Bass of the Week: Elwray Basses Amani 5
This week we’re checking out the Amani 5 by Elwray Basses, a single cut instrument with a cool body shape and a few tricks up its sleeve. Luthier Marco Bourse sent us the details including the main aspects of the instrument.
“It has a unique chambered, full hidden neck-thru construction,” he writes. “Although it’s passive, it is preamp ready with two electronic cavities. The Blend system blends the coils from each pickup from front to back with parallel at 12. Finally, it has a half string-thru system, but it can be mounted normally, as well.”
Bourse built the body from Afzelia (an exotic hardwood from Africa and Southeast Asia) with a padauk veneer. Its five-piece neck also utilizes Afzelia plus flamed maple, while the padauk fingerboard is fitted with abalone inlays. Other features include Delano SBC 5 TF pickups, an ABM Monorail bridge, and Schaller Strap Locks. Bourse makes each bass by hand in Belgium.
Elwray Basses Amani 5 Bass Specs:
Scale: | 34″ |
Construction: | Full Hidden Neck-Thru |
Body: | Chambered Afzelia Body With 4mm Padauk Veneer |
Neck: | 5-Ply Afzelia/Flamed Maple |
Fretboard: | Hand-Selected Padauk |
Fretboard Radius: | 16″ Radius |
Fretboard Inlays: | Abalone |
Nut: | Just-A-Nut III |
Pickups: | Delano SBC 5 TF (Times Square) |
Electronics: | Passive |
Controls: | Vol, Blend, Blend, Tone (Each Blend Controls the Coils for Each Pickup: Front, Parallel, Rear Coil), 3-Way Pickup Selector |
Bridge: | ABM Monorails, Strings Can Be Mounted Through the Rear or in the Saddle |
Machine Heads: | Schaller BM Light 3+2 |
Hardware: | Schaller Strap Locks |
Origin: | Fully Handmade in Belgium |