Bass of the Week: Sirena Basses Pistolera
For his newest instrument, luthier Jeremy Kirsch wanted to dream up something that was big on fun as well as versatility. His vision became a reality with the Sirena Basses Pistolera. The bass’s chambered poplar body comes in a cool Wild Watermelon finish, while its electronics allow for a wide sonic palette.
“At the heart of this bass is a double-action compression truss rod designed by Bruce Johnson. Along with the heavy-duty neck bolt anchors and a bridge block embedded in the heavily chambered body, these structural improvements bring a different level of clarity and warmth to the instrument,” he shares with us. “The three split-coil humbuckers are wired to a 6-position Strat switch, allowing for pretty much all pickup combinations. These pickups are built in-house with oversized 3/8” AlNiCo 5-cylinder magnets and wound with 44 AWG wire. These pickups give the bass a quick, aggressive attack, a bright disposition, and a big, clear low end.”
Kirsch also made the bridge in-house while opting for Hipshot Ultralite tuners. Other features include a laminated three-piece walnut neck and a maple fretboard with funky oversized walnut fret markers.
Sirena Basses Pistolera Bass Specs:
| Scale: | 34″ |
| Construction: | Bolt-on |
| Body: | Chambered Poplar |
| Neck: | Laminated 3-piece Walnut |
| Fretboard: | Maple |
| Frets: | 20 |
| Fret Markers: | Walnut |
| Pickup: | 3 Funktronic Split Coil Humbuckers |
| Controls: | Volume, Tone, 6-position Pickup Selector |
| Tuners: | Hipshot Ultralight |
| Bridge: | Custom Made in-house |
| Finish: | Wild Watermelon |
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.
Very nice – 3 pu basses are very versatile. I have an ESP/Grassroots Bass IV, based on the Fender VI. One added feature that it has is a very useful 4th pu switch setting that bypasses the V/T pots direct to the jack. It’s like a ‘boost’ at the flick of the switch. Sounds great – perfect for when the bass-line needs to be more out-front. It could easily be done/wired on any 2-3 pu bass.