Bass of the Week: D’ARCO Shakti 5-String Bass
This week we’re checking out the D’ARCO Shakti 5-string bass by French Luthier Clément D’Arco. The striking bass has a host of beautiful, exotic woods to create a rich visual appeal.
Its body is crafted from lacewood, purpleheart, wenge, and flamed maple while the 13-piece neck is made of flamed maple, wenge and a bubinga/wenge veneer. The neck is reinforced with a pair of carbon fiber rods and toped with a premium Macassar Ebony fretboard.
D’Arco opted for a headless design with a Hipshot Headless bridge at 19mm string spacing. Electronics include a pair of Aguilar DCB pickups matched to a Bartolini NTMB-918F preamp. The controls are volume (with an active/passive push/pull function), blend, bass, mid, treble, and a mid frequency switch. For an added touch, the bass has an aluminum and brass D’ARCO logo as well as a magnetized preamp and battery cover.
D’ARCO Shakti Bass Specs:
| Scale: | 35″ |
| Construction: | Bolt-on |
| Body: | Lacewood, Purpleheart, Wenge and Flamed Maple |
| Neck: | 13-Piece Flamed Maple, Wenge and Bubinga/Wenge Veneer |
| Neck Reinforcement: | Dual Action Truss-Rod With 2 Carbon Fiber Rods |
| Fretboard: | Macassar Ebony |
| Frets: | 26 with Bronze Bell Zero Fret |
| Inlays: | Glow in the Dark Dots |
| Pickups: | Aguilar DCB |
| Electronics: | Bartolini NTMB-918F |
| Bridge: | Hipshot Headless |
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.
