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The Bass Centre Wyman Bass

UK Price: £645.00 Inc. 20% VAT
Worldwide Price: £537.50

+ Lined Fretless Fingerboard

+ £100.00

Quantity

–+

Availability

Limited Stock Available - Buy Now!

(15 Reviews)

Description
Specifications
Videos
Press Reviews
Customer Reviews

RIP THIS JOINT

The Bass Centre’s Barry Moorhouse originally approached bass legend Bill Wyman in 2010 with a view to the possibility of producing a signature instrument as part of the ongoing British Bass Masters series.

In 1961 Bill custom built his own radically unique fretless bass and the brief was to produce a bass ‘similar in spirit’ to the original instrument, used to such great effect during hundreds of live shows and recordings throughout his tenure in the Rolling Stones, including the legendary recording sessions for "Sticky Fingers", "Exile On Main Street", "Goats Head Soup" and "It's Only Rock n' Roll".

With this in mind, Barry and long-serving Bass Centre guitar technician Chris Ward duly descended on Bill’s Sticky Fingers eatery in Kensington, London to faithfully record the specifications and dimensions of the original, which then resided in suitable splendor in a glass case on the restaurant’s wall. After several prototypes and months of intense R&D, the final production instrument was launched in the spring of 2011.

Bill Wyman with Keith Richards at London's O2 Arena, November 2012

The instrument has a comfortable, compact feel with a fast, low action and a lightweight, custom shaped alder body finished in solid black with a one-piece crimson pickguard. Tone is supplied by a vintage ‘Baldwin’ style neck pickup with a modern style soapbar in the bridge position, hooked up to a classic, no-frills, passive circuit with individual pickup volume and master treble roll-off controls.

The Wyman Bass has a short-scale 30" neck topped with a rosewood fingerboard and features Bill’s own unique headstock design. Tuners are two-a-side Hipshot UltraLites, the bridge is a custom hi-mass unit with through-body option, and the bass is strung with Bass Centre Elites nickel wound, medium scale Hamburg Players strings.

“It really is the perfect bass for me — that’s why I put it on the album sleeve”
Bill Wyman • Back To Basics • 2015

Body	Basswood
Finish	Black gloss polyurethane
PICKGUARD	One-piece crimson perspex
Neck	Maple
Fingerboard	Indian rosewood with pearloid dot markers
Frets	20 medium nickel frets

NEck Pickup	Passive, custom, vintage "Baldwin" style single coil
BRIDGE PICKUP	Passive, contemporary custom soapbar
Controls	Volume / Volume / Master tone
Tuning Machines	Black Hipshot Ultralite "Y-Key" tuners
Bridge	Chrome custom hi-mass bridge, fully adjustable, with "through-body" option
HARDWARE	Chromed brass dome top control knobs

Scale Length	30" (762mm)
Neck Width at Nut	41mm (1.61")
Neck Width at 12th Fret	55mm (2.17")
Neck Depth at 1st Fret	19mm (0.75")
Neck Depth at 12th Fret	22mm (0.87")
String Spacing at Nut	10mm (0.39")
String Spacing at Bridge	19mm (0.75")
Body Depth	40mm (1.57")
Approximate Weight	3.14kg (6.9lb)

Strings	Bass Centre Elites Hamburg Player Series nickel roundwound .045 - .065 - .085 - .105
INCLUDED Extras	Premium quality Bass Centre padded gig bag with dual handles, cushioned shoulder strap and zip-up accessory pocket
Warranty	All Bass Centre instruments come with a 1 year warranty
COUNTRY OF ORIGIN	World Musical Instruments Co.Ltd., South Korea

"MAYBE THE LAST TIME"

Bill Wyman steps out with the Bass Centre Wyman Bass for a final live reunion with the Rolling Stones at London's O2 Arena, November 25th, 2012, on the band's 50th Anniversary Tour.

BASS COLLECTION

Jive Bass / Power Bass

Jazzwise Magazine • March 2011

"These brilliant instruments are a steal at this price point... in fact it's hard to think of any bass range that offers so much quality for so little money."

Jive Bass / Power Bass

Gareth Morgan • Guitar & Bass Magazine • July 2010

"Classy and impressively accurate takes on two classic templates (with) authentic sounds & an excellent level of build quality"

In G&B's annual round-up of the year's most impressive gear, Bass Collection swept the board in the "BEST BASS GUITAR UNDER £1,000" category, with the Jive Bass crowned the winner and the single pickup Power Bass in second place.

Jive Bass

Dan Veall • Guitar Interactive • December 2013

"The attention to detail is welcome, not only in the feel of the neck profile but also in that this instrument is nicely balanced and surprisingly lightweight. A very good bass for not a lot of money."

Speakeasy Pro 4

Gareth Morgan • Guitar & Bass Magazine • February 2014

"A well put-together & handsome-looking bass... it’s fair to say that its modern good looks and fine playability make it an instrument that many will be happy to pay a little extra for."

Speakeasy

Ian Glasper • Bass Guitar Magazine • October 2014

"Exceptionally well built and finished for the price tag – a joy to play... small and perfectly formed, these guitars are easy on both the eye and the ear"

Bespoke Jive Bass

Joe Hubbard Bass Videos • April 2017

"Lightweight, resonant and extremely versatile... I really love this instrument and I’d recommend it to anybody looking for that classic J-Bass design at a super-affordable price point."

