Bass of the Week: Franz Bassguitars Sirius
This week we take a look at the Franz Bassguitars Sirius, a stunning bass made in Bavaria by luthier Xaver Tremel. I found this bass through this excellent demo played by German bassist Ralf Gauck:
The bass features a singlecut design that comes in either 4- or 5-string versions. Tremel starts the bass with a chambered walnut body with plenty of contour to fit comfortably to the artist. The top shown is poplar burl, though others are available. Its neck is a five-piece laminate of ash with oak strips, all of which is topped with an ebony fingerboard. Special attention was taken in designing the neck, which has a dissymetric profile, carbon fiber reinforcements, and a hard oil/wax-finish on the back. The fretboard sports a compound radius from 10″ to 16″.
Electronics include a pair of Delano Times Square dual coil humbuckers matched with a Noll TCM2 active/passive 2-band preamp. Besides bass and treble knobs, the bass is fitted with a switch to toggle the pickups between humbucker, single coil, and parallel modes. The bass is rounded out with Gotoh tuners, and an ETS 3D bridge.
As each bass is made unique, there are plenty of options available.
Franz Bassguitars Sirius Bass Photos:
Franz Bassguitars Sirius Bass Specs:
| Construction: | Neck-through |
| Scale: | 34.5″ |
| Body: | Chambered Walnut |
| Top: | Poplar Burl |
| Neck: | 5-piece Ash |
| Neck Shape: | Dissymetric Profile |
| Neck Reinforcement: | Carbon Fiber |
| Fretboard: | Ebony |
| Radius: | Compound; 10″-16″ |
| Frets: | 24 |
| Inlays: | Mother of Pearl Dot Inlays |
| Pickups: | Delano Times Square Dual Coil Humbucker |
| Preamp: | Noll TCM2 |
| Tuners: | Gotoh |
| Bridge: | ETS 3D with Single String Attachment |
| String Spacing: | 19mm |
| Weight: | 9.78 lbs |
| Finish: | Natural Satin Front, Hard Oil/Wax Back |
For more information:
Franz Bassguitars
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.
why use a five string bass to play only “high” notes and not to play a single note on the B string?
@Arnaud P.: Maybe because he can play more than one song and this video is at least as much about the player and his music as it is about his current bass?