Shuker, ACG or Sei Basses for a custom build?

[rmcki]

On 14/02/2019 at 20:54, PJ-Bassist said:

Clearly I have a type!

These are my three short listed body shapes, all modernised J Basses

• ACG Retro B
• GB Spitfire
• Shuker Custom J Bass

    

I have just come out of a similar experience for my 50th, a desire to own a great instrument that will age with you. Like yourself I narrowed it down before asking the bass community. I was between and ACG a WAL or an Overwater.

The whole experience was fantastic and I encourage you to enjoy it; every little decision is your alone. I opted for an ACG in the end, I loved the whole process, Alan was great, as I’m sure each of all the UK makers would be. I just love the ACG preamp, I’m not a professional musician so I understand the difficulty in investing 3-4k in an instrument, on the other hand, what a fantastic position to be in!

     

Edited March 2, 2019 by rmcki

[Salt on your Bass?]

Hi All, bumping a slightly old thread to see if there was an outcome  

...I also wondered if there were any online resources for Sei at the moment as their website is under construction but they dont seem to have any other presence?

Thanks

[4000]

4 hours ago, Salt on your Bass? said:

Hi All, bumping a slightly old thread to see if there was an outcome  

...I also wondered if there were any online resources for Sei at the moment as their website is under construction but they dont seem to have any other presence?

Thanks

I don’t think there is at the moment; the old website appears, as you say, to be in the process of being replaced. You could always email The Bass Gallery and ask. 
One thing I noticed earlier in the thread where someone said Sei were slower to respond to queries (current circumstances and lockdown aside), please bear in mind they are often extremely busy as they’re the repair people of choice for a great many of London’s (and elsewhere, as in my case) bassists. And of course The Gallery is a shop too. The shop, so far as I’m concerned.😉

[TheGreek]

I've owned two of the three listed - I'd be happy to own either again, or TBH pretty much any British custom builder (with the exception of Ebay bodger, Mr Philips).

I think we're spoiled in the UK with numerous excellent Luthiers. If you have the money you just need to decide who you're going to give it to, then kick yourself for not going to one of the others (after all, they all make exceedingly good...). 

Sometimes you can have too much choice.

[BCH]

A shout out for Anaconda ...this is what Andrew built for me, (Jazz vibe) now my #1 followed by ACG Finn & Recurve and Ritter R8 

https://www.anacondabasses.co.uk/Basses/featured-bass---1

[pmjos]

Another shout for anaconda. Andrew just built me this PJ. Its really something. 

[PatrickJ]

  

On 14/02/2019 at 14:11, PatrickJ said:

Hi Alan,

I hadn't previously looked at your RetroB model, it looks slightly different to the J Type I had seen in ACG archives (is that correct?).  Anyway I came across this image earlier; I really like the more elegant shaping of the cutaways compared to a standard Jazz shape!  

  

On 14/02/2019 at 15:44, skelf said:

Hi

If I put the J Type and the RetroB together you would see that they are quite different. The RetroB has effectively replaced the J Type (it is still available) The RetroB is much more in keeping with the Jazz bass type vibe much closer than the J Type. A joint effort with Colin to improve a few aspects of the Jazz bass while keeping the essential feel and general look.

@skelf - funny, I'd completely forgotten about this thread but almost 2.5 years on from when I created these posts about your ACG Retro B .. I now own one / it (did you make many in this colour combination?).   Would love to talk to you about it sometime.

 

 

Edited May 13, 2021 by PatrickJ

[OliverBlackman]

On 19/05/2020 at 20:52, pmjos said:

Another shout for anaconda. Andrew just built me this PJ. Its really something. 

Wowsers 

[skelf]

Think are maybe 3 in the colour.

Cheers

Alan

 

Quote

  

@skelf - funny, I'd completely forgotten about this thread but almost 2.5 years on from when I created these posts about your ACG Retro B .. I now own one / it (did you make many in this colour combination?).   Would love to talk to you about it sometime.

 

 

 

Edited May 14, 2021 by Sibob
Took out erroneous 'quote' for Alan

[ead]

Here's a pic of my J Type and RetroB for comparison purposes.

[LukeFRC]

21 minutes ago, ead said:

Here's a pic of my J Type and RetroB for comparison purposes.

which is which? 

[Merton]

1 minute ago, LukeFRC said:

which is which? 

J Type left, RetroB right

[Lfalex v1.1]

Having had two customs (If the Status I commissioned counts), I'm not sure that I could drop £~3k on a custom-made instrument that I'd not played first (so it'd have to be second-hand).

There's that intangible "something's not quite right" or "such-and-such could be better". I'm not referring to construction, fit, finish or design / ergonomics specifically,  more "Tone".

I think the difficulty is this; how do a luthier and myself translate the tonal qualities I look for in an instrument into an actual bass in one attempt? I'm not sure it's possible other than by blind luck. That's not to say it's a bad bass. It just didn't nail the USP.

