Bootlegger Basses

[RAY AGAINST THE MACHINE]

…anyone tried one ??

 

I’m considering getting a 5 string headless . If I was a gigging bassist   I’d go for something like a status , or something in a higher price bracket . But, I’m not . 
I considered a Steinberger spirit , but the reviews are mixed . Thought about Ibanez , but not too blown away tbh. Considered a  cort  artisan space 5 , and the necks on them and Ibanez seem to be more or less the same ..Made In Indonesia. A trend imho . 

I contacted Chuck Wilson , the main man of Bootlegger guitars . Nice chap, who responded swiftly to my email.The colour I wanted ( wine red ) is on back order ,but will be 25% more . 
Regarding price to purchase one  including shipping works out around £865 approx . That is without customs costs etc

Chuck did say that people from the uk purchased without incurring customs charges, but obviously it isn’t guaranteed I’ll escape customs charges .

 

Normally a 4 stringer when I’m bothered these days . I was wondering maybe if I’m better off just getting my Warwick set up as B-E-A-D  instead 🤔

some say G strings are mainly for strippers anyway . ..
 

[HeadlessBassist]

Hehe, many received opinions there 🤔

 

The Cort Artisan Space 5 is a lovely bass. I've had one and now have the four string version. Highly recommended for the money. The Ibanez models are a lot more spenny and never sound as good to my ears.

 

Which Bootlegger are you looking at? The nice looking 'Absinthe' or the oddly shaped 'Ace' which looks like a spade (or some other digging implement) to my eyes. Have you heard these basses being played/know what the neck profiles are like? I must admit, I've never heard of the company before.

 

Just had a listen to the Low End Lobster review and that neck pickup looks to be too close to the end of the neck - you're going to get a Gibson-esque tone (if that's what you want  )

 

 

 

[RAY AGAINST THE MACHINE]

Thanks @HeadlessBassist😸

 

I saw the lobster review ( very positive ), and a few you tube clips . Plus a review from a uk bass magazine . 
 

All reviews are positive from what I’ve seen . 
 

I have ( and have had) headless basses .  The Washburn status is a powerful beast . The jack Daniels bass  feels like a hohner which I used to have , and the  custom fretless I purchased from my bass is similar to a kubicki/ bootlegger bass. I couldn’t get on with the feel of the full bodied Steinberger xm2 I had , but the sound was awesome ! That’s now gone .

 

Regarding sound , not sure what I want . This is because I just use a bass I decide to pick-up , and plug into mixer to record rubbish on SoundCloud . Sometimes with effects , sometimes just straight bass .

Regarding which bootlegger model ..it’d be the long scale one .

The idea I have is to ( maybe) get a comfy 5 string to finish off my collection. I prefer headless , due to space and less faffing around ..

Edited July 24 by RAY AGAINST THE MACHINE

[HeadlessBassist]

I think I've played most of them by now - I've been a Status player for about 35 years - currently have an S2-Classic I've had since new in 2007, the penultimate KingBass Mk-II and a late model Stealth 2.

 

I've had the Hohner Jack professional, many more Status basses, a Westone Rail Bass, and more recently one of those HILS Next headless 5's. That was a very potent and punchy thing for the money, but out of all of them, on a budget the Cort Space 5 is the one to beat for playability, lovely clean sound and phenomenal value for money. 😎👍

[RAY AGAINST THE MACHINE]

37 minutes ago, HeadlessBassist said:

 

 

 

37 minutes ago, HeadlessBassist said:

Edited July 24 by RAY AGAINST THE MACHINE

[RAY AGAINST THE MACHINE]

37 minutes ago, HeadlessBassist said:

I think I've played most of them by now - I've been a Status player for about 35 years - currently have an S2-Classic I've had since new in 2007, the penultimate KingBass Mk-II and a late model Stealth 2.

 

I've had the Hohner Jack professional, many more Status basses, a Westone Rail Bass, and more recently one of those HILS Next headless 5's. That was a very potent and punchy thing for the money, but out of all of them, on a budget the Cort Space 5 is the one to beat for playability, lovely clean sound and phenomenal value for money. 😎👍

Great to see you live up to your name .😺Jealous about the status s2 classic . I may track one down one day ..

There is a cort space bass for sale on here .  If it’s still here after the weekend , I may take the plunge .🤔

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[HeadlessBassist]

41 minutes ago, RAY AGAINST THE MACHINE said:

Great to see you live up to your name .😺Jealous about the status s2 classic . I may track one down one day ..

