2000 Fbass Bnf5
£2400/2,700 euro including standard insured shipping in the EU/UK.
(2016 direct price US $5,430 in this configuration - prior to VAT, etc)
Beautiful playing and sounding fretless F-bass. Pretty beautiful to look at, too. F-bass really does fretless basses right.
5 string, 34.5 inch scale, 10"-16" compound radius, 28 'frets'.
Ebony bridge/bone saddle (comes with a spare bone saddle blank) - currently a US $350 upcharge over the more conventional stock Hipshot A-style bridge (I had another Bnf5 with the Hipshot bridge and it is a considerable difference). 19mm spacing.
Very nice gloss nitro sunburst finish in good used shape - matching sunburst headstock - I have toured with the bass and it has some nicks and small scratches, etc - posting a lot of detail pictures so please be aware of this - not mint but very presentable (by my subjective standards, at least). Some of these could likely be buffed out but I have not done this. Very solid and with no damage, repairs or modifications. There are some roundwound marks on the fingerboard as is typical with use of rounds on an unfinished board. I don't believe it needs to be planed though a new owner may feel differently. Plays great with very easy action.
The woods are relatively plain by Fbass standards (alder - I believe - wings, maple centerblock and 3-piece laminate neck). Maple is not particularly figured. However, the Macassar ebony board looks spectacular. Personally, I like this more understated look - doesn't feel overdressed for a rock and roll gig...
African blackwood knobs and the signature Fbass 3-band boost only preamp. I've been using this passive and had the battery removed. I just installed a new battery and am reminded just how good this preamp actually is. All three bands seem ideally suited to bass, and fretless in particular.
Layout is vol, vol, tone, bass, mid, treble.
The passive tone roll-off knob can be pulled to bypass the preamp and the bridge pickup knob can be pulled to split both the otherwise hum-cancelling pickups.
Has original ebony thumbrest between the pickups (an $80 upcharge).
I've had two other Bnf-5 basses and this one was clearly my favorite of the three.
Also the marker layout on this is the best I've used for fretless - particularly in the upper register. While an individual preference, I far prefer it over full lines (both aesthetically but, more so, in terms of not disorienting intonation) and completely unmarked other than side dots.
I'm not sure of the weight - need to borrow a scale. Feels average. Not a feather-weight nor overly heavy.
Includes high quality, thick F-bass Levy's gigbag, the mentioned spare saddle blank, and 2 sets of of LaBella Super-Steps 45-128 (the original stock strings on Fbasses until they went to their own similar exposed-core house brand) The strings which are currently on it are quite old but I've liked the more mellow edge so have left them on for now.
Here are a couple recorded examples - a lot of whole notes but demonstrates the character - from a film soundtrack. These are passive without the preamp. Only coloration being an SIB Fatdrive for slight amp character and recorded directly into Logic (and some amp sim on the chorus sections of the second example)
[url="https://soundcloud.com/ludek-drizhal/walk-away-one-way-ticket-to?"]https://soundcloud.c...-way-ticket-to?[/url]
[url="https://soundcloud.com/ludek-drizhal/go-away-the-sixty-niners-vocal?"]https://soundcloud.c...y-niners-vocal?[/url]
The songs are intentionally derivative as the film was a period piece set in the late 1960s.
Many photos [url="http://s253.photobucket.com/user/dpdp/library/bnf5?"]here[/url]
I can email higher resolution photos if desired.
Located in western Poland - Wroclaw(aka Breslau)/Legnica - not far from Berlin (I am sometimes in Berlin so meeting there might be possible).
My [url="http://feedback.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewFeedback2&userid=mowg45&ftab=FeedbackAsSeller&searchInterval=30"]ebay feedback[/url]
Not looking for trades. Having a bass built and want to stick to the "one in, one out" thing - though if I get 'stuck' with it, it won't break my heart
Yes, it's a metallic paper that's glued on like wallpaper. It has a clear silver aspect to it. Then finished over. The burst is a pearl pink. On the originals from '68 the pink often ages to more of a gold with the lacquer yellowing.
And... SOLD! Thank you basschat and Grooveit (have fun grooving it!)
I believe that's an SBS pickup made by Jan Slapak. Really nice pickup in my opinion and each element is hum-canceling.