Tao Guitars Unveils the Hansford Rowe Signature HR Superleggera Bass
Bassist Hansford Rowe has teamed up with Tao Guitars to create a new signature bass called The HR Superleggera. The high-end instrument is fully handcrafted in Brussels, Belgium, and takes some cues from Italian luxury sports cars. Rowe, who has worked with artists ranging from Gong to Mick Taylor to Mike Oldfield, spoke on the design in a press release.
“The Superleggera’s body shape is unique and perfectly balanced. The subtle references to the great Marcello Gandini (Lamborghini Miura, Alfa Montreal) are sublime,” he said. “The brushed aluminum hardware is entirely bespoke. The bridge is made to my design parameters (as tool free as possible) with Tao’s usual attention to detail and magnificent design aesthetics. The pickups are custom Benedetti.”
The HR Superleggera bass’s unique body is built from lightweight Swamp Ash. Its neck is Bosnian maple with a wenge center, which matches its wenge fingerboard. The brushed aluminum hardware event extends to the fret marker inlays, which help visualize its 26 frets.
The hardware also includes modified Hipshot lightweight tuners, a proprietary titanium truss rod by KTS Japan, and Rowe’s own bridge design. To bring the sports car aesthetic full circle, Tao finished the bass in a Lamborghini Oro Elios paint. All in, the bass weighs 7.8 pounds.
The Tao Guitars HR Superleggera Bass is available for order with a price of €14,000, or approximately $15,884.
Tao Guitars Hansford Rowe Signature HR Superleggera Bass Specs:
| Construction: | Neck-through |
| Scale: | 34.5″ |
| Body: | Lightweight Swamp Ash body |
| Neck: | Bosnian maple with a Wenge center (tinted black) |
| Fingerboard: | Wenge |
| String spacing at nut: | 9mm |
| String spacing at bridge: | 17mm |
| Fingerboard radius: | 14″ |
| Frets: | 26 |
| Fret and nut material: | 18% Nickel / Silver (Maillechort – copper, nickel, and zinc) |
| Inlays: | Brushed aluminum fret marker inlays |
| Pickups: | Custom proprietary Benedetti pickups |
| Hardware: | Proprietary aircraft-grade brushed aluminum hardware |
| Tuners: | Modified Hipshot lightweight tuners |
| Bridge: | Hansford Rowe Design |
| Truss Rod: | Proprietary titanium truss rod by KTS Japan (single bar, double action) |
| Paint: | Lamborghini Oro Elios |
| Weight: | 7.8lbs |
| Other: | Circular graining of electronics box aluminum lining |
15.8k for a bass? 15.8k for an ugly bass? Oh brother…
Dang, 15.8k for a bass? 15.8k for an ugly bass? Oh brother.
Better buy 2 Foderas.
Lovely instrument but why is almost every bass here a fiver? A lot of us still play four stringers y’know.
Me, too! ??
Me, too! ??