Bassworks' Custom J5 series of basses owe some of their inspiration to the bold assymetric design leap made by Leo Fender in the 1950s with his dual pickup equipped basses and their slim comfortable neck profiles.
This one has a book-matched Franquette Walnut drop-top on a one-piece Swamp Ash body core, with a Wenge contrast laminate. It sports a pair of "boutique" Aero Instrument dual-coil pickups in matching wooden covers, from Larry Pollack out of Hawaii.
Despite their design influences, our instruments strive to improve on what has gone before. The Custom 5's chambered body being notably more compact and lightweight. Our 30+ years of playing and our skilled manufacture bring the tone, playability and reliability that bass players deserve to enjoy in the Custom 5 series. Crafted in small batches entirely in our own shop, every Custom 5 is built with the same painstaking attention to detail, using stable tone-woods and world-class electronics and hardware.
Custom J5, Franquette Walnut drop top
No. of strings: 5
Scale length: 889mm
No. of frets: 23 (including “zero fret”)
Neck width at nut: X mm
String spacing at nut: Ymm
String spacing at bridge: 0.750 in
Fingerboard radius at nut: 10 in (at “zero fret”)
Fingerboard radius at last fret: 13 in
Fingerboard depth (max at centre of fingerboard): 6.35mm
Headstock thickness (overall): 19 mm (chambered and with tuner recesses
Headstock: Custom bookmatched Franquette Walnut plate
Body shape: J influenced assymetric
Headstock branding: Mother Of Pearl
Body colour: Natural - Oil and wax, satin finish
Neck profile: Custom slim J influenced
Carbon fibre re-inforcement rods: 2
Body wood: Chambered Swamp Ash 456.89 kg/m3 density with Franquette Walnut book-matched drop-top and Wenge contrast veneer
Neck: Rock Maple (Acer Saccharum)
Fingerboard: Birdseye Maple (luminescent side markers, block inlay markers, un-bound)
Pickup and cover set: Aero Instrument dual coil, Custom covers
Pre-amp, pots, switchs and wiring set: John East (including bridge piezo pre-amp and blend circuit)
Knob set: John East plus custom PU coil selection knobs
Jack, Bridge, M/C heads, String trees: Neutrik, Hipshot/Graphtech piezo, HipshotNut: Brass
Truss rod: double acting, heel access (4mm hex key)
Fret wire tang concealment at board edge: Yes
Fret wire: Narrow width/Medium heightCase: Hiscox custom hard case included