Bass of the Week: Adil Sabit Guitars DB340 Dombyra Bass

In Kazakhstan, they have a lute-style instrument called the dombyra, which is widely played in Kazakh orchestras and folk bands. There is a very large bass version of the instrument, but it’s often troublesome, so Adil Sabit created a solution with the ASG DB340 Dombyra Bass.

“Kazakh orchestras and bands of folk instruments have a problem with basses,” Sabit tells us. “The authentic bass is called the Dombyra bass. It is not efficient enough, has a large size, and is inconvenient to use. Many bass players from these orchestras use regular bass guitars. But they sound and look not very harmonious in combination with the folk music of my people. In 2014, I designed a fretless bass that looked like a Kazakh folk instrument. Today, it successfully works in one of the best folk bands in Kazakhstan.”

The bass is built with a three-piece semi-hollow body of Bolivian ash and torrified elm with a bear-claw Sitka spruce top. Its two-piece quartersawn maple neck has a standard 34-inch scale, while the Gabon ebony fretless fingerboard has a compound radius for playability. Other features include KTS Titanium reinforcement rods in the neck, a pair of EMG X Jazz Bass pickups, and Gotoh hardware.

Adil Sabit Guitars DB340 Dombyra Bass Photos:

Adil Sabit Guitars DB340 Dombyra Bass Specs: