Bass Solo

First, I will state that I was one of the winners of the Bass Solo giveaway. I can't honestly say that it doesn't affect my judgment or review of this product. Though, I believe that it would for most. I didn't know that the owners of this website had a niche perfume line until after I reviewed/commented on the article. I'm fairly new at this fragrance passion I've acquired -so it is what it is. With that said, I love Bass Solo & I will cherish it for a long time. I wasn't familiar with who Bertrand Duchaufour is either. However, I did recognize a few fragrances of his that I use to love -Tralala by Penhaligon's in particular. Many people seemed to comment about his work positively & appears highly respected. I would think that it would behove anyone like Mr. Duchaufour, who is in the business, to create masterpieces for The Vagabond prince. Especially due to the popularity of this website & its correlation to fragrances. I believe he was successful in this endeavor. In my opinion, he was able to create uniquely elegant fragrances for the Vagabond Prince. They are hidden gems that I adore. Aesthetically, Bass Solo is absolutely stunning & it truly captures the essence of a wood/oud feel. All aspects of presentaion appear to be brooding with a classic darkness that envokes deeper mysteriousness. It's powerful in its simplicity. I almost thought I would hear a collaberation from Willie Dixon & Charles Calmese when I removed the wooden cap from the heavy black bootle. The fragrances wood notes have a milky base to them & aren't spicy or screechy in any way. I agree with Seachase's review when he stated that the woods are "well blended with the other notes" & create "a liquid symphony playing at all times". There seems to be several wood fragrances appearing to peek in & out throughout its longevity. I adored the birch & thought I caught glimpses of mahogany notes in this fragrance -they came across silky smooth & relaxing. It didn't last long on my skin or even on my clothes. It became a skin scent by 2 hours & was barely detectable after 4-5 hours. The complexity of this fragrance would have exhausted me if it lasted any longer than what it did for me. So, I'm happy with its longevity given the nature of this fragrance. I prefer to enjoy this more intimately & for it to be fragrantly subtle as opposed to loud & dominating. It has a sneaky aromatic character. Bass Solo seemed to play those trippy little mind games that few fragrances are able to do when they wonder from one note to the next. I could only detect the tinkling of specific notes long enough to enjoy them. I never grew tired of any captured note because they each played in perfect syncronized harmony with each other. Yet, they freely moved about creating an exotic solo amongst themselves. For me this is not a linear scent. It takes me on a cathartic journey every time I wear it. Final thought: Bass Solo is simplistically complicated & produces a divinely intimate experience that highlights a soft aromatic purity of woods. Enjoy!

I also received a bottle of this from the Fragrantica giveaway. I am very sensitive to overly strong scents, so I always begin exploring a new scent with a dilution, a gradual approach. On my skin, what came through this way was mostly cedar, both the rich cedar of the woodshop, plus a little tang of fresh evergreen, but not much else. So far, this was also coming across as very masculine, and I wasn't sure if I liked it. Next test was my diluted version on fabric. This also was only OK, but it was very nice when layered with the simple jasmine that I tend to wear most days. The faint whiff of Bass Solo was a very nice enhancement to the floral, so I was feeling better about it. Then I decided to take the plunge, and do a first test of this scent at full strength. One small spritz onto a shirt. Oh. OHHH! I spent the next five minutes with my nose just buried in the shirt. The wood is still prominent, but now beautifully complex with spice and amber and something a little creamy and sweet coming through. The balance is lovely, nothing is dominating too much. It no longer read as too masculine, either. I wore the shirt to work the next day, and the scent still hadn't faded out, and I was getting lovely soft whiffs of it all day. This is gorgeous! I'm very pleased that the bottle I won was a full 100 ML, because I think I'll be using this a lot! Thank you Fragrantica for helping me find this new favorite.

After the first spray, I thought to myself, “Thank God that I only ordered 2 ml vial of it.” I also almost immediately washed it off my wrist. But I thought to myself, let’s give it a chance. This is a complex and confusing fragrance to my nose. The opening brought me to the memory of my first European trip when I visited so many old cathedrals in France, the UK, and Germany. It is woody, dark, and damp. Something that I enjoy smelling in the air but not on me. But then, after 15 minutes, the heavy smell of dark wood dissipates and I’m left off with this beautiful smell of lavender, lemon, and Amber. The Amber in here is soft and subdued, which I prefer. This heart note blew me away. I couldn’t stop myself from smelling my wrist. I can still smell woodsy old book smell in the back, but I’m loving this. It is so different from anything that I own at the moment. However, I don’t think I’m going to purchase the full bottle. The reason is that this is quite a special fragrance that I would like to keep a small bottle of for its uniqueness. As far as I know, they only sell 100 ml of it. So that’s the drawback. If someone would like to decant it and sell it, please let me know.

