Raro custom bass - ticking a lot of my dream bass boxes

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Hey guys, I just want to share a few pics of my latest acquisition and as the reviews forum is very slow I decided to put it here - this isn't going to be a super in-depth review!

I picked this up about 6 weeks ago from another member here on Basschat, as I had previously seen it on sale and really liked the concept of the instrument. I have been wanting something with a PJ pickup combo, but I also wanted something with a Musicman pickup. I also wanted a 6 string, having borrowed or played many but never owned one. I also love singlecuts and the general boutique style bass, and then this came along.

It was built by Rosario Vasta in Italy, with a birdseye maple top and mahogany back. The fretboard is ebony, the neck is maple, wenge and bubinga. The tuners are Grover, preamp is a John East but I'm not sure what model. It has a push/pull tone pot for passive mode, volume and pickup pan. In active mode it brings in bass, lower mids, upper mids, high frequency presence control and a bright filter that has a tone shaping effect - this is hidden as a push pull on one of the concentric knobs and I'd forgetten it was there until recently. The pickups as custom made by Mama pickups in Italy and they incorporate a whole lot of magnets as you can see. The toggle switches next to the preamp controls active and deactive the various combinations of magnets. In effecti it can do a Fender P style neck, Jazz neck and bridge and a Musicman in the bridge. It can also run the coils to make hybrid humbuckers similar to a soapbar humbucker. I love the design - I think the previous owner must have taken some fairly direct inspiration for the lower horn from another bass but I can't remember where I've seen it before. It's similar to an Elrick but not quite as curved, but a touch more pronounced than a Fodera Emperor. The two slight protrusions on the bottom of the body next to the bridge are handy leg supports for playing in a classical position.

The electronics are definitely among the most complex I've seen on a bass and do take some getting used to, it's not hard to get a good sound from the bass but if you really want something specific (say, a P neck and hybrid humbucker bridge with a low mid boost and bias towards the neck pickup) then it does take a little while to learn what you need to press and turn to get there. Because of the preamp and pickup arrangement, the sound is incredibly versatile. It's by no means a perfect replica of a P bass, J bass or a Stingray but I'd say it does a good job of getting you 90% there. Overall, the core tonal quality of the bass is an eveness across all of the strings and notes, it's very loud and clear. You can roll on the vintage warmth if you want it but I like a clean and honest sound and this really delivers it, though I think my Markbass rig helps in this respect. I wish I could record some videos with it but I don't have a setup that could come anywhere close to doing it justice.

I wanted to avoid reviewing it when I first got it so I could have a few weeks to understand the foibles of such an instrument and avoid a gushing honeymoon review. The big downside to this thing is the weight. I haven't had it on the scales but at a conservative estimate I think it might weigh close to double what my Warwick Thumb 5 weighs. It's physically a big bass and the woods are very dense, it weighs a hell of a lot. I added Schaller straplocks because if this thing slipped of the strap it would devastating for the bass and whatever it hit. Whenever I play my Thumb after my Adamovic I can't believe how heavy the Thumb is - when I picked up the Thumb today I couldn't believe how light it felt, like I wasn't wearing a bass at all. I feel I could gig it without hurting myself or getting sick of it but I might be tempted to break out the Anthony Jackson bass stool for a few slower numbers!

Another downside that turned out ok in the end was the 35" scale. I previously sold my Spector Euro 5LX because I just didn't like the extra string tension, but on the flipside I loved the clarity and the oomph in the bottom end. With this bass, I've strung it with  .025-.045-.065-.085-.105-.135" strings and the setup is amazing. I love this string set because it gives the deep, clear B and the lighter top strings make it so easy to play. I honestly think if I were to get a full custom build now I'd probably get a 35" despite feeling so put off it in the past. This is the first bass I've played where I've realised that 35" doesn't have to be feel stiff and a little cumbersome compared to a 34" but it was definitely a gamble on my part.

 

Anyway, enough talk, some pics:

 

 

TL/DR

+ Incredibly versatile

+ Really easy to play despite the size

+ Incredibly solid bottom end

 

- Heavy as a planet that has been sucked into a black hole