Bass of the Week: 96 Art Custom Instruments Neckthrough Bass Guitar
Nathan Enders shared the latest creation from 96 Art Custom Instruments, which is a neck-through design four-string with a killer Buckeye burl top complete with matching pickup covers and knobs.
“The coloring in the burl on this bass is spectacular, a perfect example of what buckeye burl can produce – it looks like an explosion of tans, browns, and steel blue colors,” the company shares. “The neck is a laminate of curly maple and walnut accent stripes and has been shaped to a medium-slim C profile. The heel of the neck has been carved with a generous relief, which combined with the open shape of the body horns gives excellent access to the upper frets. There is a curly maple tone block on the back of the neck where it passes through the body, along with a walnut accent stripe to match the stripes in the neck, giving the back of the body a nice clean look. The electronics cavity features a walnut cover as well as magnetic latches in lieu of screws.”
The fingerboard is ziricote, which they explain is a great substitute for ebony. Its 24 frets are inlaid with blue abalone markers on the front and side.
The pickups and electronics are made in-house. The Blackjack Soapbar pickups are described as having a modern, dark tone with a balance of top-end sparkle and warmth. A three-way mini-switch lets you toggle between the pickups. The bass’s preamp includes a three-band EQ and volume control.
“For hardware, this bass features a shop-made brass and steel bridge. The massive brass bar and saddles on the bridge give a solid tone with tons of sustain,” 96 Art adds. “The bridge is fully adjustable for intonation and saddle height. The bridge has a brushed surface and a wax finish. The nut is brass and matches the finish on the bridge. The tuners are Hipshot USA Ultralite’s with 3/8″ string posts, in a satin finish to match the brushed steel on the bridge. The strap buttons are nickel.”
96 Art Custom Instruments Neck-Through Bass Guitar:
| Construction: | Neck-Through |
| Body: | Black Walnut |
| Tone Block: | Curly Maple |
| Top: | Buckeye Burl |
| Neck: | Curly Maple and Black Walnut |
| Fingerboard: | Ziricote |
| Inlays: | Blue Abalone |
| Pickups: | 96 Art BlackJack Soapbars |
| Electronics: | 3-band EQ |
| Bridge: | 96 Art |
| Tuners: | Hipshot Ultralite |
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.
better bridge would have been nice ….
Let’s see pics of one of your custom builds…
Hey Richard, show us a pic of one of your handmade bridges.
I don’t have the tool’s or space to make my own, was just saying a high mass bridge would be nice is all , beauty bass bro ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,
Hey Robert – I chose to make the brass and steel bridge for this one because I thought the colors matched the burl nicely. It’s a pretty heavy bridge, about the same as most “high mass” bridges on the market. I like the way it looks but of course I understand that shop-made bridges aren’t going to be everyone’s cup of tea! I do use commercial bridges on my instruments too (usually Hipshot since their factory is close by). And of course this bridge could easily be swapped if someone wasn’t a fan of it.