bassmansam

43 minutes ago, Rik (ESA) said:

I've had the 215s, 535s, and UE6's.

 

In my opinion, the 215s were trash for anything beyond easy listening to Spotify and blocking out kids / dog noises.

 

The 535s were my first step into Iem's and I really liked them, and they are excellent for listening to music if you get the seal just right.

 

The UE6s though are miles above either of these, especially for live use. The bass is simply phenomenal, and it's probably subconscious, but they do give the illusion of "feeling" the kick and bass. Definitely worth stretching to / saving for those if that's a realistic option.

 

Good luck!

+1 on the UE6's!

I really didn't want to fork out for these and actually had some regret once I placed the order. Once they arrived I wish I had got them earlier.

It's just a different league with the custom fit. 

23 minutes ago, BigRedX said:

It depends what you want to do with multiple bass guitars. Do you need a back up or are you going to be playing different styles of music that require different basses?

 

I recently trimmed down my rather excessive "collection" of 50+ guitars and basses to just 6: Two Gus G3 5-string basses for one band I play in (one as the main bass and the other a spare). An Eastwood Hooky Pro 6, bass VI for the other band I play in with a Burns Barracuda as a back up (this will most likely be replaced by a second Eastwood or a Gus to the same spec depending on what I can afford). I also have two guitars for recording and if I ever decide to play guitar in a band again.

To be fair the AC Retro looks really cool. I just had a set back when Alan confirmed he doesn't do scatchplates anymore, as this is something I wanted. But they do look good without too and not exactly a deal breaker. 

I play in a function band so everything from 60s-present, though I never really alter my sound with the Overwater (other than effects) .. Both pickups on bass and tone boosted a bit. I guess I'm more into aesthetics and playability. 😳

1 hour ago, FDC484950 said:

It depends on what your tastes are, but personally I wouldn’t get two basses with basically the same config, style and sound. You’ll end up favouring one and the other will just gather dust. Maybe consider the ACG for its filter preamp as it will give you a genuinely different palette of sounds compared with the Overwater? If your heart is set on a J style bass, exhaust the off the peg options before going custom as there are plenty of choices out there.

That is a good point about favouring one over the other and that has crossed my mind. 🤔

57 minutes ago, BigRedX said:

To the OP, have you played any basses by the luthiers your are considering?

 

While you can't really tell what YOUR bass is going to be like until it is finished and in your hands, playing other basses from the same luthier will give you feel for their strengths and weakness compare with what you yourself want. I loved the looks of nearly all the Shuker basses I have seen, and was in conversation with Jon to make me something until I actually had the opportunity to play some of his other instruments. Unfortunately I couldn't get on with any of the ones I tried as regards playing and feel, but I did save myself from making a very expensive mistake.

To be on honest no - I haven't played a Shuker before. That said I'd never played an Overwater either and was extremely happy with my J5 when it arrived. 

What was it about Shuker's that didn't appeal to you? 

4 minutes ago, OliverBlackman said:

For those that want a British bass with fiery tone, the Anaconda basses are starting to get to me. The clips I’ve heard of the essence range sound incredible. 

Was looking at Essence range but unfortunately they're set to 21 frets/34 scale 🙁

2 hours ago, Dood said:

As a job, I've had the pleasure of most basses on the market at some point. Shuker's attention to detail is insane for the money. I've flipped a lot of basses over the years, but the Shuker's are still very much here and my go to basses. So much so, I can't wait to spec my next.

After speaking to both it seems that Shuker will suit my spec better. Particularly J Type. What model have opted for? 

29 minutes ago, Al Krow said:

Comes pretty close to a Spector Euro 5LX. Fabulous basses!

 

Apologies, that is a very off topic observation, but I couldn't help but notice the similarities! 

Lol I think you're right. Haven't played a Spector for a long time. Might be worth a re visit. Not sure on the EMGs though 

40 minutes ago, 4000 said:

This, absolutely, given the spec. 

Not heard of GB Spitfire. I'll check them out! 

12 minutes ago, BigRedX said:

I haven't actually owned basses by either luthier, but I have played lots of instruments by both, and unfortunately I have yet to play a Shuker that I liked in any way other than the looks.

 

Having said that I wouldn't buy a J-style bass from ACG either, because IMO that's not where their USP lies (for me it's the filter pre-amp and the individual coil pickups).

 

To the OP what exactly do you want? A "custom J type bass" cover a lot of variations from something that is essentially a Fender in all but the name on the headstock all the way to an instrument that only shares an approximate body and headstock design with a Fender Jazz.

So my wishlist would be... 

5 String Active 

Figured Top Wood

Figured Maple / Ebony fretboard

35 scale

24 frets

17.5mm spacing 

JJ/PJ Pups

Modern fiery sound & asthetics 

13 minutes ago, Woodinblack said:

 

He could look at Alphers too if he wanted to. If you start spreading the initial post it can get quite wide, but he did specifically ask about shukers and ACGs.