I received a sample of Bass Solo with my bottle of Enchanted Forest from the fragrantica giveaway! Thank you again fragrantica. Well, i adore this scent! It opens with lots of amber and driftwood and a small amount of cedar. The cardamom is present giving it a sweet spicy woody smell. The middle phase is my favorite! I can smell nutty oppoponox and birch bark and cigars. My property has alot of birch trees and every year we collect birch bark to make a tea for medicinal purposes. Well Bass Solo smells exactly like freshly boiled birch bark tea! It's dry, smoky, nutty and warm. Occasionally i smell smoked campfire wood. It dries down to a musky cedar. I think this is amazing! Very cozy and unique imo. I have a dabber vial not a spray sample so sillage and longevity might not be perfectly accurate. I got 4 hours of longevity on skin and sillage started out at an arms length but within 20 minutes became close to the skin but others could still smell it if they are standing in my personal space. If you like the smell of real wood, cigars, and oppoponox, then I'm pretty sure you would love this. I don't smell any lavander or fig leaf.

I received this sample as a prize from the Vagabond Prince, along with samples of their other fragrances! Bass Solo opens as a gourmand, but of the savoury variety, due to the ginger, lime, and saffron, with just a hint of sweetness from the cardamom and "fig milk". I really enjoyed this, as it's unusual and sort of sexy. The perfume then becomes a very dry woodsy scent, with a touch of warm amber, incense and musk towards the drydown. There is also a "barbershop" undertone, thanks to the lavender. I also detected a rather dissonant but interesting asphalt accord, from the "birch tar". I also got the impression of a cigar box, like some of the other reviewers. Bass Solo's longevity is on the high end of moderate, while the sillage is less strong but good. Used very lightly it could serve as an office-friendly "skin scent". While I love Bass Solo, it is my least favorite of Vagabond Prince's offerings, mainly because it is a tad too "dry". I prefer my woods a bit sweeter. However, it is still an excellent, rather traditionally "masculine", but still unisex choice.

Great woody-resinous scent alternative for fall and winter! What I smell is exactly what the name says: exotic wood that you would smell on expensive bass instruments (I played bass guitar, so yes!). Cedar is the key note, but also driftwood, sandalwood and birch are behind it. I smell just a touch of lavender from opening through the mid which gives it a bit of freshness and sweetness. And ambery notes start making their presence know in the mid and throughout the drydown. Not much cardamom (the note combination suggests that you might get Invasion Barbare in the passing, but not spicy at all on my skin). If you like woody fragrances, check this one out: quality and great presentation - two things that come to mind. Average performance and longevity. The scent it reminds me off is probably Bois Du Portugal without the bergamot opening and some complexity added making it contemporary and not as dated/mature as the Creed. This stuff is great but not a blind buy purchase. You have to try it and wear it a few times.

Unique and mysterious opening with a cozy familiar dry down. Bass Solo opens with an interesting salty driftwood note contrasted with a smoldering sweet amber and something darkly woody but hard to pin down. I love the opening and it holds my attention because it's not a combination I've ever encountered before. It's exotic but intimate- an unusual balance. The dry down is where the boozy aspect of the amber really comes into plain view. It's something I have smelled before and I welcome it after a challenging yet enjoyable opening. The stages Bass Solo moves through are all pleasurable and the longevity is good. An exclusive whiskey cocktail combined with a very natural smelling cedar. I love that there is evolution here, as if the story of the scent is being revealed over time. I think this works very nicely on a woman as well as on a man, and anyone who enjoys dark boozy warm wood scents with an unusual twist, will likely find something to enjoy here.

I am a lover of "woody" fragrances. I have smelled and enjoyed everything from the deepest and darkest Arabian attars to the lightest, sweetest "westernized" woods. Bass Solo from The Vagabond Prince has by far become my absolute favorite wood/oud based fragrance. I consider it to be the perfect blend of dark and light woods that happens to be highly sophisticated, as well as being boldly sexy. This is an extremely unique fragrance in the wood family. As much as I enjoy woody scents, I do tend to get bored with them quite easily when wearing them daily... but that has never happened with Bass Solo. There's too much character and soul in this scent to ever get bored with it. The woods do dominate, but they are so well blended with the other notes that you have a liquid symphony playing at all times. It's a divine concert, indeed. If you love wood based scents, do yourself a big favor and try this beauty. Scent - 10 Sillage - 8 Longevity - 9

I purchased this bottle because of a couple reviews. Yep. Blind. Admittedly, I was low key worried it would be a wrong choice, too masculine (I am female) or too woody. It arrived today.... First sniff and 2 hours in... TOTAL SUCCESSFUL BLIND BUY!! BASS SOLO is a fabulous scent!! Starts off very woody without being too much. A few different woody notes interplay w my olfactory senses. I love it when a fragrance does that, like plucking a string on a guitar. One woody sings, then fades back as the next woody note is strung. It has an effortless smooth quality that wears very nice. The other notes are so nice... saffron and ginger, just a touch of really nice amber sweetness. The weather is hot, but this scent is not too much for me. I can't wait to wear this in Fall too. REALLY NICELY DONE! Scent has lasted 9 hrs so far.

