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Wishbass Club

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#61
I have a scroll fiver now. Got it a few months ago, I think. It was cheap, it's weird, and it's very playable. A work of art? Yes, in that weird, folk art sort of way. Top notch construction? No, not at all. But I don't care. I never leave any bass stock anyway. I'm a little compulsive that way, so this bass probably suits my personality. Most importantly, the sound is quite good. I can pull some nice lines out of it myself. Although bass is my primary instrument, I'm a multi-instrumentalist and am used to adjusting my playing style to the instrument at hand. People who want to play this bass the exact same way they play their own bass, however, may end up being disappointed. My approach is just different by nature in that I tend to focus on finding what a particular instrument does best, and I realize not everyone wants to work that way. I'm just that way with every musical tool, be it an electric bass, an upright bass, a washtub bass, or a guitar or trumpet or clarinet for that matter. Heck amps and pedals, too, now that I think about it. How many of us have a dozen pedals laying around that we keep on hand because we like just one thing each pedal does? That's kind of how I feel about my Wishbass, my Frankenbass, my Fender bass, my upright, my ABG, etc. I don't think I have anything in my music room that does everything well, but if it does one thing that I really dig I'll probably keep it around.

Anyway--whew!--I'm rambling. That's just my perspective. Take it for what it's worth to you, even if it's worth very little.

Matt
 
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#63
I am looking at wishbasses. Are the fretboards more rounded like an upright bass? That would come in hadny for some rockabilly styles. Also I would like to see if anyone in my area has one. I would like to see one in person. I still have never bought an instrument I hadn't played first.
 
#64
mr sprocket said:
I still have never bought an instrument I hadn't played first.
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Yeah, I used to be that way, but I'm glad I'm not anymore. Sure, it would be great if you could try out every single bass that you were interested in, but the fact is, there is so much more available out there in the world that we just cannot touch before buying. My advice is to read plenty of reviews from other people that have played the bass, see if any of them have compared them to other basses that you are familiar with, then if it all looks good, just buy it. That's what I have done and I am surely glad I did. I have bought about 20 basses over the last year, 100% online from either Ebay or online music retailers. Couldn't be happier.
 
#65
mr sprocket said:
I am looking at wishbasses. Are the fretboards more rounded like an upright bass?
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Mine isn't. In fact, I think I read somewhere that Wish prefers a 12 inch radius for his electrics, which is probably about what mine is. I know he's made a few uprights, though, so maybe he'd make you one with an upright-like radius, I don't know...

Matt
 
#66
mr sprocket said:
I am looking at wishbasses. Are the fretboards more rounded like an upright bass? That would come in hadny for some rockabilly styles. Also I would like to see if anyone in my area has one. I would like to see one in person. I still have never bought an instrument I hadn't played first.
Click to expand...

fretboards are actually quite flat, not like an upright at all...you could contact them, though to see if they'd build you one with a tight radius...he builds uprights, too and would know what you're after.

as far as your area goes, what's your area?
 
#68
Well, things change fast in my household. When I started this thread I had eight Wishbasses. I just sold three and have one more on the market now. I'm sticking with my main four though, the three Scarabs and my "Pointed Peanut". I just dropped off two at Mike Lull's shop where he is installing them both with Seymour Duncan Quarter Pounder Js. One thing that I noticed is that the stock EMGs are not very loud, add the fact that they were mounted fairly low in the basses and I wasn't getting enough output to keep up with my active basses.

I kind of regret having to split my Wishbass family in half, but I certainly got carried away (as usual) with buying too many and besides, a few had to go in order to make room for my new TBC family.

Still lookin' forwards to the day though when I will be custom ordering a 5-string Wish with frets, truss rod and adjustable bridge.
 

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#70
Asomodai said:
Could i get some pictures of wishbasses with actual metal bridges, and how easy was it to convert?
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Wishnevski can certainly install one himself when a bass is custom ordered. But as far as do it yourself after the fact? I would imagine it should be easy. Just find a bridge made for the string through body design, drill the holes and set in place. Since the standard Wishbass bridge is floating, there are no screw holes to begin with. I know in past Wishbass searches I had see a few with a metal bridge, but I'm not sure where they are now.
 
#75
Munjibunga said:
Mike Lull is willing to work on it?
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Yes, he did, I picked both of them up on Saturday. If you are from the Seattle area you are more familiar with Mike Lull as a guitar fix-it guy than as a high-end bass luthier. He has a shop where I have gone for over 20 years for pickup installation, refretting, shielding, you name it, an all around bass and guitar mechanic. Anyway, he installed my quarter pounders in the Wishbasses but told me he had a hard time taking the old EMGs out, they were literally "stuck" in there. He even had a use a vice in order to get a good enough grab on one in order to pull it out. Anyway, as usual he did a great job and my Wishies are louder and more full sounding now.
 
#77
BassDudeSA said:
Yes, he did, I picked both of them up on Saturday. If you are from the Seattle area you are more familiar with Mike Lull as a guitar fix-it guy than as a high-end bass luthier. He has a shop where I have gone for over 20 years for pickup installation, refretting, shielding, you name it, an all around bass and guitar mechanic. Anyway, he installed my quarter pounders in the Wishbasses but told me he had a hard time taking the old EMGs out, they were literally "stuck" in there. He even had a use a vice in order to get a good enough grab on one in order to pull it out. Anyway, as usual he did a great job and my Wishies are louder and more full sounding now.
Click to expand...

I wanted to raise my KA soapbar on my wishbass, and I had a similar problem with getting it "unstuck"...I didn't have to go as far as vice, however...good thing too, because that Kent Armstrong is a VERY nice pickup.
 
#79
AshenBassist said:
wow, if i had $300 to spare, i'd so totally get that Scarab! Though i'd prefer one made of a lighter wood, like in BassDudeUSA's avatar.
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Thanks, I like my lighter one above too, that's the same one pictured in the Wishbass ad in the back of the last two issues of Bass Player mag. I've also got a Walnut Scarab similar to the one on Ebay now, and it is quite nice in person, real deep beautiful dark wood. This one just looks a little dark in those Ebay photos. I'm sure it is much nicer in person.
 
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