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One piece Alder bodied Paradigm with Satin Blackburst
Features Overview
P Bass Inspired
Medium 32" Scale
20 Fret
AAA grade Rosewood Fingerboard
Tusq Nut
3 pc Maple/Walnut Neck
1 Piece Alder Body
Gotoh 203 Bridge
Gotoh Tuners
Custom Control Plate
Dunlop Straplocks
Passive with CTS pots
Lindy Fralin (S.W) Pickup
Blackburst Satin Finish
Colour Matched Headstock
Light Neck Tint
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The bass pictured features a 32” scale and the 1 piece Alder body has also been scaled down accordingly. This keeps things in proportion and reduces weight. Although the shape is very similar to the classic Precision, the top horn has been slightly elongated to improve balance. The heel is sculpted to allow easy upper fret access and is fitted with 6 ferrules to create a very rigid neck, removing the need for the neck pate usually found on basses of this type.
In place of the standard one piece neck, here we have a 3 piece neck of Maple and Walnut to both help with stability and help eliminate deadspots.
A Lindy Fralin pickup ensures the bass sounds monstrous with the classic P-bass sound we all know and love.
It is finished in a Satin Blackburst finish, which feels silky smooth and gives the bass a tough look….like it really means business!
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TESTIMONIAL
"The bass has arrived... and it's fantastic!
Perfect build, perfect sound, perfect set up. I love it!
It's the first bass I've had that sounds great without any EQ, although it does respond incredibly well to a very slight touch of EQ as well. An action as comfortable as this hasn't been possible on other basses I've had (fret buzz/rattle). It balances really well on a good strap and it's so light and resonant. I'm glad we went with the standard Lindy Fralin pickups. The whole instrument is absolutely flawless.
I wish I'd done this ages ago, instead of wasting money on the s**t that other companies often throw out the factory door! It was well worth the wait."
Stephen - West Yorkshire
One piece Ash bodied Paradigm with pickguard
Features Overview
ASH PARADIGM
Medium 32" Scale P Bass
20 Fret
Flamed Maple fretboard
Tusq Nut
Maple Neck
1 Piece Ash Body
Gotoh 201 Bridge
Hipshot Tuners
Hipshot D Tuner
Schaller Straplocks
Passive with CTS pots
Catswhisker Pickup
Cerus Black Grain Fill
Nitrocellulose Lacquer Finish
TESTIMONIAL
"Robin Manton hand built a medium scale (32 inch) Paradigm bass for me in ash with a maple neck. I was allowed to select the pieces of wood and all the specifications to make it exactly the bass of my dreams. The quality of his work is impeccable. His customer service and communications are faultless, which made the whole process a delight. All at a price less than a USA machine made standard P bass.
He build all kinds of 4/5 string basses and 6/7 string guitars, please consider him for your next instrument purchase."
John - Bath
50’s
PARADIGM
One piece Walnut body & 3 piece walnut/maple neck
Features Overview
50s PARADIGM
50s P Bass Inspired
32" Scale
20 Fret
Maple Fretboard
Bone Nut
3 pc Walnut/Maple Neck
1 pc Figured Walnut Body
Satin Black Pickguard
Chambered under P/G
Wilkinson Bridge
Wilkinson Tuners
Dunlop Straplock ready
Passive with CTS pots
52 Bare Knuckle Pickup
Oil finish
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This Paradigm is based on the earlier 50’s Precisions, again the body shape has been slightly altered for better balance and comfort. The body is a single piece of English Walnut with character by the bucket load, featuring wormholes, cracks, and knots. All of these have been filled in black to stabilise and add maximum contrast. The Satin black pickguard has been given slot head brass mounting screws to give a more old fashioned look and tie in with the brass Wilkinson bridge saddles. Underneath the pickguard has been chambered to reduce weight and improve balance.
The usual Maple with Walnut skunk stripe as found on so many basses has been reversed for this neck, so we have a predominantly Walnut neck with a Maple central stripe. The neck is 38 mm at the nut and also quite slim, giving a fantastically quick feel with the smooth oil finish. The Maple fretboard has been given a satin Nitrocellulose finish for improved durability, it also features Walnut position markers to tie in with the body. The rest of the body/neck has been finished in an oil finish which really is the best looking finish on Walnut!
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A staggered pole piece 52 Bare Knuckle pickup gives the classic Precision thump with hardly any hum which people may expect from a single coil pickup.
Overall a no nonsense, raw bass with an industrial rustic look, but with the added comfort of a slim neck and medium scale.
1840s VICTORIAN PINE PARADIGM
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Features Overview
Medium 32" Scale P Bass
20 Fret
Cuban Mahogany Neck
Blackwood Tek fretboard
Bone Nut
1840’s Pine Body
Leather Pickguard
Gotoh 201 Bridge
Hipshot Tuners
Dunlop Straplocks
Passive with CTS pots
Nordstrand NP4 Pickup
Oil Finish
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The timber used on the body of the bass was originally in the roof of a building in the Jewellery Quarter in Birmingham which dated to the 1840’s.
I was able to acquire some of the wood after the building had some renovation work and felt it would look much better in the shape of a medium scale Paradigm bass!
