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BGRA: Synergy Custom Basses Custom Fretless 6-string
| Manufacturer |
Synergy Custom Basses |
Model |
Custom Fretless 6-string |
| Reviewer |
Bruno Goh Luse |
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| Experience |
One |
Item owned |
1-6 months |
| Review Date |
2001-11-15 |
Price paid |
1250 Pounds Sterling |
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Bass type | 6 string fretless |
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Neck join | Neck Through |
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Neck construction | 5-piece maple and rosewood with graphite reinforcement |
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Fignerboard | 35" scale Ebony with 24 inlaid bubinga fretlines |
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Body | Mahogany with rosewood top |
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Finish | Clear hard plastic lacquer |
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Pickups | Two Seymour Duncan ASB-6 |
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Hardware | Gold-plated ABM bridge and Gotoh GB7 tuners, no straplocks fitted |
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Electronics | Seymour Duncan STC-3 active circuit. Controls are: master volume with push/pull slap contour, pickup pan, treble boost/cut, midrange boost/cut and bass boost/cut |
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This bass was hand made in 2001 by Kevin Hartle, a Luthier in Brimingham,
UK. He is just starting out in the instrument making business under the trade
name Synergy Custom Basses, and this bass is only the third one he has
ever made, but it ROCKS.
This bass was custom built to my requirements by Kevin over a period of
about three months. I am a classical guitar player by training, and wanted to
keep my playing position, ie sitting down with my left foot on footstand and
the bass on my left thigh. In order for this to be possible the shape and
position of the lower waist and lower bout are crucial, and only very few
production models would accommodate this. I had been using Fender jazz basses until I met Kevin, but when he said he could build me any body shape I wanted I jumped at the chance. The final product resembles a jazz bass with elongated horns and a wider lower bout, and is actually a cross between a jazz bass and a
classical guitar. Getting this design right and down on paper took nearly four hours of experimentation, but Kevin was very patient and kept altering his
actual-size drawing until we were both happy. He then proceeded to build the drawing!
The result is exactly what was intended - a custom bass in every sense of
the word.
This bass was built to support both acoustic as well as electric
instruments, and as such the woods were chosen to proviede as warm and well-rounded a tone as possible. I often have to provide support for string or classical guitar ensembles, as well as playing in more conventional band settings. At the moment all of my playing is in church - either traditional or contemporary worship, covering a wide variety of styles.
The synergy 6 has a wonderfully sophisticated sound - compared to most
other electric basses it has a very even balance of low, mid and high frequencies which give it an extremely mellow, singing tone. This supports without being overpowering or boomy, but is also useful for cutting through a heavier mix.
Changing the pickup blend and onboard EQ gives a very wide variety of
tones, from thick, dark traditional P-bass to the most snarly, growly, Jaco-esq
mwah imaginable! I have never recorded with it, and have only been playing it
for about two months, but have yet to find a situation into which it cannot
fit. I play through an acoustic Image Clarus into two 1X15 with horn PA cabs.
Kevin has only built three basses so far (this is number three) but myself
and others agree that they are top notch instruments. Build quality on this
bass is excellent: the glued joints all sit perfectly together, all the screws
secure in corresponding threaded inserts in the wood. The finish is nearly
perfect, with only one small irregularity where the upper horn joins the
body. The only downside to this bass is its weight - 12 pounds (5.4kg). Yes,
it's very heavy, probably too heavy to be played standing up for an evening, but I never play standing up so no problem!
This bass is obviously a one-off custom job, but if you know exactly what
you want but are having trouble finding it (or finding it at a reasonable price)
Kevin will build you that dream bass! He has no standard models or templates that he works from, each bass is a unique creation from start to finish, and Kevin does all the work himself. I would be glad to pass on his contact details to anyone who is interested.
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| construction |
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| playability |
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| appearance |
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| sound |
| (95%) |
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| value |
| (100%) |
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| service |
| (100%) |
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| overall |
| (100%) |
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