Bass of the Week: RIM Custom Guitars Marseer Swallowtail 5

RIM Custom Guitars Marseer Swallowtail 5 Bass

This week we’re checking out a custom bass built by Robbie McDade of RIM Custom Guitars. This Marseer Swallowtail 5 was crafted with neck-through construction, complete with an ash and wenge neck with sycamore body wings. It has a zebrano fingerboard with 24 Evo gold frets, and though most of the bass’s woods are a light color, McDade dyed a piece of Birdseye maple black for the headstock cap.

McDade chose a pair of Kent Armstrong KS soapbar pickups wired in series matched to a Darkglass preamp for electronics. Although the bass has a light theme, it can sound awfully heavy. (Check out his demos on the RIM Facebook page.) Hardware includes a set of Sperzel tuners and a Sandberg bridge.

RIM Custom Guitars Marseer Swallowtail 5 Bass Specs:

Construction:Neck-Through
Scale:34″
Body:Sycamore Wings
Neck:Ash/Wenge
Fingerboard:Zebrano
Frets:24 Evo Gold Frets
Pickups:Kent Armstrong KS pickups 15k soap bars series wired
Electronics:Darkglass Preamp
Tuners:Sperzel
Bridge:Sandberg
Other:Dyed Black birdseye maple headstock cap

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