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Wishnevsky!!!!!!
- Thread starter rllefebv
- Start date
Bryan R. Tyler
TalkBass: Usurping My Practice Time Since 2002
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- May 3, 2002
- 28,948
- 20,935
- Disclosures
- Reviewer: Bass Player Magazine
Actually it is, but it's not like they can do anything about it. One way to break their "[Invalid or Expired Link Removed] ", is, as they state, "Using member contact information obtained from eBay or using any eBay feature to offer to sell an item outside of eBay to any of your bidders in a Reserve Not Met listing."
So, when do you think we'll set up a seperate 'Wish Forum?'
The guy is nothing if not prolific...
See this one yet?
Invalid Link Removed
The guy is nothing if not prolific...
See this one yet?
Invalid Link Removed
mark beem
Wait, how does this song start again??
You know, with all the Wish-bashing going on here Im starting to feel a little sorry for the guy...
Yeah, his creations are cheap, shoddy, and pretty much undesirable in all aspects but, my God, does he actually deserve all the cyber mud-slinging that he gets?
Yeah, his creations are cheap, shoddy, and pretty much undesirable in all aspects but, my God, does he actually deserve all the cyber mud-slinging that he gets?
Yeah, it is kinda neat. I really want to bid on it, but a few features scare me. Not much upper FB access, and that crazy carve...
I try to keep my comments pretty neutral regarding his work, but dang!
I do like looking at the funny pictures though.
I try to keep my comments pretty neutral regarding his work, but dang!
I do like looking at the funny pictures though.
I don't think I am bashing on him if I call shoddy work shoddy.
Should I call a sloppy looking instrument a good instrument, just to be polite?
It is what it is...
mark beem
Wait, how does this song start again??
I agree... It is what it is.... you call it what it is... But I guess it's all in the execution of what you say..
You can say: "That bass is really bad."
Or you can say: "That ***** bass is a ****** piece of *****!!!!..... The guy who made that ****** piece of **** is a ***** stupid ******!!!!!!!"
A person can be critical with being abusive.
Makes you wonder though... that last one was so sloppy looking I almost have to think it's intentional.
I arrived at his shop on Saturday. He's a super-nice guy; he even offered to take my wife and I out to lunch. He soon led me into his house, where there were tons of completed and half-finished basses, included a really nice looking upright. Even the stranger ones he had did not look nearly as wierd in person. He plugged my new bass into a Gallen-Krueger head with a 15" cabinet and I played it a little bit. The higher strings had a bit of a buzz to them, so he popped out to his shop and made me a new bridge right there on the spot, raising the action. The difference was palpable; the tone was thicker and rich, buzz-free. He also added dots to the side while I was there, merely because I haven't played anything without frets in five years.
The bass itself: It's a 36" neck, only as long as a fretless, which bothered me when I bought it. I thought it would be detrimental to the upright sound I wanted, but that's been shown not to be the case. I have as yet seen no woodwork errors; everything seems pretty much dead on. There is a slight bit of uneveness between the top of the fingerboard and the nut, causing an unimportant gap of a few millimeters. There are what look like tiny scratches on the wood, but I believe they're just brush marks from the finish. The only complaint I might have from the construction is that the way the bass attaches to the stand it leans heavy right, so that it took me some work to get it evened up and stable. It came with only a cheap camcorder stand (I knew this from the get-go), so I scavenged a flimsy cymbal stand from my brother. I need a much sturdier one; while not heavy it keeps sinking and shaking when I play it. The dots are not exact, occasionally off by a tiny bit, which is not a problem at all for me. I just wanted a general guideline of where the notes were and after a quick glance it's in my ears and I don't ever have to look again.
The sound: Very nice. It's got Schaller Jazz Style pick-ups. I don't know exactly what it is, but when I pluck a note it reverberates through the entire body of the bass. It may be because of this resonance that the sound is so good. It sounds more like an upright than any fretless I've ever heard, warm. The sound is a bit bright right now, mainly because of the strings, D'Addarios I think. Steve advised me to get tapewounds for a more upright sound. He said that it cuts the volume in half, though, so he doesn't string his stuff with them. Too many customer complaints about volume difficulties, I think. The sustain is long, and with a little vibrato it can sound believeably like a bowed upright.
How it plays: I'm not an expert on EUBs by any means, so it's hard to compare. The last EUB I played must have been an Ampeg Baby Bass five years back, which I felt to be very plastic and toy-like on the strings. The Wishnevsky plays beautifully in my opinion. It's not at all rubbery like some cheap uprights are. The feel of wood underneath the strings really shows through in the playing. It's incredibly comfortable to play. Comparing it to my Ibanez 6-String... I'd enjoy playing the Wishnevsky more any day. This may be just my renewed enthusiasm for upright, but I don't think so. The action is perfect. The neck is an upright's, thick and weightly, something you can really get your hand around. I also like only having the volume knob. Personally, I hate constantly fooling with settings between bass and amp. This way I get the sound pretty much pure from the pickups and it sounds great, even on the bad amp I've got now.
