Was your custom bass worth it to you?

[FC Bass]

From this:

To this:

in +/- 20 months and definitely worth it!

Without a doubt my custom, highly unlikely it will be for sale in my lifetime:

I've had about ten years experience with various Alembic models before I ordered this beast, so I knew exactly what to ask for. (which went as far as the aligning of the tuning pegs)
It's not my main player, but the crucial missing link in my stable.
This will be taken to the next level of custom asap, Alembic is making a container that will hold some of the ashes from my father (who passed away last year)
That will replace the solid brass bridgeblock:

 

[phangtonpower]

Does warmoth count?

If so then yes. It's just a pbass but has all the hardware I want, finish close to what I wanted and paduak rosewood neck.
I haven't gassed for a new bass since I built it.

 

[BassAgent]

Absolutely. I wanted an allround Jazz Bass that played like a dream and had dots + binding inlay. And I got that. Very very much. What a bass.

 

[Joe Nerve]

Yes and no.

Yes. I was super fortunate to have had my custom bass created to my specs and gifted to me because I was doing shows with the company's #1 endorsing artist at the time. They made me exactly what I wanted and it didn't cost me a cent. My main requests were: 5 string, neck profile same as a Bongo, laminated maple neck, P pickup and MM, 3 band EQ with variable mids (I forgot what they put in though , I think EMG), Les Paul shaped body, blue burst - and purdy as they could make it. They succeeded on all counts. Had I paid for it, the bass would have cost between $4000 and $50000. They made a similar one after mine, and that's what they tagged it.

The "no" comes from the fact that I don't play 5 strings anymore, so the bass just sits next to my bed watching me sleep every night. It gets to see some other stuff too, but yeah...

It's a Minarik. The bass I'm playing in this video:

 

[Ens0r]

Worth, every Inch of it (them)

 

[GManfromOz]

I just bought this a few hours ago. Custom Shop 64 P Daphne Blue (2009) used and I suspect pretty neglected for a few years given the grunge on it.

Is it worth it? Is it better than my American Pro P? After a few songs I can tell that they are completely different animals. But worth the extra money, I guess I'll find out. It feels a bit special right now.

 

[lbbc]

I love my Dave Pushic custom... it's my "go to" bass for every occasion.

 

[superdick2112]

Over the past 35 years, I've ordered custom basses from B.C. Rich, Jackson, Schecter and NEO, and while they were all fine instruments that were worth the money, the NEO is the only one that turned out to be a lifetime keeper.

 

[RickyT]

Oh hell yes it was worth it.
I'd decided I wanted a 6 string but I wanted a Low F# instead of a High C, it had to sound like a cross between Bill Gould, Nolly & Alex Webster but be versatile enough to play in a band that plays heavy/stoner/grunge/rock/punk/lounge/funk/a bit of everything kind of music.
I'd played Ibanez basses but don't like the look, the pick ups or the necks. I played Dingwalls but didn't like the thin neck and didn't gel with the fanned frets. Warwick's are too heavy and 2 of the 3 people I knew with them had major neck issues. So that didn't leave me with too many options and living in Australia where every boutique kind of bass is super expensive, I contacted a local luthier.
I knew I'd found the right builder the second he handed me one if his basses to play. It felt so perfect.
We chatted about tone, look, feel etc etc and a few days later he sent me through his recommended woods, pre amps and pick ups. I chose the wood for the body & top, the fingerboard was always going to be Purple Heart (it was on the bass I'd played originally and I loved it) and went with the luthiers recommendations for the neck.
The bass I ended up getting is absolutely perfect. It's a one of a kind work of art. It sounds exactly how I wanted it to. It feels perfect in my hands. It was worth every cent and worth the wait (18 months all up).
RJ's Custom Shop in Sydney Australia. Amazing luthier, great guy. Really knows his stuff.

 

[kerrycares]

Nope, I've eventually sold every custom bass I've ever ordered. I'm sure I'll take the plunge again, but I always wind up playing Fenders.

My sentiments exactly

 

[Old Blastard]

Yes. Andrew Drake worked with me through the entire design phase of Nancy Lou, in my profile pic. She is everything I wanted and cost less than most customs with quality that's amazing. She sings like a piano and growls like a jazz and does a nice woody P.

The design is one he now regularly offers and He's now working on a custom fretless for me that's becoming a bit of a prototype for his bass line.

If I had to, I'd sell my other basses, but keep these two.

 

[JFMusic]

Yes, yes it was. I ordered Scarlett ( a Modulus Q5 with custom scale length, hand selected figured walnut top, etc.) before I really knew what I was doing, but luckily I did my homework - I ended up with what I still consider to be the nicest bass I've ever played, and I wouldn't have been able to afford it today under their new pricing structure. I've got others that I take out more often now for rehearsals and gigs, but I can't imagine a day when she won't be my #1.

 

[FP777]

I found it completely worth it to order a custom bass. I'm a smaller guy, and the majority of Fender basses dwarf me. The bass I had made has a body about the size of a telecaster, and a shorter scale (30.5"). It's also a fretless, AND cost me ~$1500.

