Custom Fretless Omega on Reverb

[edwardofhuncote]

One built after my heart here... 😍

https://reverb.com/item/77282861

Not a lot of detail about it in the ad, but from what I can see, I'll say this one is a set-neck construction... maple w/walnut pinstripes. Body's mahogany and there's a maple accent laminate, but what the top is... mmmmm... that could pass for a couple species, but I'll guess Ziricote. Satin finish, but not oil I don't think. Signature electronics, probably. Guessing long-scale, but it might even be extra-long. I see there's a straplock button on the back of the headstock, presumably to counter the balance issue. And a bonus logo back there too!

Nice bass. There was a time I'd have been really twitchy over this one.

[BeenDown139]

yeah, saw that.  interesting, but i'm stocked up on fretlessessess.  fingerboard looks pretty beat from having roundwounds on it.  no LEDs.  duct tape holding the case together. not sure i'd want a non-neck-thru fretless anyhoo. for something with anneversary electronics in it, not a bad price.  if it were stereo, that would be great.  elsewise,  meh.

[pauldo]

It looks nice.  Fingerboard wear could provide wiggle room during the haggling phase.   Gorilla tape to secure the case latches during transport?

[BeenDown139]

Fingerboard wear could provide wiggle room during the haggling phase

hadda little time to kill, took a closer look.  that fingerboard looks sorely neglected and abused.  i get why some people put roundwounds on fretlessesses.  i won't do it, myself. if i need twang, i'll pull out a fretted bass..  they'll definitely wreck a fingerboard over time.  judging by the wear on the neck pickup and the way the fingerboard is washboarded all the way to the truss rod cover, i'd say it belonged to a slapper.   pretty sure i'd want a luthier to take a look at it before going any further.  i've found that fretless fingerboards need a little more care and attention than their fretted cousins.  doesn't look like this one got either.  pass.

[edwardofhuncote]

Eye of the beholder, I guess.    I agree they're a little bit high on the price, but we're still in cyber silly-season.

I see a bass that needs a clean-up, set-up, and some TLC. The roadcase is a non-issue. I'd just as soon they not even send me that thing. I've already got one I didn't want in a deal. (which reminds me, I need to finish relining that old thing...) But the bass looks fine to me for the most part. Dressing that fingerboard up amounts to an hour or so with a radiused sanding block and a couple grits of sandpaper, followed by fine polishing and finishing wax. That thing could have a mirror gloss in short order. I've seen fingerboards with grooves you could roll marbles down.

I'm good on slicks too. But man, she's a sweetie. I'm gonna' keep on until I talk myself into it.   


Dear Santa, have you left yet...? 🎅

[fivestringdan]

good looking bass. I agree about the condition. Top looks like paduk or bubinga. Would be a nice fretless after a little work.

[BeenDown139]

looks like somebody got a fretless xmas gift.  be interesting to hear the post-mortem

[edwardofhuncote]

Same seller had a Spoiler 5 that also sold... also in a roadcase. FWIW, they never responded to my query about the scale length of this one, or how the side-markers were laid out. Just as well I didn't know.

[hammer]

As an alternative to the fretless I talked to you (Greg) about building that would have been nice. The reason I wasn’t interested has to do with the body type and the difficulties I experience playing the full size standard body in a seated position (which is how I do it except at practices and gigs). That body type is fine when I’m standing but just doesn’t sit well on my knees and lap when in a sitting position. It’s both the shape and size.

[edwardofhuncote]

I will admit, my Custom fretless is much more enjoyable when played while standing. I can (and often have) played it in the house seated in one of my straight-back chairs, but it really it much better suited to live performances. Something about that bass over my shoulder standing in front of a rig just works. If there was just one little thing that I could change, I would have had it built with a 5-pin jack. I couldn't possibly have known that at the time...

Anyway, if this one had been a medium-scale, I might've had a situation. It would have made a nice Winter project. (like I need another one...) If nothing else, it serves as a reminder that I need to get back on to the Hyak. I've been spending a lot of windshield time thinking about how to address its issues.

[jazzyvee]

If my chance to have my custom Spectrum built reappears, it will have the 5 pin as well as jack.

[BeenDown139]

it will have the 5 pin as well as jack.

i currently have 4 (maybe soon to be 5) alembics and 3 different output jack configurations - 5 pin stereo only on the SII, stereo 1/4" TRS on the A-bass and mono 1/4" on hte other 2.  i've had to build a patch box to route the stereo basses in stereo to 2 amps for stereo, parallel everything for mono.  it's not something i'd wanna take on the road if i was gonna take along more than just one bass.
it's gotten to the point where i'm thinking of getting a 5-pin receptacle for the A-bass, having a local luthier expand the 1/4" jack hole and then i'll rewire the thing for stereo only and probably power at least the neck LEDs externally.  it's a series II body anyway, it's already setup for 5-pin.  one of the instrunebts i'm considering has 1/4" TRS stereo output.  is it sacrilige to call that rick-o-sound around here?

i thought about making an in-line stereo TRS to 5-pin dongle for the A-bass.  kinda kludgy.  if you've got a mix of 5-pin and 1/4" basses and ya swap them out between performances, i'd be interested to see how you've got your rig set up to accomidate that.