alexclaber Posted February 18, 2008 Share Posted February 18, 2008 (edited) Specs: Custom body design 5 piece wenge/ash thru neck Wenge fretboard 36" scale Chambered ash body wings Ash top Dyed black tuilipwood pinstrip accent veneer Ebony headstock cap Carbon fibre rods in neck Stainless steel frets (low profile) ETS MKIII black bridge and saddle Custom brass tailpiece Sperzel tuners JD Straplocks Aluminium 4mm side dots makers Ebony nut Q-Tuner 5 string pickup set 4 way rotary switch (neck/series/parallel/bridge), volume, passive tone. 500k pots 0.047uF tone cap Wax finish ------------- We've had a good few hours together now and I'm still amazed at how well this project has turned out! I spent a while playing it through Robbie's Thunderfunk TF-550B and AccuGroove Whappo Jr but since it's been home I haven't plugged it in, just been enjoying its acoustic nature. First things first - what does it feel like? In a word, great! It is remarkably light for a wenge necked extra long scale five string, certainly lighter than my '87 Warwick Streamer four. The balance is spot on with a strap, slightly divey seated but not if you have the strap over your shoulder. Neck is very slim, can use left hand thumb muting for some stuff, dead easy to play down by the nut. Despite the 36" scale it's actually less of a reach to the nut than the Warwick (longer upper horn and less body behind bridge saddles) and I'm not noticing it being any more effort to reach from fret to fret. The neck is slightly V-shaped in the lower reaches, shifting to a flattened D as you go higher - the huge cutaways are great, really good access. I'm also noticing that the wider neck is promoting slightly better hand position. Tone: Well this is what this project was all about - getting an instrument that was as responsive to my playing as possible, allowing my hands to do the talking and reducing knob twiddling to a minimum. Acoustically this is a very big sounding instrument - the longer scale, stiff wenge/ash thru-neck and chambered ash body make it so lively and resonant with every part of the sound present. Dig in by the bridge and it really growls, shift further forwards and it gets rounder and fatter, soften up with muting or thumb and it mellows out and gets all vintage - just what I'd hoped for. It responds beautifully to slapping, strumming and chordal work. Now I haven't tried it through my rig yet but having compared my rig to Robbie's in the past and noted the differences I'm pretty confident that what I heard through the Thunderfunk/Whappo will translate - on the back pickup that growl is further acccentuated but still with enough bottom. On the front pickup you're closer to the pure acoustic sound, big and round but very clear. In parallel the midrange is a bit more subdued, nice for keeping out of the way or making slap less aggressive. In series it is noticeably louder and fatter - a real rock punch! This is turning into a bit of a eulogy so I'll stop here. I'd be happy to answer any more specific questions but all in all I'm thrilled that this ridiculously long gestation period has landed me exactly the instrument I wanted. Robbie has done the most fantastic job of bringing together all my ideas and wants, from wood through electronics to ergonomics, and made them into a beautifully built, easily playable and really rich sounding instrument with tons of character. Magic. As soon as I get some recordings done, I'll let you hear how it sounds! Alex Edited February 18, 2008 by alexclaber Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
warwickhunt Posted February 18, 2008 Share Posted February 18, 2008 Fantastic to see this finished Alex. Amazing to think that this is lighter than your 'W' 4 even accounting for the tone chambers. The pups are of significant interest to me but it'd be almost impossible to make any effective comparison as there isn't another bass like yours equipped with other spec'd pups Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Merton Posted February 18, 2008 Share Posted February 18, 2008 I've said it before and I'll say it again - that bass looks amazing. I'm really pleased it sounds as good (or better?) than that. May you have many happy years together Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GreeneKing Posted February 19, 2008 Share Posted February 19, 2008 You're a fortunate guy to have such a lovely example of Robbie's work. Very distintive! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alexclaber Posted February 19, 2008 Author Share Posted February 19, 2008 [quote name='warwickhunt' post='142665' date='Feb 18 2008, 07:01 PM']Amazing to think that this is lighter than your 'W' 4 even accounting for the tone chambers.[/quote] I just tried comparing them on a rudimentary balance beam and they appear almost identical in weight. I think the greater size and better balance of the RIM makes it seem lighter though. Will get a definitive result on my FIL's fishing scales at some point... [quote name='warwickhunt' post='142665' date='Feb 18 2008, 07:01 PM']The pups are of significant interest to me but it'd be almost impossible to make any effective comparison as there isn't another bass like yours equipped with other spec'd pups [/quote] I have never played another bass that sounded quite so close to its acoustic sound when plugged in but with all the pros of the pickup sound - the EMGs on my old Warwick are pretty damn good at letting the bass be heard but these Q-Tuners are definitely a notch better. Alex Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alexclaber Posted February 20, 2008 Author Share Posted February 20, 2008 Just weighed them - both pretty much dead on 9lbs, the Warwick maybe an ounce or so heavier than the RIM. Alex Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RIM Basses Posted February 20, 2008 Share Posted February 20, 2008 Glad to see you are happy with the Bass Bud, its been a pleasure to build and Im looking forward to the Bass Bash, we should have 3 RIM Basses there. Speak soon Alex, Robbie. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ped Posted February 20, 2008 Share Posted February 20, 2008 Can't wait to see this one in the flesh. Really nice to have come up with a distinctive but really classy and comfortable shape all of your own. I think you have 'found your voice' so to speak! Here's to many more creations in the future! ped Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alexclaber Posted February 21, 2008 Author Share Posted February 21, 2008 [quote name='ped' post='143945' date='Feb 20 2008, 07:43 PM']Here's to many more creations in the future![/quote] More? More??! No, no, no, this has got to keep me happy for at least the next decade, possibly century... Alex Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alexclaber Posted March 21, 2008 Author Share Posted March 21, 2008 Just played our first gig together - amazing! What a fantastic tone and I didn't get lost once. Brilliant, abso***inglutely brilliant! Crowd liked it too. Alex Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zapp Posted March 22, 2008 Share Posted March 22, 2008 Lovely looking instrument that has delivered everything you want. It don't get much better. Congrats! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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