Why Shuker?

[simon1964]

[quote name='thedontcarebear' post='329135' date='Nov 14 2008, 02:29 PM']To tell the truth, I like the look of Shuker's a lot, but the price from his website put me off getting a quote, for the single cut, it says from £1795, which is quite a bit.[/quote]

True, but its worth giving Jon a call to discuss your spec. I was very pleasantly surprised at the quote I got.

By the way (and completely off topic) as a life long Canaries fan, when are you going to change your avatar?!

[Toasted]

I think the popularity is largely down to the price point, I don't see *too many* other attractions than that.

I've spent quite a bit of time with a number of Shuker basses, and I've been very impressed with: Dude's Doodle (who couldn't be?), Dr.Dave's fretted 4 and Yorks5stringer's fretted 5.

I've got to be honest, other than those 3 basses I've really not liked any of the Shuker's I've played, that said:

[quote name='Roger Sadowsky']That doesn't mean they are for everyone---instrument choice is very subjective. What is nice is that all of us....Sadowsky, Lakland, Mike Tobias, Spector, Fodera, etc....all have lots of players that think we make the best instrument in the world! It's kind of perfect that way---don't you think?[/quote]

[thedontcarebear]

[quote name='simon1964' post='330456' date='Nov 17 2008, 09:44 AM']True, but its worth giving Jon a call to discuss your spec. I was very pleasantly surprised at the quote I got.

By the way (and completely off topic) as a life long Canaries fan, when are you going to change your avatar?![/quote]

Never! Haha.

[Rich]

[quote name='Toasted' post='330465' date='Nov 17 2008, 10:06 AM'][quote name='Roger Sadowsky']That doesn't mean they are for everyone---instrument choice is very subjective. What is nice is that all of us....Sadowsky, Lakland, Mike Tobias, Spector, Fodera, etc....all have lots of players that think we make the best instrument in the world! It's kind of perfect that way---don't you think?[/quote]
[/quote]
I reckon that puts it perfectly. One man's Fodera dream is another man's Kay plywood sh*t-o-rama.

[Dr.Dave]

[quote name='Toasted' post='330465' date='Nov 17 2008, 10:06 AM']I've spent quite a bit of time with a number of Shuker basses, and I've been very impressed with: Dude's Doodle (who couldn't be?), Dr.Dave's fretted 4 and Yorks5stringer's fretted 5.

I've got to be honest, other than those 3 basses I've really not liked any of the Shuker's I've played.[/quote]

A successful career in the diplomatic corps awaits you , Joe !!!!

[OldGit]

[quote name='Toasted' post='330465' date='Nov 17 2008, 10:06 AM']I think the popularity is largely down to the price point, I don't see *too many* other attractions than that.[/quote]

Certainly without the competative pricing I'd have not even considered a custom.

I guess it depends on the rest of the question:

Is it "Why Shuker rather than any of growing list of other custom bass makers?"
Or "Why Shuker rather than an off the shelf bass for about the same money?"


The answer is different, depending on the question.

[Delberthot]

Thanks for all the replies. Always good to get replies from people 'outside' the company.

I've always wanted to treat myself to a true custom made bass - not that my Warmoths are bad.

Now, a neck through '53 precision with Bubinga body & neck and ebony fretboard.

That's a spicy meatball

[OldGit]

[quote name='Delberthot' post='330836' date='Nov 17 2008, 05:33 PM']Thanks for all the replies. Always good to get replies from people 'outside' the company.

I've always wanted to treat myself to a true custom made bass - not that my Warmoths are bad.

Now, a neck through '53 precision with Bubinga body & neck and ebony fretboard.

That's a spicy meatball[/quote]

Well whomever you decide to work with you need to get on with them.

I assume you've had a look through this list of luthiers
[url="http://basschat.co.uk/index.php?s=&showtopic=26654&view=findpost&p=1780"]http://basschat.co.uk/index.php?s=&sho...post&p=1780[/url]

[molan]

Need to consider potential 'sell-on' value with any custom build. We all start out thinking that we can design the perfect bass and that having it custom built means we'll never need to buy anything else. However, styles and techniques change & there's good old 'grass is greener' syndrome to contend with so you may wish to sell on your custom at some point.

Even a relatively standard build from a custom maker can often be tough to sell and values tend to plummet. Bit of a generalisation obviously but I have noticed the odd Shuker kicking around on the forum here and on EBay for a lot less than their original value.

