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Boden Copy, with many detailed upgrades *pricedrop* - *SOLD*
£425
Rochester

BaggyMan

By BaggyMan,
in Basses For Sale

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BaggyMan Experienced

BaggyMan

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PRICE DROP

 

£375

 

 

This my dear basschatters is a copy of a boden.  Inevitably it originated in China but I have put many hours into improving what was a bass with 'good bones' to this.  The fan frets aren't quite as agressive as my dingwall  (34.75" down to 33")  but really effective.

The fit and finish on the neck and body is excellent, the mild quilting on the top is very classy, with the main body in ash, the 5 piece laminate neck is faceted.  Balance on the strap is excellent (who would have guessed...no neck dive..lol)

But..  the electronics on the original...not good at all.

So...

  • I have replaced the pickups with Guypers nordstrand-a-like humbuckers
  • I have upgraded the pre amp to a john east and series/paralleled the pickups as well.
  • I have nitro refinished the neck, adding some rounding to the board edge for a more comfortable playing experience.
  • I machined out the B locking block to accept 130 gauge strings.
  • Copper lined the control cavity.
  • Mild fret dress

 

What you have here now is a neat, powerful bass.  The Neck is quirky but actually a pleasant and easy in the hand. The fan frets give a decently even string tension and response.  The nitro finish isnt sticky and feels great.

Overall these chinese copies can have 'great bones' or just be plain horrible.  This one is very nice, good neck to body joint, the woods used are good quality, hardware is ok.   The refinish on the neck was a game changer, the switching gives a good variety of voices to the bass.  I like it a lot and have gigged it a number of times and it always generates favorable comment. But the time to clear a few basses has come (check my others i have for sale)

 

The Ford sticker is easily removed.

 

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WhatsAppImage2024-07-16at10_38.57_d3d6a78c.thumb.jpg.367032df0a5af25ac4198886b3e3dedc.jpg

Edited by BaggyMan
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BaggyMan Experienced

BaggyMan

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1 hour ago, Roadybus said:

...the neck is 'twisted' as it is originally?

The neck is unique for sure. It's effectively three sided. Not so much twisted as tge facets change along the neck. I'll try and photograph it..

 

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BaggyMan Experienced

BaggyMan

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15 hours ago, lemmywinks said:

What are those Guyker Nordstrand style pickups like? Seen them a few times and wondered how they compare to Big Singles/Splits.

They are good for the money and capabble and way better than the stock originals.  Obviously not going to touch the nordstrand at three times the price but good pickups all the same.  I have found the Guyker stuff in general to be good.

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lemmywinks

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15 minutes ago, BaggyMan said:

They are good for the money and capabble and way better than the stock originals.  Obviously not going to touch the nordstrand at three times the price but good pickups all the same.  I have found the Guyker stuff in general to be good.

 

Nice one thanks, I keep looking at AE headless basses for a backup (roughly once every few weeks, have about 20 of 'em wishlisted!) as they seem to be amazing value but the odd horror story puts me off.

 

Agree about Guyker, had various bits of hardware and they're decent quality.

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BaggyMan

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2 hours ago, lemmywinks said:

 

Nice one thanks, I keep looking at AE headless basses for a backup (roughly once every few weeks, have about 20 of 'em wishlisted!) as they seem to be amazing value but the odd horror story puts me off.

 

Agree about Guyker, had various bits of hardware and they're decent quality.

@lemmywinks I have bought a few AE basses and not had a horror yet, just dont expect the electtronics to be of any real use.  I have enjoyed brining this up to a decent level.  The base builds however are usually very nice, if a little too glossy on occasion (as in dipped in treacle level of glossy).  This one ranges from 300 to 450 from what i have seen.  I have priced this one based on the pre amp (£150+) and pickups the rework (especially the neck) and extra functions.  Tbh when i got the bass in the first place it wasnt gig quality the stock pickups were all over the place in volume output and b string gauges over 110 didnt  fit.  Now this one certainly is.

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lemmywinks Grand Master

lemmywinks

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1 minute ago, BaggyMan said:

@lemmywinks I have bought a few AE basses and not had a horror yet, just dont expect the electtronics to be of any real use.  I have enjoyed brining this up to a decent level.  The base builds however are usually very nice, if a little too glossy on occasion (as in dipped in treacle level of glossy).  This one ranges from 300 to 450 from what i have seen.  I have priced this one based on the pre amp (£150+) and pickups the rework (especially the neck) and extra functions.  Tbh when i got the bass in the first place it wasnt gig quality the stock pickups were all over the place in volume output and b string gauges over 110 didnt  fit.  Now this one certainly is.

 

I was mainly put off last year when there wasn't many options for 5 string headless basses with a semi-regular body shape, the one company that did one was Mountain (although they had a few store names) so I watched a video review of one of their guitars. Lovely looking thing, like genuinely stunning but the neck wasn't profiled properly on the 2nd octave and the truss rod access hole at the end of the mini headstock was misaligned. So even as just a shell it needed defretting, the board profiling, a refret and the access hole plugging and redrilling! My mate also ordered a Chibson which has a bump in the fretboard, again not profiled properly.

 

Yours does look great though, I've just put a Uni Pre in a cheap bass with Wilkinsons which sounds phenomenal and made me want one in every bass.

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BaggyMan Experienced

BaggyMan

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On 16/07/2024 at 22:48, BaggyMan said:

The neck is unique for sure. It's effectively three sided. Not so much twisted as tge facets change along the neck. I'll try and photograph it..

 

Yes

 

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  • BaggyMan changed the title to Boden Copy, with many detailed upgrades *SOLD*
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