Bass of the Week: Franz Bass Guitars Danny Fox Merak 4
Bassist Danny Fox recently collaborated with luthier Xaver Tremel of Franz Bass Guitars to create a revamped version of the company’s Merak bass. The fretless four-string brings together elements of the original model with some specific tailoring to Fox’s style.
The Franz Danny Fox Merak 4 is built with a walnut body that is chambered and curved for comfort. Its 3-piece maple neck is reinforced by carbon fiber and features a asymmetric profile, which pairs nicely with the fingerboard’s compound radius. The phenolic fingerboard is lined and covered with an epoxy finish.
An interesting twist to the bass is that each tuner is a Hipshot d-tuner, allowing for all four strings to be quickly retuned on the fly. Fox opted for a pair of Delano JC split-coils and an ebony ramp. The preamp is an active/passive Delano 2-band EQ with Volume, Panorama, Bass, Treble, and passive tone controls.
Check out this quick clip of a new song Fox is working on entitled “Miyu”:
Franz Bass Guitars Danny Fox Merak 4 Bass Photos:
Franz Bass Guitars Danny Fox Merak 4 Bass Specs:
| Scale: | 34.5″ |
| Construction: | Bolt-on |
| Body: | Walnut, Chambered and Curved |
| Neck: | 3-piece Maple, Carbon Reinforced |
| Neck Profile: | Asymmetric |
| Headstock: | Maple |
| Fingerboard: | Phenolic |
| Fingerboard Finish: | Epoxy |
| Fingerboard Radius: | 10″-16″ |
| Fretlines: | 24 |
| Tuners: | 4 Hipshot d-Tuners |
| Bridge: | ETS 3-D Tuning Fork |
| Pickups: | Delano JC Splitcoil |
| Electronics: | Delano 2-band Active/Passive |
| Weight: | 8.8 lbs |
For more on this bass, check out the Franz Bass Guitars website.
Sounds like he should’ve got it fretted….
Nice li’l piece of music there. Nice fretless tone. Dig the four hipshots too. Curious though, did he choice the Manring setting on his tc electronics amp?
Really nice bass design – classy and elegant through and through, though that headstock looks a bit odd haha
D-string out of tune?!