The bass arrived at noon today, after a couple hrs playing scales and a few shorties, it is without a doubt the finest bass instrument I have ever played, besides tremendous tone consistency and quality, it maintains its own presence, this is the kind of presence that when you walk into my studio all heads turn to feel and listen.  Truly an instrument where art and function are one.

Was playing last night and took it to try out in anger. It’s perfect for me. Beautiful wood too.

I was on a practice amp and there was some slapping to do. It is really crispy with the treble up which I like. Will have it through something heftier through the weekend and try out a range of tones and settings for different songs, and with the volume up a bit.

I have to say I’m very excited about it. No problem if I have to stick down in the “money notes” for ages now that I have a degree of comfort in the lowest positions. I may even be able to introduce decent technique from time to time!

Chris set it up very nicely for me, so no need to fiddle with anything.

Worth waiting for, so thank you and thanks to Chris for suggesting I go for this model. I thought I was being a bit whiney when explaining the problems I have using full scale basses when standing up. He must have known what I was talking about. We can’t all be orangutangs I suppose.

Dear Kirsty & Chris

I don’t get excited about too much these days, but I have never seen such craftsmanship as this guitar I am OVER THE MOON THANK YOU!

SOOOOOOO HAPPY XX

[The bass] arrived safely on Thursday. I am very happy with the result and the sound is fantastic. 

Please express my thanks to Chris, Martin and the rest of the team.

Everything is brilliant! I LOVE this instrument! It’s right on par with my expectations. Thank you so much. I’m playing it right now 😊

I want to thank you more completely at another time, but having used the 4 string jazz on a number of performances now, I am stunned by the feel, sound, response, growl and quality of the instrument. This is speaking as one who has owned many boutique F****r style instruments. I am so grateful to you for absolutely “nailing it” in terms of what I had asked for and couldn’t be happier with the bass.

Thank you and I look forward to the next instrument from you. Please pass along to anyone that helped in production.

Just wanted to let you know it arrived today safely, and it’s amazing!

Also, I want to say how awesome you guys have been through the whole process.  I’m sure I’ve contacted you guys WAY more than most people, and I hope I have not pestered you too much.  Martin has been amazing with all the photo updates and I hope by posting all over my social accounts (and Scott’s campus), I’ve at least brought you guys some new business.  Again… My thanks to y’all.

Well…. Sorry for not sending any message prior today.  I of course received the J5 and now have spent quite a bit of time with it.  I really wanted to give it a good deal of playing prior to writing you.

I love the bass.  It is so well-made, balanced, is a great shape/size, sounds great and although it had your great set-up, since I always adjust to my liking, I did this and it plays even better for me (I have the action even lower and the neck even flatter!).

Now with several or more hours of playing, it is comfortable and….I can fly on this bass!  I am new to a compound radius and although the flatness is still a bit weird, it certainly makes chording easier as you move up the neck.

I know that I will get to know this bass’s sound(s) more as I spend more time with it….and just want you all to know that I am really happy with it and thank you all immensely for working with me and building this bass.

PS.. I hope you still have the templates for this bass…. I am thinking about a fretless and maybe another fretted with different body wood…. A mahogany with maple top!

I absolutely love it. My wife has had to prise it out of my hands.

Thanks again.

Just received and unpacked the bass. All I can say is the wait was sure worth it! I cannot put the bass down! It is everything I expected and more. The fit, finish, tone and play-ability are first rate…

The setup is perfect for me. Although I am relatively new to the bass (about 2 yrs), I have owned way to many for a novice player. Your bass is by far the most comfortable to play. I love the neck and the flexibility of tone. Rest assured I will be telling all of my friends who are musicians about the quality of your work.

I first found out about Overwater Basses through Scott’s Devine Bass Lessons online. I own several other custom basses and was impressed by the look and style Overwater presented when I visited their website. After viewing their list of “Players” they have built for I knew they must be a great company. Unfortunately, there are no dealers for Overwater in my area so I was unable to visit a store front to test the instrument’s sound and feel. I only had a handful of videos online to base my decision.

When I contacted Chris May at Overwater Basses to begin the build process he was extremely helpful in not only selecting the best woods for the bass’s body and neck that accommodated my playing style, but assist in giving me the aesthetic look I wanted for the instrument as well. Chris helped me select every detail from the style of pick-ups to the specific string spacing I desired on the fingerboard. After everything had been selected it did not take very long to begin receiving progress photos (about once a week) from the build team. I was able to watch and enjoy the bass take shape starting from slabs of wood into my completed instrument. The entire process took around 5 months from the first inquiry to receiving the instrument in hand, but it seemed much faster due to the excellent communication I had with the Overwater team. The time frame was almost exact to how long they estimated the build would take.