To go with the rustic look of the Victorian Pine, I made a leather pickguard which matches the colour of the neck wood.
The neck also had a past life as a piece of furniture which was at least 100 years old and sadly falling apart. It was however made from the very best mahogany - Cuban. So I gave the Mahogany a second chance at life as a neck!
As both the body and neck were recycled, I decided it needed a green environmentally friendly fretboard option, so I went for Blackwood Tek, which is a man-made Ebony alternative.
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The end result was a super light medium scale Precision style bass which balances perfectly and weighs in at only approximately 6 lbs.
The build process of this bass can be viewed on my Youtube channel.
Flamed Ash PARADIGM with Cuban mahogany neck
Features Overview
Medium 32" Scale P Bass
20 Fret
Cuban Mahogany Neck
Wenge fretboard
Bone Nut
Honduran Mahogany Body
Flamed Ash Top
Gotoh 201 Bridge
Gotoh Tuners
Dunlop Straplocks
Passive with CTS pots
Delano PC 4 Pickup
Oil Finish
Ziricote top & one piece
mahogany neck Body PARADIGM
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Features Overview
Medium 32” Scale P Bass
20 Fret
Cuban Mahogany Neck
Ebony Fretboard
Bone Nut
Luminlay Side Dots
1 pc Mahogany Body
Ziricote Top
Delano Pickup
Gotoh 201 Bridge
Gotoh Tuners
Passive With CTS Pots
Dunlop Straplocks
Oil Finish
This one is the classic Paradigm recipe except this time with an exotic twist in the form of a Ziricote top and a lightweight one piece Mahogany back. As with some of the other Paradigm models we have chosen a Cuban Mahogany neck for it’s strength and stability, this time with an Ebony fretboard and Luminlay side dots. The Delano pickup provides a modern almost active like sound.
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Vintage Styling
&
All
mahogany PARADIGM
Features Overview
32” scale
20 fret
Dark Rosewood fretboard
Clay face dots
Luminlay side dots
18th Century Cuban Mahogany neck
Carbon fibre reinforcement
1 pc Khaya body
Matte black pickguard
Bare Knuckle 58 pickup
CTS pots
Gotoh lollipop tuners
Gotoh 201 bridge
Labella flatwounds
Dunlop straplocks
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This Paradigm has a vintage look and sound to it featuring a Bare Knuckle 58 split coil pickup and standard CTS passive controls.
The body is a single piece of Khaya (African Mahogany) with some great colour and figure. For the neck we have one of my favourite materials - Cuban Mahogany. This particular piece dates back to the 18th Century and is quarter sawn and reinforced with carbon fibre stiffening bars for added stability.
Chrome Gotoh lollipop tuners and 201 bridge finish off the look along with a matte black pickguard.
Hear this bass in action on my YouTube channel!
Nordstrand Big Split P/J Pickups
1 piece English Maple
PARADIGM
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Features Overview
32” scale
20 fret
Yarran fretboard
1/4 sawn dark roast Maple neck
1pc Figured English Maple body
Nordstrand Big Split pickups
Hipshot hardware
Yarran control plate
Stacked CTS pots (passive)
Black Tusq nut
Dunlop straplock ready
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One of my Paradigm models except this time instead of the traditional Precision pickup we have two Nordstrand Big Split pickups in P/J locations.
There are just two main woods on the bass except in different variations. These are Maple and an Australian wood called Yarran, which is extremely hard and colour wise makes a nice alternative to Rosewood for fretboards (but it’s much harder!). I also made a matching control plate out of the Yarran to tie it altogether. The body is a single piece of beautifully figured/flamed native Maple and the neck some dark roasted 1/4 sawn Maple. Being a darker roast it almost has the colour of Mahogany.
All hardware is by Hipshot with a B style bridge and Ultralites for the tuners helping keep the overall weight of the instrument down to a very comfortable 7lb 13oz.
Super light Walnut and Swamp Ash
PARADIGM
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Features Overview
32” Scale
20 Fret
Dark Roasted Flamed Maple Neck
Indian Rosewood Fretboard
Luminlay Front and Side Dots
Hipshot Extender
Hipshot Ultralite Tuners
Chambered Swamp Ash Body
English Walnut Top
Nordstrand Big Split Pickups
Hipshot B Style Bridge (aluminium)
Passive (CTS pots)
Oil Finish
Weight - 6 lb 14 oz
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The goal for this bass was to make it as light as possible, as the owner gets back pain when gigging with heavier basses. But we also wanted to use attractive woods which look great with a natural finish. So the back is some extremely light chambered Swamp Ash and the top some beautiful English Walnut.
As the Paradigm is such a well balanced design not prone to any kind of neck dive, it means even with a featherweight body, the bass still balances perfectly neutrally. The Hipshot ultralite machine heads also further help with the balance and shave off a a good chunk of weight compared to vintage units. The bass is also equipped with a Hipshot Extender for drop D at the flick or the lever.
The neck is dark roasted flamed Maple which is almost the colour of Mahogany with some attractive flame figure. The fretboard is a nice dark rosewood piece of Indian Rosewood featuring both Luminlay front and side dots.
The Nordstrand Big Split pickups are in P and J locations and those classic tones plus a bit extra!
