Yeah, that's most likely what I'll end up doing, getting a used bass. I've been checking ebay and similar sites for an instrument I might like, and there are a few. Hopefully my Visa card will show up soon so I can actually pay for one 
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Wishbass
- Thread starter Purvel
- Start date
I'm new around these here parts. I'm also a Wishbass owner, having picked up a "Flow" 4-string fretless off eBay for $200 about two years ago. The body is obviously made of reclaimed wood (Cherry?), with worm holes, nail stains, etc. The fingerboard is purpleheart. The electronics consist of a single EMG Select Jazz and the standard Wish single volume. The finish is standard as well: Wish poor, something even Wish will admit to. It also has his standard corian nut/bridge and the baseball bat neck and nail markers.
I've read all the obvious Wishbass threads (LBAW pt II was great reading, btw...so when is the movie coming out?). Everything said about Wish's basses is pretty much on target. Having paid only $200, I feel I got a bargain. I've played much worse. After about six months, the top started to separate from the back. I called Wish and he told me I could send it back and he'd fix it at N/C, or I could drop some glue in there myself. I chose the latter and it's been fine since. About five months ago, while restringing it, the bridge fell on the carpeted floor. I stepped on it and snapped it in two. I called Wish and had a new one in the mailbox three days later at no charge (yeah I know ...big deal...a 50 cent piece of plastic, but ask Fender for a new nut!).
My honest take on Wishbasses is this: Will it compete aesthetically with a $1000 bass? Yes, from a distance. Will it sound as good as a $1000 bass? Possibly. Was it worth the $200? Most definitely. Would I buy another? At $200-400, probably so, but "in white" next time around. I doubt that I'd pay Wish $800+ to build one for me, unless I had the vacation time and he'd let me oversee and/or help in the construction.
I love my Wishbass and am glad I had the money to pick it up when I did. On Steve Wishnevsky himself, the times I've spoken with him on the phone, he comes across as a cool enough guy. And to take the vehement criticism he gets from some, you've got to give him credit for keeping at it. I don't think he or his basses pretend to be anything they're not. He writes some interesting prose as well. Like his basses, you'll either love it or hate it.
Just my .02...
I've read all the obvious Wishbass threads (LBAW pt II was great reading, btw...so when is the movie coming out?). Everything said about Wish's basses is pretty much on target. Having paid only $200, I feel I got a bargain. I've played much worse. After about six months, the top started to separate from the back. I called Wish and he told me I could send it back and he'd fix it at N/C, or I could drop some glue in there myself. I chose the latter and it's been fine since. About five months ago, while restringing it, the bridge fell on the carpeted floor. I stepped on it and snapped it in two. I called Wish and had a new one in the mailbox three days later at no charge (yeah I know ...big deal...a 50 cent piece of plastic, but ask Fender for a new nut!).
My honest take on Wishbasses is this: Will it compete aesthetically with a $1000 bass? Yes, from a distance. Will it sound as good as a $1000 bass? Possibly. Was it worth the $200? Most definitely. Would I buy another? At $200-400, probably so, but "in white" next time around. I doubt that I'd pay Wish $800+ to build one for me, unless I had the vacation time and he'd let me oversee and/or help in the construction.
I love my Wishbass and am glad I had the money to pick it up when I did. On Steve Wishnevsky himself, the times I've spoken with him on the phone, he comes across as a cool enough guy. And to take the vehement criticism he gets from some, you've got to give him credit for keeping at it. I don't think he or his basses pretend to be anything they're not. He writes some interesting prose as well. Like his basses, you'll either love it or hate it.
Just my .02...
also, If you look at the places where Wish gets all the criticism, it just costs a little more to fix these problems;
trussrod - $75
steel neck reinforcement - $50
lacquer finish - $50
acrylic finish - $100
Rosewood fingerboard - $50
I mean if you pick and choose these and replace the bridge yourself I bet you would end up with a pretty high quialuty bass. I dunno, tho
trussrod - $75
steel neck reinforcement - $50
lacquer finish - $50
acrylic finish - $100
Rosewood fingerboard - $50
I mean if you pick and choose these and replace the bridge yourself I bet you would end up with a pretty high quialuty bass. I dunno, tho
I ended up buying a 6 string Wish...and I wish I hadn't. The body is pretty nice, but the neck just kills it. It is very unplayable. Of course, no trus either....nonetheless...if you wanted to pick up a cheap one, it may be fine...but beware of those necks...