There is a cort space bass for sale on here .  If it’s still here after the weekend , I may take the plunge .🤔

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Better be quick with the S2 - the prices are heading into the stratosphere at the moment...

 

If you miss it, my mate in Manchester has one for sale, I think.

 

 

[tauzero]

4 hours ago, RAY AGAINST THE MACHINE said:

Great to see you live up to your name .😺Jealous about the status s2 classic . I may track one down one day ..

There is a cort space bass for sale on here .  If it’s still here after the weekend , I may take the plunge .🤔

 

After owning various headlesses for some time, it's still the Seis that I take out to gigs - the neck profiles on the Cort Space and Ibanez EHB are quite similar, both are D rather than C shaped and to me the most important aspect of a bass is the neck. You can bugger around with the electrics to get the sound you want (within the limitations of pickup placement) but you need to throw money at a luthier to get the neck profile changed. The Bootleggers intrigue me, especially the Ace as I prefer a neck-through to a bolt-on, especially for a 5-string.

[tauzero]

I had a look at the specs, specifically the neck measurements, and they seemed a bit odd - had to translate the measurements from quaint to proper, but the nut depth is given as 1.8mm (0.072") and the 12th fret depth is 28mm (1.1"). I suspect the decimal point got moved over for the nut depth, the 12th fret depth seems really thick. I've dropped them a message to ask about it.

[RAY AGAINST THE MACHINE]

On 25/07/2025 at 10:56, tauzero said:

I had a look at the specs, specifically the neck measurements, and they seemed a bit odd - had to translate the measurements from quaint to proper, but the nut depth is given as 1.8mm (0.072") and the 12th fret depth is 28mm (1.1"). I suspect the decimal point got moved over for the nut depth, the 12th fret depth seems really thick. I've dropped them a message to ask about it.

Did they get back to you ?

[tauzero]

On 30/07/2025 at 10:59, RAY AGAINST THE MACHINE said:

Did they get back to you ?

 

Said they'd remeasure. Website still says the same and I notice that the list page says it's tapered neck. The short scale tapered neck is thickness at nut 24mm and at 12th fret 30mm which sounds massive.

[roblpm]

On 24/07/2025 at 13:37, RAY AGAINST THE MACHINE said:

…anyone tried one ??

 

I’m considering getting a 5 string headless . If I was a gigging bassist   I’d go for something like a status , or something in a higher price bracket . But, I’m not . 
I considered a Steinberger spirit , but the reviews are mixed . Thought about Ibanez , but not too blown away tbh. Considered a  cort  artisan space 5 , and the necks on them and Ibanez seem to be more or less the same ..Made In Indonesia. A trend imho . 

I contacted Chuck Wilson , the main man of Bootlegger guitars . Nice chap, who responded swiftly to my email.The colour I wanted ( wine red ) is on back order ,but will be 25% more . 
Regarding price to purchase one  including shipping works out around £865 approx . That is without customs costs etc

Chuck did say that people from the uk purchased without incurring customs charges, but obviously it isn’t guaranteed I’ll escape customs charges .

 

Normally a 4 stringer when I’m bothered these days . I was wondering maybe if I’m better off just getting my Warwick set up as B-E-A-D  instead 🤔

some say G strings are mainly for strippers anyway . ..
 

I just put one in the shopping basket and it adds $300 shipping. I wonder if that includes the UK VAT at 20%. Did he say?? $799 for a short scale. So $300 for shipping alone seems quite a lot! Import duty itself is only 2% I think. 
 

[RAY AGAINST THE MACHINE]

10 hours ago, roblpm said:

I just put one in the shopping basket and it adds $300 shipping. I wonder if that includes the UK VAT at 20%. Did he say?? $799 for a short scale. So $300 for shipping alone seems quite a lot! Import duty itself is only 2% I think. 
 

From what I was told , it seems like a 50/50 chance of having to pay it. Tbh, I don’t understand fully the duties/ taxes etc . It’s different buying from the USA on eBay etc as the total is generally worked out  . Let us know if you proceed ..

[roblpm]

3 hours ago, RAY AGAINST THE MACHINE said:

From what I was told , it seems like a 50/50 chance of having to pay it. Tbh, I don’t understand fully the duties/ taxes etc . It’s different buying from the USA on eBay etc as the total is generally worked out  . Let us know if you proceed ..

I think some of the couriers include it. 
 

I think the normal tax situation is VAT plus import duties. 20% plus 2% (I think) in this case. So if it’s $300 shipping plus 22% on top it’s getting quite expensive!!