Once I received the bass it looked even better in person than through email photos. I was able to give it a first run at a large music festival opening for a famous national act. I was amazed how incredibly the bass cut through the mix and stood on its own without overpowering the overall sound. The Overwater pick-ups allow a wide range of versatility between different styles, but it only takes a second to adjust to which sound you need from the instrument. The body was a bit smaller than some basses which is perfect for my size. The action and fingerboard played very smooth and fit exactly to the specs Chris and I established. The quality and craftsmanship of the instrument were everything I expected and anticipated as well.

I am not a famous musician, however Overwater Basses treated me as such throughout the entire process. I felt that the overall price of the instrument was more than reasonable for the quality instrument and the experience I had with the Overwater team. Overwater has provided me with a great versatile bass that visibly catches people’s attention and sounds awesome as well. I could not have been happier with every aspect involving this build. I would certainly recommend Overwater Basses to any musician interested and I plan to build another in the future.

I received my bass today and just wanted to let you know that I am over the Moon with it. It plays fantastically, better than I could have imagined!

Cannot thank you all enough,

Thanks for a fantastic 5 string bass. Have been using it on most gigs since it arrived 3 months back – it plays beautifully…

Guys – thanks very much for an object of great beauty – it looks great, feels great and sounds great…

I thought I’d let you know how the Inspiration 5 string you sold me about a year ago is getting on… I’ve used it on many shows and have had numerous comments on its tone and sound!

Most recently the West End transfer of ‘Ushers The Musical’ and the re-run of ‘Beautiful Game’ by Andrew Lloyd Webber! Both the drummer and MD loved the sound!

I will be going to Guildhall (London) in September to study on their Jazz course for 4 years and I’m looking forward to using the bass there!!

I know you’ll be hugely busy, I just wanted to say thank you for crafting a lovely instrument that is really helping me find my musical voice!

Thanks a lot.

Thanks a lot, the bass just arrived and I love it! The build quality is great and the sound is what I was hoping for. I took that last one to a festival in Africa and it handled the 45C (113F) very well….So I know I’ll keep the two!

Thanks a lot and kudos for your work.

I just wanted to thank you, and all the guys involved at Overwater basses for this amazing instrument. It’s just great ! I’ve fiddled with the action to get it ultra-low and it’s still completely buzz-free, which has never been the case on any other bass I’ve played up until now, so that just shows who’s doing it best I suppose!

The tone is very nice, smooth and clear, and a few band mates have complemented the tone of the bass. My playing has also improved, as I now have more space to think about what I’m doing rather than battling against technical difficulties like heavy action, difficult access to high notes and too far spaced strings (for chords).

So a big thank you to you guys, again, this is a great bass and I’m very pleased with how it looks, plays and sounds.

Now had the bass for a week and really settled in with it. Sounds magnificent and plays like a hot knife through butter, really easy.
Setup is spot on. Again, thanks for the design and your advice Chris, and for your first class building Martin. Thanks also to anyone else involved in the process. This will be with me for a long time.

I just wanted to let you know that both basses made their way safely to Singapore and I am chuffed to bits.  They are really fabulous – it was a long wait, but, like all good things – well worth it.

Thanks and I love doing business with you

Finaly the bass is in my hands. Everything works great, it sounds fantastic.. I have played already 9 concerts on it .. I’m reallllly happy for our business!!!

As I investigated this is a first Overwater bass in Latvia and i’m sure it’s not the last… All my friends – musicians also say it sounds exellent.

Thanks again for everything!

Just received it, just unpacked it (with shaky hands), and WOW, the first look, the first touch, the first sound (at work without any amp…), the neck, WOW WOW WOW, fantastic instrument, cannot wait tonight to plug it…

Would you mind sending me whenever you have a minute, details of the strings you put on, they are great (and if I have to change them one of these days I want the same ones)?

All of this to say big thanks to you and your team, you are great, and I’ll spread the word in Geneva (some people at work are already surfing your website right now!)

I called this morning and left a VM… The SDS arrived yesterday, it’s absolutely beautiful!

i wanted to say a huge thanks to all of you! I’m sorry that I write so lately, but i have been extremely busy the last weeks.

The bass is just beautiful, plays and sounds fantastic, so I am more than happy with it!

Just thank you so much!

Hope you all had a good time about Christmas – I´m very happy with my new bass!

I wish you all the best for the New Year: Good health and still good success with your remarkable instruments!

Kind regards from Hamburg

I Finally got the customs stuff worked out and got the bass today.

Unreal!! Can’t believe anyone can do that kind of work. I’ll send a picture along when I come back to earth.

I can’t thank you enough Chris…

I have received my bass this afternoon. It’s really awesome and I really love it!

Once again I would like to say thank you from the bottom of my heart…. If there is any thing I can do to help Overwater Basses do let me know.

I pray that blessing be upon you and your family and everything that you are doing.

The bass is at home!! Fantastic job!! I love it!! Bravo!

Thank you very much and kind regards.