I definitely haven't ruled out Alpher... They look great. Just maybe out of budget

14 minutes ago, Muzz said:

Did you spec the Shuker, or buy it secondhand? I only ask because I had the opposite experience, but I spec my Shukers, and the ACG I had was secondhand, and clearly not my sorta bass...to be clear, I had exactly that from an Overwater, too*, but other people love them...

 

* I even emailed Chris and had a chat with him about making it less..polite, but it was a case of 'that's the way the bass is'...a great bass, clearly just a mismatch for me...

I received my custom J5 Contemporary this year. Build quality superb and certainly a firey beast in the mix but love it!  Different strokes I guess 🙂

Sold

Thank you for the info

I'm in the market for a 2nd custom J type Bass. 

Not a huge budget (around £2k-£2.5k) and was looking at AC Guitars and Shuker. I already own an Overwater J5 which is lovely but fancy something different for my 2nd build. 

Does anyone have any experience with both of these luthiers and could help detail some differences please? From what I've seen they're quite popular on Basschat. 

Thanks 

Pending... 

Tentatively putting up my Warwick Streamer Stage II for sale/trade. An absolutely stunning instrument and Warwicks best model imo. Condition overall is very good...Some slight fading on the gold and few minor dings. Nothing really noticeable.

In terms of trades I'm looking for a 5 string of equal value or more (no fenders please) Perhaps a Super Jazz/P Bass but all offers welcome. 

Bass was built in Germany 2004 (see attached photo confirmation) and I've upgraded the nut to the brass Just A Nut III...A nice improvement to the setup. 

Based In South Beds.

SPECS

- Neck-through-design

- Afzelia body

- Ovangkol neck

- Wenge fingerboard

- YinYang inlays

- Scale length: 34" (long scale)

- 24 frets

- Active MEC J/J pickups

- MEC 3-way electronics

- Warwick tuners

- 2-piece Warwick bridge

- Gold hardware

- Just-A-Nut III

- Weight 4.6kg

58 minutes ago, kevham said:

Beautiful. Saw it on FB the other day. I'm now hoping my OW is not too far from completion.

Ooo nice, what have you got coming? 

10 months later the bass has finally arrived...

Overwater J5 Contemporary 

Figured Maple Top

Ebony Fretboard 

Abalone Inlays

Black/Grey Burst - Comes out more purple in photos

Can't wait to plug it in later! 

First night gigging  with the UE6... 

They certainly didn't fail to impress.. 

They're extremely comfortable and there's no movement whatsoever on stage once they're in. Excellent seal and I barely noticed them in. I was using KZ ZS10 Pro before which used to slip out in my ear and move around a lot. 

In terms of sound the biggest difference I noticed coming from universal KZs is the clarity. I could hear every instrument perfectly and the seperation between everything was excellent. Bass was not overpowering or boomy and had just the right amount of low end. I panned both our lead vocals L/R and they sounded very crisp and clear. I was hearing parts of music on our tracks that I never even knew existed. 

All in all I'm very glad I made the move to customs and I'd highly recommend the UE6 to anyone wanting a superb sound. 

Thanks again for the recommendation 

 @EBS_freak

My UE6 Customs arrived this morning.

Extremely comfortable and great seal, the left is a bit fiddly and I have to stretch my ear for it to fit. Once it's in the fine so maybe I'll just live with it. 

Played along to some music at home and the clarity is excellent. Bass is very clear and not muddy in the slightest. 

I'll be testing them out at tonight's gig with the band but so far very impressed! 

Recently seen these basses online and they look very good value for money and sound great.

I'm just wondering how they stack up against other custom UK luthiers like Sei, Overwater, Shuker etc. 

I particularly like the look of the Ultra J - Essense Series. Any experience? 

https://www.anacondabasses.co.uk/Basses/ultra-j5---essence

Any recommendations on extension cables for live use please? 

Will spending extra on something like these be worth it to retain sound quality? 

I'll probably need 3m-4m... 

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Van-Damme-IEM-Extension-Lead-IN-EAR-MONITORING-Stereo-3-5mm-Headphone-Cable-/162372313321?mkcid=16&mkevt=1&_trksid=p2349624.m46890.l49286&mkrid=710-127635-2958-0

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Neutrik-3-5mm-Stereo-Jack-Headphone-Extension-Cable-PRO-Male-to-Female-TRS-Lead-/281829039560?mkcid=16&mkevt=1&_trksid=p2349624.m46890.l49286&mkrid=710-127635-2958-0

With custom IEM (UE6) Do you tend to use foam ear tips or are the ones supplied best for purpose? 

I switched to memory foam on my KZs and preferred it for better isolation. 

4 hours ago, jrixn1 said:

I'm very happy with my existing 732-A - always sounds great, and I've never run out of volume - so I wouldn't trade it in for a 932-A.  If my 732-A was stolen and needed replacing, then perhaps; 932-A is £200 and 1kg extra though.  The 732-A has been perfect for me.

Same. We use the 732As with 8003 II sub. Plenty of volume 🙂

What does everyone think of these?🙂

Maybe an upgrade from Art-7 Series