Bruce Thomas Profile

[stewblack]

2 hours ago, Lozz196 said:

That’s very interesting Stew, and links in to that post which has musicians stating that their instruments are an extension of their bodies. I’ll have to check one of these out, they get such good reviews, the only other ones I’ve seen people rave about so much have been the Nate Mendels and the Matt Freemans.

There will always be an element of personal taste, individaul physique and so on but I am pretty comfortable with almost every bass I've tried. Neck dive bugs me as does the old semi acoustic bass falling away from the body but I've played Fenders, and t-birds, acoustics, semi acoustics, Arias, westones, Yamahas, Rickenbackers, Chickenbackers, harley bentons, Vintage, Squire, Kay, Peavey, OLP, Ernie Ball and goodness knows what else and I've switched between them easily. I suppose I'm saying I'm not fussy. But this one fits. It just fits.

 

And you know what? It was based on a stock instrument which a working bass player had worked on to make it so. Then he went away and got the sandpaper out again until he was satisfied with this one. So really, it ought to feel pretty good!

[Kevsy71]

@stewblack I fully agree - as you know after selling you your BT Profile I missed it greatly - and soon bought another! My favourite P that I've owned,  including custom shops and an original '65.

Have you tried it with flats? I love mine with La Bella Fls, but I've heard the The Bass Centre's own Detroit Flats are an excellent match.

[stewblack]

8 minutes ago, Kevsy71 said:

@stewblack I fully agree - as you know after selling you your BT Profile I missed it greatly - and soon bought another! My favourite P that I've owned,  including custom shops and an original '65.

Have you tried it with flats? I love mine with La Bella Fls, but I've heard the The Bass Centre's own Detroit Flats are an excellent match.

I have not. But I have a Bass Centre P Bass incoming which is strung with their flats (I believe) so I'll give them a go. The only reason I've not tried the Profile with flats is I love the Elites you sold it with!

[BassApprentice]

To restart this thread - I'm looking at the Jive basses and wondering how much of a difference there is between the signature models and the standards. Did you get your standard P and how did it compare to the Bruce Thomas? Is there really £100 of difference? Thanks! 

[stewblack]

36 minutes ago, BassApprentice said:

To restart this thread - I'm looking at the Jive basses and wondering how much of a difference there is between the signature models and the standards. Did you get your standard P and how did it compare to the Bruce Thomas? Is there really £100 of difference? Thanks! 

Well now there is a question. 🤔 

 

How do I quantify 100 quids worth of difference? 

The neck is different, not much, but enough to feel different. That might be a bonus for you but could just as easily be a detraction. 

The pick up is definitely different in the Profile. Better. I think it's a bit lighter. 

Now the thing is, Bruce was actively involved in the design of his sig, I don't know how much, if at all that applies to the others... 

[Geek99]

On 01/02/2019 at 12:13, stewblack said:

But should I add the hardware or not? I think it looks great then I think the bass doesn't need any holes drilling in it...

It’s yours, do whatever TF you want 

[Geek99]

On 01/02/2019 at 13:45, stewblack said:

Hmm, I thought I had bought Precision ones - must confess I know nothing about these things. How do I tell the difference?

Those are cheapie jazz bass ones 

 

[Raslee]

The Profile bass is a great bass, I've not tried the other Bass Collection Precision's so am unable to compare. But as said the Profile is a very playable, and nice looking bass.

I've  changed and upgraded mine a bit since I've had it, Gotohlites tuners, Fender Custom 62 pick ups with added white covers (couldn't find cream ones that fitted), bridge cover, now sporting a darker cheap rhubarb & custard pickguard and CTS pots fitted.

The Profile sounded great stock, hot pick up with 500k pots - I wanted something a tad more traditional but to be honest the 62 PU and CTS pots haven't made a huge difference on the stock setup...perhaps a little smoother on the top end. The playability though is quite excellent and I'd say worth every penny in my view.

 

Edited July 26, 2020 by Raslee

[Kevsy71]

2 hours ago, Raslee said:

The Profile bass is a great bass, I've not tried the other Bass Collection Precision's so am unable to compare. But as said the Profile is a very playable, and nice looking bass.

I've  changed and upgraded mine a bit since I've had it, Gotohlites tuners, Fender Custom 62 pick ups with added white covers (couldn't find cream ones that fitted), bridge cover, now sporting a darker cheap rhubarb & custard pickguard and CTS pots fitted.

