A Bass, but no Maker

[Ken Smith]

Originally Posted by Adrian Levi

I had a look and it was hard to find a bass that looked really even

Most of my basses are hand made. That's the main difference. Factory carved tops, backs and basses in general will be uniform to the eye. Hand made basses are uniform to what ever the maker is drinking..

Another thing I find quite often are uneven set ff-holes and/or f-notches. The same reasons as above apply here as well.

The fact that a bass is perfectly even or way off to the naked eye has no bearing on the sound or quality of the bass. It may have a slight bearing on the makers detail or finishing work but I have seen some of the least beautiful and/or uniform old basses that sound amazing.

Try overlooking these factors when evaluating a bass. These 'even Steven' details are more for the Judges at a makers competition than a playing Gig or audition.

If the unevenness somewhere makes the bass hard to play, then and only then does it become an issue. At that point, if you like the bass, try working around it. I have seen players get up on their toes to play over the fingerboard with some high shouldered basses. Sure, low, even sloped shoulders are more fun to play over and may cut down the stretch or work to play it but if it's the sound you are after, get some high heel sneakers!