Bass of the Week: John Sullivan 5-String Custom

We previously featured a bass by John Sullivan, who built his own bass to be a versatile workhorse. Now he’s shared a killer five-string.

The bolt-on design is crafted with a roasted swamp ash body, splayed maple top, and a neck of wenge, maple, and padauk. Sullivan reinforced the neck with graphite rods before fitting it with a Madagascar ebony fretboard finished with a compound radius.

For electronics, the bass has a pair of Delano Xtenders and a Sonar 3 preamp. Finally, Hipshot hardware ties it all together.

John Sullivan 5-String Custom Bass Specs:

Scale:34.5″
Construction:Bolt-on
Body:Swamp Ash
Top:Spalted Maple
Neck:Wenge, Maple, Padauk with graphite reinforcement rods
Fretboard:Madagascar Ebony
Fretboard Radius:10″-18″
Pickups:Delano Xtender 5HE/S
Electronics:Sonar 3
Hardware:Hipshot
String Spacing at Bridge:18.5mm

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