Bass of the Week: Epiphone Allen Woody Rumblekat

Allen Woody wasn’t just a phenomenal bass player, he was an avid collector of vintage basses. The bassist – who laid down the low end for The Allman Brothers and Gov’t Mule – owned over 450 basses before his untimely passing in 2000. Before he passed away, he worked with Epiphone on what would become a signature bass called the Rumblekat.

“Woody knew a lot about instruments and about guitars and basses, instruments in general and why they sounded the way they did,” Gov’t Mule guitarist Warren Haynes told FlyGuitars.com. “He worked at Gruhn Guitars in Nashville for eight years and I’m sure he knew a lot before he even started work at Gruhn but eight years later he had learnt a tremendous amount about guitars. Someone could bring a guitar in to the room and from across the room he could tell you what year it was made and he would say that guitar was made in the later part of the year because that’s when they switched the paint. You know he was just an avid collector and student of what made instruments tick, he was always thinking about what type of wood, what type of pickups, what type of finish, anything that could improve the sound.”

The Rumblekat is a culmination of Woody’s favorite elements with a short 30-inch scale, a chambered mahogany body, and a pair of mini-humbuckers in the neck and middle positions. Thanks to their positioning, the NYT pickups dish out a warm, rumbling tone. Woody also took from the ’60s violin-bass style by mounting the controls on a rectangular panel.

Woody passed away before the bass could be released, but it carries on his legacy. A portion of the proceeds from each Rumblekat goes to the Savannah Woody Educational fund, which supports his daughter’s further education.

Epiphone Allen Woody Rumblekat Bass Photos:

Epiphone Allen Woody Rumblekat Bass Specs: