Bass of the Week: Harpy Instruments Toucan
Harpy Instruments is a company that describes itself as a family of musicians who enjoy building unique, playable basses. “Our goal is to build interesting, quirky instruments that add a touch of fun and creativity to the art of music-making,” they share.
They accomplished that goal with their Toucan Electric Bass, a cool nod to vintage designs of the ’50s. Each bass is uniquely built with a selection of woods, stained veneers, and birch plywood. Harpy utilizes a J-bass style Mighty Mite neck that they modify for further comfort.
As cool as it looks, the design centers around its pickup configuration.
“At the heart of the updated Vintage 50’s single coil pickup in the mid and forward position. We are literally pickup forward,” they write. “This exceptional pickup system, which faithfully captures the warm, punchy tones that defined the sound of the ’50s with a modern touch. The pickups deliver a rich, deep resonance that forms the cornerstone of this instrument’s sonic identity.”
Hear the bass in action in the company’s demo:
Harpy Instruments Toucan Bass Features:
| Scale: | 34″ |
| Body: | Selection of Woods, Stained Veneers, Birch Plywood |
| Neck: | Maple (Modified Mighty Mite) |
| Fingerboard: | Maple |
| Pickups: | 2 Single Coil Hand-wound 50's Pickups |
| Controls: | Master Tone, Volume, Volume, 3-way Tone Capacitor |
| Tuners: | Gotoh |
| Bridge: | Gotoh |
In his time with No Treble, Kevin has met hundreds of amazing bassists and interviewed icons like Jack Casady, Victor Wooten, Les Claypool, Marcus Miller, and more. He's a gigging bassist performing jazz in Northern Virginia and bluegrass with The Plate Scrapers up and down the East Coast. Kevin appreciates all genres of music, from R&B to metal and everything in between. Connect with Kevin on Facebook and check his performance schedule on his website.
Couldn’t understand or enjoy the demo? ~Found the quick movements jumping all around quite confusing. Bass looks cool tho…
I wonder what Fender is going to think about the use of their trademarked headstock.
Hi there I love the different sounds of the Toucan Bass.I would love to buy one .I am in Australia and I play alot .I could show this Bass to alot of people .I am in the Blues scene in Melbourne .it is a big place for alot of the great bands we have .Loved the Demo of the Toucan .I agree the last sound he had was my favourite to Cheers Thankyou Pete