My Review of Custom 5-String Basses – Geist 1 & Geist 2

Handcrafted by Custom Guitar Builder, Winston Joseph

Working with Winston was an absolute pleasure. The process of having my dream basses built was a great experience. From hand picking the wood together that went into the two basses, to the instruments unfolding before my eyes, I couldn’t have been happier with how the process went.

Winston kept me in the loop throughout the entire process, and not only kept his website up to date so I could follow the build of the instruments but he also emailed me personally and sent pictures so I could see each step of the way. There was never a time throughout the entire process where I was left wondering. Not once.

The basses themselves are absolute works of art. I designed the body for Geist 1, as a bass that was unique and beautiful, all in one package. Winston brought my design to life and built it exactly how I wanted it to be built. On Geist 2, he asked if he could have some artistic freedom, so that the two basses weren’t identical, to keep each one individual and unique, and I agreed. He came up with the ‘Swan Head’ idea for Geist 2 and made it also a work of art.

What I was most impressed with was Winston’s idea for the necks. I had asked him to make them with the sweep back head stock, to a 35” scale, and he called me the next day and said that he had an idea for a 5-piece laminate neck. He designed the template, and the next weekend we went to the Wood Shed and hand picked out the wood to make the 5-piece laminate neck, and they turned out to be works of beauty and art. But not only do the necks look beautiful, they feel amazing in your hands.

The basses play wonderfully. The necks are smooth, fast and comfortable to play. I couldn’t be happier with the feel of the necks. They fit nicely in your hands, and they play smoothly.

Last but not least, the basses sound great. The sustain on them is fantastic along with warm, fat beautiful tone. I play them in the church hall through a 175-watt Line 6 Bass Amp with a 15” speaker, and they sound like a dream. The way they feel, the way they play, the way they vibrate in your hands, only a guitar player can understand, they feel and play like a dream.

Again, I cannot say enough how pleased I am with the entire process of working with Winston on having my dream basses built. Every step of the process was a joy, from hand selecting the wood, design ideas he had for the necks, the communication, and the final product, are absolute works of beauty and works of art. I would recommend Winston to build your hand built guitar if you are looking to have one that is unique and made with character and real care and love of a real instrument.

Signed: Dean Witter,

Smithville, Ontario, Canada