Tuesday, November 6, 2012

What Makes a Truly Custom Bass Guitar?

By Benjamin Harrison


A custom bass guitar is more than just an instrument, it's both an extension and expression of the artist that plays it. There are many companies building custom basses now and each of them seem to do well in at least one area. Choosing the right options to make your custom bass more "you," and finding the right builder are important things to consider when looking for a custom bass. Look at all aspects of your instrument before making a decision.


Don's Custom 7 String



The very first aspect is curb appeal. If a bass is just plain ugly, you probably won't appreciate other aspects of it as much as if you had to pick your jaw up off the floor every time you looked at it. As uncritical as we want to believe we are, everybody judges with their eyes first. You want an instrument that makes you proud in public. If you love how your bass looks, you'll going to feel good when you're playing it. Plus you'll love the jealous stares from everyone else in the room. When it comes to curb appeal you've got to think through all your choices. There are countless woods, finishes and hardware to choose from. This is why it is so crucial to work with an artisan with decades of experience and understanding of woods, electronics, setups, and all other aspects of the building process. One decision affects others, so it is important that your builder knows every details.

The second thing to think about is action. There is nothing worse that a beautiful bass that is a chore to play. I am going to skip all the relationship analogies to better paint my point, but you come up with your own, if you like. It is imperative that your bass be built by a technically competent bass player. There is no way for someone that cannot play to understand action. So many "custom" bass guitars these days are nothing more than a small production line run by people that have never played bass. A Rybski bass is not intended to be wall art. It is designed and built by a bass player, for bass players. As soon as you start to play a Rybski you will join a long and growing list of believers.



Lastly, you've got to think through your electronics. How anyone could claim that a bass is custom when it's pickups were ordered from a stock supplier really blows my mind. Custom instruments call for custom electronics. Common sense tells you there is nothing custom about stock electronics. Rybski takes great pride in the pairing of playing styles, woods, and the electronics. There are so few builders in this world that can grasp and excel at all of these areas of instrument building.

There are still a few builders like Rybski that make truly custom basses. A Rybski bass is a perfect example of what bass players are looking for when they want a custom bass. Rybski is a one man shop with in house custom electronics. Timeless designs and eye popping finishes aside, Rybski is most known by musicians around the world for their playability. Good luck in your search for your custom bass guitar.




About the Author:



No comments:

Post a Comment