Bridgehouse

Have you tried one before?

The RetroB really is a nice shape. It’s very much like a P bass, but different enough to feel like it isn’t just another copy - whilst retaining the comfortable and familiar feel. The build quality is the real stand out factor on it - superbly playable, lovely low action and everything feels so snug and tight. In addition, I’m really impressed with the pickup - I have the same one in my Finn 4 and it does all of those great P bass tones and much more besides. I’ve had quite a few basses in my time, and a lot of guitars as well - I would say that Alan’s work is up there with the very best - and probably is the best I’ve played. He is also extremely accommodating and an absolute pleasure to deal with. It might sound like he’s paid me to say this, but he hasn’t (the reverse in fact 😂) but I feel really strongly that as a player, I should spread the word about just how good ACG gear is - very high quality, excellent prices, and a local U.K. builder too!

Yeah ok so they are a bit pricey...

Two tone stylers and some little markers to denote “home” position for your two core tones and then you can twiddle about with either?

Do you have two specific tone settings in mind?

^ looks ok to me - give it a go

It’s a reference to off the wall topics where the usual comment would be “is it any good for metal?”

There’s always people in denial

Osmosis here largely leads to two things: - Less cash - A deeper appreciation for what works in Metal

I reckon festive season, too-much-gear-itis and people who are buying knowing exactly what they want. I suspect it will be flat-ish until after Christmas and probably up to March. Once spring starts us bassists start to get frisky and let our wallets flap about

Try looking at the pic in a mirror

I wonder if superlight tuners would help?

See, that wasn’t a denial of the inevitable, was it?

That's the stuff! I do like Black Limba and you don't see so many basses in it. I just had to go with it for a custom build.

I don't think it's much of a gamble at all to be honest. I'd say the reports suggest reliability is absolutely fine. There's a "?" on the wattage rating - but as I've said before, it's how the player feels about it in action that counts. Yeah, it might be a bit naughty of them to suggest 2000W in big letters everywhere without really qualifying that (apart from in the manual) and even then there's some "?" over whether it really is 2000w peak.. but unless you need some sort of monster amp the (probable) 500-700w output will be fine for most players. And that's what the reviews and user comments suggest so all good. Now, if they could get their distributors not to put the spec in RMS then we'd be motoring...

You'd be surprised.. I have my Preamp/DI on a Pedaltrain nano - with a Korg tuner and a wireless receiver. It's all powered by a Cioks DC5. (I know that won't work for Stomp, but their new one will..) All up, it fits in a Mono Tic, so I can attach it to my Mono bag for a single carry in.

Next up is the top. There was a lot more choice here. Alan suggested a choice from the following: and the one I finally selected - this one: I went for this one as it's got a nice balance between grain, light and dark, and figuring generally. Here's the reverse side of it: Alan will now do some wizardry on it and take a cut from it to deliver a few options for the final piece.. He also has a neck blank in my chosen wood combo ready to go - so here it is:

First up in the process is picking some wood. Alan found a nice light piece of Black Limba for the body - I didn't want it to be too heavy, so he advised a less figured piece as the figuring and darkness can make it very heavy.. Here's the piece he selected: Looks like a nice piece! And it's a good balance between figuring and plainness to keep the weight down.

I thought it might be useful for some (mainly those that have never done a custom build) to see what's involved and what the process is like. Plus it's a good excuse to post lots of pics of stuff I have to say, of course, that this is the process with Alan, and not necessarily representative of every builder, but I think it would be good to share just how interesting and exciting it can be working with a builder like Alan. I also know this is old hat for some of you - just look at the pics instead 😁 First stage is the Spec Sheet. Essentially it's a big list of options that you work through - with advice, to get the final solution. Here's my final spec sheet so you can see the various options: The RetroB is the core body shape - and Modern means it's a 24 fret (as opposed to a classic 22)

Yes - and a brilliant guy to work with/chat to

I have been really impressed with John’s stuff - both the uni pre and the p-retro

Ah, the traditional "current build resting in a Poang" shot... 😁

If you hang around here long enough you'll be after more than just a Pedulla 😁

They are available in Short, Medium, and Long, they have multiple lower bout sizes, and they do a really nice paisley print one. I find the playability a bit off due to the way they cut their gussets, and the stitching on the frets is variable in quality.

So it's a Korgenbacker? Or is it a Rickenorg?