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Bass of the Week - Page 26

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: Padalka Guitars Neptune Bass No. 125

Bass of the Week: Padalka Guitars Neptune Bass No. 125

Padalka Guitars went for something a little different on this particular build of their Neptune bass. To begin, they made it a four-string with a longer 35-inch scale and 26 frets. As with the standard Neptune model, it features a Hipshot headless tuning system. Padalka crafted the bass with a one-piece Black Limba body topped with a stunning piece of...

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Bass of the Week: Tamariz Basses Pocket Baby Bass

Bass of the Week: Tamariz Basses Pocket Baby Bass

This week we’re checking out the Pocket Baby Bass from Mexico City-based Tamariz Basses. The company specializes in the electric-upright “baby bass” style, and this model is a great example why. Built for bassist Jesus Sanchez Puebla, this Pocket Baby Bass is crafted with a claro walnut body matched to a walnut and Caribbean rosewood neck. Tamariz keeps it simple...

Bass of the Week: Devil’s Choice EvilOak

Bass of the Week: Devil’s Choice EvilOak

This week we’re checking out a bass from the dark side. The Devil’s Choice EvilOak is a unique bass that brings together several aspects of their existing instruments. “The EvilOak is a custom project [based on] our Manticore model, and the term “EvilOak” was initially a fun name for that particular bass,” Bernd Steuer of Devil’s Choice explains. “[We] put...

Bass of the Week: Nelson Instruments Paramount

Bass of the Week: Nelson Instruments Paramount

This week we’re checking out the Nelson Instruments Paramount, a killer bass that’s oozing vintage appeal. Its funky maple body is matched to a quarter sawn hard maple neck and set with hot hide glue, which Nelson says offers extras sustain and rigidity. The secret sauce to the bass is in its pickups, Nelson adds. “The Paramount comes standard with...

Bass of the Week: The Bace

Bass of the Week: The Bace

One of my favorite movie quotes has always been a bit of a thorn, as well: In the School of Rock scene where Jack Black converts the cellist into a bassist, he says, “It’s the exact same thing, but instead of playing it like this, you tip it on the side… ‘cello’, you got a bass.” Of course, that’s not...

Bass of the Week: Marleaux Bass Guitars Contra

Bass of the Week: Marleaux Bass Guitars Contra

Gerald Marleaux is hands down one of my favorite bass builders. His artistic touch and attention to detail make all of his instruments play and sound just as good as they look. This week we’re checking out his Contra model, which takes its semi-acoustic design in part from the violin family. “The Contra is made with the same materials as...

Bass of the Week: Novacorda Barbaros

Bass of the Week: Novacorda Barbaros

Novacorda’s Barbaros bass is a design that’s nearly five hundred years old. Well, at least that’s where the inspiration came from. “The bass guitar was named after Barbaros Hayreddin Pa?a who was an Ottoman admiral of Sultan Süleyman‘s fleet,” the Novacorda website explains. “The design of the bass is based on the cross-section of one of his 16th-century warships of...

Bass of the Week: Swan Custom Basses LG II

Bass of the Week: Swan Custom Basses LG II

This week we’re taking a look at a bass from Swan Custom Basses, a small company from Argentina dedicated to low-end frequencies. The Swan LG II is the creation of builders Hernan Goi and Christian Lebied. “The design is our own. Basically, our idea is to make a bass that’s comfortable, ergonomic and with a low weight to avoid fatigue,”...

Bass of the Week: Amnesia Guitars Leo Bass

Bass of the Week: Amnesia Guitars Leo Bass

Italy’s Amnesia Guitars is a workshop run by luthier Carlo Carbone, whose imagination creates beautiful and functional instruments. This week we’re taking a look at his Leo model. The Leo comes standard as a five-string fretted bass, though options are available. Its contoured ash body is topped by a rich ziricote cap. The bolt-on neck is made from maple and...

Bass of the Week: Veillette Guitars Acoustic Bass Guitar

Bass of the Week: Veillette Guitars Acoustic Bass Guitar

This week we’re checking out builder Joe Veillette’s Acoustic bass guitar model. Available in a variety of woods, the Acoustic was designed to bring the same depth of tone from their acoustic guitars to the bass. “With a 17″ wide and 5.5″ deep body, the Acoustic Bass has the airspace to deliver a true fundamental with depth and authority. A...

Bass of the Week: Ash Instruments Singulus

Bass of the Week: Ash Instruments Singulus

This week we’re checking out the Singulus by Ash Instruments. Russian luthier Andrey Shevchenko made the bass with a 30-year old pine body capped with a beautiful slab of poplar burl in a “Flying Blue” frosted transparent finish. The five-string bass’s three-piece padauk neck is also topped with padauk for its fingerboard, which holds 24 frets. For electronics, Shevchenko opted...

Bass of the Week: Millimetric Instruments MB4

Bass of the Week: Millimetric Instruments MB4

This week we’re checking out a cool minimalist design from Millimetric Instruments called the MB4. The four-stringer is their first bass model and shows some Travis Bean influence in its neck. “This bass was made seeking efficiency in sound and playing,” the company writes. “The tone lies in the neck construction, pickups and the use of maple. MB4 sound is...