Bass of the Week: Eisenberg Instruments Highboy Bass
Steve Eisenberg is a luthier based in Phoenix, Arizona who uses all of his specialties to create unique and functional basses. A graduate of the Roberto-Venn School of Luthiery, Eisenberg says his goal is to apply his design, woodworking, and manufacturing background to produce high quality, American-made instruments. His premier instrument is the Highboy bass, which has two extended horns for balancing whether you sit or stand.
“A lot of time is spent sitting while playing an instrument, whether in practice or recording session. Generally, the upper horn lines up with the 12th fret, making for great balance when the instrument is hanging from a strap,” Eisenberg explains. “But while seated, you may need to shift it to the right to find a spot to balance. Now the lower horn is sitting on your thigh. This may not be very comfortable. Consider the option of infinite adjustability. This is what the highboy body type provides. Shift to wherever is comfortable. Any position works!”
The alder body also features a carved scoop to accommodate the forearm, he adds. A carved scoop in place of a traditional drop provides “a comfortable, natural spot for your arm.”
The Highboy Type 1 is built with a 34-inch scale and maple neck. It’s fitted with a pair of Aguilar DCB pickups and Hipshot hardware.
Eisenberg Instruments Highboy Bass Features:
Scale: | 34″ |
Body: | Alder |
Neck: | Maple |
Pickups: | Aguilar DCB Pickups |
Electronics: | Passive, Optional Aguilar OBP-3 |
Bridge: | Hipshot A Style |
Tuners: | Hipshot Ultralite |
What’s the fingerboard wood?
Rosewood…thanks for asking. I need to add that to the website!
totally unique modern look and philosophy, I’d love to see a demo video
Thank you! Please check out my social media to see videos!
Click on my name, and links are at the top of the website.
Great to see seated ergonomics being a primary design factor. So many basses have a super short lower horn, presumably for looks (which should never be prioritized over comfort and playability). Would love to see an option for it to sit even higher, maybe with a detachable portion of the body to enable a fit in standard cases.
Great points Kim, thanks for commenting! To give an idea of where it sits, the highboy bass is about the same length and width as the Jazz bass. It could definitely be customized, but you would probably want to give it a try as-is first!
I designed the highboy bass to fit standard cases. It comes with a Gator TSA Bass Case, or an SKB iSeries Waterproof ATA Open Cavity Bass Case.
“Freekbass” plays something like this – in bright RED!