OVERWATER J-SERIES CLASSIC 5-STRING

[grayn]

Before I saw this bass, I was a confirmed 4-stringer. Never owned a fiver and had only played one, in a shop, a few years ago. It was a Lag. And on that bass, the strings had been too close together. Although it had been a very well made bass, there was no solidity, in the tone.

The shop I was in, this time, is more known for acoustic and folk instruments, so I was very pleasantly surprised to see 2, high quality basses, this one and a Warwick 5-stringer. Both at much reduced, sale prices. Immediately I thought, “but I don’t want to play 5-string bass”. But the obvious quality of the instrument and it’s low price, meant I just had to pick it up.

It is a weighty beast but not excessively so. It felt good in my hands but I had to acclimatise to the wider neck and the fact that the E-string was no longer at the bottom of my range. But it was a fun challenge and I was quickly falling for this bass.

I always like to play any electric guitar/bass, acoustically first. Gives me a better feel for the instrument and it is easier to pick up any physical flaws too. The Overwater passed, with flying colours, so I put it through the shop’s rig, a Genz Benz combo, to see how it sounded, all amped up.

Once the amp settings had been taken off distorted and put to flat(ish), the 5-stringer had a lovely rich sound. It was very nicely balanced, with a slightly throaty edge. Being quite different from my Fender P-Bass and in a most positive way.

It didn’t take long to realise I really wanted this bass , do the deal, buy a stand and strap for it and head home, very pleased with myself.



This English made, Overwater, is an, active, 5-string, J-Series Classic bass. It has a 35 inch scale, with a one piece, bolt-on (4) maple neck, and a rosewood fretboard. Not sure what the 46mm nut is made of, possibly graphite, possibly plastic? The body is 2 piece Tulipwood, finished in a sunburst, high gloss, with matching headstock and comes with a nice, off-white scratchplate.

The two pickups (middle & bridge) are Kent Armstrong, stacked, single coils. The controls are Volume, Pan and a double/stacked knob, for cutting/boosting treble and bass. It has a Hipshot B style bridge, with 19mm string spacing and Hipshot tuners.



The funny thing is that, when I first played the Overwater 5-string, I thought the neck was a handful. But after playing it exclusively for a few days and growing to love it’s feel and then going back to the 4-string. The 4-string felt all dinky and insubstantial. I guess I’m still in that honeymoon phase; you get with a new instrument.

There is no denying the quality of this Overwater bass. Beautiful woods, beautifully crafted and fitted with solid, professional hardware. The 2 pickups and active eq controls, give an excellent range of tones. Powerful and solid, they can blend or penetrate, as you wish.

It’s probably the heaviest bass I have owned but balances beautifully, with a strap. If I could change anything, I’d probably have an ebony fingerboard. The least attractive thing would probably be the headstock. The sunburst looks a lot better on the body, than on the head and I have to say, I think the Overwater logo just doesn’t look cool.

But those are trivial things. The sheer presence of this bass, is a real knockout. Just holding it feels nice and when the notes sing out from my amp, I know I want to do it justice, with my playing. I’m hoping to spend a lot of time with this bass and perhaps even become a confirmed 5-stringer.

[woodster]

Welcome to the OW family!

[grayn]

[quote name='woodster' post='1084802' date='Jan 10 2011, 08:34 PM']Welcome to the OW family![/quote]

Thanks woodster

I've been aware of Overwater for a long time but for some reson, had not played one before. Better late than never.

I remember seeing a blues band, many years ago, called the HarpBreakers. Their bassist had 2 basses, one of which was an Overwater and I remember being seriously impressed by it's tone. I suppose I've been a Fender man, over more recent years, but I have to say, that to my eyes and ears, this is a big step up.

[snorkie635]

Beautiful instrument - would you accept my granny as a trade in?