I'm sure you could find something much better on ebay for the price. Try Ibanez for a cheaper bass...aside from the RD and the SRX, they really aren't up my alley, but most people like them, and they are pretty damn well made.
just my 2c....
I'm sure you could find something much better on ebay for the price. Try Ibanez for a cheaper bass...aside from the RD and the SRX, they really aren't up my alley, but most people like them, and they are pretty damn well made.
just my 2c....
Just to throw in my $.02
The necks are thick. Wish has said this himself. They're closer to an upright than a standard electric bass guitar. As someone who also plays upright, I think I'd be more comfortable with a wishbass than most people who have picked one up and compared it to a jazz/precision neck.
Most reviews (even on here) I've read of his basses say that the sound is pretty good, and the major drawback is the baseball bat of a neck (plus finishing issues, but if you get it 'white' you should be fine). Personally I might consider this a bonus if you were looking for a very woody toned fretless to get an upright-like sound. If you've played uprights you may take to his basses nicely. And heck, he's selling the crap out of these things, some some people out there must like them. Talkbass just seems to have a mental block against them.
However, I have yet to actually get my hands on one, despite much trying, so keep that in mind. This is all based on secondhand info.
The necks are thick. Wish has said this himself. They're closer to an upright than a standard electric bass guitar. As someone who also plays upright, I think I'd be more comfortable with a wishbass than most people who have picked one up and compared it to a jazz/precision neck.
Most reviews (even on here) I've read of his basses say that the sound is pretty good, and the major drawback is the baseball bat of a neck (plus finishing issues, but if you get it 'white' you should be fine). Personally I might consider this a bonus if you were looking for a very woody toned fretless to get an upright-like sound. If you've played uprights you may take to his basses nicely. And heck, he's selling the crap out of these things, some some people out there must like them. Talkbass just seems to have a mental block against them.
However, I have yet to actually get my hands on one, despite much trying, so keep that in mind. This is all based on secondhand info.
JJBACOOMBA
Commercial User
I just got my Lecompte VB5 fretless and it is everything I wanted in a bass, The craftsmanship is flawless. I also have an Alembic. I'll be playing my Lecompte alot more. Lecompte basses cost alot more than a wish, but well,,,, ya get what ya pay for. From what I have read about wish basses, I dont think I would spend the money on one. I'm sure there are wish owners who like them ,but hey more power to them.The Antipop said:
Anti , I am not sure what you are trying to say in adding your comment about Lecompte Basses. But in my first hand experienced opinion, Lecompte Basses are reasonably priced, and the quality of cratsmanship and playability are comparable to Alembic and Ken Smith. Both of which I do own and play,and am very proud of. Go to LecompteBasses.com and look at the prices and options ( lots available, just ask him). I was lucky to get mine before the waiting list gets unbearably long.
That's the thing. Like 20 people on TB have actually played one, and everyone else just agrees with those 20 people for no reason.klocwerk said:
These would be my custom bass suggestions to you. They are a little more out of your desired price range but sometimes it's worth paying more to know that you will indeed get what you pay for, and probably more. Mind you I have no personal experience with them. I offer these suggestions purely off of word of mouth.
Winters Customs
LeCompte
[Invalid or Expired Link Removed]
Winters Customs
LeCompte
[Invalid or Expired Link Removed]
here's my wishbass story...
i designed the "hyper" body shape as Wish calls it. i had the first prototype which was a four string i designed. and wish sent me a second prototype of the first six string a couple of months after that for free as thanks for the design i let him continue to use. i really think he's a nice guy. honest enough, and straight forward. but the truth is, his basses suck. period. even though they are REALLY cheap, they are not worth even the smallest price in my opinion.
i was fortunate enough to unload my 2 basses at the local Guitar Center on a trade (and came out pretty good on the deal too!) because some manager didn't know what he was doing. but, i just didn't feel right selling them to some poor individual. they were totally unacceptable. completely unplayable, and unrepairable.