BRITISH BASS MASTERS

The Guy Pratt Betsy Bass

Mike Brooks • Bass Guitar Magazine • February 2020

"An absolute joy to play... a cool finish, playability and comfort by the bucketload, and a tonal performance that out-boxes many a bass at double the price. The Bass Centre have a winner on their hands."

The Bruce Thomas Profile Bass

Joel McIver • Bass Guitar Magazine • January 2016

GEAR OF THE YEAR 2016 — BEST FRETTED BASS UNDER £500
"Bravo, chaps... a wonderful bass that you will not want to stop playing. And all for £495? A great F*nder alternative... Snap one up if you can."

The Bass Centre Wyman Bass

Gareth Morgan • Guitar & Bass Magazine • September 2011

"An excellent mix of passive tones... if you're looking for a bass that's a little different, the Wyman is a welcome new contender."

The Bass Centre Wyman Bass

Roger Newell • Guitarist Magazine • December 2012

"Pros: Compact & lightweight, super fat.
Cons: Provided you like the small proportions, there's nothing to dislike!"

The Bass Centre Wyman Bass

Ken Sanders Bass • Guitar Magazine • July 2015

"A great Fender-ish vintage rock 'n' roll tone which will sit perfectly in any blues trio... it continues the company’s tradition for quality basses at affordable prices."

The Brian May Bass

Roger Newell • Guitarist Magazine • September 2012

"Well styled and nicely built... If you want something off the beaten track this has a great deal to offer... delightful to play, with its own character and sounds - recommended."

The Brian May Bass

Gareth Morgan • Guitar & Bass Magazine • August 2014

"A fine-looking beast with a heap of '60s flavour which harks back to wilder times. The basic sound is excellent; nice & fat with growling lows & an overall feeling of controlled aggression."

Average Rating (15 Reviews):

Write a Review and share your opinions!

Rating:

Beautifully made

29 January 2025 | Austin

I love everything about this bass.

Beautifully made, built like a tank, with a deep low vintage tone. I chose the Detroit Flats for the strings, and they are excellent flatwounds that remind me of old school Fender flats. The bass was perfectly set up and it has been tons of fun playing many classic Stones bass lines on it.

One thing of note is that you may need a harness strap or use weights to balance out the neck dive that is inherent in Bill's design.

Rating:

Wow

06 November 2024 | Robert

Not even face to face in a shop have I received such great customer service from any other guitar shop.

I asked to have a set of flats included in my delivery - “No problem, no charge, we will fit them for you” was the reply.

The bass was set up perfectly for me, it's a revelation to play for my diddy little fingers and is powerful.

Quick delivery.

I've only given a five star on this review because it doesn't let me give 9 or 10.

Completely happy and well satisfied customer.
Thankyou to Barry and his team.

Rating:

Sounds awesome

22 October 2024 | Kevin

I just purchased one from you and I absolutely love it! So easy to play, and so much fun. It sounds awesome! Bill did good approving this reissue of his iconic Dallas Tuxedo bass. I wish I could tell him in person. Thanks!

Rating:

Almost perfect

28 September 2024 | Todd

Beautiful, high quality bass. Great price. I'm about to record a CD of Stones songs from 1964/65. I'll be using this and I'll send you a copy. The only complaint I have is with the nut. I don't use roundwound strings (and I'm surprised that was the only choice for the Wyman). I ordered a set, but I had to take it to my guitar guy for some filing because the string slots weren't wide/deep enough for them.

Rating:

Superb

21 September 2023 | Andrew

Thank you for everything. Stangely your web page continued to state that the order was '`In Progress' right up to the minute it was delivered by DHL to my local UPS store in Arlington, Massachusetts USA.

Amazing set up! Perfect intonation; with capo on 1st fret: 008" relief at @ 5-6 fret, 5/64" string height at the 12th fret of the E.

It is so tiny, shorter scale than my 1974 Gibson EB3. Great tone, and can sound almost like a string bass. Great string-to-string balance and a fairly similar tone in passing from the D to the G as well. Terrific fun.

Super fit and finish. The 3 pots must be audio taper because the 2 volumes really only function from about an imagined 8 to full on. I have re-fit several basses' volume pots with linear, to improved effect.

I am very pleased!

Cheers to all your staff and to your design associates! Superb work.

Rating:

Very pleased

11 June 2018 | Michael

Thanks for the great service. Wyman Bass arrived in excellent condition.

Very pleased with it and you. Very fast shipping. I will be ordering again soon.

Thanks again.

Rating:

Unique & intriguing

07 June 2018 | Shane

What a great & fun little bass this is. Fretwork is immaculate. Fit & finish top drawer. The balance & position on your body when playing with it strapped on is not the norm. More like an SG, but you soon adapt & get used to it. Lots of versatile sounds to be found. Great pickups & hardware. A unique & intriguing bass.

Rating:

Well pleased

31 May 2017 | Ian

Well pleased with the Wyman Bass. Would recommend the Bass Centre to anyone... Thanks.

Rating:

Wyman Bass

24 March 2014 | Martin

Great Sound, nice to handle. Thank you for your excellent customer service.

Rating:

Good for me...

09 December 2013 | Francis

Nice wee bass, short and easy to play (if you have short fingers like I have). The neck is great, the sound is nice. Easy to carry around too. I had to wait a while due to its success before I got it, but contact with the Bass Centre was good.

Read all 15 customer reviews...