3 off-the-shelf instruments that I own do "something" that I value. The smoothness/tonality of the Vigier. The growl and bark of the Infinity SN4. The weirdness, immediacy and string impact noise (from the piezo) of the Ibanez EDA.

I got to try all of these first. Decided I liked what they did,  and purchased them as a result. 

I entirely understand that people might have special ergonomic requirements and some designs might offer a solution. I also agree that If you want a very specific aesthetic then luthiers can work miracles and that the quality of work is often excellent or better.

I just couldn't go through the disappointment again with a new commission.

 

[PatrickJ]

On 13/05/2021 at 22:25, ead said:

Here's a pic of my J Type and RetroB for comparison purposes.

@ead - out of interest, which of Alan's pickups did you go for in your ACG's?

[Muzz]

21 hours ago, Lfalex v1.1 said:

Having had two customs (If the Status I commissioned counts), I'm not sure that I could drop £~3k on a custom-made instrument that I'd not played first (so it'd have to be second-hand).

There's that intangible "something's not quite right" or "such-and-such could be better". I'm not referring to construction, fit, finish or design / ergonomics specifically,  more "Tone".

I think the difficulty is this; how do a luthier and myself translate the tonal qualities I look for in an instrument into an actual bass in one attempt? I'm not sure it's possible other than by blind luck. That's not to say it's a bad bass. It just didn't nail the USP.

3 off-the-shelf instruments that I own do "something" that I value. The smoothness/tonality of the Vigier. The growl and bark of the Infinity SN4. The weirdness, immediacy and string impact noise (from the piezo) of the Ibanez EDA.

I got to try all of these first. Decided I liked what they did,  and purchased them as a result. 

I entirely understand that people might have special ergonomic requirements and some designs might offer a solution. I also agree that If you want a very specific aesthetic then luthiers can work miracles and that the quality of work is often excellent or better.

I just couldn't go through the disappointment again with a new commission.

 

Maybe my bar isn't set quite as high as it could be, but beyond some fairly straightforward spec (from the top: lightweight tuners, brass nut, slim-Jazz neck profile, split-coil pickup in the P position, East U-Retro), everything else is pretty much aesthetic (swamp ash body for lightness, drop top that appeals, birdseye board with no front markers, and the Shuker Horn is My Shape) and I'm very sure there's a number of luthiers who could make something I'd be very happy with. My first custom build (Shuker) is the bass I play most, and has been for the better part of a decade now. I had to buy/try/sell a lot of basses to narrow that spec down, tho...

It sounds from the above like you enjoy some things that aren't really possible in one instrument (smoothness/tonality, weirdness/immediacy and growl/bark), so chasing that chimera would always bring disappointment.

Having said that, my only custom build GAS would be a Shuker-built Fenderbird (my other Shape), but I have a Frankenstein Fenderbird which ticks so many boxes I'm not sure four figures would nail that last ten per cent without compromise somewhere else...don't get me wrong; if I had a couple of grand spare I'd be on the phone to Derbyshire like a shot, but I'm not in that position these days...

Edited May 17, 2021 by Muzz

[BassApprentice]

9 minutes ago, Muzz said:

. I had to buy/try/sell a lot of basses to narrow that spec down, tho...

 

This for me is the hurdle, I would love an ACG/Sei/Shuker but I would have no idea where to even begin. I don't think I've spent enough time with enough basses to even know what I would want them to make. 

Just another excuse to try and buy more things 😂

[PatrickJ]

20 minutes ago, Muzz said:

Maybe my bar isn't set quite as high as it could be, but beyond some fairly straightforward spec (from the top: lightweight tuners, brass nut, slim-Jazz neck profile, split-coil pickup in the P position, East U-Retro), everything else is pretty much aesthetic (swamp ash body for lightness, drop top that appeals, birdseye board with no front markers, and the Shuker Horn is My Shape) and I'm very sure there's a number of luthiers who could make something I'd be very happy with. My first custom build (Shuker) is the bass I play most, and has been for the better part of a decade now. I had to buy/try/sell a lot of basses to narrow that spec down, tho...

It sounds from the above like you enjoy some things that aren't really possible in one instrument (smoothness/tonality, weirdness/immediacy and growl/bark), so chasing that chimera would always bring disappointment.

Agree with a lot of what @Muzz said here.  I've not been playing bass for as long as many here but I'd tried enough basses over the last five years or so to spec out what was most comfortable for me, i.e. target weight, neck profile etc.  for  my custom build.  I did also go to the workshop before ordering and looked at a few of his basses and necks before committing to the project.

I probably played it safe on a few items like tone wood as I went for Alder as opposed to anything more exotic. but light weight tuners, 40mm neck width etc. we're all musts.

