Product: LeCompte Electric Bass PT 1.5 - 4
Price Paid: N/A
Submitted
04/09/2005
at
05:03pm
by
Justice
Email: justice at animegrafx<dot>com
Features
:
9
LeCompte PT 1.5 - 4
Made in 2004, built in the USA.
4 string, semi single cutawy, 24 frets. Bartolini jazz bass pickups with volume, blend and stacked bass and treble controls. The body uses a variety of woods and has a spalted top with matching headstock. Is finished in clear over the natural woods which really brings out the figuring in the woods. 34" scale neck with a unique profile that as first loks chunky until you get it in your hands. It has a flat profile across the back and is very comfortable. 24 frets that are all accessable due to the cutaway and the design of the neck pocket.
Sound
:
10
I play a variety of music that ranges from classis rock to mowtown to country to disco. I played the bass through my rig which consists of the Behringer Bass V-amp Pro, a Behringer EP1500 poweramp and 2 Ernie Ball Audiophile cabs (2x10 and 2x12)
The amp models I used on the Behringer were the "tube Preamp" which is my main setting that I have eq'ed to my taste and the "rock classic" setting that does an admirable job of emulating an Ampeg SVT Classic with the 8x10 cab.
The electronics in the bass are dead quiet with no buzzing or humming no matter what pickup setting you choose. It produces and smooth full sound bordering on "hi-fi" thanks to the Barts, but can produce a variety of sounds depending on the settings you choose. By blending forward to the bridge pickup you get a full sound that would work well for blues and country and by blending to the bridge gives a nice sound for soloing. with all the controls centered the bass has a very workable sound that could be used almost anywhere and is at home both finger style and slapping.
Action, Fit, & Finish
:
9
The bass was setup nice and I had no problems feeling comfortable playing it right off the bat. The picups were adjusted properly and placed in good positions to provide a good variety of sounds.
There were a few finish flaws under the clear on the bass (which was to be expected, the bass is a demo for me) but they really do not effect the good looks or playability of the instrument.
Reliability/Durability
:
9
The PT 1.5-4 is very solid feeling, and I would have no reason to believe that it would not stand up to constant gigging. The hardware is good quality that has proven track records in the bass industry and there is no reason to believe it will not last.
The clear finish on the bass seems like it will be very durable and not easily damaged. The bass is equipped with Dunlop straploks and are very solid. I would definitly use this bass without a backup if I had to, but I have enough basses to always have a backup and I always carry at least 2 basses to a show.
Customer Support
:
10
No warranty..it is a demo :)
I have met the builder in person and he is a great guy, we met several times while designing the bass that he built for me (not this one, this is the one that inspired me to have him build me one) I'm sure that if there were any problems whith one of his basses he would go out of his way to make things right.
Overall Rating
:
10
I have been playing for 20 years, I own 9 basses including Steinbergers, Ibanezs (vintage Roadstars) a 12 string, an acoustic and a custom LeCompte F-Bird with a Moses Graphite neck.
The PT 1.5-4 bass was a demo that the builder let me borrow, If it were mine, I would be very upset if it were lost or stolen and would defintly get another one.
The only thing I do not like about this bass is that it is a demo and I have to give it back!
In my opinion, after talking with the builder and looking at his designs, I think LeCompte basses are going to fill a serious void in the bass world. Hand made quality and attention to detail, with functional well thought out designs, at better prices that the other "boutique" bass builders and some that are just just reinventing the fender jazz bass.
There is a new kid in town, and he builds LeCompte basses.
