Buying a custom order made bass guitar

[bassmanady]

Its just...i went to buy a second hand 5 string bass,that was from new,a very expensive and well known handmade custom order bass,with a long build time......when i played it the open E was awful,and it had the same dead spot notes on the D and G strings so you could not play around that,so i did not buy it.
So if you order one from new and this happens,and you have paid a large deposit to have it made,can you refuse to buy bass,and get the deposit back,or is it a risk you take?
Has anyone bought a custom bass that they were unhappy with the sound/dead spots etc..

Edit:I know wood neck basses can have dead spots to a varying degree,from unplayable to get by with,but if its already been made you have the choice not to buy,if its bad.

Edited June 29, 2008 by bassmanady

[bass_ferret]

Dead spots can strike any bass any time unless its graphite. Thats the nature of wood. Take it back.

[ARGH]

[quote name='bass_ferret' post='229143' date='Jun 29 2008, 06:11 PM']Dead spots can strike any bass any time unless its graphite. Thats the nature of wood. Take it back.[/quote]
Graphite can and does have deadspots too,they just aint as pronounced as that say of a Fender P,or they are not in the range of an even 12 tone scale (meaning they may be sharper/Flatter than a tempered note). The phenomena,is linked to headstock size/weight,though how much,I cant be sure.

On Subject.

Custom builders are there to build an instrument that is functional and useable to the specs you require,if its not both then a good luthier will just trash the instrument and start again if you are unhappy with any aspect that cant be rectified/modified/replaced/fixed.

Jims deal with me is ,If you aint happy with it,and I cant fix that...We start again.

Thing is,people that order an instrument,just,at the beginning,dont really know what they want,they know what they like or want to sound like,and like a shape or style......its THEN the Luthiers aid to help them realise that vision in its 3D form.

The Thing I dont see or really understand,is spending the amount on a custom Bass,to just Choose a Maple/Alder body,Rosewood/Maple neck,and a solid colour,when you have a wealth of opportunity,to do something different. A lot of people get held onto the belief that "This sound comes from THAT wood" or such and such uses this on their instrument,and that is the reason they sound like.... When it sadly isnt true.

[budget bassist]

If the bass is in some way defective, such as a lot of dead spots or something, then i see no reason why a good luthier wouldn't take it back and fix it or offer a refund, the reputation of their company depends on it, especially if it's a small company. Though if it's something trivial like you decided you don't like the look then i highly doubt it.

[Dr.Dave]

[quote name='bassmanady' post='229119' date='Jun 29 2008, 05:37 PM']So if you order one from new and this happens,and you have paid a large deposit to have it made,can you refuse to buy bass,and get the deposit back,or is it a risk you take?
Has anyone bought a custom bass that they were unhappy with the sound/dead spots etc..[/quote]

This was a huge factor , or at least the worry of this happening , in my Shuker purchase. It existed as a complete bass (made for a trade show) which I could try , then I had various things changed , including a new neck build .

That could have changed the nature of the beast by miles but I still felt more comfortable than I would have done with a scratch build.

[6stringbassist]

A custom bass should be partnership between the luthier and the person placing the order.

Before I ordered my Sei I'd spoken to Martin at length explaining what I wanted, both in looks and sound.

Consequently, what I got, is what I wanted.

You have to know what you want, that's the most vital thing.

It has no dead spots, I've never actually had a bass that's had any, looks brilliant, and sounds fantastic.

Edited June 29, 2008 by 6stringbassist

[bassmanady]

[quote name='budget bassist' post='229264' date='Jun 29 2008, 09:01 PM']If the bass is in some way defective, such as a lot of dead spots or something, then i see no reason why a good luthier wouldn't take it back and fix it or offer a refund, the reputation of their company depends on it, especially if it's a small company. Though if it's something trivial like you decided you don't like the look then i highly doubt it.[/quote]The bass did have a through neck,so no fixing there,
I would think the original owner must have been happy to start with and maybe did not notice,or other reason i do not know,but the guy selling it was the second owner,and the bass is just 2 years old,so that made me doubtful anyway.

[alexclaber]

If I was a luthier and a bass ended up that bad I wouldn't want to have my name on it let alone force a customer to pay for it. I think if you're having a bass custom made and you haven't forced the luthier to do things he believes are a bad idea then I think you can be very confident of getting a great instrument.

Deadspots aren't as arcane as many think - simply a matter of resonance causing neck vibrations out of phase with the witness point on the fret. Make the neck stiff enough and you can shift them higher and reduce the lower harmonic component, hence the reduced problems with composite necks. Wenge and ebony laminates help with this due to their stiffness.

Wood makes a huge difference despite Argh's insistence otherwise as the instrument is fundamentally an acoustic and resonant system - it isn't the species that matters though so much as the stiffness, self-damping and density. Within any given species you have variations but the combinations of these factors lead to repeatable sonic effects.

Alex

[SJA]

[quote name='bassmanady' post='229119' date='Jun 29 2008, 05:37 PM']and it had the same dead spot notes on the D and G strings so you could not play around that[/quote]

it's surprising that a through-neck 5 string bass would have a deadspot on the D string -

was the neck particularly slim? and what was the make?

[bassmanady]

[quote name='SJA' post='229431' date='Jun 30 2008, 01:48 AM']it's surprising that a through-neck 5 string bass would have a deadspot on the D string -

was the neck particularly slim? and what was the make?[/quote]Well i must just be unlucky then because i have had several like this,all different makes,where the C,note area on the D and G strings lacked sustain and definition.Yes the neck was quite slim.
I would sooner not mention the make,as this is only my opinion,and another player may think the bass was ok.

Edited June 30, 2008 by bassmanady

[SJA]

I say that because on a 5 the neck's wider (and thus a bit stiffer) and there's more mass at the headstock, so the neck should be less free to vibrate and sap the sustain at its resonant frequency.

I've tried a few Fender US precision deluxe 4's and while there was the usual deadspot on the G at C#/D, the D string was clean throughout,

and on the precision deluxe 5 I tried the G deadspot was less noticeable.

same thing on korean + czech Spectors (through-neck)- mild deadspot on the 4string G C#/D area, D string clean,
5 string, barely noticeable deadspot on the G.