Bass of the Week: SimpleBass e4 Fretless Bass

SimpleBass e4 Fretless - Three Views

After 20 years of playing a fretless Jazz Bass, Italian bassist Roberto Musso decided it was time to spice things up. That’s when he designed the SimpleBass e4, a 4-string fretless model with an extended fingerboard and a sleek body shape. The result is a lightweight, balanced bass.

“Having some more fret space would have been a real help in playing themes or for more room during improvisation,” Musso shared. “So I started to think about an instrument that maintained the basic features of a Jazz Bass®: slim neck and passive electronics, but with many more fret positions. As I began working out the design on paper, my focus was to make a clean shape. The concept was: remove what you don’t need.”

Musso builds every e4 by hand with varying woods, making every bass unique. Each bass also gets a touch of personality with its own name and serial number. SimpleBass e4 009 is named “Jupiter”, and sports a mahogany neck, Macassar ebony fingerboard, and a body of zebrawood, wenge, and maple.

While materials are based on what is available, Musso prefers ebony for fingerboards. Other woods for construction include maple, rosewood, mahogany, alder, hornbeam, cedar wood, zebra wood, purple heart wood, and pear wood.

For more, check out the Simplebass website.

SimpleBass e4 Fretless Bass Photo Gallery:

SimpleBass e4 Fretless Bass Details:

  • Fretless only
  • 4-string
  • Scale: 33.46? (85 cm)
  • Body: Choice of Woods
  • Neck: Choice of Woods
  • Fingerboard: Ebony (standard)
  • Pickup: Passive Single Coil with Alnico Magnet

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Share your thoughts

  1. I asume it is meant to be played standing up only, since it lacks a lower horn… Cool bass by the way, and the price is not crazy IMO.

  2. Looks like a copy to me….

  3. Hmm. Copyright infringement on an Edwin Paanakker Quintar. Back to the drawing board, Roberto.

  4. This resembles my old quintar designs from 1988. Coincidence?

    • Now that you mention it, and after seeing your models, you’re right. This one however has a shorter horn, but other than that it is quite similar. Let’s hope it’s just coincidence.