Almost new LeCompte ST-5 5 String Bass featuring Quilted Maple top over a Swamp Ash Body with a thick lamination of Walnut sandwiched in between. This LeCompte has a 5 piece Maple and Wenge neck with Rosewood fingerboard. This Bass has the great sounding Aquilar 3 Band 18 Volt Preamp with mid switch offering two mid EQ choices. The other toggle switch controls active/passive choices. The LeCompte Basses are built by Bud LeCompte in Houston, Texas since 2004 see this link for this exact Bass on Bud's site http://lecomptebass.com/st5/ I am very impressed by a couple of things about this LeCompte Bass. The first thing that impressed me is the SOUND!! Rich full sound that is really strong. The Bartolini Soap Bars and the Aquilar Preamp together with the Swamp Ash body and six bolt neck are a killer combination. The "B" string is piano like and speaks with a clarity that immediately gets your attention. I don't say this unless an instrument really gets my attention, and the LeCompte does. The "B" never gets lost and is as good as the best I have ever heard. It has a tilt back matching Headstock as well, that may contribute to the right build combination. The neck on this Bass has a nice feel to it and is flattened on the backside as opposed to being round. What this makes for is a nice feeling neck that has substance but does not feel chunky. Perhaps this again adds to the great sound this Bass produces. The body is very stylish leaving traditional Fender type basses behind, and is extremely comfortable ergonomically. It also balances perfectly and is aided by the positioning of the upper horn. Incidently, the cutout at the bottom of the body makes for another stylish but functional aspect when sitting down and playing this Bass. Hipshot tuners and bridge in Chrome complete the look that says this Bass means business. Bud LeCompte make some great Bass guitars and he is a Luthier that understands about detail. His build quality is excellent and you feel it, see it and hear it the minute you plug in and play. You don't see many of these around yet. This one has found it's way to me, is available now and I suggest that you don't miss this one!