Bass of the Week: KR Guitars Ursa

This week we check out the Ursa from KR Guitars, a striking multi-scale bass that’s handmade by luthier Kevin Robertson in Vallejo, California. While the bass can be built with whatever woods are requested, this particular bass caught our eye with its 5A California Claro Walnut top and 5A flame maple back.

KR Guitars Ursa - full view

The rest of the bass’s body is The neck is quarter sawn hard rock maple with a quarter sawn stringer of Wenge. Its scale ranges from 34? on the B string to 32? on the G string. The B string’s tension is facilitated further with a reverse headstock design, “alá Fodera.”

Pickups on the Ursa are a pair of Aero’s wired passively with Volume, Mix, and Tone controls. All of the hardware is made by hipshot. For more, check out the KR Guitars website.

KR Guitars Ursa Photo Gallery:

KR Guitars Ursa Specs:

  • Scale: 34?-32?
  • Body: Flame Maple
  • Top/Back: 5A California Claro Walnut
  • Neck: Quarter Sawn Hard Rock Maple with Wenge Stringer
  • Headstock: 5A California Claro Walnut
  • Pickups: Aero
  • Electronics: Passive
  • Controls: Volume, Tone, Mix
  • Bridge: Hipshot
  • Tuners: Hipshot

Get Bass of the Week in your inbox.

Don’t miss a Bass of the Week. Sign up for email alerts (every Monday).

Share your thoughts

  1. lovin the head stock design.

    • Really? You would like having to turn the tuning peg for the B-String a different direction then the E-string? You like that the two are not in an intuitive order? Do you like that you’ll wear out your B-strings prematurely because the B-string is rubbing against the tuner of the E-string?

      This is a screw up!

    • Samuel, I think you’ll find that the B-string tuner is a reverse tuner, i.e. it turns the same way as the E-string tuner. Kevin Robertson, favors a long leader on the B-String and he’s used this unusual, but well thought out, design on other basses he’s built.

      There’s way more rubbing against the nut and the bridge saddle on all the strings than the B string against the tuner.

      I’m fortunate to own a couple of Kevin’s basses and you won’t find a better constructed, better playing, better sounding bass out there. He really is a wonderful luthier.

    • That is kind of weird. I also think it might be uncomfortable much like Parker guitars are to me but it looks really nice and probably plays nice besides what’s been stated above.

  2. Sweet. All the Kevins think so.

  3. Kevin makes insanely good instruments AND he’s an incredibly sweet cat!