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BGRA: Cliff Bordwell Modified Ball bass
| Manufacturer |
Cliff Bordwell |
Model |
Modified Ball bass |
| Reviewer |
Peter |
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| Experience |
4 yrs bass, 35 yrs m |
Item owned |
1-6 months |
| Review Date |
2006-11-02 |
Price paid |
used $1600 |
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Bass type | 5 string fretted |
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Neck join | Set Neck |
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Neck construction | Maple and Wenge |
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Fingerboard | Morado (I think) , 24 Fanned frets 34-37' |
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Body | Chestnut Burl |
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Finish | Not sure, a thin, 'matte' finish that doesn't fingerprint. |
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Pickups | Dingwall FD-3 |
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Hardware | Dingwall bridge, hipshot tuners. |
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Electronics | Passive. Volume, tone and 4 position pickup selector |
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I bought this Bass used from Bass Northwest after several emails to the original owner, and Cliff Bordwell the luthier. I had been interested in fanned frets for some time but even the "entry-level" Afterburners were pretty pricey. So, I started looking on the net for used Dingwalls. They're not real common. Then this one came up and I just had to bite. Always scary to buy an instrument based on reputation, looks, gear reviews etc. but in this case it really payed off. As far as the passive goes, I've got both active and passive basses. This has a nice tonal range with just a few knob tweaks or technique change. Really all the tones are useful and can go from very clean and singing to punishing and evil ; ) The bass (at least with the flats) always retains a dark and vintage-like quality. Which is what I wanted. I have other basses for bright, modern or slap tones. Long and short. Fanned frets are the real deal. If you want a clear thunderous B, accept nothing less than a 37" scale length. Roscoe 35"s are good, these are just beyond.... Also, the strings are so well balanced that it just.... WOW. Cliff Bordwell builds luscious looking, exotic wood (or not so exotic if you choose)basses that sound fabulous. After a couple of years of bass trying, buying and selling, I'll keep this one and a Rob Allen fretless 4 forever. Everything else is negotiable. These 2 instruments will get passed down to my kids if they play bass, buried with me if they don't.
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| construction |
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| playability |
| (95%) |
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| appearance |
| (98%) |
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| sound |
| (100%) |
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| value |
| (95%) |
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| service |
| (100%) |
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| overall |
| (100%) |
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