Synergy Custom Basses Custom Fretless 6-string Reviews 
5 / 5 based on 1 reviewsThis bass was hand made in 2001 by Kevin Hartle, a Luthier in Brimingham, UK.
He is just starting out in the instrument making business under the trade name
Synergy Custom Basses, and this bass is only the third one he has ever made,
but it ROCKS. Specs are:
35" scale neck-through 6-string fretless
5-piece maple and rosewood neck with two graphite reinforcing bars
24 fret ebony fingerboard with bubinga fretlines and white side dot markers
Mahogany body wings with rosewood top
ABM 3-way adjustable bridge, Gotoh GB7 tuners, all gold-plated
Seymour Duncan ASB-6 soapbar pickups
Seymour Duncan STC-3 onboard preamp with 3-band EQ
Controls are master volume with push-pull slap contour, pickup blend, treble boost/cut, mid boost/cut and bass boost/cut
NO straplocks
Finish is a high-shine tranparent plastic coating
Bass came with a very nice Protec gigbag and a set of Status flat-wound strings
Price was 1250 pounds Sterling
This bass was custom built to my requirements by Kevin over a period of about
three months. I am a classical guitar player by training, and wanted to keep my
playing position, ie sitting down with my left foot on footstand and the bass on my
left thigh. In order for this to be possible the shape and position of the lower 'waist'
and lower bout are crucial, and very few production models would accommodate
this. I had been using Fender jazz basses until I met Kevin, but when he said he
could build me any body shape I wanted I jumped at the chance. The final product
resembles a jazz bass with elongated horns and a wider lower bout, and is actually
a cross between a jazz bass and a classical guitar. Getting this design right and
down on paper took nearly four hours of experimentation, but Kevin was very patient
and kept altering his actual-size drawing until we were both happy. He then proceeded
to build the drawing!
The result is exactly what was intended - a custom bass in every sense of the word.
This bass has a wonderfully sophisticated sound - compared to most other electric
basses it has a very even balance of low, mid and high frequencies which give it an
extremely mellow, singing tone. This supports without being overpowering or boomy,
but is also useful for cutting through a heavier mix. Changing the pickup blend and
onboard EQ gives a very wide variety of tones, from thick, dark traditional P-bass to
the most snarly, growly, Jaco-esq mwah imaginable! I have never recorded with it,
and have only been playing it for about two months, but have yet to find a situation
into which it cannot fit.
I play through an Acoustic Image Clarus into two 1X15 with horn PA cabs.
The only downside of this bass is its 12 pounds of weight, which make it a bit of a
beast to cart around. Apart from that, it is exactly what I need, without exception.
Kevin has only built three basses so far (this is number three) but myself and
others agree that they are top notch instruments. Build quality on this bass is
excellent: the glued joints all sit perfectly together, all the screws secure in
corresponding threaded inserts in the wood, the hardware is well fitted and
secured, and the finish is nearly perfect - only one small flaw where the top horn
meets the body. The bass was also well set-up by Kevin, and I have not had to
make major changes apart from adjusting the truss rod (supplied completely
untensioned) as the neck has begun to set. Attention to detail is also wonderful -
the control cavity covers are cut from the same wood as the body 'a la Alembic'
and the thickness of the point where the headstock joins the neck has been
increased to add strength.
This bass is a brick - the finish in particular is incredibly tough. Kevin describes it
as being like 'liquid formica' and he is not kidding - at my last service the bass had
an encounter with the corner of a metal music stand that would have dinged a
normal laquer finish, but it only left a tiny, nearly invisible mark on the synergy.
The finish also seems fairly resistant to scratching and things like sweat, dirt etc.
The bridge is solid machined brass, and the bass holds tuning incredibly well - after
the playing-in period I have not have to tune it, just check it! Likewise the truss rod
has not needed adjusting after the break-in period. I play without a backup - I have
to carry my amp and bass on the bus, so I don't have much choice.
This bass is unique, and hence pretty much irreplacable. It fits me like a glove, and
I think my bass-shopping days are over. It plays well, is responsive, dependable
and robust. I had the string-spacing made quite narrow (16mm
at the bridge) so the neck is not an aircraft-carrier deck. The best bit about the
instrument is probably its sophistication - from looks to finish to tone, it is a
thoroughbred Rolls-Royce of a bass. Nothing flash or fancy, just great sound! Oh
yes, and the price - I challenge anyone to find a custom made bass this good for
this price. Better hurry up and order one, before Kevin puts up his rates!
I must also mention that one of the nicest things about Kevin is that he deals with
his customers one at a time, face to face, and he is REALLY a perfectionist - if the
instrument is not EXACTLY what you need, he will take it back and make it so!
Also, because he has no templates or standard models, each instrument is truly
unique: designed by you, built by Kevin, from start to finish. He even came down
to Oxford from Birmingham when I couldn't make it up there to discuss the bass
specifications, and put me up overnight when I went to collect it. Now is that
customer service or what!!! He is also constantly available to give advice and help
after you take the instrument home.
Bruno Goh Luse rated this unit
on
2001-11-17.
