Model: 4 string D bass
Body woods: Claro walnut top, sassafras back and purpleheart rails.
Neckwoods: Wenge and purpleheart neck with macassar ebony fingerboard
Hardware: 6061-T6 alloy with black anodizing, tusque saddles.
Finish: PPG DCU-2002 over epoxy filler
Pickups and electronics: Bartolini triple coil in bridge, Bartolini dual coil soapbar in neck position. Bartolini 3 band eq with switchabable mid frequency. Coil tap series, parallel, single coil switch for bridge pickup. Active / passive push pull volume pot. Wittman on-board tuner
Location: Oklahoma
Year: 2004
Special features: Upper horn extends to 11th fret, lower action
Owner comments: Here are my thoughts on the bass after five days of non-stop playing:
The neck. Perfect! The dimensions are exactly what I wanted and the fingerboard radius is very comfortable. The satin finish on the back of the neck is great, too. It is, without a doubt, the best neck that I have ever encountered. Every note rings loud and clear with no buzzing or dead spots. The frets feel very smooth and are just the right height.
The electronics. Fantastic! The Bartolini triple-coil in the bridge position is terrific. I have been using three main tones. Bridge pickup in single-coil mode: "the Jaco tone." Both coils of the bridge pickup in series mode: "the Jeff Berlin tone." The neck pickup and both coils of the bridge pickup in series mode: "the Jimmy Johnson tone." These sounds can be achieved with the EQ flat! I haven't even explored the preamp's tone-shaping capabilities. Also, the on-board tuner works perfectly and is very handy.
The body. Beautiful. The figuring of the woods is incredible, and all of the carving is flawless. The gloss finish really accentuates the beauty of the D-style design. I have not quite gotten used to the angles and contours of the back of the body. I have been using the treble-side strap button with my strap set to about 3' in length. At that height, I have great access to the entire fingerboard, but the instrument feels very different from a traditional body that has a Fender-style bevel. The way that the upper horn curves away from the neck, and has two rather sharp angles, makes the optimum playing position a little bit uncomfortable. I realize that it may not be possible for a D-style body to "hang" or to fit against one's torso like a traditional instrument. Namely, because the bass-side cutaway is at the 22nd fret and because the body has to accommodate the tuning system. I also realize that the angles of the upper horn would probably not bother a player who wears their bass at around waist level. However, customers who wear their instrument as high as I do might prefer the back of the body to be more of a "slab"-style with both a deeper bevel and with an upper horn that stays parallel to the neck.
The hardware. Excellent! The tuners work very smoothly and the nickel finish contrasts nicely with the claro walnut top.
The case. The Maxline seems indestructible and I am very happy with
its compact size.
12.23.2004