Bass of the Week: Delgado Bass

Hollow-bodyThis week we take a look at a unique bass made by Delgado Guitars out of Nashville, Tennessee. Proprietor Manuel Delgado is a third-generation luthier with specialties in acoustic instruments, and the Delgado Bass is no exception.

The acoustic-electric bass has a hollow-body with about 2? in depth and a 34? scale. Though a variety of woods are available, the bass shown here sports a Honduras mahogany body with a center stripe of maple. The binding is also maple, giving a nice aesthetic appeal, while the neck is mahogany with a Padauk fingerboard.

The Delgado website explains the bass was designed to overcome the pitfalls of typical acoustic bass guitars, citing that once you plug into an amp, your sound is lost in a band setting. Instead of adding a piezo, which they say changes the intended tone of the bass, Delgado formulated the instrument around the fact that amplifying it was inevitable. After taking that into account he had Aero Instruments custom make a pair of single coil pickups to properly transfer the sound.

The Delgado bass is all handmade in the U.S. with many available options. It has approximately a one-year wait list with a list price of $6,500. For more, check out the Delgado Guitars website.

Delgado Bass Photos:

Delgado Bass Specs:

  • Acoustic Hollow-body
  • Scale: 34?
  • Body: Honduras Mahogany w/Maple Center Strip
  • Binding: Maple
  • Neck: Mahogany
  • Fingerboard: Padauk
  • Bridge: Delgado
  • Pickups: Custom Made Aero Instruments Single Coils

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Leave a Reply to Zsolt Váradi Cancel reply

  1. Interesting design, but for that much money you could get an independent luthier to build you 3 of them. In less than a year, as well…

  2. Very classy, smooth lines, very tasteful inlay and woodwork. Made for the super-rich to put in a glass case.

  3. Very classic and beautiful, If I were rich U.u.

  4. Nice look, but, any audio/video?

  5. I like the design, its quite original. martin grandstafff is right, this is not the bass you would purchase for the sake of the brand / maker.

  6. Someone just enlarge a Hofner shape for 34inch scale. Keep it hollow-no ‘sustain block’.