The Profile sounded great stock, hot pick up with 500k pots - I wanted something a tad more traditional but to be honest the 62 PU and CTS pots haven't made a huge difference on the stock setup...perhaps a little smoother on the top end. The playability though is quite excellent and I'd say worth every penny in my view.

 

Very nice Lee! Where did you find the pickguard, and how was the fit?

[denki109]

Hello BT Profile Family, 

Here is mine. 

My dog approves.  
 

 

Edited August 21, 2020 by denki109

[stewblack]

40 minutes ago, denki109 said:

Hello BT Profile Family, 

Here is mine. 

My dog approves.  
 

 

Well there's two of my favourite things in the whole world. 

Great to have you, your lovely dog and your Profile in the family. 

[denki109]

Strewblack, I like the way you think. It's very clear that we share DNA. 

And Flake is absolutely gorgeous. 

 

Edited September 2, 2020 by denki109

[Kevsy71]

On 21/08/2020 at 22:30, denki109 said:

 

A gorgeous dog with clearly excellent muting technique! That must have taken some training

[denki109]

She's been chasing the Jamerson sound for years!

[paul_5]

7 hours ago, Kevsy71 said:

A gorgeous dog with clearly excellent mutting technique! That must have taken some training

Fixed

[Wylie]

On 01/02/2019 at 07:13, stewblack said:

But should I add the hardware or not? I think it looks great then I think the bass doesn't need any holes drilling in it...

Yes to the hardware

! Great bass, and named for a great player. Cheers!

[rushbo]

I've just joined the club.

I traded in my lovely old Mexican Jazz bass for one, to a local chap who advertised on FB marketplace. I'd had my eye on one for quite a while and I finally caved in. Early signs are very good indeed. Neck profile is just about right for my dainty, girlish hands and it sounds lovely. Build quality and hardware  are excellent. Lush colour too.

Now all I need is a gig or two...

[Dazza bass boi]

Hi all, just got my Profile Bass and I love, it is everything people say it is. But has anyone else noticed that the pick up poles and the strings are really off centre, more so on the D and G strings? 

[stewblack]

Never looked closely at pick up / string alignment I'm afraid, but I do love my BT P

[Kevsy71]

4 hours ago, Dazza bass boi said:

Hi all, just got my Profile Bass and I love, it is everything people say it is. But has anyone else noticed that the pick up poles and the strings are really off centre, more so on the D and G strings? 

Mine was similar...when I swapped pickguards I had to move the pickups slightly (it was a generic P bass pickguard I was fitting) and was able to better align the strings betwen the magnets. Not sure it made any tonal difference though! Great bass and glad you're enjoying yours.

[Dazza bass boi]

2 hours ago, Kevsy71 said:

Mine was similar...when I swapped pickguards I had to move the pickups slightly (it was a generic P bass pickguard I was fitting) and was able to better align the strings betwen the magnets. Not sure it made any tonal difference though! Great bass and glad you're enjoying yours.

Cheers mate. Yeah I’m not sure the mis- alignment is making any negative impact on the tone or volume so I might just leave it. 

[Goochified]

Anybody still discussing the Bruce Thomas Profile bass around here? I'm about to purchase mine - finally! - and found this topic when doing a general search on the web. I'm a longtime bass player, recovering from a spinal injury that made it difficult to play for a number of years. I decided, upon turning 60, that I wanted to treat myself to the bass. I've had some contact with Bruce himself for the last 20 or so years and it's no secret that he is in my top 2 bass players; the only holdup now is making the transaction from where I live, the USA. Anyhow... here we are. I will report back once I get the bass!

 

Meanwhile... what say you, Profilers?

 

Marsh Gooch aka Goochified

[stewblack]

Hi there! As a long time fan of his Bruceness I can say you won't be disappointed. It's the best P Bass I've played. An absolute gem.

[la bam]

I'd also highly recommend the bass centre john entwistle bass. Really was a superb bass that. I dont know how or why but it was better built, felt better and sounded better than other bass centre basses I've had.

[miles'tone]

On 24/08/2021 at 15:26, Kevsy71 said:

Mine was similar...when I swapped pickguards I had to move the pickups slightly (it was a generic P bass pickguard I was fitting) and was able to better align the strings betwen the magnets. Not sure it made any tonal difference though! Great bass and glad you're enjoying yours.

The pickup alignment issue was the only thing that put me off buying one. Seems they're all like that. The first run Profiles had closed covers so it wasn't noticeable. 

 

Did you find that the generic P bass pickguard fitted perfectly or was there some fettling needed?