Torzal’s New Natural Twist Bass: Set-Through Build, Chameleon Finish, and 35-Degree Neck Twist
Back in 2011, we launched our Bass of the Week column with the Torzal bass, and fourteen years later, we’re still in awe of its design. This week we’re checking out a recent build from Torzal that proves they’re still on the cutting edge of bass design.
This jaw-dropping 35-degree Natural Twist has multi-scale neck, a semi-hollow body, and a semi-headless design that strings through the headstock and puts the tuners on the bridge. Of course, the bass has Torzal’s patented ergonomic twisted neck for playing comfort.
“The Torzal Neck-through Bass is the no-compromise version of the Natural Twist ergonomic design,” the company writes. “The neck is rotated +15 degrees at the bridge and –20 degrees at the nut, for a total of 35 degrees of twist.”
The design feature is central to the company’s focus, and for good reason. “The ergonomic design increases the efficiency of the hands, wrists and arms, reducing the risk of developing repetitive strain injuries such as carpal tunnel syndrome and tendonitis,” they explain. “It also provides relief for those who have already suffered from such injuries.”
Torzal builds the bass with what they call “set-through” construction, meaning the hard maple and padauk neck runs the full length of the body like a typical neck-through, while the body back wood spans the entire back. In this instance, the back is a stunning piece of Cottonwood burl, which stands as an earthy contrast to the maple top’s futuristic metallic chameleon finish.
Finally, the bass has to sound as good as it looks. Torzal fitted this Natural Twist with a pair of Nordstrand Zen Blade pickups and a 3b preamp.
Photo Gallery
Torzal Guitars Natural Twist Multi-Scale Neck-Through Bass Specs:
| Construction: | Set-Through |
| Scale: | 34″ |
| Body: | Cottonwood Burl Back |
| Top: | Maple |
| Neck: | Hard Maple and Padauk |
| Neck Shape: | 35-degree Twist |
| Fingerboard: | Birdseye Maple |
| Frets: | 24 |
| Inlays: | Dot |
| Pickups: | Nordstrand Zen Blades |
| Electronics: | Nordstrand 3b |
| Bridge: | Riviera Gear |
| Tuners: | Riviera Gear |
| Finish: | Metallic Chameleon |
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.
Amazing content as usual. Love this article about Torzal’s New Natural Twist Bass: Set-Through Build, Chameleon Finish, and 35-Degree Neck Twist.
I’ve always wanted to buy aTorzal Neck-through Bass, do you have any contacts in the UK?
Best,
Steve
Bro you’re not going to believe this but the design was stolen from me during a time my dad was dying!!! I couldn’t believe it when I saw it!!! I’m about to contact my lawyers and sue the hell out of them!!! It had been in a folder with about 100+ other designs, many I’ve recently seen on the market now, so it’s obvious the thief sold my designs to different companies…. This design was colored exactly as they made it, even though I hate to say this, they did a dam good job creating it exactly as I designed it and colored it! I remember the moment I finished it I knew it was my hottest design, I had intended to take it to Schecter Guitar Research because at that time I had recently bought a rare limited colored Schecter Stiletto-4 Diamond Series bass ( I still have it!).
I just looked at the picture of their other bass at the end of the article and it’s the same dam bass I designed!!! They definitely are producing all my designs!!!! I’m going to sue them!!!
Wow, what a beauty. What a dream
Do you make lefthanded..
Hi Kevin, this is extremely important!!!! Sir this Torzal bass is a stolen design!!!! Listen to me very well- I can’t really divulge the details in an open public format like this but please reach out to me at my email address! I took screen shots of it for my lawyers to review, on my parents grave and my love for God the design was stolen from me and they made it in the exact color scheme I designed! When it was stolen it was in a folder with about a hundred other designs, which I have seen on the market now! Please contact me immediately!!!!