Bass of the Week: Frederiek de Vette Five-String Bolt-On Bass

Frederiek de Vette with her Five-String Bolt-On BassBack in May we shared an incredible bass by Frederiek de Vette. Shockingly, it was her first ever build. Now she’s followed up with her second bass that looks just as stunning. We’ll let her tell you the story:

“For this build, my second, I decided on a five string fretted bass with a bolt-on neck,” de Vette explains. “While aiming to create an instrument entirely different from the first, a fretless single cut, some of the aesthetics were reused for continuity in design between the different basses. Adjusted to a more traditional jazz bass concept, body and headstock outlines and ergonomic contours are very similar.

A special feature of this bass is the decorative yet functional inlay through the middle of the body. This inlay is detachable in two places through the Allen keys located on the back of the body; the upper insert provides access to the truss rod and the middle one creates space for a ramp between pickups. Screws and holes are always invisible from the front, different ramps can be made to taste and strings (and everything else) can stay in place. Threaded metal inserts are used so that swapping between ramps is only a matter of seconds.

The woods used are Macassar ebony for the fretboard, flamed quarter-sawn maple for the neck and a relatively heavy but incredibly resonant two-piece swamp ash body. The grain of the book matched flamed maple burl top, lined with black veneer, bends around the arm contour and also covers the headstock. Leftover mahogany from my first bass and polyester imitation ivory were used to create the pickup covers and teardrop shaped pot knobs. The selected electronics cover a wide range of tonal options, making this an extremely versatile yet expressive bass.”

If this is number two, we can only imagine what her basses will be like in a few years time.

Frederiek de Vette Five-String Bolt-On Bass Specifications:

Scale:34?
Construction:Bolt-on
Body:Swamp Ash Core with Black Veneer
Top:Flamed Maple Burl
Neck:One-piece flamed maple, carbon reinforcements
Fingerboard:Macassar Ebony
Fingerboard Radius:10-12?
Nut:Bone Nut
Frets:24 (2 Octaves)
Pickup:Aguilar J70
Electronics:Glockenklang Preamp
Control Knobs:Mahogany and Imitation Ivory
Tuners:Hipshot
Bridge:Hipshot
Finish:High Gloss Acrylic Lacquer
Weight:~9.8 lbs

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