This is a really rare and very beautiful bass. I have often wondered what these basses are like in reality.
It still looks great now, but in 1979 this bass must have looked like something from Star Wars. I would think that spare parts might be a bit hard to source nowadays, though.
It would be interesting to know who this bass originally belonged to. A lot of these basses went to big name players. I know John Wetton had one, as did Lee Sklar. Also, I seem to remember that a left handed one was made and given as a gift to Paul McCartney.
I've owned one since the mid/late 80s, and have used it extensively live and recording. There really are few parts, and generally from Tom Lieber directly. The basses are probably some of the most neck-heavy made - it is impossible, with the strap on the provided pins, to play without holding up a significant weight. Waaay back when I got it, I crafted a three point strap, the third part going from the main strap, with a d-ring that goes around a tuner. Completely eliminates the problem, so I can tell you how it actually plays - which is terrific. It's a short scale, and super fun. Weirdly thin body - crazy thin. It's unlikely there's any mainstream instrument with a body as thin or light as this, which is a major reason for the neck dive.
A crisp tone with a fair amount of variation due to phase selection between the pickups. It has a characteristic of cutting through a mix with clarity, without needing to be cranked up. It sings nicely. I don't find it at all suitable for slap. But for most other uses, it's always a pleasure. But it won't do what some more modern basses can. For example, my EB MM 5 string does what those do, and the Spellbinder can't even approximate those tones.
The Spellbinder is hella fun to solo on for the tone and short scale. It will never produce Fender-like tones (which is just fine - why would you with this instrument?) - it has its own distinct character. It's so not for every player - maybe not for most - but it has something I haven't felt/heard in other basses, and I've been playing consistently for almost 50 years, and have been a serious collector, and gone through a lot of instruments.
Rarer than heck, Stanley Clarke "Spellbinder" at Bass Bros
in Bass Guitars
Posted
I've owned one since the mid/late 80s, and have used it extensively live and recording. There really are few parts, and generally from Tom Lieber directly. The basses are probably some of the most neck-heavy made - it is impossible, with the strap on the provided pins, to play without holding up a significant weight. Waaay back when I got it, I crafted a three point strap, the third part going from the main strap, with a d-ring that goes around a tuner. Completely eliminates the problem, so I can tell you how it actually plays - which is terrific. It's a short scale, and super fun. Weirdly thin body - crazy thin. It's unlikely there's any mainstream instrument with a body as thin or light as this, which is a major reason for the neck dive.
A crisp tone with a fair amount of variation due to phase selection between the pickups. It has a characteristic of cutting through a mix with clarity, without needing to be cranked up. It sings nicely. I don't find it at all suitable for slap. But for most other uses, it's always a pleasure. But it won't do what some more modern basses can. For example, my EB MM 5 string does what those do, and the Spellbinder can't even approximate those tones.
The Spellbinder is hella fun to solo on for the tone and short scale. It will never produce Fender-like tones (which is just fine - why would you with this instrument?) - it has its own distinct character. It's so not for every player - maybe not for most - but it has something I haven't felt/heard in other basses, and I've been playing consistently for almost 50 years, and have been a serious collector, and gone through a lot of instruments.