If you have been visiting the LAG site over the years , you have likely taken note of my fondness for fretless basses.

Almost everyone says they are cool , but too few have one to work with.

I was able to grab 3 of these great basses from the cats at Spector , and I hope to convince YOU to take one home.

About this bass

Body - Basswood , semi-hollow with acoustically sound chambers

Top - Quilt Maple

Neck -  3 piece Rock Maple 34" bolt-on, with fine lined Rosewood fretboard

PIezo by Fishman Bass PowerBridge and PowerChip EQ

EMG-HZ  passive pickup with passive tone control

Spector gig bag

5 year manufacturer's warranty

Another new 5er from Brian Ristola.This one features a Mahogany body with a figured Myrtle top The 35" scale neck is Maple and Purpleheart, with an acrylicized Macassar Ebony fretboard.Pickups are Nordstrand Dual Coils, and the preamp is a 4 band by Audere , with the optional "Z" switch and active/passive switch. Hardware by Hipshot.

I am really impressed by the playability of these basses , right out of the box they feel and sound great. With the Protec Contigo mgig bag, this bass is

Not surprisingly, this bass has floored me. ( They always do )

It is easy for me to be accustomed to having great basses within easy reach - yes, I am spoiled.

I find that I sometimes I take these builders' skills for granted , and sometimes I need to be........ 

more objective.

I am a lucky guy, and very fortunate to work with the builders I do.  

About this bass.....

> Chambered Claro Walnut body

> Figured Myrtle top and headcap

> Eastern Maple 3 piece 33" scale neck with dual function stainless steel truss rod 

> 85 years old Brazilian Rosewood fretboard with "blind" binding

> Matching Brazilian Rosewood heel plate, control cavity cover and truss rod cover. 

> Matching Ramp - easily removable

> Nordstrand hum-cancelling "J" pickups in matching Brazilian Rosewood covers

> Mike Pope Custom 4 band preamp

> Oil and wax finish

> Hipshot hardware

> Dunlop dual function straplocks

> Estrella heavily padded gig bag 

Another "problem" with having access to great basses is that I know and appreciate how good they

Here is a wonderful new bass from the fertile mind and skilled hands of one of my favorite builders , Jerzy Drozd.

This is not your typical fretless bass.

There are two magnetic pickups , a single coil near the bridge, a dual coil in the neck position.

Due to the positioning of these two pickups and the fact that one is a single, the other a dual, there are

many nuanced tones to be explored via the magnetic pickup blend control and passive tone control.

The RMC piezo bridge pickups give yet another acoustic slant to this bass.

And, you can combine the magnetic / piezo via another blend control.

Then there is MIDI via the RMC pickups and PolyDrive.

Possibilities abound.

IF you are looking to get a Jaco tone, this is probably not the bass for you.

Yes, the bridge mag is a single coil in just about the right spot to emulate a JB, but this bass' voice

is much more acoustic than electric.

You CAN get that quick attack bridge response, but with an un-JB voice.

Some specs

>  Cedar body

>  Spruce top

>  34" scale 5 piece Maple / Wenge neck

>  Macassar Ebony finger board

>  Mini fretlines

>  Optional un-installed Macassar Ebony pickguard

>  Heavy Duty "Harvest" gig bag

This demo is like new and something of a sleeper in the bass world.

There are not many Watson basses out their right now - Alex has not been building full time for all that long a time.

Therefore, most of you reading this have never played one of these basses.

Take it from me, the build quality does not get any better.

The "wood formula" for the body is maybe my all-time favorite - Koa over Mahogany.

The electronics are world class , with Alex' own pickups and a Mike Pope custom 4 band preamp.

Hipshot hardware.

Is there any weak link to be found ?

That is a rhetorical question.

Supplied with a Protec Contigo gig bag.

Take a chance , treat yourself.

If you are reading this, I sincerely hope you are not thinking this bass is named after a bird.

Maybe a bird, if you mean Charlie Parker and bebop lines.

Like, I'm talking about Steve Swallow , one of my all-time favorites , as a player and as a composer.

Seriously deep - check him out.

Dig ?

Anyway, if you want to play and sound just like him , all you need is this bass. *

This bass comes with a gig bag,

* This is not true.

This is one slick and serious fretless bass.

I don't know what you think, but I have found that I prefer my fretless to be 34" scale or less - the thunderous low B

is not necessary , especially when all 5 strings are as "even" as they are on this particular bass.

