NBD #3 Bluesman Vintage El Dorado

[tb-player]

The last bass to finish my bass restock after the big gear sell-off is this custom Bluesman Vintage El Dorado in aged vintage white. I’ve been working with John Scott at BMV since the summer, trying to find the right bass. I kept coming back to a nice, affordable, workhorse passive jazz. And this is it.

It’s a lightweight 8.25lb with a roasted pine body and roasted maple neck. It has a rosewood fingerboard with blocks and binding. The pickups are BMVs own hand wound 60s jazz pickups. The tone is warm & punchy with highs that are very present & not too sizzly like some jazz basses. It has a nice, woody tone.

Yes, it’s my 3rd NBD in as many weeks. No apologies. But it’ll be my last bass for a good long while. I’m set at 4 and very pleased. I’ve got gigs coming up for all of them, so my shopping time will be replaced with practice and gigging time. It’s gonna be a fun year!

 

[tb-player]

In restringing and adding copper tape to the cavity, I kind of started digging the look without the pickguard. What do you think?

 

[alack]

Great looking bass. I like the tort.

 

[alembicbones]

I think the bass looks great both ways. It's nice you can have the pickguard on or off, to suit your feeling on any particular day.

Bones

 

[tb-player]

I think the bass looks great both ways. It's nice you can have the pickguard on or off, to suit your feeling on any particular day.

Bones

I’m the same way. I think I’ll keep it on for now. But off definitely has a nice vibe.

 

[CletusMarley]

Nice Jazz Bass! Congrats!

 

[tb-player]

Nice Jazz Bass! Congrats!

Thanks man! Its a great one.

 

[tb-player]

And the bass rack is looking a bit more respectable now.

 

[Kipp Harrington]

B

The last bass to finish my bass restock after the big gear sell-off is this custom Bluesman Vintage El Dorado in aged vintage white. I’ve been working with John Scott at BMV since the summer, trying to find the right bass. I kept coming back to a nice, affordable, workhorse passive jazz. And this is it.

It’s a lightweight 8.25lb with a roasted pine body and roasted maple neck. It has a rosewood fingerboard with blocks and binding. The pickups are BMVs own hand wound 60s jazz pickups. The tone is warm & punchy with highs that are very present & not too sizzly like some jazz basses. It has a nice, woody tone.

Yes, it’s my 3rd NBD in as many weeks. No apologies. But it’ll be my last bass for a good long while. I’m set at 4 and very pleased. I’ve got gigs coming up for all of them, so my shopping time will be replaced with practice and gigging time. It’s gonna be a fun year!

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Beautiful!!!

 

[aero58]

Awesome!….and since you asked, I like it best with the pickguard.

 

[Tim Skaggs]

Is that a new bass that was made to look old or is it actually an old bass?

If that’s a relic job, it’s definitely the most authentic looking one I’ve ever seen.

 

[tb-player]

Awesome!….and since you asked, I like it best with the pickguard.

Same. The more I play it, the more I like the guard.

 

[tb-player]

Is that a new bass that was made to look old or is it actually an old bass?

If that’s a relic job, it’s definitely the most authentic looking one I’ve ever seen.

Yeah, it’s a new bass that’s been aged. Bluesman Vintage is known for the way they relic basses. They have developed a cold checking finish that really breaks up nicely. I’m normally not a big fan of relic basses, but this one is kind of legit.

 

[H K]

Is that a new bass that was made to look old or is it actually an old bass?

If that’s a relic job, it’s definitely the most authentic looking one I’ve ever seen.

Has to be a relic, the "finish checking" stops at the PG. Probably razor blade.
Its a very nice one tho! Bit too rough on the bottom for my taste, but gorgeous nonetheless! I'd love to hear it if you can put up a clip!
Fantastic rig too, are those the SL112s?

 

[H K]

Yeah, it’s a new bass that’s been aged. Bluesman Vintage is known for the way they relic basses. They have developed a cold checking finish that really breaks up nicely. I’m normally not a big fan of relic basses, but this one is kind of legit.

Ooopa! I was sure it'd be razorblade, the way they were all parallell. I've not really heard of cold checking done without previous "indents" aka, the key-drop + coldcheck. If there's a new way I'd love to try it!

 

[jimmydean]

Now ! , I know what Santa can put under the bloody Christmas tree !

 

[tb-player]

Ooopa! I was sure it'd be razorblade, the way they were all parallell. I've not really heard of cold checking done without previous "indents" aka, the key-drop + coldcheck. If there's a new way I'd love to try it!

When you order from Bluesman, they ask if you want a cold-checked finish. It’s something they do in the paint before the bass is sprayed. I’ve had both and they both look great. I wish I could tell you more but that’s about all I remember… lol. If you call them and ask for John Scott. He’s an open book. He’s pretty talkative… taught me how to relic hardware over the phone. Super nice guy.

And yeah, those are SL112s. I went through a lot of amps and cabs to settle on that setup. Killer rig and the most featherweight cabs I’ve ever seen.

 

[Dalewyatt]

Beautiful bass! They do a very realistic relic!

 

[Tim Skaggs]

I know of a guy that was cold checking lacquer some years ago. It was a fairly simple process of freezing a freshly nitrocellulose lacquered body & then heating the body when it came out of the freezer. The process could be repeated as needed to increase the amount of checking / cracking of the lacquer. He didn’t do any extra relic work until the body had been through the heating / cooling process.

 

[VJP]

Looks good without the pg, gives it a Darryl Jones kind of vibe.