Bass of the Week: A Client’s Wild Idea Sparked This One-of-a-Kind Acoustic Bass

In my constant search for the most amazing basses in the world, I get to find some hidden beauties. I recently ran across the Roux bass from LHT Guitars, a custom one-off built by luthier Tyler Wells. After reaching out to him for more info, he shared another bass that roused my interest even further.

The Madrigal Bass is a jaw-dropping archtop four-string bass prototype that’s actually related to the Roux in that the same customer ordered them to be created. The client, Wells explains, is interested in builders pushing their limits and trying new things. The “Roux” was his idea after seeing LHT’s NL-8 Guitar model and wanting a five-string bass version.

Wells has been working for and with renowned luthier Tom Ribbecke for nine years, helping to craft the fabulous Halfling basses inspired by Bobby Vega and the Diana Basses for Jack Casady. While doing so, he got some creative ideas of his own.

“I think that anytime you work for someone else, especially if it is a creative type of job, you have ideas that you can’t use in the job,” Wells tells us. “I had been involved in making a number of incredible basses over the years, but I also had a lot of ideas along the way that I couldn’t exercise, and I wanted to explore them. That’s kind of how the Madrigal bass came to be. I began to wonder what a bass version of my guitar designs would sound like. Working on the Roux amplified that curiosity, and then I stumbled across the material that I used for the back and sides which really got me fixated on the idea… A lot of the instruments that I make are inspired by the materials, not necessarily the design, but the vibe.”

One look at the Madrigal, and it’s clear how inspired Wells was. The body’s figured Sipo Mahogany back and sides complement a Western Red Cedar top. He also used Sipo Mahogany for the carbon fiber-reinforced neck. Ebony is another running theme used for the fretboard, bridge, tailpiece, headplate, and pickguard.

“So I presented my vision to this wonderful client of mine, and he agreed to the commission. Originally, the Madrigal Bass was going to be a 5-string with the same scale lengths as the Roux Bass, but I decided to make it a 4-string to make it a bit more traditional, even though it is far from traditional,” Wells continues. “I wanted to create an easily amplified Acoustic bass that was easier to lug around and could take the place of a standup at a gig or in a small ensemble while also having a voice that was compelling to play as a solo instrument.”

To do so, he fitted the bass with his floating electronics, including a custom Parallelogram Kent Armstrong pickup with volume and tone thumbwheels.

“Like my acoustic archtop guitars, all of the electronics are connected to the pickguard and are floating, so it is easy to amplify, but there is no pickup in the top that will have an effect on the way that the top vibrates/acoustic voice of the instrument. I feel like it is up to others to say if I was successful with my goal, but I can say it was a ton of fun to play, and I probably played it more than any other instrument that I have built.”

After you’re done drooling over the Madrigal, go check out the Roux on the LHT website.

LHT Guitars Madrigal Bass Specs: