Bass of the Week: Malinoski Guitars Nero Bass #395

by Kevin Johnson Monday, February 3rd, 2020

Malinoski Nero Bass

The NAMM Show has a row called the Boutique Guitar Showcase, which allows for independent luthiers to show off their instruments. This year I got to check it out and catch up with Peter Malinoski of Malinoski Guitars, who showed me his Nero model.

The hollow body bass has a Spanish cedar back, fir body frame, and a spalted maple top that sports an original f-hole shape. It has a medium 32-inch scale with a maple neck and wenge fingerboard. A massive wooden pickup cover conceals two of Malinoski’s Type 14 humbuckers. The Nero also has a piezo transducer, and the builder wires it all up with a Bournes volume pot, a CTS volume pot with push/pull for the piezo, and a Switchcraft three-way toggle. Other features include 26 frets, a Hipshot A-style bridge, and Gotoh compact tuners.

Malinoski Guitars Nero Bass #395 Specs:

Scale:	32″
Body:	Spanish Cedar Back, Fir Frame
Top:	Spalted Maple
Neck:	Maple with Carbon Fiber Reinforcement
Fingerboard:	Wenge
Fingerboard Radius:	12″
Frets:	26
Nut:	Delrin
Nut Width:	1.5″
Pickups:	Malinoski Type14 HB, Passive Piezo
Pots:	Bournes Volume Pot, CTS Volume Pot With Push/Pull Piezo Activation, Switchcraft 3-Way Toggle
Tuners:	Gotoh Compact
Bridge:	Hipshot A-Style Aluminum

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.