Obviously most new basses depreciate in value but the higher end basses from what I'd call the 'semi-custom' manufacturers like Sadowsky seem easier to sell at much closer to their original price than something like a Shuker. Even the other British builders like Overwater & GB appear to be fast moving on the used market.

Could just be that Shuker haven't really built up the rep of the others yet of course but worth bearing in mind anyway.

[BigRedX]

Never quite got this sell-on business for custom instruments...

I've had 4 instruments (guitar and bass) custom built form me and I would never consider parting with them EVER. Each has been designed to do a specific musical job and to replace a lesser "off the peg" instrument I had previously. In each case the instrument built was a collaboration between myself and the chosen luthier, where I specified how I wanted the instrument to look and sound and play and they did the technical stuff to make it work.

A good luthier should always gently steer you away from anything that in their opinion isn't going to work, so there shouldn't be any problem with the instrument not living up to your expectations, and therefore there should never be any need to sell it.

[OldGit]

[quote name='BigRedX' post='331464' date='Nov 18 2008, 01:44 PM']Never quite got this sell-on business for custom instruments...

I've had 4 instruments (guitar and bass) custom built form me and I would never consider parting with them EVER. Each has been designed to do a specific musical job and to replace a lesser "off the peg" instrument I had previously. In each case the instrument built was a collaboration between myself and the chosen luthier, where I specified how I wanted the instrument to look and sound and play and they did the technical stuff to make it work.

A good luthier should always gently steer you away from anything that in their opinion isn't going to work, so there shouldn't be any problem with the instrument not living up to your expectations, and therefore there should never be any need to sell it.[/quote]


Assuming you have the funds ...

[BigRedX]

If you and your luthier get the instrument right there should be no need to sell it... (and personally if I was in financial difficulties there are many things that would be gone before I even thought about parting with the custom instruments).

Also IMO if you do have a custom instrument built with one eye on the possibility of selling it at some point in the future for a decent price you can almost guarantee that the instrument will not be a 'keeper'.

[waynepunkdude]

FWIW I tried OG's Shuker last night and it could well be the best feeling bass I have ever played, beautifully finished.

[OldGit]

[quote name='waynepunkdude' post='332117' date='Nov 19 2008, 09:56 AM']FWIW I tried OG's Shuker last night and it could well be the best feeling bass I have ever played, beautifully finished.[/quote]

Very nice of you to say so, matey

[waynepunkdude]

[quote name='OldGit' post='332748' date='Nov 19 2008, 11:23 PM']Very nice of you to say so, matey[/quote]


Haha you're a lucky man, first five string I have ever played that didn't feel like I was playing a table.

[Veils]

My personal response to fight Jon's corner would be this.

Firstly, his prices are very good. I am having a pretty high spec bass and at a seriously cut price in comparison to what I would be paying from other luthiers.

The quality is absoultely second to none. For a while he had a singlecut 5 in stock (I am not sure whether he still has it?) and it is the best bass I have ever played by a stretch. I picked it up and straight away I was finding I could play all my most technically challenging chops absolutely effortlessly, making no mistakes, hitting every note crystal clean and finding I could play them faster than I had ever been able to!

The options are massive. He has a brilliant stash of woods and plenty of other finishing options. Dood's 7 being a good example! Jon also understands perfectly what works and what options will compliment each other.

Finally, he is the most helpful and friendly chap you could ask to meet! He works his hind off (he is always in on a Sunday as well) and the fact that his quoted and actual build times differ, I would put down to the fact he has a lot of basses on the go! And the fact that you see a lot of build diaries and his lead times are fairly lengthy is testament to the fact that a lot of people are willing to pay for his work.

Shuker owners unite, we salute you Jon!!

[The Burpster]

Well only just becoming a Shuker owner, I didnt feel in a position to comment before.....

Jon is primarily a custom luthier. Therfore if you order from him it will be highly likely you are speccing an instrument.
That kind of service rightly will cost.

Do the instruments justify the cost?

Certainly the one that I now own (that wasnt one that I ordered) is very well made, and is made from high quality parts and materials. The finish and shaping and attention to detail are of teh standard I would expect when spending real money on a bass.

It plays fantastically and handles just as well. If I had ordered this bass to this spec I would be very very happy.

As it wasnt one I ordered, I am exstatic at this one as with the exception of a few very minor details (which I will be discussing with Jon soon) it is very close to perfection. The volume and tone of the sound, is astounding......

