LeftyBassist.com

I am hoping for some good recommendations from my fellow lefties. I am considering a 6 string custom bass. Would like to keep it to $3,000 or less. I have done Carvin/Kiesel several times so want to try something different. Was considering Maruszcyzk; they have many options and prices are reasonable. My specs would be:

Fretted
34" scale (could go 32" or 33" not 30" tho)
Under 10 pounds
passive
humbuckers (really like the sound of Nordstrand Zen Blades or maybe something similar)
Don't need all the fanciest woods but a little fancy might be nice.
Good ergonomics
I am relatively traditional in my tastes in terms of style but could go a little outside my comfort zone. Don't like headless or single cut basses.

Any good ideas?
Thanks!

I'm no fan of Maruszczyk. I have played 3 (all Elwoods) and was not impressed. The neck finish had a bit of a plastic feel to it, the craftsmanship looked less than impressive, and overall the basses just lacked something. One (that was part of a giveaway on a Lefty Bass Day at CMS Music in Germany) even had a misplaced and misaligned bridge that had clearly been moved. The old screw holes were still visible through the holes in the bridge! I also can't get over a "custom bass builder" doing THIS on a €2100 bass:



A black tummy cut! Seriously? Manufacturers usually only do that on cheap basses to cover up that their bodies are really made up of 29 poorly matching pieces of firewood with a veneer top and back (like this older Fender MIM body).

I don't really regard them as custom basses, but more as highly customizable factory basses. I have seen many raving reviews on other bass forums though, so I may just have played some lemons. There's a lefty Jake L4P (a 4-string medium scale P) for sale on Basschat right now that looks absolutely stunning and really well-made: https://www.basschat.co.uk/topic/442706 ... C2%A31150/

Thank you very much Jeroen! I think I will take them off the list.

Take a look at Valenti basses, you can read about Nino but in short he worked for Roger Sadowsky (Sadowsky basses) before going out on his own. I had a Valenti bass and loved it (#71), he makes a six string basses, is great to work with and very lefty friendly.

https://www.valentibasses.com/models.html

Thanks Bob!

Never played one, but some guys online swear by him.

http://www.lowecustomguitars.com/

Cool thanks.

How about contacting our own forum luthier/builder, Rod, from Regenerate Guitars? He builds great basses... you can find him under "Regenerate Guitar Works", at the bottom or the Board Index page...

Is Rod/Regenerate still in business? Tried to find his website on the 'net - nothing comes up....

Googling his name, it looks like he also has a busy job at Dassault Systemes in the Seattle area. I can't find anything on his bass business either, aside from some articles or reviews from 2015 and before.

You can also look into Roscoe basses, though I don't think a 6 string custom build would be under $3K.

Thanks!

Just for the hellavah it - I bought an Ibanez 206-L about five years ago, on sale for $200 (a great deal!)... for me, it was in inexpensive way to try a 6-string out, and see if I would like playing one. I did - ended up playing that bass solid for two years in my rock band... it was an active eq, but had enough diversity to give me the various tones I needed for the songs I played... The reason I mention this is; Ibanez makes a wide array of basses, throughout a wide range of pricing. Don't know how many lefty's they're making these days, but it might be worth doing some 'net research... good luck on your quest!

Thank you

I’m very happy with my Sandberg 5 string bass. Definitely a lefty friendly company, they recently produced this lightweight 6 string. I believe all their instruments can be built to order and there are numerous options available.

https://www.bassdirect.co.uk/bass_guita ... light.html

Thanks!