Best of 2013: The Top 10 Bass of the Week Features

Editor’s Note: For the last week of year, we’re sharing the best of No Treble for 2013, based on readership. Be sure to check back each day until January 1st for the most popular features, lessons, videos, bassists and more.

The old adage is true: so many basses, so little time. That’s why we have the Bass of the Week to feature different low-end instruments, ranging from beautiful to bizarre.

Here are the top 10 most popular Bass of the Week features in 2013, based on readership.

Bass of the Week: Stash Stainless Bass Guitar

1. Stash Stainless Bass Guitar

While perusing Facebook, I stumbled upon this uber-sleek, uber-unique instrument: The Stash Stainless Bass Guitar. Designed and built by Stanislaw Potyrala in Mississauga, Ontario, the bass is made entirely of stainless steel…

Bass of the Week: Esperanza Spalding’s South Paw Fretless 5-String

2. Esperanza Spalding’s South Paw Fretless 5-String Bass

If you happen to follow Esperanza Spalding’s Facebook page, you might have seen from photos of her Radio Music Society summer tours that she’s wielding a slick new 5-string fretless. The bass is a South Paw, created by NYC luthier Simon Propert, and it’s one of a kind…

Bass of the Week: ODD Guitars Hive 3D Printed Bass Guitar

3. ODD Guitars Hive 3D Printed Bass Guitar

As 3D printing becomes a more accessible means of creation, it seems that imagination is our only limit. ODD Guitars realized this and put the technology to use in instruments…

Bass of the Week: Amfisound “Hellbass”

4. Amfisound Hellbass

Our friend Greg B. emailed me with a few shots of his bass, and I couldn’t wait to share it. Greg’s axe was built by Finnish luthier Sampo Leppävuori of Amfisound, who based it after their Kuru model. The six-stringer – dubbed the “Hellbass” – has two personalities…

Bass of the Week: BassLab STD

5. BassLab STD Bass

BassLab isn’t your ordinary bass manufacturer and they certainly don’t make your average bass. Developed by a musician and a physicist, the company uses a tuneable composite material instead of wood…

Bass of the Week: Artisan Bass Works Classic Series

6. Artisan Bass Works Classic Series Bass

Artisan Bass Works looks at things from a different angle. The Ohio-based company licenses ANSIR Technology, which is a patented neck design that puts the fretboard into a more natural playing position. ABW puts the design to use on their Classic Series to add their own touch to common bass styles…

Bass of the Week: Rybski Wooten Woods Camp Bass

7. Rybski Wooten Woods Camp Bass

In 2010, extreme flooding left a trail of destruction across much of Tennessee including the area surrounding Nashville. Wooten Woods, Victor Wooten’s home base and teaching haven located near the Duck River, was temporarily overrun by water and had to be evacuated. Rybski built the Wooten Woods Bass entirely from the harvest of downed trees…

Bass of the Week: KB Guitars Robert Hurst Acoustic Bass

8. KB Guitars Robert Hurst Acoustic Bass

Ken Bebensee of KB Guitars made this gorgeous acoustic bass guitar for jazz bassist Robert Hurst, whose work ranges from stints with Wynton Marsalis to being a member of The Tonight Show Band. The 5-string bass brings together elements of a cello and an archtop jazz guitar for a unique hybrid bass…

Bass of the Week: C. Eller UT2

9. C. Eller UT2 Bass

This week we check out an innovative design out of Germany by C. Eller Design. The UT2’s striking body shape was ergonomically designed to fit comfortably in both standing and sitting position, while the lower cutaway allows for access all the way up to the bass’s 24th fret…

Bass of the Week: Line 6 Variax Bass 700

10. Line 6 Variax Bass 700

This week we take a look at the Line 6 Variax Bass 700, an interesting bass that was produced during the 2000’s. It included special modeling software to reproduce tons of classic bass sounds, ranging from a ’61 Jazz Bass to a ’03 Thumb to bass synths…

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