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Cheap Gary Willis alternative?


lownote
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I am attracted by Gary Willis's signature Ibanez fretless.  That's because I KNOW if I buy one I'll instantly play as good as him. But also because I've a soft spot for blond natural wood bodies with black fittings.  But I can't afford over a grand.  Anyone with deep bass knowledge able to recommend a cheaper bass that does much the same job? I thought I knew the market pretty well but can't think of anything meself. The Cort Artisan B4 FL perhaps, but I've burned my fingers on Cort before...

Edited by lownote12
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6 hours ago, OliverBlackman said:

Get one of the used black ones on eBay at half the price and sand off the finish?

That’s what I did. The basswood underneath wasn’t great, but it wasn’t too bad either. Required lots and lots of sanding though.

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It also has a narrow strings spacing, 16.5 mm, IIRC. This could be a problem, just like the machine heads which are a bit odd.

I've been playing an early Cort B4 FL as a semi-pro for a few years (oops, just realised it was 20 years ago), and it was a really good bass. I alway got compliments about the sound I had, and sometimes on my playing. 😁

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2 hours ago, Hellzero said:

I've been playing an early Cort B4 FL as a semi-pro for a few years (oops, just realised it was 20 years ago), and it was a really good bass. I alway got compliments about the sound I had, and sometimes on my playing. 😁

Thanks Hell0, that's worth knowing. Maybe I should get a Cort B4FL.  It's just I do like a B string...

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B stock Gary Willis signature, if that price is a little better?

 

https://m.thomann.de/intl/ibanez_gwb205_ntf_gary_willis_b_stock.htm?i11l=en_GB%3ADE.EUR%3AEUR

 

Back in the day I got some basses defretted at the Gallery in Camden and Martin did a fantastic job. If you find a bass that has frets, but you wish it didn’t, I can recommend it. It wasn’t expensive, either.

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