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kimgee
03-30-2015, 03:46 PM
As I mentioned in a post in the "Skin Deep" battle I was attempting to buy a Drake Custom Bass guitar on Ebay named Iris (which appears on his site under 4 string basses). Well, that got kinda messy, but I ended up with the guitar in the end. I also had a very nice, and lengthy, conversation with Andrew Drake about this particular bass guitar, including it's history and how it compares to his current offerings. I will be relating my experience with, and opinions of, this guitar and my contact with Andrew Drake in the near future (spoiler: he was super friendly and helpful). I am sort of time constrained at the moment, but will get to it as soon as possible. Stay tuned.......or not. ; )

brian_primrose
03-31-2015, 06:57 AM
Looking forward to your impressions, not just of the bass, but on the subject of buying used instruments on line.
Brian

Elmeaux
03-31-2015, 09:08 AM
Looking forward to your impressions, not just of the bass, but on the subject of buying used instruments on line.

Me, too!!!

kimgee
07-20-2015, 09:37 AM
Ok, finally, back to the Drake Custom bass I bought on ebay. The bass's name is Iris, and it can be found on the Drake site here:

http://www.drakecustombass.com/iris-022908

I spent a good bit of time talking to Andrew Drake about this bass (Andrew is a very helpful and friendly guy by the way), and even though Iris plays nicely and has a great tone, it's finish was not what I would expect from a custom bass builder. I discussed this fact with Andrew, and he informed me that he built the bass quickly, in less than one month, for a specific project and for his own use, and had not originally intended to sell it. Obviously, he did end up selling it, but offered to give Iris a "makeover" and turn it into a bass more in line with his current offerings and skills for a very reasonable amount of money. So, Iris is currently at Andrew's shop being transformed from a nice bass guitar, into a wonderful bass guitar. It will actually be quite a transformation, including a new one piece swamp ash body and all new hardware, including light weight tuners and a new bridge. We discussed various options regarding the body, and I decided to go with a new swamp ash body in his model 9 shape rather than re-shaping the original poplar body. Mmmmmmm.......swamp ash. The original neck will have the frets dressed and the Drake Custom Bass logo will be added to the headstock. Personally, I think an artist should always sign their work. She will receive all new wiring, pots, and a new pre-amp, while retaining the original pick ups. Quite a "makeover" I would say. Andrew estimated the price for all this work would be in the $600.00 neighborhood. That sounded like a deal to me, so the swamp ash has been ordered and now I patiently await the result.

Stay tuned.

thunderman
07-20-2015, 02:24 PM
We're going to need pix and perhaps a YouTube video of Iris in action! Looking forward to it!

Elmeaux
07-21-2015, 10:15 AM
Can't wait to see it!! And hear it!

kimgee
07-22-2015, 12:02 PM
Andrew Drake sent me some photos of the progress on Iris's makeover. She is looking pretty darn sweet!


4418 4419 4420

kimgee
07-22-2015, 02:11 PM
Iris's makeover has now been added to the Featured Builds section on the Drake Custom Bass website. Here's the link:

http://www.drakecustombass.com/featured-builds

Elmeaux
07-23-2015, 11:02 AM
She's a beauty!

jusca
07-23-2015, 06:38 PM
Looking good!

kimgee
09-17-2015, 08:27 AM
Andrew Drake of Drake Custom Bass has finished working his magic on Iris, and I must say, magic is the word. The instrument sounds great, plays amazingly, and looks fantastic! Also, it is incredibly light at under 8 lbs! I could not be happier with Andrew's workmanship, communication, and final product. Here is a link to the finished bass on his website:

http://www.drakecustombass.com/gallery/iris-022908/

Here is a link to Drake Custom Bass's Facebook page where there are assorted photos of the work in progress sprinkled through the timeline:

https://www.facebook.com/Drake-Custom-Bass-and-Guitar-101468039942006/timeline/

I have been very impressed with Andrew Drake's performance throughout the entire process and highly recommend him to anyone in need of repairs, mods, or custom builds.

Elmeaux
09-17-2015, 09:42 AM
Yep. That's definitely a HOT gal.

https://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=889928314429304&id=101468039942006

jusca
09-17-2015, 05:10 PM
The bridge design is one of the better ones I've seen. I like the thoughtful design to it. The bass' body also has a table top grain feel to it. :)

kimgee
09-18-2015, 10:54 AM
The bridge is a Hipshot "B" model. The "A" model allows string spacing adjustment and through the body stringing, but since I didn't need those features, I went with the "B". The top loading feature of the "B" is very convenient. Here are some pics of the bass taken with my cell phone. They show a more accurate color rendition of the bass. Andrew's photos are too yellow due to lighting or camera differences......at least on my monitor anyway.

445744584459

5Slinger
10-25-2015, 07:46 PM
The bridge is a Hipshot "B" model. The "A" model allows string spacing adjustment and through the body stringing, but since I didn't need those features, I went with the "B". The top loading feature of the "B" is very convenient. Here are some pics of the bass taken with my cell phone. They show a more accurate color rendition of the bass. Andrew's photos are too yellow due to lighting or camera differences......at least on my monitor anyway.

445744584459

She's a beauty! how about a little sound sample :-)

kimgee
10-26-2015, 09:25 AM
Thanks 5Slinger. It has become my favorite bass. I changed the flatwound strings to nickel rounds and the tone is outstanding in my opinion. I had a "thing" for flat wound strings in the early stage of learning the bass, but now I have come to appreciate the fact that string choice should be based more on tone, rather than what feels better to my fingertips. I also do not like the "fingering noise" you get with roundwounds, but concentrating on minimizing the string noise caused by my fretting hand definitely cleans up my playing. I will attempt to make a decent recording, but in my opinion, what you will end up hearing is every bit as dependent on the equipment you use to listen to the recording as the equipment I use to make the recording. I don't even plug in a bass when I try it out in a store since I know it won't sound the same when I get it home.