Bass of the Week: Simnett Guitars 5-String Fretless
Jon from Simnett Guitars shot us an email with his latest build, and it’s a beauty. This five-string fretless has some gorgeous features that the luthier put serious time and effort into.
“It’s a 33-inch scale (tuned E-C) ‘piezo-only’ fretless. The Black Limba body is chambered and has a spalted Hornbeam top,” he explains. “There’s matching Hornbeam headstock veneers on the bolt-on neck, which is made from Maple and White Limba, with an Ebony fingerboard and nut. The Hipshot bridge features GraphTech piezo saddles, which are connected to a GrapTech ‘Acousti-Phonic’ preamp, with single volume control and a mini toggle EQ switch.”
While there are no audio or video clips of the instrument’s sound yet, Simnett did post a video of the shaping of the neck, which is just about as beautiful to watch:
Simnett Guitars 5-String Fretless Bass Specs:
| Scale: | 33″ |
| Tuning: | E-C |
| Top: | Spalted Hornbeam |
| Body: | Chambered Black Limba |
| Neck: | 5 piece Maple and White Limba |
| Markers: | Luminlay side dots |
| Fingerboard: | Ebony fingerboard with Maple fret lines |
| Pickup: | Graphtech Ghost piezo saddles |
| Electronics: | Acousti-Phonic preamp |
| Controls: | Volume control, and mid/dark switch |
| Bridge: | Hipshot |
| Tuners: | Hipshot Ultralite |
| Strap Locks: | Dunlop Flush Mount |
| Hardware: | Ebony knob |
| Nut: | Ebony |
| Neck Bolts: | Titanium neck bolts |
| Strings: | La Bella Strings black tape wound strings |
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.
