Bass of the Week: Fodera Zebrawood AJ Contrabass Shape 12 Elite
This week we’re checking out a very unique Fodera. This Zebrawood AJ Contrabass Shape 12 Elite is a 12-string fretless built specially for bassist Steuart Liebig. Featuring the “AJ Contrabass” body shape, the instrument is built with a mahogany body with a Flame Maple tone block and zebrawood top.
The neck is a five-piece laminate with maple and South American Rosewood stringers. Its Indian Rosewood fingerboard is inlaid with ebony dots. Fodera fitted with bass with passive electronics and a massive custom Nordstrand pickup. Liebig explained the pickup and controls on Facebook.
“[It’s] 4 P-bass coils [and] 2 J-bass coils,” he writes. “Front 4 on one 5-position rotary switch so I can get front layer P, back layer P, split-P, reverse-split-P, or all four P coils. 3-position toggle allows me to do P coils, J coils or combination P/J coils. A lot of variation possible. Passive volume and tone. Kill switch. The space behind the pickup is because I have a few extended techniques/prepared things that I do that require that space.”
We can’t wait until there’s a clip of this beast in action!
Edit: Liebig has uploaded these sample tracks to Soundcloud. Check it out:
Fodera Zebrawood AJ Contrabass Shape 12 Elite Bass Specs:
| Scale: | 34″ |
| Construction: | Neck-Through |
| Strings: | 12 |
| Body: | Mahogany |
| Tone Block: | Flame Maple |
| Top: | Zebrawood |
| Neck: | 5-piece Maple with South American Rosewood Stringers |
| Fingerboard: | Indian Rosewood |
| Frets: | Fretless |
| Inlays: | Ebony Dot |
| Pickup: | Custom Nordstrand Pickup |
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.
