Basses - Page 44

Ibanez shocked many bassists again this year by introducing a new Ashula bass. The SRAS7 is a seven-string model that has a unique hybrid fretted/fretless design with three strings over a fretless purpleheart fingerboard and four strings over a fretted rosewood fretboard. The fretted portion is tuned to a standard E-A-D-G, while the fretless section is tuned A-D-G. Each section...

Spector is celebrating 40 years of bass building with the Euro4LE 1977 Limited Edition bass. Based on the company’s original bass from 1977, it’s built with neck-through construction with a fully carved body with solid American walnut body wings and a 3-piece maple neck. Spector went so far as to measure the dot inlays that adorn the 24-fret rosewood fingerboard...

Wing Instruments expanded their product lineup at the NAMM show this year with the Wing Bass NT and Wing Bass 30. The company describes the new models as representing an evolution in their philosophy that “life is short scale.” Similar to the original Wing Bass, the NT measures up at just 21 inches and plays like the top range of...

J Ferro Basses was showing their full lineup at the NAMM Show this year including the brand new Kilian Duarte KD-5ES bass. Based on their Escalon model, it features a mahogany body with a solid flame maple top, a five-piece maple and mahogany neck, and a maple fingerboard with black pearl inlays. Electronics include custom wound J Ferro pickups matched...

Schecter announced the CV Series of basses at the Winter NAMM Show this year. Available in four and five-string versions, the model centers around its electronics with a new set of the company’s Diamond J-Bucker pickups. The pickups, which visually resemble guitar humbuckers, can be switched between series, split, and parallel operation. Instead of a typical blend knob, the pickups...

Taylor expanded their GS Mini series with a new compact bass model called the GS Mini-e Bass. The instrument has a small 23.5-inch scale, which the company explains is about 10 inches shorter than a standard bass guitar. Even with the reduced scale, the bass’s setup creates deep tones. “Part of the magic is the custom nylon-core strings (with phosphor...

After introducing the American Professional line in December, Fender has unveiled the Limited Edition Exotic Collection. The series includes the 2017 Limited Edition American Professional Jazz Bass FMT, which combines the features of the Professional model with a figured maple top. The bass is built with an alder body, quartersawn maple neck, and rosewood fretboard. The neck has a slim...

Bass legend Mike Watt has teamed up with Reverend Guitars for a special signature bass called the Wattplower. The short-scale bass also features a smaller body and is reminiscent of vintage basses that Watt gravitated towards. “He was always modifying the vintage basses,” Reverend writes, “so Joe Naylor built the Wattplower with all of his favorite mods on board, some...

German bass building artist Jens Ritter has revealed two new bass models for 2017, which will debut at the Winter NAMM show in Anaheim, California. The Princess Isabella Bass and Cora Concept are riffs on previous instruments with a fresh take that have been introduced as part of the Royal Family due to their uniqueness. The Princess Isabella Bass is...

Ibanez’s BTB Standard series is getting a facelift for 2017 with several new features across the line. The BTB845, BTB846, BTB745, and BTB746 all have a new refined body arch, a zero fret, and come standard with D’Addario NYXL strings. Each of the basses are still constructed with a neck-through design featuring a five-piece maple/rosewood neck and an Ash body....

Sadowsky Guitars has teamed up with Earth, Wind, & Fire bassist Verdine White to create a special signature model that will be part of their new NYC Satin Series. Based on White’s first Sadowsky bass from the ’90s, the instrument is set apart with an undersized J-style body of chambered alder, PJ pickups, and a J-bass width neck. It’s more...

Fodera is gearing up for NAMM by introducing two new Standard models with the Fodera Emperor-J Classic and Monarch-P Classic. The retro-styled basses are built in Fodera’s Brooklyn shop alongside their custom instruments but are built in batch with limited options to keep costs and wait time to a minimum. The Monarch-P Classic comes in two configurations: an ash body...