I wanted to add a few follow-up comments after a couple of weeks of wearing this scent exclusively. I've tried wearing it directly on my skin, and also on fabric, and for me spraying it on fabric is far better. It seems to last longer, and maintains the balance of the scent. Wearing it on skin, I find that after a while all I'm smelling is the cedar, and I seem to lose the other notes. The bottle is lovely, a pleasure to hold. It's large and hefty, and the rounded bottom fits nicely in my hand. But - since it's completely opaque, I will have no way of knowing how much perfume is left in it, or if I am running low.

For all lovers of deep woody fragrances - this is a must-buy. The packaging might suggest that it is aimed at men, but actually it’s perfectly unisex. The fragrance is dominated by an assortment of woody notes (cedar, birch, sandalwood and whatnot), paired with spices (cardamom, ginger, saffron) and some sweet lavender. It’s a wonderful, versatile scent. My only complaint is that it’s not very strong - it has moderate silage and lasts about 6 hours. Since I already have Nasomatto Blamage, which is quite similar to Bass Solo, I won’t be purchasing the latter anytime soon; still, I might invest in it in the future.

First of all, I am very grateful to Elena for this generous gift. Now that I have had the opportunity to wear it few times, the opening, indeed, reminds one of freshly-cut woody from a tree, probably the tribute to wenge. The last time an opening of a fragrance so much reminded of a freshly cut wood was the classic and rare Rochas Macassar whose very name hinted at a type of wood. The tree-like vibe mellows down and other notes make appearance such as cedar and amber, giving it a warm feel. This is definitely a formal, suit-type fragrance, more appropriate for a cold weather or cool nights during warm seasons.

This beautiful fragrance is absolutely deserving of its name. This is most certainly a bass solo in olfactory form. However, this is not a rock'n'roll solo, grungy or otherwise. This is no Flea solo, but a refined, deep timbered solo. This is a bass cello solo, this is Yo-Yo Ma in a bottle. The deep and intoxicating accord of woody notes is exquisite and enveloping. A beautiful fragrance that requires the right personality and je ne sais quoi that cannot be explained, only felt. I started wearing this in the late summer, but I can imagine it will only shine more and more the colder it gets.

This is easily the best cedar note I’ve encountered so far, mostly because it’s so much more than cedar. It’s woody, evergreen, aromatic, and even a little spicy. It reminds me of the peppery bark and stinging pollen, oily juniper smoke that can only be enjoyed outdoors over a firepit. Whether you want to smell like a cedar chest is a different question, of course. The natutral accords make this a great casual scent, outdoorsy and approachable.

Oh my god, this is great! Two of the strangest names for fragrances have turned out to be complete 100% winners: Beach Hut and Bass Solo. Bass Solo could be one of the best releases from CdG in a while if it wanted to. It smells like an 80’s woody frag in a really good way. I’m thinking Jaco Pastorius in a NYC club going mad on his wooden Fender. Not even close to D&G. Try Kenzo Jungle Homme...woody and lactonic.

It begins with a lot of amber, driftwood, and a little cedar. Cardamom is present, lending it a sweet spicy woody aroma. My favourite stage is the middle one. a few steps behind,. It's a little dry, a little smoky, a little nutty, and a little toasty. It dries to a smoky cedar scent. This is fantastic, in my opinion! Very snug and one-of-a-kind. I received 6 hours of skin longevity and sillage of arms length.

BUY THIS FRAGRANCE! HOLY COW I LOVE THIS STUFF! NOTHING ELSE LIKE IT OUT THERE. WOW I'M IN LOVE. WORTH EVERY PENNY & THEN SOME. SO UNIQUE AND ADDICTIVE. MORE MASCULINE THAN UNISEX IMHO... PROJECTION AND LONGEVITY IS THROUGH THE ROOF! I GET SO MANY COMPLIMENTS WEARING THIS...

Earthy and sweet, woody and spicy, touches of smoke and leather are there, but not at all overdone. Dark but not too heavy, balmy and comforting. It has some character and develops over time, and is very well blended.

A niche version of dolce Havana the one. The ingredients are much smoother and more natural. It's one sexy fragrance and definetly a crowd pleaser and complement getter

I whole heartedly feel that this is a masterpiece.