Bass of the Week: Music Man Big Al
In 2009, Music Man introduced a bass version of their Albert Lee Signature guitar called the Big Al. Its angular body and unique pickups caught the community’s attention, and the next year the company announced a 5-string version.
The Big Al and Big Al 5 are built with African mahogany bodies, maple necks, and maple or rosewood fingerboards with a fretless option of Pau Ferro. It comes with two options for pickups: a single humbucker with ceramic magnets or three single-coils with neodymium magnets. The humbucker option has a 2-way push button to toggle between series and parallel, while the triple single-coil option has a 2-way push button for each pickup to select or deselect it.
Electronics include an active/passive setup with a 2-way push button to select either mode. The active controls include Volume, Treble, High-Mid, Low-Mid, and Bass.
For more info, check out the Music Man website.
Music Man Big Al Specs:
- Construction: Bolt-on (5-bolts)
- Weight: 4-string: 9 lbs, 3 oz (4.17 kg); 5-string: 9 lbs, 10 oz (4.36 kg) (varies slightly)
- Body Wood: African Mahogany
- Body Finish: High gloss polyester
- Bridge: Standard Music Man® chrome plated, hardened steel bridge plate with stainless steel saddles
- Pickguard: Standard: Black or White; Optional: Shell, White Pearloid, Vintage White Pearloid, or Black Pearloid.
- Scale Length: 34? (86.4 cm)
- Neck Radius: 11? (27.9 cm)
- Frets: 22 High profile, wide
- Neck Wood: Select maple neck
- Fingerboard: Fretted – maple or rosewood; Fretless – Pau Ferro with or without inlaid fretlines
- Neck Finish: Gunstock oil and hand-rubbed special wax blend
- Neck Colors: Standard – Natural; Optional – Matching painted headstock
- Tuning Machines: Custom Music Man, lightweight with tapered string posts and ergonomic design
- Truss Rod: Adjustable
- Electronic Shielding: Graphite acrylic resin coated body cavity
- Controls: Passive preamp: 500kohm volume and 250kohm tone – .047µF tone capacitor; Active preamp: 4-band EQ – 25kohm volume, treble, high-mid, low-mid, bass
- Switching: Single Pickup – 2-way push button active/passive selector, 2-way push button series/parallel selector; Triple Pickup – 3 x 2-way push button pickup selector, 2-way push button active/passive selector
- Pickups: Standard – Single Humbucking with ceramic magnets; Optional – Triple Single coil Neodymium magnets
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.
I totaly dig it! I have a Big Al 4 with the three single coil since 2010 and I looove it! The tones and playability of this instrument is at a level that you usualy only find in much more expensive basses. I also own a StingRay5 and an american P-bass, but the Big Al always come out first for any type of gig.