $400 bass? And the extra Sperzel tuners, a hint of birdseye maple neck and purpleheart fretboard, 3 piece maple body. Light bass probably around 8lb.
Neck is straight, frets are tall and no marks, neck and body are oiled and headstock is clearcoated. The only thing it need the neck to be shimmed, but I could not move the neck out of the pocket. If anybody could give a light would be helpful.
I liked the way it sounds with the EMG, doesn't sound fat as normal P bass but brighter, which is perfect as I have other 8 basses with different configurations. I might change for a EMG 3 band as I don't need the kill button, but at the moment I can't spend a dime on bass related assortments.
But here are the pictures
Going through my local craigslist on a Friday before going to sleep I found one EP5 listed... It got me so curious that I couldn't sleep right, I could not justify buying a third bass in a week (washburn XB925, Carvin B25 and the USM) but I wanted this bass so BAD. I haven't even yet informed my wife that I bought the carvin, but that is another problem.
But I knew I couldn't let this one pass and after some negotiation I bought for $400.
I have no Idea when it was made, I bet around 2003/04? Serial B3692. It Has an EMG P pickup, EMG 2 band preamp, a Kill switch with a kill button, but the worst was the thumb rest, that I took off immediately.
Of course the bass is not original it was modified at least with EMGs, but I what caught my eyes was 35" scale, 19mm spacing and offset conic Radius on a $400 bass? And the extra Sperzel tuners, a hint of birdseye maple neck and purpleheart fretboard, 3 piece maple body. Light bass probably around 8lb.
Neck is straight, frets are tall and no marks, neck and body are oiled and headstock is clearcoated. The only thing it need the neck to be shimmed, but I could not move the neck out of the pocket. If anybody could give a light would be helpful.
I liked the way it sounds with the EMG, doesn't sound fat as normal P bass but brighter, which is perfect as I have other 8 basses with different configurations. I might change for a EMG 3 band as I don't need the kill button, but at the moment I can't spend a dime on bass related assortments.
But here are the pictures
Hi! Some pretty cool basses around here! I've been collecting US Masters basses for years and currently own 8 of them.....(I had 9 basses and 1 Vector guitar but sold one bass and the guitar too) All of mine are different from each other in some way - woods, pickups, electronics etc....I own 2 five string and 6 four string basses and randomly play each one of them! The design and features make them easy to play and they sound great! I will post some photos of the group, and I always keep my eye out for unique ones to add to my collection (Yes, I own bass guitars from other manufacturers but still include one of the US Masters basses in my selection of instruments for gigs!) Hope you have a great New Year and happy bass hunting!
Lol--I am bringing this thread back to life as I am now the latest owner of this very bass! I've always wanted a US Custom Bass, and this was an opportunity to make a fastidious trade in order to grab one. And while I'd much have preferred a dual soapbar model (I may add a pickup down the line), I was also in need of a nice 5-string P Bass-ish sound. Switched out the EMGs for a set of Nordstrands, along with a Nrdstrand 3B 3 band preamp. Added a nice new bone nut, and am awaiting a Hipshot bridge that will give me lower action capabilities and quick string change. I'll then add a fresh set of strings, and she'll be ready to roar!So, I've bought a 2013 Carvin Brian Bromberg on Thursday, then reading about it, I found out that Brian Bromberg had a bass made from US Masters prior moving to Carvin, what got me really curious about USM as I have never heard or seen an instrument of the brand.
Going through my local craigslist on a Friday before going to sleep I found one EP5 listed... It got me so curious that I couldn't sleep right, I could not justify buying a third bass in a week (washburn XB925, Carvin B25 and the USM) but I wanted this bass so BAD. I haven't even yet informed my wife that I bought the carvin, but that is another problem.
But I knew I couldn't let this one pass and after some negotiation I bought for $400.
I have no Idea when it was made, I bet around 2003/04? Serial B3692. It Has an EMG P pickup, EMG 2 band preamp, a Kill switch with a kill button, but the worst was the thumb rest, that I took off immediately.
Of course the bass is not original it was modified at least with EMGs, but I what caught my eyes was 35" scale, 19mm spacing and offset conic Radius on a $400 bass? And the extra Sperzel tuners, a hint of birdseye maple neck and purpleheart fretboard, 3 piece maple body. Light bass probably around 8lb.
Neck is straight, frets are tall and no marks, neck and body are oiled and headstock is clearcoated. The only thing it need the neck to be shimmed, but I could not move the neck out of the pocket. If anybody could give a light would be helpful.
I liked the way it sounds with the EMG, doesn't sound fat as normal P bass but brighter, which is perfect as I have other 8 basses with different configurations. I might change for a EMG 3 band as I don't need the kill button, but at the moment I can't spend a dime on bass related assortments.
But here are the pictures
I never heard of US Masters until two days ago. I saw this funky bass at Guitar Center, played it through a Mesa 350/cab and had to have it. I cannot pick it up until the end of the month and I have a couple if questions:
1) What tool works for the truss rod (this neck has some serious back bow in it and needs relief)
2) Is the fret board Pau Ferro?
3) Is the fret board sealed or does it need oiling? I thought I read an old advertisement saying all of their fret boards are sealed.
4) Does this bass need the string tree? Their marketing says they have some feature with the head stock that stays in tune.
Nice find. That looks like it has had a lot of mods. It would have originally been passive with a Bill Lawrence "Wilde" model P46 pickup, and a Hipshot plated brass bridge. No thumb rest, no string retainers. It is an earlier model, having a gold medallion.
1. A 1/4" truss rod wrench is what you need.
2. The board would be pao ferro, birdseye maple. or purpleheart wood. The little bit I see might be purpleheart. Pao ferro has dark and light striping in the grain.
3. The fingerboard is probably stabilized in some way. I give mine a light oil, and wipe it off. That's all it has ever needed.
4. None of mine have needed a string tree. If one was needed, the Regenbergs would have designed them that way. If you need more downward force, add a wind of string on the tuning peg. The prior owner of one of mine added one - put the screw right into the medallion. Idiot.
1. A 1/4" truss rod wrench is what you need.
2. The board would be pao ferro, birdseye maple. or purpleheart wood. The little bit I see might be purpleheart. Pao ferro has dark and light striping in the grain.
3. The fingerboard is probably stabilized in some way. I give mine a light oil, and wipe it off. That's all it has ever needed.
4. None of mine have needed a string tree. If one was needed, the Regenbergs would have designed them that way. If you need more downward force, add a wind of string on the tuning peg. The prior owner of one of mine added one - put the screw right into the medallion. Idiot.
