NBD - 5 String Thing!

[Bridgehouse]

I don’t buy a lot of basses.

 

In fact, I bought a CS Jazz some years back and haven’t bought a single thing since then. Mostly I’m happy with my lot. The Shuker gets a lot of play time - I mean, we’ve bonded me and that bass what with truss rod explosions and it being away at the hospital for a year…

 

Anyway, I digress. 
 

I find myself in need of a bass with some flexibility. I need tonal variety, and I decided I needed 5 strings. I mean, nobody needs 5 strings, but still..

 

Then I found this bass. And I bought it. Like with my money. And it wasn’t cheap either! 
 

It’s a Mayones Custom 5 eye top walnut thing with too many knobs, and pickups the size of a small country. But I flippin’ love it.

 

It’s got a 43mm nut and is a nice flat C profile. It’s light (for a 5’er) at 8lb 12oz. 
 

It has active/passive which means I can have a nice good old fashioned passive P, or a passive Stingray, or active versions and combinations of the above. The preamp is USB-C charged or 9v battery. The USB-C job is for a headphone amp built in. 
 

It’s got one of those bumpy resin-filled tops and a not smooth back, but the neck is rather smooth and lovely. 
 

I’ve stuck some Chromes on it and tweaked the setup and I have to say it’s one of the nicest playing or sounding fretted basses I’ve tried (can’t be upsetting the Shuker fretless or it might explode again).

 

Bought from Peach - because they had pretty much the exact configuration I wanted. Some of the photos are theirs - the last one is mine with it on the sofa in its new home. 

 

Fancy that. Me, and a New Bass. Crikey. 
 

 

Edited 20 hours ago by Bridgehouse

[Sté]

This bass is a gem ! Awesomeness. Congrats ! 

[velvetkevorkian]

That is a pretty thing! I love how the bottom of the bridge matches the curve of the body, very elegant.

[tauzero]

Lovely! Is that a standard model with the P/MM pickups?

[Bridgehouse]

1 minute ago, tauzero said:

Lovely! Is that a standard model with the P/MM pickups?

It’s a custom - the standard config is J/J and I’ve seen a few H/H  and S/H but not a P/MM before. This one has a 3 way series/split coil/parallel toggle switch as well which is unusual.
 

The top isn’t standard either - the pitting and holes are left exposed but they use a resin to stabilise it. It’s also a custom colour apparently. 

[LeftyJ]

Whoa, you could at least have included a NSFW warning in the title! That's stunning! 

[Bridgehouse]

4 minutes ago, LeftyJ said:

Whoa, you could at least have included a NSFW warning in the title! That's stunning! 

Thanks - however I think part of the fun of Basschat is never quite knowing what you’re gonna end up looking at 

[Joe Nation]

Agreed - when someone describes a bass as "thing", it could be a hideous beast, a creepy mongrel or an absolute beauty like this one.

[Bridgehouse]

44 minutes ago, Joe Nation said:

Agreed - when someone describes a bass as "thing", it could be a hideous beast, a creepy mongrel or an absolute beauty like this one.

To be honest I struggled to give the thread an adequate witty title. I know it’s sort of based on a J, but it’s sort of difficult to describe!

[tauzero]

10 hours ago, Bridgehouse said:

It’s a custom - the standard config is J/J and I’ve seen a few H/H  and S/H but not a P/MM before. This one has a 3 way series/split coil/parallel toggle switch as well which is unusual.
 

The top isn’t standard either - the pitting and holes are left exposed but they use a resin to stabilise it. It’s also a custom colour apparently. 

 

It's a pickup configuration that I want to use for a home build that I'm very very slowly putting together.

[Bridgehouse]

4 hours ago, tauzero said:

 

It's a pickup configuration that I want to use for a home build that I'm very very slowly putting together.

The blend knob is an essential. Having 50% P and 50% MM is surprisingly different to either on their own and gives a very nice rounded sound. 

[Merton]

That is quite lovely ☺️ 

[Merton]

2 hours ago, Bridgehouse said:

The blend knob is an essential. Having 50% P and 50% MM is surprisingly different to either on their own and gives a very nice rounded sound. 

My latest ACGs have this config (albeit ACG proprietary pickups based on the MM and P) and I absolutely concur.