wavey_davey Posted May 27, 2010 Share Posted May 27, 2010 (edited) [b]Reviewer Background:[/b] 23 Years playing experience, Trace Elliot amps, Writing and Recording with Propellerheads Record DAW. [b]Purchased From:[/b] Tom Clement - www.clementbass.com/web [b]Price:[/b] GBP1,100.00 GBP [b]Features: 10/10[/b] Handcrafted in 2009/10 by Tom Clement, an independent Luthier out of Florida. 100% Custom, handmade with your choice of body woods, tops, electrics etc. This particular bass has the following specs: * 5 string 24 fretted Single piece Maple Neck * Macassar ebony Fingerboard * Zero Fret * 19mm string spacing * Hipshot Ultralight Tuners & Hipshot Bridge * Aguilar OBP3 - 9v, Passive Bypass switch, * 5 knob Vol/Blend/Treb/Mid/Bass eq. Mid boost switch * Twin Nordstrand NJ5S Jazz pickups - positioned close together, near the bridge and angled (think Warwick Thumb) * Swamp Ash Body * Spalted Maple Top with Black accent layer The neck is heavily carved, thinning towards the body and is very comfortable. The whole bass weighs in at under 8lbs, for a broadneck 5, this is superb. I can wear this all night with no back issues. Balance on the strap is perfect, no dive. As Tom builds true custom basses, you can specify pretty much whatever you want. [b]Action, Fit, & Finish: 9.5/10[/b] The setup was perfect. Even after traveling across the Atlantic, it arrived in tune! The action was how I specified. Tom asks all the right questions and will set your bass how you want. The finish is a satin polyurethane on the body and is flawless. The surface is smooth as glass. The accent layer adds to a very eye catching bass. Knob arrangement is up to you, though I would advise nothing too experimental. The neck is set into a contoured cavity, good an tight, no gaps, giving a real easy access to the upper areas of the fretboard. The shaping of the neck is a real winner. It almost pushes your hand in to the right position as you move up and down the bass. Separate battery compartment, so no need to open the grain matched electronic cover. But if you did, the whole thing is shielded and tidy. If I have to be really critical (and I mean REALLY) the electronics cover is not perfectly cut. No effect whatsoever on the bass. [b]Sound Quality: 10/10[/b] I deliberately opted for the Thumb style pickup arrangement for a tight B string and a good slap tone. I thought I might sacrifice a bit of versatility, but was amazed at the range of tones that are available. Running through a small Warwick Blue Cab 60 the sound is full and controlled. The B is super tight, no flap or buzz. Using my full Trace Rig, the bass becomes a monster of funk!! The OBP3 gives insane amounts of boost on the low frequencies, which for me is a good thing! The rest of the controls allow you to dial in a warm neck sound, or an attacking bridge with lots of growl. The zero fret makes the open notes resonate in the same way as a fretted note. I didn't really know how much that would help the sound, but I have to say, it works an absolute treat. The timbre from string to string is the same no matter if you're playing open or fretted. The sound balance throughout the fretboard is superb. No dead spots. On passive mode, the sound is still very full and well balanced. I would have liked a bit more tone control just to boost up the treble. I didn't specify any passive tone, so my bad. I rarely go passive so its not an issue Reliability/Durability: Only received the bass 4 months ago, but I have no doubt that this will be my go to bass for a very long time. The hardware is top quality, the finish is fantastic. It is incredibly light, so will be a pleasure to play on long gigs. [b]Ease of Use: 9.5/10[/b] The wide string spacing took a tiny amount of getting used to, otherwise its as easy to use as any Bass!! But I will mention the neck again, its amazing!! And really helped to adjust to the extra width. [b]Customer Support: 11/10 [/b] Tom is one in a million. He's always on hand for questions and comments. He regularly supplies picture of your bass as it is being built. If I could rate this category at 11 (oh wait - I can!!), then I would (so I did). Tom goes the extra mile. [b]Overall Rating: 10/10[/b] I have dreamed of owning a fully custom bass, and Tom Clement has made it a reality. All of the above, for a price that totally belies the quality of instrument you get. If you want to spend ££££'s on a custom bass with a 2+ year waiting list, that's your choice. If you want an amazing instrument for an amazing price, built how you want it, get in touch with Tom Clement, you will NOT regret it. [b]Value for Money: 11/10[/b] Sound clips can be found here... [url="http://soundcloud.com/wavey_davey/funk-on-177"]#177 Clip 1[/url] [url="http://soundcloud.com/wavey_davey/177-airy"]#177 Clip 2[/url] Video Review Here: [url="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-MhD7edbeVc"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-MhD7edbeVc[/url] Edited May 28, 2010 by wavey_davey Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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