Temporary loss of sanity: Gorgeous Sage 5-string custom bass TENTATIVELY FS/FT

TimBosby · January 7, 2012

I fully expect to regain my sanity at any moment, but I just want to see what else is out there.

I got this bass a little over a year ago. It's a 5-string bolt-on bass, fully custom-made by Sage Guitars in 2006. Swamp ash body, figured walnut top, high gloss finish. 6-bolt flamed maple neck with a really nice wood stripe down the middle that appears to be flamed walnut. Macassar ebony fretboard with silver-ringed dark wood dot inlays. Black Hipshot hardware and black Schaller straplocks. Aero pickups with macassar ebony covers, and a macassar ebony control cavity cover on the back. The pictures show it with an Audere preamp, but I have since swapped that out in favor of a Seymour Duncan 3-band preamp. This bass is very lightweight, well balanced, and sounds amazing.

Scale length is 35". The string spacing is perfect for me - about 18 mm. I have large hands, so narrow string spacing is out of the question, even though I mostly play 4-string.

I've been wrestling with 5-string basses for years, and have, until now, never found one that agreed with me. I always end up selling them. This one is the first fiver I've ever played at band practice. My bandmates can't stop staring at this bass when I bring it to practice.

There is one small headstock ding, along the edge (you can kind of see it in the pictures), a tiny area of some residue on the fingerboard (possibly a dab of glue, but it's barely noticeable), some very minor wear to the black paint on the hardware, and maybe a few scratches here and there on the body. Overall she's in excellent condition. I do not have a case but could maybe rustle up a gig bag.

Why am I listing it? Like I said, I'll probably come to my senses soon. The only thing that I'd change is that I'd prefer a neck-through (or maybe set-neck) bass. Although the bolt-on neck joint on this baby is spectacular and comfortable to play, there's just something about the sleekness of a neck-through bass that I find sexy.

So with that in mind, I am listing the Sage for $2250 + shipping o.b.o. (lower 48 only.) The same bass brand new would cost between $3200-$3500.

I would also consider trades or trades + cash for a comparable fretted neck-through (or maybe set-neck) 5-string bass with similar features and similar string spacing. Run anything by me with pictures and I'll take a look.

Things I like: neck-through basses, exotic woods, high-gloss finishes, inlays, 35" scale (but would consider 34")

Things I'm not interested in: bolt-on basses (have too many), 4-string basses (have too many), fretless (already have one and don't play it enough), oil finishes, odd body shapes

I reserve the right to delete this listing at any time

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