> Mahogany body core

> Koa top and back

> Multi-lam Wenge and Orange Osage neck

> Macassar Ebony fingerboard

> Macassar Ebony pickup covers

> Nordstrand pickups

> Glockenklang 3 band preamp

> Hipshot tuners and bridge

This bass is supplied with a Protect Contigo gig bag, a very nice bag indeed.

Gerald Marleaux started building basses over 20 years ago , now with well over 1,000 of his basses

out in the filed making well over 1,000 players very happy.

World-class build quality and materials.

This is the Fretless Editon, made with woods especially chosen for a distinct fretless voice - warm , clear and well-balanced.

Mahogany body, Pearwood top , Ebony fretboard.

The 34" neck plays effortlessly, the low B strong and even ,  a real joy to play.

The fretlines, while theoretically not cool, make me sound and play better.

Another tool to be used for a good purpose.

There is something very comfortable and inviting about a 34" scale 5 string bass that "works"

in every way :

Playability

Ergonomic fit

A great inherent "pre-EQ" voice supplemented by a very flexible EQ.

Superior build quality

Looks count, too

Think Porsche Bass.

The 3 piece Maple neck has a Maple fretboard.

The Ash body is topped by a highly figured slab of Olive Ash , with a matching headstock veneer.

Delano pickups and Marleaux custom 2 band pre with passive tone control.

Take advantage of the currently weak Euro and this special price.

Here is yet another exceptional fretless 5. The neck on this bass feels slimmer than what I recall of other 535s I have played.

I might be mistaken ( for you, Brad - drop a line ! )

This bass sings sweet , well defined with some nice mid range - thank you Mr. Mahogany.

The fretboard is Honduras Rosewood , which , I have been told , is THE type of Rosewood to use for a fretless board.

What I have been told and what I hear seem to agree.

This bass is in very nice shape, near mint in fact.

Supplied with an MTD ultralight hardshell case.

Here we have a somewhat rare custom bass , a Surine that was built in 2003.

It is in great shape and plays very well.

The neck is deeper than average ( chunky ? ) , but my small - medium sized mitts have no problem.

I find that the playability of a neck often trumps size , except in extreme cases. 

> Mahogany Core

> Rosewood top and back

> 35" scale Flamed Maple and Purpleheart neck

> Macassar Ebony fretboard with 31 fret extension

> Dual truss rods

> All Bartolini electronics with 3 band EQ and active / passive switch

> Non-original hardshell case

Scott Surine tells me that this bass was a custom order, with the body wings made narrower than those found on the standard Quest design.

This bass set the precedent for the newer Quest NTVII design.

A new Surine ordered to replicate this bass would list for $6,295.

This example can be yours for

Here we have a practically new ( June 2010 ! ) bass by "new" builder Randall Wyn Fullmer

http://www.wynguitars.com/

If you look at the Wyn site, you will read that while these basses are new to the bass community,

years of building experience preceded these basses hitting the market.  

Suffice it to say that I am truly impressed by the workmanship, playability and sound of this bass.

Here are the specs

>  34" scale Maple / Wenge neck

>  Macassar Ebony fretboard

>  Mahaogany body core

>  Figured Bubinga top and back

>  Wenge " tone plate "

>  Wenge rear neck laminate

>  Nordstrand Fat Stack pickups

>  Aguilar OBP-3 preamp

>  Hipshot hardware

>  Levy's heavily padded leather gig bag 

This bass is as new

Now there's a classy name for a bass.

My parents used buy groceries at Kroeger's back in the day - same guy ,
you think ?

This is a brand new and unique 5 from our friends at Spector.

The Mike Kroeger Nickleback bass' most obvious feature is the look - flat black - kinda futuristic ? Please don't say "Goth".

The 35" scale neck is 3 piece Rock Maple with graphite bars , a 24 fret Rosewood fingerboard.

EMG-HZ passve humbuckers

Passive tone controls

This 5 we will call # 1 , because I bought 2 of these 5s at the same time. I also got a 4.

When I buy 3 of any bass , that is a good sign.

Yes, I think these basses are a great bargain basement way of getting into the fretless bass.

Invest a little $ , some serious practice time, and you are on your way.

The fretlines definitely help to give a jump start to playing live , and there is NO shame with lines.

There IS shame with crappy intonation..............Don't get me going.......

Magnetic and piezo pickups lend versatility.

A light and well balanced bass.

The always " difficult to capture / looks better in person " transparent black over Quilt Maple.

Set neck ,  35" scale , graphite bars , 3 band EQ , 2 volume controls.

