Bass of the Week: RIM Custom Guitars Marseer Swallowtail 5
This week we’re checking out a custom bass built by Robbie McDade of RIM Custom Guitars. This Marseer Swallowtail 5 was crafted with neck-through construction, complete with an ash and wenge neck with sycamore body wings. It has a zebrano fingerboard with 24 Evo gold frets, and though most of the bass’s woods are a light color, McDade dyed a piece of Birdseye maple black for the headstock cap.
McDade chose a pair of Kent Armstrong KS soapbar pickups wired in series matched to a Darkglass preamp for electronics. Although the bass has a light theme, it can sound awfully heavy. (Check out his demos on the RIM Facebook page.) Hardware includes a set of Sperzel tuners and a Sandberg bridge.
RIM Custom Guitars Marseer Swallowtail 5 Bass Specs:
| Construction: | Neck-Through |
| Scale: | 34″ |
| Body: | Sycamore Wings |
| Neck: | Ash/Wenge |
| Fingerboard: | Zebrano |
| Frets: | 24 Evo Gold Frets |
| Pickups: | Kent Armstrong KS pickups 15k soap bars series wired |
| Electronics: | Darkglass Preamp |
| Tuners: | Sperzel |
| Bridge: | Sandberg |
| Other: | Dyed Black birdseye maple headstock cap |
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.
