Bass of the Week: LEH Guitars Offset 5-String

Luthier Ellis Hahn of LEH Guitars wrote in to share a killer bass made for a killer bassist. This LEH Offset 5-string was made for the inimitable Tim Lefebvre.

“It’s not every day that Tim Lefebvre hits you up to make him a custom bass, so this build was extra special to me,” Hahn shares. “I had a blast spec’ing this one out and love how it came together. We were going for a punchy 70’s Marcus-ish vibe but with a sound tailored for Tim and his playing style (or how Tim phrased it, a ‘rude ass Jazz Bass’). My favorite bit of tailoring is the Quartersawn 2-piece neck paired with an Okoume body. It gives you the immediacy and snap of a Maple board, but the Okoume rounds out the edges and puts a little bit of worn-in-bass-warmth underneath. Pair that with a set of single coil Jazz pickups in 70’s location, and you can’t go wrong.”

The Lollar pickups are complemented by LEH’s super cool control layout. The knobs control Volume, Blend and Tone, with the latter also having a push/pull function to toggle between active and passive operation. The three faders control EQ from a Darkglass Tone Capsule preamp: High Mids, Low Mids, and Bass.

The bass also features a Hipshot Vintage Quick Release bridge, Hipshot Ultralight tuners, Dunlop Straplocks, and graphite neck reinforcements.

Lefebvre just got a hold of the bass recently, but it’s already become his go-to 5-string.

“It records so well in the studio and the overarching thing about it is how usable it is,” he says. “I got it and used it at my performance that night and I’ve been using it since. It’s a workhorse. There’s no question about it. When I need a Jazz Bass sound, there’s no debating it, this is the one I’m going to lean into. It’s absolutely blown me away.”

If you want to hear the bass in action, Lefebvre recently posted a clip from the Blue Note in NYC with it on Facebook.

LEH Guitars Offset 5-string Bass Specs: