bassmayhem Posted August 27, 2021 Share Posted August 27, 2021 We have some really stellar bass builders here in Sweden: Anders Mattisson, who builds for Henrik Linder (Dirty Loops) and Janek Gwizdala is one. Another one is Christian Olsson, who has built for Mark King among others. His company is called Unicorn Bass. There are others too... I have just placed an order for a custom instrument: my very first such. So now, Unicorn Bass is building me an all passive no frills tone monster, a bass to play - not to display. I am really thrilled, since I've never owned an instrument built especially for me before. Unicorn has some models that are custom shop in all aspects; this one, called the Purist, is the bass to use if you don't want any fancy stuff, if you prefer passive electronics, bolt-on neck and straight ahead solid foundation. The neck profile, number of strings, spacing, body wood, pickups and their placement and finish are made or chosen to my liking and preferences. I.E. all that counts for is custom made.... A month ago I visited Christian Olsson in his workshop and tried some of his instruments: both Artist Series and the Purist, but really fell for the simplicity, yet versatility, from the Purist. Now it is just some months wait for the beast to be born... Pic's will come. Here is the link to the Unicorn site: https://unicornbass.se/site/ 10 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Geek99 Posted August 27, 2021 Share Posted August 27, 2021 I must be missing something - how is six knobs, two three-way switches and two pickups “simplicity” ? a precision bass constitutes simplicity 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
verb Posted August 28, 2021 Share Posted August 28, 2021 (edited) 1 hour ago, Geek99 said: I must be missing something - how is six knobs, two three-way switches and two pickups “simplicity” ? a precision bass constitutes simplicity I think the bass in the photo is the Artist model. Looking at the site, the Purist looks to be more like a Precision. Edited August 28, 2021 by verb Added photo 2 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bassmayhem Posted August 28, 2021 Author Share Posted August 28, 2021 (edited) 7 hours ago, Geek99 said: I must be missing something - how is six knobs, two three-way switches and two pickups “simplicity” ? a precision bass constitutes simplicity This is a picture from the homepage; my bass is still a pile of wood... Edited August 28, 2021 by bassmayhem Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bassmayhem Posted August 28, 2021 Author Share Posted August 28, 2021 (edited) On 28/08/2021 at 02:12, verb said: I think the bass in the photo is the Artist model. Looking at the site, the Purist looks to be more like a Precision. Kind of! Mine will have two pickups: one close to the bridge and one closer to the neck, like on the Jeff Berlin signature bass. And five strings. Edited August 31, 2021 by bassmayhem 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LukeFRC Posted August 29, 2021 Share Posted August 29, 2021 On 28/08/2021 at 01:12, verb said: I think the bass in the photo is the Artist model. Looking at the site, the Purist looks to be more like a Precision. That looks lovely … and like the reincarnation of an Ibanez Artist! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bassmayhem Posted August 29, 2021 Author Share Posted August 29, 2021 (edited) Here is a link to an old article No Treble wrote some years ago. They just "mixed and matched" the pictures of two different basses... https://www.notreble.com/buzz/2014/11/17/bass-of-the-week-unicornbass-ozellman-master/ Next to the Strat hangs his Unicorn... Edited August 29, 2021 by bassmayhem Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chaypup Posted August 29, 2021 Share Posted August 29, 2021 Couldn't see any prices on the website - what's a ballpark figure for what you paid? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bassmayhem Posted August 30, 2021 Author Share Posted August 30, 2021 (edited) 9 hours ago, chaypup said: Couldn't see any prices on the website - what's a ballpark figure for what you paid? What I paid is an affair between Unicorn and me, but let us say like this: stellar material and craftsmanship ain't cheap. I know what I get and pay what it costs. This is a real custom shop bass, not just a bass called custom shop. Noone else gets a similar one. It is made for my head, hands and heart. Think like this: closer to Fodera than Fender... My philosophy is: A good price is what makes the buyer and seller satisfied. Edited August 30, 2021 by bassmayhem 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chaypup Posted August 30, 2021 Share Posted August 30, 2021 1 hour ago, bassmayhem said: What I paid is an affair between Unicorn and me, but let us say like this: stellar material and craftsmanship ain't cheap. I know what I get and pay what it costs. This is a real custom shop bass, not just a bass called custom shop. Noone else gets a similar one. It is made for my head, hands and heart. Think like this: closer to Fodera than