Bass of the Week: 13 Custom Instruments Alex 4
Austria’s 13 Custom Instruments recently completed a gorgeous bass they dubbed the Alex 4, which caught my attention. The swamp ash body has a unique multi-part top with stripes of lime, pear, walnut, zircote, wenge, rosewood, and ebony set in a color gradient. Its top is also curved over a one-meter radius, builder Daniel Furian says.
The Alex 4’s neck is also a sandwich of maple, mahogany, and wenge, with mahogany veneers dividing the pieces. Furian used ebony for the fingerboard and the headstock cap on which he inlaid a Mother-of-Pearl “13.”
A Bartolini MM humbucker is set in the body and matched with a 2-band Aguilar preamp. The volume knob doubles as a push/pull knob for toggling between active and passive operation. Finally, the hardware consists of a Hipshot Kick Ass bridge, Hipshot Ultralight tuners, and Schaller Security Locks.
13 Custom Instruments Alex 4 Bass Photos:
13 Custom Instruments Alex 4 Bass Specs:
| Construction: | Neck-through |
| Scale: | 34″ |
| Body: | Swamp Ash |
| Top: | Lime, Pear, Walnut, Ziricote, Wenge, Rosewood, and Ebony |
| Neck: | Maple, Mahogany, Wenge |
| Fingerboard: | Ebony |
| Frets: | 22 |
| Pickup: | Bartolini MM Humbucker |
| Electronics: | Active/Passive Aguilar 2-Band |
| Bridge: | Hipshot Kick Ass |
| Tuners: | Hipshot Ultralight |
| Other: | Mother of Pearl Headstock Inlay, Schaller Security Locks |
| Finish: | Oil |
| Weight: | 8.1 lbs |
