kumimajava Posted February 17, 2017 Share Posted February 17, 2017 (edited) Not quite an NBD, since the bass has been with me for a month or so, but due to work and general busyness, only got my lazy bones to post something now. A bit of a bittersweet story with this one I bought my first bass back in November, second-hand from Ishibashi (Warwick thumb). Sadly, there were some issues with the neck on the Thumb, so back it went for a service. Prior to taking the Warwick back, I also bought a cheap 5-string Aria Pro, to see how a fiver would feel, and also to have something to practice on while the Warwick was away. Turns out 5 strings felt quite natural... So, on my way home from taking the Warwick back, I dropped by the main branch of Ishibashi, and saw this thing on a rack. [attachment=238317:16129213_10157916323260315_645071499_o.jpg] The all-wenge body looked great, but boy is it heavy. This older Pangton shape is fatter & more bulbous than the current one - that really is a LOT of wenge! Sat down with it for a quick and incompetent fumble across the fretboard - and the shape actually feels thoroughly comfy. The neck is rather flat, but also somewhat asymmetric. The fret-ends finish a about half a mm before the edge of the fingerboard, and are completely rounded. Haven't seen this before, but the feel is excellent - no fret-bite (is that a word?) at all. So home it came, and now I'm trying to tame it a bit. The 35.5" scale length feels a bit of a stretch compared to the 34" i'd had before, but I'm sure I'll get it to behave eventually. Still a complete beginner here, so hard to say why, but despite the longer scale-lenght and heavier weight, it feels a lot easier to play than the Aria. Same string spacing, etc, and trying the same patterns/exercises, everything comes out cleaner on the LeFay. Electronics-wise, two humbuckers, and a volume-volume-filter (?) setup. The little red light comes on when it's plugged in. Nothing fancy, but sounds good to me so far. [attachment=238318:16121896_10157916323295315_1098289789_o.jpg] The serial number is in the 20s, which makes it one of the very early models (1992/3 ish?). I've emailed Rainer at LeFay for more info, but haven't heard back yet. Not sure what else to say - as always, and NBD is a happy day Edited February 17, 2017 by kumimajava Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kiwi Posted February 17, 2017 Share Posted February 17, 2017 I love the look of these basses but could never get on with how so much wenge makes the bass feel dead in my hands. Came so close to owning one on a number of occasions. Nice score though - hope you enjoy it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kumimajava Posted February 18, 2017 Author Share Posted February 18, 2017 Thanks Am thoroughly enjoying it so far. Will be fun to compare with a lighter-bodied one, if i ever come across a newer one . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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