Final verdict: I am no expert, but this was well worth the money I paid for it. It's worth a heck of a lot more in my opinion. Someone asked another Wishnevsky owner if they would make theirs their regular gigging bass and I have to say that I definitly would, and am. I can't vouch for any of his other basses; I haven't played them. But I do know that only recently has Wishnevsky gone full-time with his bass-making, and I think the quality shows an increase based on photos of his earlier work. I would gladly recommend both him and his basses wholeheartedly. If anyone wants a go at mine, hop on down to Atlanta and I'd be happy to let anyone try it out.
Thumbs way up, Steve!
The bass itself: It's a 36" neck, only as long as a fretless, which bothered me when I bought it. I thought it would be detrimental to the upright sound I wanted, but that's been shown not to be the case. I have as yet seen no woodwork errors; everything seems pretty much dead on. There is a slight bit of uneveness between the top of the fingerboard and the nut, causing an unimportant gap of a few millimeters. There are what look like tiny scratches on the wood, but I believe they're just brush marks from the finish. The only complaint I might have from the construction is that the way the bass attaches to the stand it leans heavy right, so that it took me some work to get it evened up and stable. It came with only a cheap camcorder stand (I knew this from the get-go), so I scavenged a flimsy cymbal stand from my brother. I need a much sturdier one; while not heavy it keeps sinking and shaking when I play it. The dots are not exact, occasionally off by a tiny bit, which is not a problem at all for me. I just wanted a general guideline of where the notes were and after a quick glance it's in my ears and I don't ever have to look again.
The sound: Very nice. It's got Schaller Jazz Style pick-ups. I don't know exactly what it is, but when I pluck a note it reverberates through the entire body of the bass. It may be because of this resonance that the sound is so good. It sounds more like an upright than any fretless I've ever heard, warm. The sound is a bit bright right now, mainly because of the strings, D'Addarios I think. Steve advised me to get tapewounds for a more upright sound. He said that it cuts the volume in half, though, so he doesn't string his stuff with them. Too many customer complaints about volume difficulties, I think. The sustain is long, and with a little vibrato it can sound believeably like a bowed upright.
How it plays: I'm not an expert on EUBs by any means, so it's hard to compare. The last EUB I played must have been an Ampeg Baby Bass five years back, which I felt to be very plastic and toy-like on the strings. The Wishnevsky plays beautifully in my opinion. It's not at all rubbery like some cheap uprights are. The feel of wood underneath the strings really shows through in the playing. It's incredibly comfortable to play. Comparing it to my Ibanez 6-String... I'd enjoy playing the Wishnevsky more any day. This may be just my renewed enthusiasm for upright, but I don't think so. The action is perfect. The neck is an upright's, thick and weightly, something you can really get your hand around. I also like only having the volume knob. Personally, I hate constantly fooling with settings between bass and amp. This way I get the sound pretty much pure from the pickups and it sounds great, even on the bad amp I've got now.
Final verdict: I am no expert, but this was well worth the money I paid for it. It's worth a heck of a lot more in my opinion. Someone asked another Wishnevsky owner if they would make theirs their regular gigging bass and I have to say that I definitly would, and am. I can't vouch for any of his other basses; I haven't played them. But I do know that only recently has Wishnevsky gone full-time with his bass-making, and I think the quality shows an increase based on photos of his earlier work. I would gladly recommend both him and his basses wholeheartedly. If anyone wants a go at mine, hop on down to Atlanta and I'd be happy to let anyone try it out.
Thumbs way up, Steve!
aikiwriter.. first off..thanks for the great info.. i am the guy who was asked if he would make the wishnevsky his regular gigging bass..let me clarify that the only reason i wouldn't is that it is fretless and i don't use the fretless enough to warrant it.. i have been a staunch supporter of wishnevsky..sometimes to fault...i admit that months ago when i first received the bass i was kind of tripped out until i realized the idiosyncratic beauty in his intruments after that it was all systems go..mine is a very early model and the workmanship is kind of shaky in a few spots..but i love it and play it often.. i actually am going to have him build me another or rather, one for me personally as i bought this particular model off e bay..anyway just wanted to thank you for sharing your insights and best of luck with your new bass...chardo
john turner
You don't want to do that. Trust me.
well, then, that's all that matters, isn't it? congratulations, aikiwriter, on your new bass
.EDIT: you know, if all of the basses were built with the same concern towards the particulars that obviously went into yours, this thread would read a lot differently.
i for one hope this is a sign of things to come - there's always room for another _good_ luthier. 
Question for the day:
Did WISH BASS (Wishnevsky) changes names to DREAM BASS or is this someone who is too ashamed to put the real name on it?
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=920973039
Did WISH BASS (Wishnevsky) changes names to DREAM BASS or is this someone who is too ashamed to put the real name on it?
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=920973039
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