Zoot Custom, 32" Scale, 4 string passive

[Bass Culture]

[u][b]Zoot Custom 4 string, 32"[/b][/u]

I took delivery of this bass back in the Summer and have resisted the temptation to review it any sooner to try and ensure the 'New Toys' syndrome didn't exert too strong an influence. I've had four basses built for me in the past - three by Les Evans from Liverpool and a more recent ACG Finn. I think there's always a leap of faith element to every new commission but they've been more successful every time as I've become clearer and more confident about what works for me. The Finn, with its filter preamp, and single pickup moved slightly towards the bridge was the best of the bunch for my personal tastes.

I'd owned a few Zoots over the years, and played a few more - mostly in Mike Walsh's shop, The Bass Merchant, a good few years back. I'd always promised myself a custom build but had never got round to it and, after having had quite a low profile in recent years, it was just coincidental that has name popped up on BC at exactly the time I was thinking about adding a passive bass to my Finn and Les Evans fretless. Mike lives quite close to my family down south, so we met up when I was down visiting them and eventually settled on the following specification:
[list]
[*]Splat Ash body with figured maple book matched top, finished in am Amber trans' tint.
[*]Ebony veneer dividing line
[*]5 piece laminated neck of Canadian rock maple and Blue Jarra
[*]Satin finish to back of neck
[*]Hi-gloss finish to face of headstock
[*]Ebony finger board with side dots
[*]Soft 'V' profile
[*]38mm bone nut
[*]16" radius to board.
[*]24 frets
[*]Bi-flex (two way) truss rod adjustable body end
[*]ABM bridge
[*]Hipshot 'Ultralite' machine heads and string retainer in black
[*]Dual Aguilar DCB pickups
[*]Passive with Vol/Vol/Tone/Master Volume and three position pickup selector
[*]1 X mini switch for H/B soap bar
[/list]
A mere five months later this beauty was ready to pick up:

[url="http://s120.photobucket.com/user/Myrtle2014/media/Zoot%20Custom/WP_20160722_09_23_39_Pro_zpseldsho1h.jpg.html"][/url]

[u][b]Fit and Finish[/b][/u]

As ACGs have a lot of love in these parts and there's a fair few owners in the BC parish, I'll use my Finn as a reference point. The Zoot is a more straightforward, traditional bass, I'd say. It's a bolt-on build like my Finn but Mike sticks to the tried and trusted Fender method of securing the neck to the body with wood screws rather than Alan's preference for captive nuts and machine bolts. I've no complaints about Mike's method at all but the ACG method does feel a bit more robust to me. In all respects though the workmanship is fantastic. The frets sit low and level and the fret ends are perfectly finished - I mean really perfectly - and the rounded over finger board edges make for an incredibly comfortable-playing bass. I asked Mike for a soft V profile neck to try and get close to a friend's Wal I played years back and he's absolutely nailed it. I had no complaints about the offset neck on the ACG but this profile fits like and glove - it's fast, effortless, and simply puts a huge smile on my face.

[url="http://s120.photobucket.com/user/Myrtle2014/media/Zoot%20Custom/WP_20160722_09_25_15_Pro_zps66mprjtj.jpg.html"][/url]

Having mostly played basses with satin or oiled finishes in recent years the high gloss took some getting used to from a playing point of view as it's more 'grabby' over the forearm cutaway area of the body, but that was a small price to pay for the stunning looks (I honestly stood there with my mouth open when I went to pick it up and saw for the first time, lying on the bench!). The high gloss is a preference of Mike's but I didn't take any convincing as I quite fancied a change anyway.

The only slight reservations I have are so minor as to hardly merit a mention, but in the interests of balance I will: the nut and the string retainer. I'd have preferred a black or darker nut material. Nothing 'wrong' with the white one but it sort of draws attention to itself to my eye and grates slightly. Similarly with the string retainer a three string version was fitted because that's all that was needed, the break angle of the G string rendering it unnecessary to be retained; however, it makes things looks slightly unbalanced now and we'll be changing it for the 4 string version on a visit soon.

[b][u]Sound and Playability[/u][/b]

Okay, I freely admit all attempts at objectivity are now futile because, quite honestly, I think this is the best bass I have either owned or played in my nearly forty years of playing. I think with my Finn (as good a bass as it was) I began to feel it lacked a certain 'something'. Don't get me wrong, it cut through like a bastard in a band situation and the filter preamp offered a huge range of tones. But I think that maybe the huge variety of tones it had up its sleeve seemed to mitigate - for me - against a fundamental character or personality. It was a brilliant bass but it never really put a smile on my face.

The Zoot has character. In spades. It has a fundamental warmth, breadth, weight and punch; it doesn't just put a smile on face, it actually makes me laugh out loud. It's one of those basses that encourages you to try new things. I have one bass 'pupil' who commented on it sounding like a fretless, and he's right. There's something about where the attack in the note occurs that is very fretless-like. I was worried about it cutting through in a band situation as passive basses often sound great at home but struggle in company. Played through my TC RH750 and Barefaced BB2 at last week's rehearsal there were no such issues though. I didn't back the tone off quite as much as I might do at home but that was the only concession I had to make.

I also have to say that returning to a slightly more traditional neck after the ACG feels good. There's something about V profiles that is so comfortable; I really don't know why they're not more popular. Likewise the radius - 16" is a great compromise between the benefits of a flat board and something more pronounced or Fenderish to me.

[url="http://s120.photobucket.com/user/Myrtle2014/media/Zoot%20Custom/WP_20160722_09_24_34_Pro_zps0efhjssp.jpg.html"][/url]

[u][b]To Sum up[/b][/u]:

I love this bass. And I say that after 4 months of ownership and playing. There is nothing about this bass I don't like. Even the finish - which turned out darker than I imagined - turned out to be a happy accident. It looks fantastic, it sounds fabulous and it fits like a glove. It feels like home. I wish I could find something negative to say about it beyond the rather lame nut and string retainer observations but I can't! Suffice it to say I have sold the Finn and commissioned a fretless from Mike too. Make of that what you will.

Edited November 15, 2016 by Bass Culture

[BassBunny]

Excellent review and Mike does make some fantastic instruments. I am glad to see he is now concentrating on bass building again rather than spreading himself a bit thin with cabs and amps.
That said I still have my Zoot cabs and plenty have been and gone, but they are with me for good.

[Trueno]

Fantastic bass.
My Zoot was the bass I should never have sold. Love the neck, love the spot and block-free fretboard (never liked fret-markers).
Enjoy, and thanks for sharing your thoughts.

[redroque]

That's how i feel about mine - unlike anything I have owned or played, the zoot feels like it comes alive when I play it.
(Zoot Boudicca 5)