i know all the things everyone else has said about the cosmetic problems, but mine were totally unplayable. anything about the 12 fret, just forget about it! and even below it, there were dead spots. high and low places, buzzes everywhere. the fingerboards looked like an old dirt road full of potholes. i took them to get the fingerboards planed at 2 different places. neither could do it. even though one bass had a truss rod, it could not be fixed. and after calling Wish, he didn't even know what the fingerboard radius was!!! duh! no wonder! you just can play them. you'd be lucky to find 3 or 4 usable notes on the entire neck. i sent them back to Wish to fix the necks, and when i got them back, they were no better than when i sent them in for repair.
so i just put new strings on 'em, and traded 'em. good riddance. you may find a few notes that actually sound really good, but just wait 'til you change position, it'll be dead, or buzz, or be just completely choked out altogether.
i really feel that ANY bass is a better alternative than a wishbass. even for a beginner. they are just unusable. i just wish i had known that before i wasted my time.
i designed the "hyper" body shape as Wish calls it. i had the first prototype which was a four string i designed. and wish sent me a second prototype of the first six string a couple of months after that for free as thanks for the design i let him continue to use. i really think he's a nice guy. honest enough, and straight forward. but the truth is, his basses suck. period. even though they are REALLY cheap, they are not worth even the smallest price in my opinion.
i was fortunate enough to unload my 2 basses at the local Guitar Center on a trade (and came out pretty good on the deal too!) because some manager didn't know what he was doing. but, i just didn't feel right selling them to some poor individual. they were totally unacceptable. completely unplayable, and unrepairable.
i know all the things everyone else has said about the cosmetic problems, but mine were totally unplayable. anything about the 12 fret, just forget about it! and even below it, there were dead spots. high and low places, buzzes everywhere. the fingerboards looked like an old dirt road full of potholes. i took them to get the fingerboards planed at 2 different places. neither could do it. even though one bass had a truss rod, it could not be fixed. and after calling Wish, he didn't even know what the fingerboard radius was!!! duh! no wonder! you just can play them. you'd be lucky to find 3 or 4 usable notes on the entire neck. i sent them back to Wish to fix the necks, and when i got them back, they were no better than when i sent them in for repair.
so i just put new strings on 'em, and traded 'em. good riddance. you may find a few notes that actually sound really good, but just wait 'til you change position, it'll be dead, or buzz, or be just completely choked out altogether.
i really feel that ANY bass is a better alternative than a wishbass. even for a beginner. they are just unusable. i just wish i had known that before i wasted my time.
Blindeddie, I saw your Wishbasses at the Knoxville GC back in the summer.. they actually looked pretty good, in their rustically finished sort of way, but hanging up there with all the factory basses was not a good visual comparison.
I was tempted to get them down and try them out, except for all the TB-based preconceptions I had.
I was tempted to get them down and try them out, except for all the TB-based preconceptions I had.
you weren't missing a thing. i think every bassist wants to play better, and sound better, and these basses are just a step in the wrong direction. i hate to use the old cliche, but sometimes you really do "get what you pay for". and the truth is, an individual, simply cannot build a nice handmade bass for that kinda price-tag. but it's a shame, because like i said, the guy really is a nice fellow.
on a positive note, i saved up some $$$ and had Matt Schmill build me an incredible bass. that guy's friggin' unbelievable. i recommend his stuff to everyone.
on a positive note, i saved up some $$$ and had Matt Schmill build me an incredible bass. that guy's friggin' unbelievable. i recommend his stuff to everyone.
full_bleed said:
+1 on the winters thing, cheep and from the one guy that owns one over at musicianforums they are very very good.
lowsound
Yeah that's what I've heard. That bass was never meant for sale IIRC. It's just a quicky prototype. The audio samples I heard sounds damn good to me.iamlowsound said:
MichaelVee said:
I would think that would make you even more likely to take it down and try it.
I'm about a year overdue for my promised big review of the Wish, but I will say this, they are marginally playable, and fine as an oddity 4th or 5th bass. They are absolutely the biggest mistake you can make for a main player, and will be totally useless in any situation where you want a specific sound (other than the one that you get with it...) I didn't find the neck overly uncomfortable, but the action was another story, without a truss rod or easily adjustable bridge (sorry, sanding a corian triangle is not my idea of adjustable, would you buy a bridge that the height screws could only be turned in one direction?) the action varied along the neck from high to really really high, and beyond the 2nd octave (it was around a 3 octave neck) super-ultra high doesn't do it justice, and forget any sort of MWAHHH that fretless players lust after. This is NOT a flaw that can be avoided by buying one "In White" as many suggest.
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