LeCompte Electric Bass Thummin' Bird Custom 5-String

2005 LeCompte T-Bird custom 5 string bass. This was the first customer bass to come out of the LeCompte shop and was built to my specs. It is a very simple design bassed on the Thunderbird body style. Bud (LeCompte) modified the shape so it would work better as a 5 string. The body is 2 piece poplar with a wenge neck and a wenge fingerboard.

The bass is equipped with a single passive Music Man style pickup from Custom Shop Parts and is wired in series with a single volume control (no tone control) and a switch that switches the pickup between front/back coil or series mode. The body is finished in 1969 Dodge Charger Orange that is offset by a faux (painted on) black pickguard. The finish was then topped of with a catalized clear top coat. The neck is al natural wenge and is finished with a minimal use of tung oil.

Neck is a 34" scale, strings are DR Low Riders (nickle)

All of the hardware is black, the bridge is a Contour 5 string and the tuners (3+2 config) are sealed units. Both are also from Custom Shop Parts.

When Bud and I discussed the building of this bass, it was designed from the start to be a rock and roll bass. And it does just that. When the pickup is in series mode, the bass has a very commanding presence (almost dominating) but sits very well in the mix and blends well with the other instruments while maintaining its character. Rich and full sounding? You bet! I have used it with a variety of amps from Eden, Ampeg, Trace Elliot and Behringer and its keeps its growly tone no matter which amp i'm using. My main rig is a Behringer Bass Vamp Pro with an EP1500 power amp powering (formerly Ernie Ball Audiophile cabs) a pair of the Behringer BB series cabs.

It was primarily designed for stage use but also sounds great when recorded (direct into recorder/mixer from DI on Bass Vamp pro)

Even though the bass is a 34" scale, the B string is powerful and articulate, no floppy B string here. It is currently strung with DR Low Riders which are the second set of strings that have been on it. The frist set was a set of Ernie Ball slinkies that also sounded great as well.

The setup from the shop was exactly what I wanted, low but not too low. I played a few of the basses than Bud had at his shop and used them to describe the action that I wanted and he nailed it perfectly. My playing style incorporates a very percussive left (fretting) hand and if the action is too low, it inhibits my playing. Bud had it setup perfect.

Finish on the bass and neck was spot on perfect, no flaws.

This bass was built for live playing, it will definitly stand up to it. Hardware is all solid, the finish is very durable and has already survived a couple of good bumps.

Dunlop straploks keep everything secure! Neck has needed only one minor adjustment and that was after i had owned the bass for several months and the neck had time to settle in. It was still completly playable at the time.

I would trust it without a backup at a gig, but i always carry 2 basses minimum to a show.

I dealt with Bud from day one on this bass and he was more than helpful at all stages of the build with any questions or concerns that I had. Both before and after I had taken posession of the bass. He also let me take one of his prototype basses out for a couple of months for testing and evaluation (see my LeCompte PT-1.5 review)

He loves basses and is grat to talk to about them.

I have been playing for over 20 years and have owned almost 20 basses. This bass has replaced my Ibanez as my main 5 string bass. If it were stolen I would be devisated (especially sice this bass is one of a kind and Bud will not be making any more with the T-Bird body style) and I would do everything I could to get it back. Would I buy it again? If I could, sure. I have already purchased my 2nd LeCompte bass.(one of his original designs)