Bass of the Week

The old adage is true: so many basses, so little time. That’s why we’re bringing you the “Bass of the Week,” a column featuring low-end instruments ranging from beautiful to bizarre. Have a bass you think we should feature? Drop us a note at [email protected]

Bass of the Week: Anka Custom Basses Jarius 33″

This week, we’re checking out a custom Jarius bass from Anka Custom Guitars & Basses with a streamlined design. The 33-inch-scale bass pares things down from the standard Jarius design, which has a pair of single-coil pickups.

Bass of the Week: Camarota Instruments Vinta “Tiger Koi” Bass

This week we’re checking out a new signature bass by Camarota Instruments for the mighty Lorenzo Feliciati. The Vinta MkII “Tiger Koi” has an alder body with a stunning flamed redwood top that gives the beast its stripes.

Bass of the Week: Sandman Dream Guitars Trident

Sandman Dream Guitars recently shared a custom build for a customer that looks downright mythical. Dubbed “Trident,” the five-string bass has an incredible book-matched hybrid wood and resin top.

Bass of the Week: LEH Guitars Offset 5-String

Luthier Ellis Hahn of LEH Guitars wrote in to share a killer bass made for a killer bassist. This LEH Offset 5-string was made for the inimitable Tim Lefebvre.

Bass of the Week: Rischke Guitars 332 “Brilliant”

Bass Upfront’s David Sutkin has an astounding bass collection. We’ve taken a look at two of his Stradi basses before, but he’s just shared his latest addition to the lot. The Rischke Guitars 332 “Brilliant” is the first one to land in the U.S.

Bass of the Week: Jacques Legault’s Coffee Table Bass

Have you ever looked at a coffee table and thought, “That could be a bass?” That thought occurred to Jacques Legault, who shared this wild bass he built.

Bass of the Week: Overwater Basses Progress Series IV Standard 5-String

This week we’re checking out a killer Progress Series IV Standard 5-string bass by Overwater Basses. Its swamp ash body has a gorgeous walnut top that’s matched with a walnut headstock cap, walnut fingerboard binding, and walnut block inlays.

Bass of the Week: Badstroke Guitars Sallos 4FF

Badstroke Guitars used the force to create this killer Sallos 4FF bass with an incredible full-body custom inlay of the Death Star from Star Wars, complete with a laser inlay that fires across the fingerboard. As if that's not enough, the entire display is glow-in-the-dark.

Bass of the Week: Ruokangas Guitars Steam Classic “Puma”

Bassist Markus Setzer shared a video recently and the bass he was using caught my eye and my ear. This Ruokangas Steam Classic is a beautiful fretless that’s fitted with their Valvebucker MkII system. The setup matches a magnetic pickup capsule with a tube-powered preamp circuit that’s powered by a floor unit.