Price Drop £950 Andyjr1515 Swift 4-string Fretless - 34" scale; Bubinga-body; Through-neck; SD P/ups & EQ - *WITHDRAWN* £1100 Derby - no courier but will travel!

[Andyjr1515]

Those who frequent the Build Diaries section will be familiar with the builds and mods I've done for fellow band members, fellow Basschat members and, as with this one, for myself.  Yes, it's a self-built - but bass-wise, I have been pleased to have been awarded the 'No Treble' Bass of the Week five times over the past few years.  Some of the instruments I have built over the years can be seen on my website www.ajrguitarmods.co.uk  

 

And those who have been to some of the more recent Bassbashes may well have seen this very bass, the: "SWAPAAWTBBWADS" bass (Same Woods And Proportions As A Warwick Thumb Bass But, Wisely, A Different Shape).

 

Spec is:

34" Scale through-neck

4-string

Solid Bubinga body

Mahogany/Wenge  3-part neck

Black ebony fretboard

Luminlay side markers (1/3/5/etc., at fret positions)

Seymour Duncan SJB-2 pickups (passive)

Seymour Duncan STC-2 2-band EQ

Warwick bridge, stop-tail, tuners and Just-a-nut Mk3

Fitted with D'Addario Chromes

Schaller strap buttons (others can be fitted on request)

8lbs 7oz playing weight

 

Background is that I built a tribute Jack Bruce Thumb-ish for our band's bassist (which he still plays) but l ended up playing it myself that often that he suggested I build one of my own.  Not wanting to head down a plagiarism route, I made one with the same key dimensions and timbers as the Thumb (although lighter than most I have played) but a different body and headstock shape.

 

There is a build thread on the forum - it's missing some emojis from the various forum format changes but has pretty much all of my original build photos on it if anyone is interested:

 

 

Why am I selling it?  Well, the hand arthritis has got me to the stage where my bass and guitaring days are basically over.  The bass sits in a gig bag in a cupboard which is not what basses are made for...

 

Here are a few shots of it.  Those with a black background are from when it was first made, those with standard room backgrounds were taken this morning.  It is in 'as built' condition:

 

 

 

 

 

 

***Someone asked me to add a close up photo of the body now rather than when it was built.  It's here:

 

 

 

 

 

 

I'm open to offers - my main priority is getting this to someone who's going to play it.  I won't use couriers but more than happy to meet halfway up to 100 mile radius from Derby.

 

 

  

 

 

 

Edited January 20, 2023 by Andyjr1515
Added recent photo

[MungoBass]

Stunning. I have so much respect and admiration for people that have the skill to build such a bass. Wonderful.

Edited December 31, 2022 by MungoBass

[SamIAm]

Gorgeous work as ever @Andyjr1515 ... so incredibly sorry to hear about your hand <virtual hug>.

I hope that someone passionate and deserving snaps this up! (Sadly it's too long and a string short for me else I'd fight for it!)

S'manth x

[TheGreek]

No disrespect to  @Andyjr1515's photography skills but photos do not do this bass justice. 

 

It is the bass that inspired me to commission both the Silk bass and the Psilos bass. I'd like to think that they, in turn, inspired others to have Andy build them instruments. 

 

Andy's abilities have become a thing of legend for good reason - we, his clients, have set him some serious challenges, he's exceeded my expectations on all four of the projects I've set him.

 

Needless to say,  whoever buys this will be more than happy with it. If not, I'm sure that Andy can make whatever mods they desire. 

 

GLWTS. 

 

[Oldman]

Man, that is epitome of design as close as it gets. I sold my ‘89Thumb Fretless, would love another, this would fit the bill, ahhhh. Dreeeam dreeeam dreeeam

[Andyjr1515]

35 minutes ago, Oldman said:

Man, that is epitome of design as close as it gets. I sold my ‘89Thumb Fretless, would love another, this would fit the bill, ahhhh. Dreeeam dreeeam dreeeam

Well, Leicester isn't far away...you could always pop over and try it out  .   As the little known poet Albert Thring once said, 'Dreaming is just ethe-re-al     Buying is where it all-gets-real'   - which has nothing whatsoever to do with basses, but it does go some way to explain why Albert Thring never made it as a poet...   

 

Drop me a PM if you want to pop over - you would be very welcome.

[Oldman]

Well, nice thought, I’m playing a 5 string, 35” scale Sandberg Dark Jazz style . As much as I would love to……… I have to be captain sensible here 🤔

[Andyjr1515]

42 minutes ago, Oldman said:

Well, nice thought, I’m playing a 5 string, 35” scale Sandberg Dark Jazz style . As much as I would love to……… I have to be captain sensible here 🤔

No problem at all 

[Simon C]

I think I played this one at the SE Bass Bash.  If it is the same one, it looks cool and plays really nicely.

[Andyjr1515]

9 hours ago, Simon C said:

I think I played this one at the SE Bass Bash.  If it is the same one, it looks cool and plays really nicely.

Yes - that's the kiddie, Simon.  Thanks!

 

And it's actually better playing now than it was then.  

 

For the bash, I'd only just got it back from a pro-musician friend that I occasionally make and/or lend guitars and basses to and he'd experimented with the great feature of the Warwick bridge where the high-mass base carrying the saddle blocks is actually two part. The top half of the base that carries the saddles is fully adjustable in height and side/side/front/back tilt.  I'm pretty sure he'd raised the action using this feature to use it as a bowed instrument - bit like a cello. 

 

Since the bash, I've brought it back to full 'normal bass player' spec with a pleasingly low and slick action and plenty of mwaah.  The great thing is that, for players who aren't looking for that mwaah, you can raise the whole block easily without having to lift the saddles onto stilts.  It's an largely unsung feature of the Warwick system...

 

[Andyjr1515]

I've dropped the price to £950.  Still negotiable - but not quite as negotiable as it was before