Bass of the Week: Frederiek de Vette Vintage-Style Bass

Frederiek de Vette Vintage-Style Bass

We recently shared the modern half of Frederiek de Vette’s “new school versus old school” two-bass build. Now we’re taking a look at the more traditional instrument, which still utilizes some less traditional aspects like a black limba body. However, her take on a classic design was never meant to be a strict replica.

“Although the choice for materials is not exactly traditional, this ‘vintage style’ bass was created as the antagonist of the contemporary design I submitted a while ago,” she shares. “It was not meant to be vintage in the usual figure of speech but rather by using elements I thought had a ‘classic’ look. Hence the pearl block inlays, neck binding, wooden pickup and electronics covers and knobs, and the tooled leather pickguard. The rest of the features are intended to sound, feel or look somewhat familiar with recognizable contours, passive electronics, basic hardware, slim neck, and small fretboard radius. I also wound the pickups for this bass, aiming at a 70s jazz sound yet somewhat warmer. It turned out to be an honest workhorse that is by no means tame!”

Frederiek de Vette Vintage-Style Bass Specs:

Scale:34″
Construction:Bolt-On
Body:Black Limba
Neck:Quartersawn Hard Maple
Fretboard:Birdseye Maple
Inlays:Pearl Block Inlays
Fingerboard Radius:7.25″
Nut:Bone
Binding:White
Frets:21 (Small Narrow Wire)
Pickups:Handwound 70s jazz bass
Electronics:Passive
Tuners:Hipshot tuners
Bridge:Generic chrome bridge
Other:Hand Tooled Leather Pickguard, Matching Wooden Covers and Knobs, Dunlop Flush Straplocks
Weight:~8.7 lbs

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Leave a Reply to Tony Cancel reply

  1. Tony

    Love the Ernie ball