Electric Bass Archives - Page 73

This week we take a look at the Fclef Custom Series II Bass. Introduced as part of their 10th anniversary, the Custom Series II model builds upon their Custom Series and is handcrafted in the United States. The company also boasts that each member of the crew is a bass player, which gets a big thumbs up in our book....

Fifty years ago, Gibson stepped out with an edgy line of guitars and basses, respectively named the Firebird and the Thunderbird. The company is now celebrating the design with a 50th Anniversary Thunderbird Bass. Finished with Gold Bullion in a high-gloss nitrocellulose lacquer, the bass sports through-neck construction with a mahogany body, a mahogany neck and rosewood fingerboard with pearloid...

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. The rest of the bass’s body is The...

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. It’s built with an extra deep body made...

Bassist, designer and copywriter Adrian Elton shares his beautiful 1964 Höfner 500/1 this time around. Karl Höfner GmbH & Co. KG began building instruments in 1887, later becoming the largest manufacturer of string instruments in Germany. Much of the company’s popularity is attributed to Paul McCartney’s use Höfner 500/1 bass, three-quarters of a century or so later. To this day,...

Killswitch Engage’s Mike D’Antonio and Ibanez have teamed up to release the bassist’s third signature model, the MDB3. Based on the company’s Destroyer model, the bass’s mahogany body features beveled edges to provide right arm comfort while picking. Its three-piece maple neck is topped with a rosewood fretboard inlaid with a MDB logo at the 12th fret. The pickup departs...

Here’s a fantastic bass built by luthier Mike Browne. This particular version of his Milo model bass features some fancy woodwork, especially on the body. It’s built with a Honduran mahogany core, a full face figured walnut top with a maple accent stripe, a walnut back, a walnut center block, and maple center block stripes. The neck is quartersawn hardrock...

DBZ Guitars has introduced the Barchetta Bass, a model based on DBZ’s flagship guitar. The bass follows the company’s trend of blending modern and traditional styles for unique instruments. The Barchetta Bass comes in three versions based on their tops: Standard (ST), Flame Maple (FM), and Spalt Maple (SM). Common features include a maple neck, rosewood fingerboard, and a matching...

The Fender Custom Shop has rolled out its Spring 2013 offerings, including the Limited Relic 1955 Precision Bass. Mimicking the look of an aged bass, the new model is the Custom Shop’s first to feature a special Black over Three-color Sunburst nitrocellulose lacquer finish. The bass is created by Fender’s master builders with a lightweight ash body and a quartersawn...

Dean Guitars has released a new bass to their Signature Series with the USA Jeff Berlin Basic. Made in the USA, the new model scales things back from the Patchwork bass while keeping the design’s strengths in place. The Jeff Berlin Basic features bolt-on construction with an alder body, a maple neck, and a rosewood fingerboard. It’s fitted with a...

This week we check out the Wizard by Christopher Woods Guitars. Woods, who got his start working for Michael Tobias, started building under his own name in 2000 under the CWG banner and does work on a custom basis. The Wizard is a striking design with long, symmetrical horns and a round bottom that comes to a point just above...

Guns N’ Roses bassist Tommy Stinson has a new line of signature basses from ESP as part of their Artist Series instruments. While the basses share many qualities, the ESP Tommy Stinson Bass is built in the company’s custom shop while the TS-4 runs as part of their LTD lineup. Both basses sport a set of active EMG pickups in...