It's currently my only bass, but I'm having another one built, this time with frets and more "custom" appointments (binding, abalone inlays, etc.)

 

[anotherhomeysan]

View attachment 1128075 View attachment 1128076 Oh hell yes it was worth it.
I'd decided I wanted a 6 string but I wanted a Low F# instead of a High C, it had to sound like a cross between Bill Gould, Nolly & Alex Webster but be versatile enough to play in a band that plays heavy/stoner/grunge/rock/punk/lounge/funk/a bit of everything kind of music.
I'd played Ibanez basses but don't like the look, the pick ups or the necks. I played Dingwalls but didn't like the thin neck and didn't gel with the fanned frets. Warwick's are too heavy and 2 of the 3 people I knew with them had major neck issues. So that didn't leave me with too many options and living in Australia where every boutique kind of bass is super expensive, I contacted a local luthier.
I knew I'd found the right builder the second he handed me one if his basses to play. It felt so perfect.
We chatted about tone, look, feel etc etc and a few days later he sent me through his recommended woods, pre amps and pick ups. I chose the wood for the body & top, the fingerboard was always going to be Purple Heart (it was on the bass I'd played originally and I loved it) and went with the luthiers recommendations for the neck.
The bass I ended up getting is absolutely perfect. It's a one of a kind work of art. It sounds exactly how I wanted it to. It feels perfect in my hands. It was worth every cent and worth the wait (18 months all up).
RJ's Custom Shop in Sydney Australia. Amazing luthier, great guy. Really knows his stuff.

Gorgeous!!
That electronics section looks like my kind of thing.

 

[eastcoasteddie]

I created a custom 5 string Jazz Fretless with MM bridge pickup out of a Squier Affinity....worth every penny. I can think of it as a sort of prototype for a "custom"... but will it play and sound any better? Who knows...? Hopefully one day I'll find out...

 

[Jimtoonz]

This one is something that is not typically found in the G&L line, and I could not be happier with it.

 

[Ewo]

Your search is over when you know you found the bass that has the highest ratio of desirable specs and attributes per dollar spent. That could be $200 or $6000. If you have no clue what string spacing, pickups, scale length, blah blah blah etc etc that floats your boat, you are going to be buying and selling a lot of basses. You graduate that school after you started really paying attention to what works for you, not someone else.

Yeah, I was thinking along that line as I was reading through the thread.

If there are specific specs (like p'ups, neck profile, etc.) and/or specific features (like purdy top wood, chambering, bindings, finishes) you are sure you'd enjoy, the money spent on a custom will likely be worth it.

But I really don't think you need a bespoke bass just to get a well-built instrument. In the last few years I've been amazed and delighted <by> how good a bass can be had at mass-production pricing. It wasn't like that when I was young!

 

[JRA]

They were worth it at the time, but I wouldn't do it again, I don't think.

^ my experience as well.

i paid about $3000 (over twenty years ago) for a custom instrument (actually it was $6000 for two of them, one fretted, one fretless) and i do not regret the experience. i was involved in every aspect of the build(s) and the woods i picked from 'tree' samples. i was educated in a most delightful way! but since then: i've managed to do the same things on cheapies (modified to my liking). i still have the fretless. i'll probably always have it. i wouldn't pay today's equivalent price for another custom build, though.

i didn't know that i did not need a custom build before i paid for one (two)!

 

[SteveC]

If there are specific specs (like p'ups, neck profile, etc.) and/or specific features (like purdy top wood, chambering, bindings, finishes) you are sure you'd enjoy, the money spent on a custom will likely be worth it.

But I really don't think you need a bespoke bass just to get a well-built instrument. In the last few years I've been amazed and delighted how good a bass can be had at mass-production pricing. It wasn't like that when I was young!

I agree. I have a couple of Roscoe basses (5 and 6) that were built for me and I love them. My 6 is probably my go to, but only by a slight margin. Totally worth the money to me. I have bought and sold a lot of basses over the years but that pretty much stopped once I played a Roscoe. I have bought and sold a few Roscoes narrowing it down to Century body style and Bartolini electronics.

That said, you can get a really nice bass for not much money these days. Way different than even 10 years ago. My wife bought me a G&L JB-2 Tribute for Christmas and it's a great little bass. Is it as good as my Roscoes? No. But its a solid bass the I enjoy playing. I use it to experiment with strings, a break from my "modern" multi -string Roscoes. I have TI flats on it at the moment and use it for jazz gigs.

 

[RickyT]

Gorgeous!!
That electronics section looks like my kind of thing.

It's a pretty versatile bass. Its got a Delano MS-E pre amp with 3 way mids switch. Nordstrand DC pick ups which can be switched between Series/Single/Parallel.

The pots L-R are Bass Mids Treble, Pick Up Blend, Volume.
The Switches L-R are Fibre optic side dots, Mids Switch, Bridge SSP, Neck SSP.
Also the Volume is pull up for Passive.
So many options.