Why are they popular at the minute...... fashion I guess.... Quality never really goes out of fashion, but itmes become 'flavour of teh month' and maybe thats what he's enjoying at the moment.... ?

[Stag]

This thread is bizarrely missing input from Mr Veall... so far!

[OldGit]

[quote name='Veils' post='337012' date='Nov 26 2008, 09:47 AM']My personal response to fight Jon's corner would be this.[/quote]

Ha ha No need really, the guy's got a full order book. Nuff said.

[4000]

[quote name='BigRedX' post='331464' date='Nov 18 2008, 01:44 PM']Never quite got this sell-on business for custom instruments...

I've had 4 instruments (guitar and bass) custom built form me and I would never consider parting with them EVER. Each has been designed to do a specific musical job and to replace a lesser "off the peg" instrument I had previously. In each case the instrument built was a collaboration between myself and the chosen luthier, where I specified how I wanted the instrument to look and sound and play and they did the technical stuff to make it work.

A good luthier should always gently steer you away from anything that in their opinion isn't going to work, so there shouldn't be any problem with the instrument not living up to your expectations, and therefore there should never be any need to sell it.[/quote]

I've had 3 custom instruments built and sold 2 on. Why? Because ultimately things I thought would work out didn't in the way I expected. Maybe there were things I should have been more thoughtful/precise about, but ultimately the instruments had certain areas (including the sound) which didn't completely work in terms of what I was looking for. This isn't because they were bad, but simply because they didn't pan out as I'd hoped/expected in terms of my taste. Ironically, I like the Sei I have now (which was built for someone else) more than either of the 2 I had built for myself, although it's quite feasible that someone else may feel differently; it's not better, it just works better for me.

I will admit I was experimenting with some things in the build, but even so....I think if you get a custom that you are happy with in the long term, you're very lucky. You can't predict what an instrument is going to sound like until it's made, and if once it's made the sound (or any number of other factors) doesn't work for you what are you going to do? I sell it on.

The thing is, there is no hard and fast rule about what is going to work. I'm a huge Rickenbacker 4001 fan, but have played plenty of Ricks I don't like. Why? Everything points towards me liking them all, but I don't. With some there's just a nebulous [i]something[/i]; some just don't have the tone or the feel, despite the fact that everything should be near identical, so it's not just about specification, there's a much greater alchemy to it than that. If I was having an instrument built I could specify everything down to the minutest detail and in theory it should come out perfectly, but there's a fair chance it still might not.

With regards to Shuker, I've only played one bass (at Bass Day last year); it was ok. Unfortunately the other ones I've seen just haven't grabbed me enough to want to pick them up, which is no reflection on the basses but is simply down to my taste.

[Waldo]

I hope he knows how much business he owes to this forum

[OldGit]

[quote name='Waldo' post='337785' date='Nov 26 2008, 10:17 PM']I hope he knows how much business he owes to this forum [/quote]

he does

[Waldo]

[quote name='OldGit' post='337796' date='Nov 26 2008, 10:23 PM']he does[/quote]

Good stuff, I can remember when the whole Shuker craze kicked off here back in the day. Everyone seems to have one now.

[Finbar]

I wanted someone to build me a 7 string bass. I had a Conklin, and wasn't going to get a better one off the shelf (IMO) for any kind of comparative money (especially once shipping from the states was taken into account etc). Jon happened to work about half an hours walk from my house. My decision to go with Jon was NOT based solely on his reputation on this forum.

I also played a tenor 5 string while I was there which is without doubt THE nicest sounding and playing bass I have ever touched. Trumps my Shuker 7 and anything else I have laid eyes/ears/fingers on. I think it belonged to Rob, but I'm not sure. That sealed the deal for me I think.

He is also a top lad.

[7string]

I have to admit to having not played a Shuker (yet).

Jon de-fretted and ramped my Conklin GT7 and he did a great job of that. Unfortunately, we had a family bereavement and so had to quickly collect the bass and continue our way back up north.




I'm not sure if I like the original designs or not, but his J-basses look very, very good. If I was in the market for a super-J and couldn't stretch to a Sei, then I'd definately look at Shuker as well as Sadowsky Metro and used Lull's and NYC Sadowskys.

His prices must be very keen indeed as they're mentioned quite a bit in this thread. It seems as if he has the balance between quality, affordability and affability, which is a winning combination. As [b]OldGit[/b] says Jon Shuker's order books are full and that tells the story.

Edited November 26, 2008 by 7string