Fender... My philosophy is: A good price is what makes the buyer and seller satisfied. Thank you! I've never played one but they look amazing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OliverBlackman Posted August 30, 2021 Share Posted August 30, 2021 1 hour ago, bassmayhem said: What I paid is an affair between Unicorn and me, but let us say like this: stellar material and craftsmanship ain't cheap. I know what I get and pay what it costs. This is a real custom shop bass, not just a bass called custom shop. Noone else gets a similar one. It is made for my head, hands and heart. Think like this: closer to Fodera than Fender... My philosophy is: A good price is what makes the buyer and seller satisfied. Fodera money then too 😂 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bassmayhem Posted September 13, 2021 Author Share Posted September 13, 2021 Ooops! All of a sudden I have TWO Unicorns on the way... A friend sells his four string Artist (the one in the first picture is an Artist model) since he only plays five strings or more. When the deal is closed I put up some stunning pic's of that bass... 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bassmayhem Posted September 14, 2021 Author Share Posted September 14, 2021 (edited) Here is my SECOND Unicorn, but I got it first. This one is a four string Artist model with a lot of custom options to my liking. A friend ordered it, but found that he only uses five string basses any way. To good to let pass, so I grabbed it. Three pickups in wooden shells: two J-pickups and one P-pickup. Switchable only J, only P and all at once. Balance on J-pickups, active/passive. It sure looks fast... Now just wait for my "own" five string to turn from a pile of wood into a bass... Edited September 14, 2021 by bassmayhem 10 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jus Lukin Posted September 14, 2021 Share Posted September 14, 2021 (edited) - Edited March 15, 2022 by Jus Lukin Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cosmo Valdemar Posted September 14, 2021 Share Posted September 14, 2021 Nice! Jaydee-esque. 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bassmayhem Posted September 15, 2021 Author Share Posted September 15, 2021 One more teaser... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bassmayhem Posted September 17, 2021 Author Share Posted September 17, 2021 Well, now the Flamboyant Four has moved in... It is truly a magnificent instrument. The neck on this one is somewhat slimmer than on my custom ordered five string in making, just 19 mm thick at the zero fret. Wide and kind of flat-ish neck profile, reminiscent of an older 60's P-bass. The neck is super stable, though it has no carbon rods. Unicorn never uses these. The select wood is orientated and glued for maximum strength. The neck is dead straight, the bass plays very well intonated in every position all the way up to the 24th fret. Playing chords in tune all the way up is a thing not all basses can manage. The electronics are another thing... The pickup mini switch in up position makes "Precision Bass only", down position makes "All Jazz Bass" with pickup blend. Switch in center position activates "both basses mode" simultaneously. You can use all three pickups, or pan to neck J + P or bridge J + P. A lot of tones so far. The four band EQ is stellar. Four fixed bands: low - low mid - high mid - treble. Also an active/passive switch when pulling up the volume control. Unfortunately no passive tone. The last switch is something I've never considered an option: a kill switch. But - the original owner wanted one. I'll have a chat with Christian Olsson at Unicorn if it is possible to swap that switch for a passive tone control. The pickups themselves are built into very nice sculpted wooden covers made from the same woods you find in the neck, body and fingerboard. This is the only "bling" I ordered for my all passive five string bass. Really nice touch compared to plastic... The lacquer is fantastic. It is hard to make its pearl orange gloss right in a photo from a mobile phone. Just like that. If I say this lacquer feels like $1000 I won't lie... The scale then! This bass is a 32" medium scale instrument, something I've never owned before, and hardly never played. My Dingwall Super P and Super J starts off with a 32" G-string, that's the closest I've come. To be honest, hadn't I known I wouldn't have noticed. I tried a 32" five string at Unicorn's work shop, but that wasn't my cup of tea. But - a four string works very good and feels right in my hands. A very fine bass indeed! Now I just have to wait for my five string "Espresso Bass"... 