Bass of the Week: Bootleg Guitars Dawg
Described as a “down and dirty,” no-frills bass, the Bootleg Guitars Dawg 4 bass gets its name from the Cleveland Browns’ Dawg Pound of which we assume luthier Jon Hill is a member. Hill, who is based in Cleveland, explains he designed the bass for the working musician.
The 4-string version of the Dawg has a 34” scale and is built with a Northern Ash body complimented by a quarter-sawn maple neck. Interestingly enough, Hill uses dollar coins for string trees.
In keeping with simplicity, the bass has a pair of passive Bartolini BC4C humbuckers with only a volume control and a blend. (A toggle switch from the prototype is shown in the pictures.)
The Bootleg Guitars Dawg bass is made in the USA and is listed for $1,849. For more info, visit the Bootleg Guitars website.
Bootleg Guitars Dawg 4 Gallery:
Bootleg Guitars Dawg 4 Specs:
- Neck: Premium Grade, Quarter Sawn, Northern Hardrock Maple, Bolt-On
- Fingerboard: Quarter Sawn Maple, 24 Fret 16” Radius
- Truss Rod: Single action, Made In USA
- Headstock: 4 in line
- Scale: 34”
- Nut: Solid brass 1.5”
- Frets: Jumbo / Jescar
- Inlay: Black Dot, 6mm
- Body: Solid, Northern Ash
- Pick Guard: Red, Black or White Pearloid, W/B/W, B/W/B
- Strap buttons: Black or Chrome
- Bridge: Hipshot B style, solid brass 3/4” SS
- Pickups: Bartolini Humbuckers BC4C
- Control Layout: 1 volume, 1 blend
- Pots: CTS, 500K
- Output Jack: Switchcraft
- Strings: 100, 80, 65, 45 Nickel
- Finish: Gunstock oil / Semi-Gloss Headstock
- Case: Soft Shell Case Included
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.
Looks nice, but a bit pricey for the average working musician. There are a lot of basses in that price range that offer more.
yeah but I think its supposed to be all handmade. id say its competitively priced but definitely not cheap.
I found an unwanted Yamaha BB1200 that was beat to crap and pretty much unplayable. The bass and the case cost me less than $150.00, put some Bartolinis in it with a mid cut boost toggle and stacked bass and treble pot, pick up selector pot in all spent less than $700.00 when finished and now it plays and sounds incredible. Best of all, it really is a no frills instrument and I don’t ever worry about scratching it up since it came to me “pre worn”. Best results come from building it yourself.
well… looks like shit.
Nothing shitty about it…Zsolt! Its a nice instrument! Can you do better?
I’ve played them (would love to own one) Superior feel and sound! You get a Boutique hand built bass for the price of a machine production bass. You can’t go wrong with this choice.
That’s cool buddy . Zo.!!
It is pricey if you compare to a Fender, Yamaha or Ibanez, but all of those are mass-produced instruments. This is a handmade masterpiece, made to order, in America with premium components. In my opinion, this price will not last long. These are a steal.