I wanted active so I went for a Nordstrand Pre, mainly because it is inspired by the Sadowsky pre but an East would have been equally good.  Jon Shuker also set me up with a solderless pickup system so I could replace pickups easily if I wanted to try different ones.

that isn't to say I didn't get a few things wrong.  The drop top I originally had I ended up not liking.  This for me was the hardest part of the custom build - trying to visualise a slab of wood into a finished guitar top was really hard.  I went into the build wanting flamed maple then spent months changing my mind and ended up with something I didn't like.  I've now sent the bass back to Jon to have the drop top redone as flamed maple, a costly mistake caused by me allowing myself to get too caught up with exotic woods etc.

however, it was an amazing experience and despite the asthetics I ended up with a bass I love playing.  Like @Muzz my Shuker was my go to bass and I'm really missing it at the moment (hence why I bought the ACG).

Edited May 17, 2021 by PatrickJ

[LukeFRC]

6 minutes ago, BassApprentice said:

This for me is the hurdle, I would love an ACG/Sei/Shuker but I would have no idea where to even begin. I don't think I've spent enough time with enough basses to even know what I would want them to make. 

Just another excuse to try and buy more things 😂

Some of the journey is the trying things too... you might spec the perfect bass, and not know it cos in your head you want to try a stingray or something.
So you sell it, buy a stingray and then a year later realise that the stingray dream you had wan't actually what you wanted.

(I just borrowed a PreEB for  the last couple of weeks to scratch that itch)

[Muzz]

10 minutes ago, BassApprentice said:

This for me is the hurdle, I would love an ACG/Sei/Shuker but I would have no idea where to even begin. I don't think I've spent enough time with enough basses to even know what I would want them to make. 

Just another excuse to try and buy more things 😂

Well, there are worse problems to have - as long as you're going secondhand, it won't cost much, either, and you might surprise yourself - I've owned some basses which definitely weren't 'me' (I'm thinking Status and Alembic - oh, and three Stingrays* amongst others), but every one was a learning process 🙂

I definitely wouldn't advise a custom build if you're unsure what you want, as it's a lot of money to be guessing with.

* Took me a few goes to get them out of my system - I loooove them to look at, and other people sound great with them, but....not me 🙁

Edited May 17, 2021 by Muzz

[LukeFRC]

1 minute ago, PatrickJ said:

by me allowing myself to get too caught up with exotic woods etc.

I don't think you're the only one! I always find it odd when you find a "I'm getting a build made" thread the amount of things that people focus on that are random aesthetic and not functional... or are led by "ooh this is a cool option I should do this". (or worst when you see people trying to crowd source the specs on a bass forum). 

[Muzz]

4 minutes ago, PatrickJ said:

that isn't to say I didn't get a few things wrong.  The drop top I originally had I ended up not liking.  This for me was the hardest part of the custom build - trying to visualise a slab of wood into a finished guitar top was really hard.  I went into the build wanting flamed maple then spent months changing my mind and ended up with something I didn't like.  I've now sent the bass back to Jon to have the drop top redone as flamed maple, a costly mistake caused by me allowing myself to get too caught up with exotic woods etc.

When I got mine, I needed it in a hurry (TLDR: it was a birthday present), so I got it as a solid wood body (it's still like that on the Shuker website), then later I had a (flamed maple, coincidentally) drop top added... 🙂

[PatrickJ]

42 minutes ago, LukeFRC said:

I don't think you're the only one! I always find it odd when you find a "I'm getting a build made" thread the amount of things that people focus on that are random aesthetic and not functional... or are led by "ooh this is a cool option I should do this". (or worst when you see people trying to crowd source the specs on a bass forum). 

I was pretty OK with the functional side, I had a good feel for what I wanted.  I did change the bridge and preamp types but they were fairly minor changes and either the original or final choices would have been fine.

My original spec to Jon was Flamed Maple top and Rosewood fingerboard.   But actually I preferred maple fingerboards but then got concerned that an alder bodied, flamed maple top and maple finger board  guitar was all going to look a bit anemic 

So I changed the ask for a Birdseye maple fingerboard and a figured walnut top.  However for whatever reason Jon couldn't source the Walnut and my build was on hold for a few months.  He emailed me a few options that he'd picked up from his wood supplier and the Elm looked nice, but finished it was was overly busy and I just didn't ever love it.

So I'm back to flamed maple with a burst finish which is a classic look that I've always loved.  Hopefully this will work out 

Elm wood uncut

Finished Result

Edited May 17, 2021 by PatrickJ

[Muzz]

And, as they say....pics or it didn't happen... Here's mine 😁

[PatrickJ]

34 minutes ago, Muzz said:

When I got mine, I needed it in a hurry (TLDR: it was a birthday present), so I got it as a solid wood body (it's still like that on the Shuker website), then later I had a (flamed maple, coincidentally) drop top added... 🙂

Yes, I remember consulting with you heavily when I was having my build done.  It's a black walnut body right ?

[Muzz]

That's the bunny - American Black Walnut: not black at all...and it doesn't look much like walnut, either... 🙂

Edited May 17, 2021 by Muzz