Bass of the Week: Nichols Guitar Company Seas of Cheese Bass

Just like with music, great bass designs often come from the inspiration of other basses. That’s the case with our featured bass this week: the Nichols Guitar Company’s Seas of Cheese Bass.

Nichols Guitar Company Seas of Cheese Bass

As the name suggests, the model is inspired by the famous Carl Thompson basses used by Primus’s Les Claypool. “The design was inspired by Les Claypool and some of the classics he’s played,” builder Evan Nichols explains. “My client and I worked together to come up with a design that was a nod and not a copy. So, there are aspects that are tributes and then aspects that are similar to my other original designs.”

The six-string bass features neck-thru construction with an incredible 19-piece neck made from layers of flamed maple, purpleheart, and black veneer. Its body it topped with black and white ebony and backed by a purpleheart veneer. The neck is also fitted with white and blue LED side markers, while the headstock ties the ebony and purpleheart together with veneers on its front and back. Nichols also included his signature buffalo nickel headstock inlay.

For electronics, Nichols opted for a pair of Delano split coils separated by an ebony ramp. The preamp is the Darkglass Electronics Tone Capsule, while Hipshot hardware rounds the bass out.

Nichols Guitar Company Seas of Cheese Bass Specs:

Scale:34″
Construction:Neck-thru
Strings:6
Neck:19-piece Flamed Maple, Purpleheart, and Black veneer
Top:Black and white Ebony
Back:Purpleheart
Headstock:Black and White Ebony Fronts and Purpleheart Back
Inlays:2 – color LED side markers (white and blue)
Pickups:Delano pickups with coil split
Ramp:Ebony
Electronics:Darkglass tone capsule preamp
Hardware:Hipshot
Finish:Oil-rubbed

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