Les Claypool Approves: Pachyderm’s Sleek Bass Debuts with 29 Frets and a Squid Ink Black Finish
Keen-eyed Primus fans may have noticed that Les Claypool had a new four-string strapped around his neck during the Primus Interstellar Drum Derby. Pachyderm Instruments has now revealed that the bass is a new model called the Sleek Bass.
“Featuring a Squid Ink Black, Big Leaf Maple body paired with a Hard Rock Maple neck and a sleek West African Ebony fingerboard, it delivers clarity, resonance, and the unmistakable Sleek Pachyderm design,” they write.
The bass is also fitted with Claypool’s signature Pachyderm Chrome EMG pickup. With just a single volume knob, all the control is in your fingers. The neck has tactile zirconium side dots, allowing for “effortless navigation” of the fingerboard. Similar to the Wally-Nut #1 we recently featured, the Sleek Bass has a whopping 29 frets.
Every Sleek Bass also features a personal touch from the master himself.
“Each Pachyderm Bass is personally tested and approved by Les Claypool before it leaves the shop,” Pachyderm writes. “We use only natural oil finishes or stains- no paint or heavy coatings- so the unique grain, figure, and color of the wood will vary from one instrument to the next. No two are exactly alike.”
The Pachyderm Instruments Sleek Bass launched on July 31st, 2025 for $8,700. The first batch sold out within 30 minutes of going live.
Edit: No Treble reached out to Pachyderm Instruments about further availability. They will be releasing a handful every handful of weeks. “With each one being carved, sanded, and built by hand, we don’t want to commit to a specific number or timeframe,” they shared.
You can see the bass in action during several points of the Interstellar Drum Derby finale:
Pachyderm Instruments Sleek Bass Specs:
| Orientation: | Right-handed |
| Strings: | 4 |
| Construction: | Set Neck |
| Body: | Big Leaf Maple |
| Neck: | Hard Rock Maple with Carbon Fiber Reinforcements |
| Nut: | Graphite |
| Fingerboard: | West African Ebony |
| Peghead: | West African Ebony Overlay with Silver Pachyder Medallion Inlay |
| Frets: | 24 |
| Inlays: | Tactile Zirconium Side Dots |
| Pickups: | Les Claypool “Pachyderm Chrome” PA EMG (Active) |
| Controls: | Volume |
| Pickguard: | 3-Ply White Pearloid |
| Bridge: | Hipshot A Style |
| Tuners: | Hipshot Ultralite |
| Finish: | Graphite Black with Oil Finish |
| Case: | Gator Pro-Go Series Gig Bag |
| Other: | Personally Tested By Les Claypool |
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.
