Bass of the Week: Frederiek de Vette Modern 5-String Bass

Frederiek de Vette Modern Five-String Bass

Frederiek de Vette is back with another gorgeous build. The last time we featured one of her basses, it was a take on the classic Precision bass. This time she built two basses alongside each other in a “new school versus old school” theme. We’re checking out the sleek and modern five-string.

“This five-string build is one half of a ‘modern vs. vintage’ idea,” she writes. “The two resulting basses differ in many aspects. Starting with the modern half; with a heavily chambered, almost semi-hollow body and rigid neck structure I aimed for more complexity in the mids, defined lows and clear highs. Versatility was realized by outfitting the bass with two humbuckers and an onboard preamp, enabling switching from modest jazz bass-like passive to bold hi-fi active sound.”

The chambering also helps make the bass lightweight with a nice balance. It comes in just under 8.5 pounds and has a bolt-on neck, though there’s no heel block to restrict you from the upper frets.

Its body is alder with a bookmatched flamed maple top, all of which is finished in a green-black dye burst and high gloss acrylic lacquer. Flamed maple is also utilized for the quartersawn neck while de Vette opted for a rosewood fingerboard. To enhance the modern aesthetic, the pickguard, electronics cover and headstock detail are made from high-grade carbon fiber laminate. “[The] fretboard inlays are metal mosaic pins with a symbolic pearl detail on the 12th fret [and] side dots are green glow-in-the-dark.”

Frederiek de Vette Modern Five-String Bass Specs:

Strings:5
Scale:34″
Body:Alder
Top:Flamed Maple
Neck:Bolt-on, one piece flamed maple, carbon reinforcements
Fretboard:Rosewood
Fretboard Radius:12″
Nut:Bone
Inlays:Mosaic inlays
Side Inlays:Glowing Side Dots
Pickguard:Carbon Fiber
Pickups:Delano with Carbon Fiber Covers
Electronics:Glockenklang Preamp
Bridge:Hipshot Aluminum
String Spacing:18 mm
Tuners:Hipshot Ultralite
Finish:green-black dye burst and high gloss acrylic lacquer
Weight:~8.5 lbs

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  1. Aspen Gamez

    I’ll trade you my rogue 4 string for it, I’m trying to learn the first 3 cannibal corpse albums. PM me. Let me know.