grayn Posted January 10, 2011 Share Posted January 10, 2011 Before I saw this bass, I was a confirmed 4-stringer. Never owned a fiver and had only played one, in a shop, a few years ago. It was a Lag. And on that bass, the strings had been too close together. Although it had been a very well made bass, there was no solidity, in the tone. The shop I was in, this time, is more known for acoustic and folk instruments, so I was very pleasantly surprised to see 2, high quality basses, this one and a Warwick 5-stringer. Both at much reduced, sale prices. Immediately I thought, “but I don’t want to play 5-string bass”. But the obvious quality of the instrument and it’s low price, meant I just had to pick it up. It is a weighty beast but not excessively so. It felt good in my hands but I had to acclimatise to the wider neck and the fact that the E-string was no longer at the bottom of my range. But it was a fun challenge and I was quickly falling for this bass. I always like to play any electric guitar/bass, acoustically first. Gives me a better feel for the instrument and it is easier to pick up any physical flaws too. The Overwater passed, with flying colours, so I put it through the shop’s rig, a Genz Benz combo, to see how it sounded, all amped up. Once the amp settings had been taken off distorted and put to flat(ish), the 5-stringer had a lovely rich sound. It was very nicely balanced, with a slightly throaty edge. Being quite different from my Fender P-Bass and in a most positive way. It didn’t take long to realise I really wanted this bass , do the deal, buy a stand and strap for it and head home, very pleased with myself. This English made, Overwater, is an, active, 5-string, J-Series Classic bass. It has a 35 inch scale, with a one piece, bolt-on (4) maple neck, and a rosewood fretboard. Not sure what the 46mm nut is made of, possibly graphite, possibly plastic? The body is 2 piece Tulipwood, finished in a sunburst, high gloss, with matching headstock and comes with a nice, off-white scratchplate. The two pickups (middle & bridge) are Kent Armstrong, stacked, single coils. The controls are Volume, Pan and a double/stacked knob, for cutting/boosting treble and bass. It has a Hipshot B style bridge, with 19mm string spacing and Hipshot tuners. The funny thing is that, when I first played the Overwater 5-string, I thought the neck was a handful. But after playing it exclusively for a few days and growing to love it’s feel and then going back to the 4-string. The 4-string felt all dinky and insubstantial. I guess I’m still in that honeymoon phase; you get with a new instrument. There is no denying the quality of this Overwater bass. Beautiful woods, beautifully crafted and fitted with solid, professional hardware. The 2 pickups and active eq controls, give an excellent range of tones. Powerful and solid, they can blend or penetrate, as you wish. It’s probably the heaviest bass I have owned but balances beautifully, with a strap. If I could change anything, I’d probably have an ebony fingerboard. The least attractive thing would probably be the headstock. The sunburst looks a lot better on the body, than on the head and I have to say, I think the Overwater logo just doesn’t look cool. But those are trivial things. The sheer presence of this bass, is a real knockout. Just holding it feels nice and when the notes sing out from my amp, I know I want to do it justice, with my playing. I’m hoping to spend a lot of time with this bass and perhaps even become a confirmed 5-stringer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
woodster Posted January 10, 2011 Share Posted January 10, 2011 Welcome to the OW family! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
grayn Posted January 12, 2011 Author Share Posted January 12, 2011 [quote name='woodster' post='1084802' date='Jan 10 2011, 08:34 PM']Welcome to the OW family![/quote] Thanks woodster I've been aware of Overwater for a long time but for some reson, had not played one before. Better late than never. I remember seeing a blues band, many years ago, called the HarpBreakers. Their bassist had 2 basses, one of which was an Overwater and I remember being seriously impressed by it's tone. I suppose I've been a Fender man, over more recent years, but I have to say, that to my eyes and ears, this is a big step up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
snorkie635 Posted April 3, 2012 Share Posted April 3, 2012 Beautiful instrument - would you accept my granny as a trade in? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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