Maple top over Basswood body.

Spector says of the set-neck design  " Sustain without compression ".

New, warrantied.

If you know me, you probably know of my particular interest in
acoustic / electric basses, especially fretless basses of that ilk. This
bass has me worked up. Where do I start ? Well, the single magnetic
pickup is perfectly located for my poor Jaco imitation - the tone is there, now I need to find some chops and musical ideas.
The piezo bridge pickup ( Schertler Bluestick ) gives a great wooly
and woody tone.
Of course, the two pickups can be combined to find the flavor you seek.
The bass can go active or passive , and has a separate passive tone
control.
The other controls are volume, blend and 3 band EQ.
The preamp is also Aries' own design.

The body is Honduras Mahogany in a high gloss antique violin finish. In
the tradition of fine acoustic instruments , the top is Spruce -
a great choice , in my opinion.
The 35" scale neck is 5 piece, primarily Maple , with a Macassar.
Ebony fretboard. The bridge is also Macassar Ebony.
Note the Maple binding - pure class.
with a Mono M80 gig bag, this bass is:

From Croatia come the basses of Arijan Sabic.
I first encountered Aries basses a few years ago when Joey G had them.
at the NAMM show.
Joey G - remember him ?
Anyway, back then, I thought the Aries basses I saw were very nice ,
but at NAMM it is very difficult ( at least for me ) to know how truly good a bass is.
Now that these two basses have been here for a couple of weeks and I
have been able to play them thru the Glockenklang reference rig, I can
tell you that these basses are even better than I recall - I
think you will agree when you get your hands on one.
Let's work on making that happen.

Some specs......
Body - Honduras Mahogany
Neck - 35" , 9 piece - Wenge, Padouk and Maple , Macassar Ebony
fretboard.
Pickups - Aries dual coil ceramic ( hot ! ) design with single /
parallel / dual coil switch for each pickup Preamp - Aries 3 band Finish - high gloss With a Mono M80 gig bag, this bass is

This bass has rocked me pretty hard , and it was a long time coming.

I have posted this bass here as a "show and tell" bass - check it out.

>  34" scale 5 piece Maple and Wenge neck

>  17mm spacing at the bridge

>  Ebony fretboard with Jerzy's "Ray of Light" inlay , done in Maple.

>  Solid Cedar top and body

>  Two of Jerzy's own magnetic pickups - a single split coil JeDXS at the bridge , a true dual coil JeDXD at the neck

>  RMC piezo pickups in the bridge

>  RMC PolyDrive MIDI implimentation

>  The bass is supplied with the optional Macacssar Ebony pickguard

>  Heavy Duty "Harvest" gig bag

The Barcelona is a bass totally unique in my 30+ years of bassdom.

I describe the sound as dry and precise , a very imprecise description , I know.

The response to touch and nuance is something more along the lines of a classical guitar.

I love this instrument tuned as it now is , EADGBE , like a guitar ( an octave lower ).

Roll off the high and do some Wes stuff on bass.

Finger style bliss.

The Barcelona is not what I would think of as a slap bass , but if you listen to Carles Benavent , he treats the Barcelona like a flamenco bass.

So, what do I know ?

There have been three other Barcelonas here in the last couple of years, two of them fretted 6s like this one.

The first two were sold in the name of commerce , against my wish to keep one for myself.

Well, I'm getting older, I see friends passing, our time is finite.

This bass is staying put -  I am in love.

It is here for audition, to create new orders.

This  very well-equipped example is right  around $8k , based on the currently weak Euro ( It's a great time to buy Euro gear !! ).

IF you do not care for MIDI , the inlay , RMC piezo , body tint and gold hardware , the price is more like $5K.

How rare is it to have two new basses from Ken here at the same time ?

He makes about 25 instruments a year with a good # being guitars , so you do the math.

Ken has made the 33" scale work for the low B - I have been playing one for a year and it has become my go-to fretted 6.

IT DOES NOT GET ANY BETTER

Really.

Here are the specs

> Chambered Claro Walnut body 

> Spalted Red Maple top and headcap

> Eastern Maple 3 piece neck with dual function stainless steel truss rod

> BIrdseye Maple fretboard with "blind binding" binding

> Wenge Heel plate and rear cover plate 

> Nordstrand hum-cancelling "J" pickups in matching Birdseye Maple covers

> Custom Duncan 3 band preramp with Tara Labs wiring

> Oil and Wax finish

> Hipshot hardware in black

> Dunlop dual function straplocks in black

> DR Strings