Bass of the Week: Alusonic S-Special Aluminum Bass
Alusonic takes metal bass to a new level – the Italian bass builders make their instruments out of aluminum, citing characteristic and environmental reasons. The special Anticorodal and Ergal alloys that they use are naturally light, rigid and produce a balanced, fat sound while Aluminum is completely recyclable, making it more eco-friendly. On top of that, the body provides full shielding and rejects electromagnetic interference.
A shining example of their work is the S-Special, a bolt-on design featuring an aluminum alloy body, hard maple neck and fingerboard. As each Alusonic instrument is fully customizable, options for a hard maple neck/carbon fiber hybrid neck are available. Finished with a high gloss, the fretboard may also be exchanged for Pau Ferro, rosewood or ebony.
Alusonic offers the S-Special with a pair of humbuckers, either the modern I-Spira neodymium MM’s or the Nordstrand MM4.2 customs, which are inspired by the sounds of the ’70s.
The controls include AD electronics with Volume, Bass and Treble knobs. The hardware is rounded out Hipshot Ultralite tuners, a black 3-ply pickguard, a graphite nut, and your choice of a brass or Ergal bridge- brass provides a stronger modern sound while Ergal gives a “slightly compressed, controlled and warmer sound.” Altogether, the S-Special weighs in at 10.4 pounds.
The Alusonic S-Special comes in 4 or 5-string models with a base price of €2,500 (~$3,457). For more details, visit the Alusonic website.
Alusonic S-Special Aluminum Bass Gallery:
Alusonic S-Special Aluminum Bass Specs:
- Body: Milled from a solid block of Anticorodal | Ergal Aircraft Grade Aluminium
- Construction: Bolt – on
- Neck: Hard Maple or Hard Maple-Carbon Fiber: Exclusive Carbon/Cell System
- Neck Thickness: 20.5mm at 1st fret, 22mm at 12th fret
- Neck Finish: High Gloss / on request any kind of finish and colour
- Fretboard: Hard Maple / on request Pau-Ferro, Rosewood or Ebony
- Radius: 9.5”
- Position Marks: Side Dot / on request Face Dot, Blocks, Binding
- Fretboard Finish: High Gloss / on request any kind of finish and color
- Frets: 21
- Nut: 42mm Graphite
- Scale: 34”
- Bridge: Alusonic Brass or Ergal
- String Spacing: 20mm
- Tuners: Hipshot Ultralite
- Pickups: I-Spira MM or Nordstrand MM4.2 Custom
- Controls: AD Electronics: Volume, Bass and Treble
- Hardware: Alusonic Chrome / on request Black or Gold
- Pickguard: Black-3ply / on request any kind of material and colour / blank body
- Strings: 45/105 Nickel
- Weight: 4.7 kg (~10.4 lbs)
- Available Colours: Mirror Finish / on request any kind of polishing, finish and colour
- Accessories: ABS Hardcase by SKB, Security Strap Lock, Hex Wrench Set, Lifetime Warranty
the B sounds very good and has a beautiful focus.
I guess you would feel a bit cold against the skin when played topless :D
Musicman Sabre was a great design, fortunately same ideas were explored later by G&L.
The Sabre Bass was by contract brought with Leo to G&L when he sold MM in 1980 and founded G&L with George Fullerton. Most notably was the amazing bridge which is still on G&L basses today…the Sabre was the last MM bass to wear that bridge before EB went to the crap stamping that EBMM has had ever since! The L-2000 was the natural progression of the Sabre losing pickguard but keeping not only the bridge, but pickup configuration and electronics as well! Leo’s best stuff, by far!
Actually George and Leo did not own Music Man. Leo ran CLF Research which built instruments for Music Man. Tommy Walker owned and ran Music Man. Leo was not allowed to compete with Fender, so Leo was a silent partner in Tri-Sonic, Inc., later changed to Musitek, Inc., and then to Music Man.
Due to some production problems, Music Man stopped paying CLF. In October ’79, Leo had decided to market guitars under another name and stop building instruments for MM. G&L was incorporated May 1980. This really had nothing to do with Music Man and the company continued with Grover Jackson taking over the building of the instruments. MM closed down in 1984. MM was sold to EB in 1984. Sterling Ball was in on the design of the MM basses.
George Fullerton and Earlie Ball were building acoustic basses under the name Earthwood int he 70s. Since EB still had that factory, it was set up to build MM instruments in ’85.
Cool sounding aluminum bass.
Definitely has a nice sound. It would be a nice sibling for my MM 5 HH.
Kramer had the aluminum necks so why not the body? How about a ‘green’ bass made of hemp?
Alguém me presenteie com um destes!