Bass of the Week: Fleeting Guitars Tsukanoma
This week we’re checking out the Tsukanoma bass built by luthier Jim Fleeting of Fleeting Guitars. Taking a cue from Japanese design, the hand-built instrument features striking aesthetics.
“The Tsukanoma bass is designed as a tribute to the incredible woodworking and modern design in Japanese woodworking,” Fleeting writes. “The use of sharper corner bevels make this a departure from the usual curves and roundovers, but the beautiful contrasting woods accentuate these bevels and give it elegance.”
The bass can be built with tons of options, but Fleeting built this particular Tsukanoma with a bubinga body topped with spalted pearwood and a five-piece shedua and mahogany neck. He also utilizes purpleheart for the fingerboard, bridge, and pickup cover, which houses a Bartolini MM-style humbucker. A John East U-Retro preamp rounds out the electronics.
Fleeting Guitars Tsukanoma Bass Specifications:
| Body: | Bubinga |
| Top: | Spalted Pear |
| Neck: | 5-piece Shedua and Mahogany |
| Neck Profile: | Jazz bass neck profile and nut width |
| Fretboard: | Purpleheart |
| Frets: | 24 |
| Nut: | Bone |
| Headcaps: | Pink Ivory |
| Pickup: | Bartolini MM humbucker |
| Electronics: | John East U-Retro Pre-Amp |
| Pickup Cover: | Purpleheart |
| Bridge: | Purpleheart |
| Tuners: | Schaller |
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.