6 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cosmo Valdemar Posted September 17, 2021 Share Posted September 17, 2021 21 minutes ago, bassmayhem said: Well, now the Flamboyant Four has moved in... It is truly a magnificent instrument. The neck on this one is somewhat slimmer than on my custom ordered five string in making, just 19 mm thick at the zero fret. Wide and kind of flat-ish neck profile, reminiscent of an older 60's P-bass. The neck is super stable, though it has no carbon rods. Unicorn never uses these. The select wood is orientated and glued for maximum strength. The neck is dead straight, the bass plays very well intonated in every position all the way up to the 24th fret. Playing chords in tune all the way up is a thing not all basses can manage. The electronics are another thing... The pickup mini switch in up position makes "Precision Bass only", down position makes "All Jazz Bass" with pickup blend. Switch in center position activates "both basses mode" simultaneously. You can use all three pickups, or pan to neck J + P or bridge J + P. A lot of tones so far. The four band EQ is stellar. Four fixed bands: low - low mid - high mid - treble. Also an active/passive switch when pulling up the volume control. Unfortunately no passive tone. The last switch is something I've never considered an option: a kill switch. But - the original owner wanted one. I'll have a chat with Christian Olsson at Unicorn if it is possible to swap that switch for a passive tone control. The pickups themselves are built into very nice sculpted wooden covers made from the same woods you find in the neck, body and fingerboard. This is the only "bling" I ordered for my all passive five string bass. Really nice touch compared to plastic... The lacquer is fantastic. It is hard to make its pearl orange gloss right in a photo from a mobile phone. Just like that. If I say this lacquer feels like $1000 I won't lie... The scale then! This bass is a 32" medium scale instrument, something I've never owned before, and hardly never played. My Dingwall Super P and Super J starts off with a 32" G-string, that's the closest I've come. To be honest, hadn't I known I wouldn't have noticed. I tried a 32" five string at Unicorn's work shop, but that wasn't my cup of tea. But - a four string works very good and feels right in my hands. A very fine bass indeed! Now I just have to wait for my five string "Espresso Bass"... Look at that! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ezbass Posted September 17, 2021 Share Posted September 17, 2021 On 14/09/2021 at 20:36, Cosmo Valdemar said: Nice! Jaydee-esque. That’s what I thought. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bassmayhem Posted September 17, 2021 Author Share Posted September 17, 2021 56 minutes ago, ezbass said: That’s what I thought. Well, Christian is a big fan of Mark King, so some kind of imprint may be traceable... My impression is that the old Jaydee were a bit... chunkier. Kind of. Anyway, as bass is a bass is a bass. 99 % of them look like something that fell off a truck coming out of Fullerton... 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cosmo Valdemar Posted September 17, 2021 Share Posted September 17, 2021 4 minutes ago, bassmayhem said: Well, Christian is a big fan of Mark King, so some kind of imprint may be traceable... My impression is that the old Jaydee were a bit... chunkier. Kind of. Anyway, as bass is a bass is a bass. 99 % of them look like something that fell off a truck coming out of Fullerton... I didn't mean any disrespect, I think it's beautiful! 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris2112 Posted September 17, 2021 Share Posted September 17, 2021 That is awesome. Enjoy your new bass and the custom that you have on the way! BTW I remember back when Unicorn gave Mark King his bass, and then seeing it on the wall in his studio in the intervening years. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bassmayhem Posted September 17, 2021 Author Share Posted September 17, 2021 28 minutes ago, Cosmo Valdemar said: I didn't mean any disrespect, I think it's beautiful! I didn't think you meant that. I can see som DNA too, but the Unicorn is more... delicate, if you get my point. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ezbass Posted September 17, 2021 Share Posted September 17, 2021 42 minutes ago, Cosmo Valdemar said: I didn't mean any disrespect, I think it's beautiful! Likewise. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Reissueplayer Posted September 18, 2021 Share Posted September 18, 2021 It’s nice to see these getting some attention. I have had three Unicorn basses, a five string Artist, the sister bass of the Mark King bass and an Ozellman four string passive (which I still have and play). The necks have purpleheart wood in them, which makes them incredibly stable, without carbon fibre reinforcement. The attention to detail in the builds is staggering. I think they look the best with two humbuckers. The Artist five string was a 32 inch scale, but the B-string was stable and defined, probably better than other 5s I’ve tried. The scale/tension relationship you expect, doesn’t apply here. Also, the action can get ridiculously low on these, which makes them feel responsive and have a fast attack. I’m keeping my Ozellman. For some reason it plays and sounds exactly right on recordings. I would encorage anyone to check them out. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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