TP-1 Single Pickup 12-String Bass

Waterstone TP-1 12-String Bass

Only 10 of the TP-1 single pickup basses were made; they appeared in late 2004. This is the only model of Waterstone TP Series 12-string basses to incorporate a single pickup.

TP-1's are all signed and hand numbered by Tom Petersson on a sticker inside of the f-hole.

Waterstone TP-1 serial numbers run from 120401-120410:

12 = December, 04 = 2004, 1-10 are the bass numbers.

Reviews

Waterstone TP-1 Review

by Philip Snyder

I recently received a Waterstone TP-1 Tom Petersson signature series 12-string bass and I have to say that I'm very impressed. It's a semi-hollow bass with a set neck and 20 frets. It has a professional binding job from stem to stern. The model I have is the limited edition single pickup model so the whole thing looks very "purist" and retro. It has all passive electronics and the bass just chimes. I've played a lot of 12-string basses over the years and I've never heard one that sounded like this one does... it's simply beautiful. The neck is somewhat wide, but thin and very comfortable considering its size. The finish is black with a cream pickguard so it's also a very classy looking bass. The hardware is chrome and it came with a padded Waterstone gig bag.

The sound of the bass is very pure... It is almost organ-like but with a chime-y element. It's very warm and audible which I attribute to the semi-hollow body. Being that I have the single pick-up version there isn't a wide variety of different sounds you can get out of it... but that's what the amp is for! It's natural tone is an excellent starting place. I thought that the bass might be muddy considering the pickup placement but it's not that way at all. It's quite bright but with a rich warmth.

Waterstone prides themselves on proper set-up prior to delivery and that really makes all the difference in the customer's initial experience with the instrument. The action was nice and low with no fret problems. It was nearly in tune upon arrival! The intonation was correct as well. It came ready to play and I found not one single flaw. The fit and finish are perfect.

I've been playing guitar for 26 years and have been a fan and player of 12-string basses for many of those years. I know what I like and I know quality when I see it. These Waterstones are a wonderful value for the money. Waterstone has brought the quality of their imported instruments up to that of many US manufacturers standards. Outside of the quality of this bass, it is also very unique in that it is designed as a much more traditional instrument than most other 12's. It is reminiscent of old Hofners and Gretschs and has a very cool appearance.

Waterstone TP-1 Review

by Mark Rowe

I spent a considerable amount of time going over every square inch of this bass. The fit and finish are excellent and the binding is very good. The hardware of good quality. I like the brass nut and the frets are smooth and low. The strings sound good and stay in tune.

My first impression of this bass was, "Wow, this thing is a MONSTER!" Overall it's about four inches longer and three inches wider than a Hamer B12L. The Waterstone weighs in at about 11 pounds. There is some neck dive but it's much better balanced than my Hamer in that regard.

The neck is certainly wider than I'm used to and it took some time to get comfortable with it at first. But after playing this bass for a while the neck width seems fine. I used to think the string spacing on the Hamer was about right but it sure seems narrow now.

Upon opening the control cavity I was a bit concerned. Two wires which had been soldered together were wrapped in a piece of masking tape, which immediately fell off. Not a big deal, I never go anywhere without a roll of electrical tape. Typical of many imported instruments, the pots seem to be of average quality, certainly adequate for the task. There is no shielding in the control cavity, again, not a big deal.

What I find impressive about the Waterstone 12 is the sound - this bass SOUNDS like Cheap Trick! I've played a lot of Tom Petersson's riffs on other 12-string basses, the sound is big but just not the same. Tom has captured the essence of his exceptional tone. In my opinion there is a secret here- If you want to sound like Tom Petersson and you have a two-pickup bass, only use the neck pickup! It's certainly true that most bassists prefer a two-pickup bass, that's why only a small number of the single pickup models were built. But in the vast majority of live concert photos I have seen of Tom playing his Waterstone 12's (except those photos that were undoubtedly staged for publicity purposes), the pickup selector switch is shoved forward so only the neck pickup is being used. Tom has even gone so far as to have the bridge pickup removed on some of his Waterstones. Proof positive of where "The Sound" resides!

I really like the vintage look of this bass and even though the action is a bit higher than I prefer, it really plays well. I'll be using it on stage.

Specs: