Steel wool and dirty hands

What is the bass in the picture? KoA, you say it's not old, yet it looks to be a '60's Jazz in Burgundy Mist. The black mark on the headstock indicates it might be a Fender Custom Shop bass; if it has the feel you're looking for, order yourself a lefty.

I know... is my post invisible or something?

It sounds like you really want a Nash bass, no?

You basically just described them.

Based on the few I've seen/touched (all righties of course) I probably would.

Here's the thing though: If I wake up tomorrow and say, "I'm getting a Nash!" here's what'll happen. Correct me if I'm wrong.

I'll phone my area dealers who are known stockers of Nash instruments. I'll ask if they have any lefty basses and they'll say of course not! They will then ask me how long I've been playing and before I even can respond will suggest that I should just start with a righty blah blah blah............you know the rest of the story and I only mention this here now b/c honestly that just happened a few days ago and I just was biting my lip, stunned.

Anyway, the dealer will be uninterested from the get-go b/c a) they only have Nash guitars and no basses and b) think I'm a fool for disregarding their attempt to save me from a left-handed hell.

They'll call Nash and he'll say none are in stock.

Basically, the usual drill.

So why not just order one? Because a part of me now has some reservation and I'm pissed off.

Reservation? Even though the three times I've "commissioned" instruments (once for an upright outta Germany) worked out favorably and to my satisfaction there's a lot of anxiety involved in the process leading up to and including finally playing it to find out if it satisfies. And it pisses me off that righties have THE WHOLE WORLD of INstruments AT THEIR DOORSTEP.

I'm tired of the waiting, the anxiety, the custom ordering, the "just be righty like the rest of us in the right on the right side thinking rightly" admonishment...

So I'm self-imposing a minimum standard that all righties enjoy as matter of course. I want to try before I buy!

Even if it's a Nash. Especially since a large part of his thing is the relic and that requires so much labor. I know the neck feel thing I'm hung up on is considered part of that but for me it's not a look issue but rather one of feel. I don't really care for all the labor ($) put into making the bass look "old".

Here's some pics of some factory stocked Nash's. These are long gone and my understanding is these were the most recently made?

I'll be back later with some more specific questions and requests for advice

Thank You everyone for the replies

If you want to try before you buy are you going to wait out a bass showing up somewhere that you can go to to try out?

ie. If a lefty Nash shows up in Florida are you going to fly there to try it?

I don't quite understand what your plan is, given then limitations you've set.

If my wife was to say exactly the same thing (let's say she would be a bass player), I'd answer: "Honey why do have to make everything so damn complicated?"...But she did not say that and you are not my wife

If what you are looking for is a nice Fender or Fender-like that you can play around with (sand the neck, swap electronics and pick-ups, etc), why not get a MIJ or MIM and play with them? That's what I did with my MIJ and it turned out to be a good and gratifying experience, with a hell of a bass as an end product...

Not sure how Nash and "I want to play Lefty and be treated as Righty" come into the mix of your decision-making process