Your New Plastic Bass, Only $3500

[Dradder]

Invalid Link Removed

I thought this whole DIY 3D printing technology was supposed to bring the price of things down. And from the description, this thing seems to be a bunch of off-the-shelf parts (Warmoth neck, etc.) stuck inside some cheap-looking plastic.

 

[Mtnman]

Maybe if it had a tort guard...

 

[powmetalbassist]

I agree with you, but really what is a high end bass other than some overpriced deadwood with some magnets and metal attached to it?

It might also be some new age art BS that drives the price of that thing *Insert hipster or post modern joke here*

 

[DiabolicLow B]

Wow! I like it, wonder how it sounds...

 

[DaveDeVille]

do not want ...

 

[gully_jones]

Wow! I like it, wonder how it sounds...

It better sound like the bass version of a stradivarius for that price because I'm just not feeling it

 

[snyderz]

I have some Legos laying around.

 

[spaz21387]

Atleast it comes with straplocks and a hard case!

 

[Baird6869]

$500 cool IMO, but not $3500 cool!

 

[Arial Bender]

Has a strange buzz to it?

 

[Malak the Mad]

I think it's a neat idea, not to mention a great "proof of concept", but I don't care much for the esthetics. The "Atom-B" model's swirly texture and deep red color reminds me too much of a slab of uncooked steak…

…and I don't pay that much for steak unless it comes with a lot of lobster!

I kinda like the look of the Steampunk guitar, and I think the moving gears and pistons are an interesting touch. But personally, I wouldn't want to be lugging around a lot of artsy dead weight (and this is coming from a former visual artist!). Some larger, non-moving gears and other mechanisms placed to look like they're an integral part of the body's function might look better. Spinning/winding stuff that moves around just for the sake of appearance unfortunately lands squarely in this territory.

One last thing, did anyone notice the weight of the "Atom-B"? 4.4 kilos, equivalent to 9.7lbs. Not very lightweight for something with that much empty space, no?

 

[senp5f]

These are clearly meant to be visual art rather than everyday musical tools (do you think the little bees inside the bass contribute to the tone?). And as such they are priced more like art than tools. No big deal.

What gets me is the diamond plate on the steampunk tele. I'm no visual artist, but I'd say diamond plate is a total time-period mismatch for the Victorian feel of steampunk.

I'm still waiting for the practical application of 3D printing for bass. I have high hopes for nuts, pick guards, knobs, and maybe even non structural parts like body wings or finger boards.

 

[Dradder]

These are clearly meant to be visual art rather than everyday musical tools (do you think the little bees inside the bass contribute to the tone?). And as such they are priced more like art than tools. No big deal.

True enough, but for $3500, I can get a bass that's a player and looks better than that.

 

[_jojo_bass]

Your buying the coolness factor. The parts are relatively cheap, they're not a credible maker. It was made my engineers.... Not musicians...

 

[Malak the Mad]

senp5f said it best. You're buying "art", not a tool. He's also right about the diamond-plate. That's definitely not a Victorian/pre-Victorian retro-futuristic motif. But that's "art" for ya!

 

[Dradder]

Your buying the coolness factor.

Coolness factor or foolness factor? I suspect I wouldn't actually get laid just because I had a plastic bass with little bees in it.

 

[grendle]

Bet it buzzes a lot with all those bees in there! Lol

 

[FretlessMainly]

The field of tone plastics just opened up.

 

[seedokebass]

Could you imagine getting your fingers stuck in there mid song? No thanks!

$500 and they'd make a killing on that.

 

[macmanlou]

$3500? - Maybe if those big bees fly in and out of it while it's played.

That headstock looks like asian Hofner, not Warmoth.