OVERWATER BASSES (OD&M Ltd)

Name

OVERWATER BASSES (OD&M Ltd)

Legal name

OD&M Ltd

Website

https://overwaterbasses.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1979

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Bass Guitars / Handmade Stringed Instruments

NAICS

Musical Instrument Manufacturing (339992), Musical Instrument and Supplies Retailers (459140)

SIC

Musical Instruments (3931)

akta.pro primary industry

Musical Instruments (Acoustic & Electric) (MPAIAJAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Audio Accessories & Consumables (Cables, Stands, Cases, Strings, Picks, Heads) (MPAIAJAF), Instrument Repair, Maintenance & Luthier Services (CRALAEAF)

Keywords

• Handmade bass guitars
• Custom bass instruments
• Boutique bass luthiery
• Electric bass manufacturing
• Bass guitar strings

Headquarters

HQ city

Carlisle

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Personnel, Supply Chain, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Custom Bass Guitar Sales: Primary revenue stream from bespoke, handcrafted bass guitars built to customer specifications. Orders placed directly through the workshop with consultation on woods, electronics, finishes, and hardware. Lead time of approximately 5 months from order to delivery, with progress updates provided throughout the build process.
2. Stock/Pre-built Bass Sales: Sale of pre-built, in-stock basses from the shop.overwaterbasses.com website, offering faster delivery than custom orders.
3. Bass Strings and Accessories: Overwater-branded bass strings including Regular Nickel and Stainless Steel sets in 4-string, 5-string, and extra-long configurations.
4. Service, Repairs, and Upgrades: Workshop services for maintenance, repairs, and custom upgrades on Overwater instruments and potentially other basses.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels10 records

Core offering

Overwater Basses designs, hand-builds, and sells custom and pre-built electric bass guitars from its UK workshop in Carlisle, offering full bespoke specification across wood selection, electronics, scale length, string spacing, finishes, and hardware. The company also manufactures Overwater-branded bass strings and provides service, repair, and custom upgrade work on its instruments, with direct customer engagement throughout the build process and a typical lead time of approximately five months for custom orders.

Product overview

Overwater Basses is a UK-based handmade custom bass guitar manufacturer offering a portfolio of distinct bass guitar series. The core products include the Progress Series (flagship model since mid-1980s), J Series (traditional styling with contemporary electronics), Hybrid Series (fusing Progress and J Series elements), Signature Series (artist collaboration models for Scott Devine and Philip Mann), and Hollowbody (chambered construction). The company also offers custom upgrades, bass strings, player tuition programs, and a podcast. All instruments are built to order in their UK workshop with extensive customization options.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Progress Series Bass Guitar Overwater's flagship bass guitar model, available in through-neck or bolt-on construction with Custom and Standard formats, designed for professional players seeking pinnacle craftsmanship, design, and playing excellence.
• J Series Bass Guitar Range combining traditional bass styling with contemporary electronics and boutique craftsmanship, available in Classic and Contemporary formats with 21 or 24 fret options for players who want a familiar silhouette with modern electronics.
• Hybrid Series Bass Guitar Fuses the multi-laminate construction, superior neck joint, and angled headstock of the Progress Series with the body profile and ergonomics of the 24-fret Contemporary J models, available in Standard and Custom formats with Noiseless J style pickups or dual coil soapbars.
• Signature Series Bass Guitar Artist signature models developed in collaboration with professional bass players, including the Scott Devine Signature (SDS), SD J Series, and Philip Mann Signature (PMS) Series, with custom specifications tailored to each artist's playing style.
• Hollowbody Bass Guitar Chambered-body bass with a lightweight feel, resonant voice balancing depth and clarity, and a carved top for tactile feel and elegant aesthetic. Available in Full Depth or Thinline versions with twin coil magnetic pickups or a magnetic/piezo combination.
• Overwater Bass Strings Overwater-branded replacement bass guitar strings available in Regular Nickel and Stainless Steel variants, in 4-string, 5-string, and extra-long configurations to suit different scale instruments.
• Custom Upgrades Service Bespoke enhancement service for Overwater instruments, offering exotic wood selections, personalized inlay work, custom finishes, wooden pickup covers and knobs, and custom string spacing/scale length options.
• Service and Repairs Workshop service providing maintenance, repairs, and custom upgrade work on Overwater instruments (and potentially other basses), executed by the same luthiers who build new instruments.

Quantifiable outcome

• Testimonials consistently mention superior craftsmanship, tone, and playability compared to other boutique and mass-market instruments
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers9 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Scotts Bass Lessons (Scott Devine)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2011Deep partnership with Scotts Bass Lessons, the world's most widely followed bass education platform with over 500,000 aspiring bass players. Overwater is the only bass company in the world offering official Scott Devine Signature models (SDS and SDJ Series). Scott has been associated with Overwater since the 1990s and is a long-standing collaborator in signature model development.
• Phil ManncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration with Overwater player Phil Mann to develop the Philip Mann Signature Series (PMS). Phil is a graduate of the Players School of Music in Florida with Masters in Jazz, regular columnist for Bass Guitar and Bass Player Magazines, and senior tutor with Scotts Bass Lessons.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Alembic: Pioneering American boutique bass and guitar maker known for custom-built instruments with proprietary electronics and high-profile artist users. Comparable to Overwater in handmade craftsmanship, customization, and professional endorsement model.
• Spector Bass Guitars: US boutique bass maker with strong professional artist endorsement and signature model programs. Overlapping customer base of professional and session bassists seeking premium instruments.
• Warwick Basses: German high-end handmade and custom bass guitar manufacturer with global professional artist endorsements. Closest direct competitor to Overwater in boutique European-built electric bass guitars aimed at professional players.
• Ken Smith Basses: US-based handmade boutique bass builder offering custom and signature instruments for professional players. Directly comparable custom-build model with active artist endorsement roster.
• Sandberg Basses: German boutique bass maker offering custom builds, signature models, and proprietary electronics with strong professional artist adoption. Direct competitor to Overwater in the European boutique handmade bass segment.
• Lakland Basses: US boutique bass manufacturer known for high-quality J and P-style instruments favored by session players. Comparable to Overwater's J and P Series in player profile and tonal positioning.

Emerging players

• Tobias Basses: Heritage boutique bass brand (now under Gibson/Mesa) known for handmade neck-through basses. Comparable in boutique handmade positioning and artist-driven heritage, though operating under a larger parent.

Broad incumbents

• Music Man (Ernie Ball): Major US bass and guitar brand offering premium production and custom instruments with professional artist signature lines. Competes with Overwater for professional endorsement slots and high-end buyer mindshare.
• Fender Custom Shop: Fender's bespoke division offering custom-built Jazz and Precision basses for professional players. Much larger scale but competes directly for the same boutique custom-bass buyer that Overwater targets.

Others

• Basslines / Bartolini Pickups: Leading pickup and electronics maker supplying many boutique bass builders. Adjacent enabling company whose electronics appear in many of the same instruments Overwater competes with.

Market position

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/overwaterbasses
• Facebookfacebook.com/overwaterbass
• Instagraminstagram.com/overwaterbasses
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/overwater-design-and-marketing-limited

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about OVERWATER BASSES (OD&M Ltd)