4-string Bass Archives - Page 29

Luthier Shawn Shannon was showing off his production bass prototypes at the NAMM Show this year, and now the first model is available for order. The SVS Designs Adapt is a four-string bass designed to provide tonal clarity in standard, drop, and sub tuning that the company says is normally exclusive to five and six-string basses. Hand-built in the U.S.,...

As I’ve said many timed before, Facebook is a great tool for discovering awesome instruments. I saw bassist Roey Haviv’s quick demo of his new double-neck headless bass from Bonobo Guitars while scrolling through my feed and my jaw dropped. With one fretless neck and one fretted neck, the bass is made for versatility. It’s designed after the Zira model,...

ESP expanded their Thinline acoustic bass series this year with the TL-4Z Fretless and the TL-5SM. The models are four- and five-string basses, respectively, that feature modern aesthetic with exotic tops. The TL-4Z Fretless carries the same features of the TL-4Z in a fretless format. Its body is built with chambered mahogany and topped by zebrawood in a natural gloss...

Anthrax’s Frank Bello teamed up with ESP again this year to create a new signature bass, resulting in the custom shop Frank Bello J-4 and the LTD Series FB-J4. Each bass is a take on a classic P/J design in a sleek black color scheme with red accents. The custom shop version is crafted one at a time in Japan....

Italia Guitars unveiled a handful of new instruments at Musikmesse this year including the Maranello Cavo Bass. The short-scale, semi-hollow four-stringer is described as “packing an enormous punch in a very comfortable package.” Available in Racing Green and Translucent Cocoa colors, the retro-styled bass is built with a chambered mahogany body complete with the company’s signature f-hole design, a set...

Ibanez freshened up their SR Premium line with two new finishes for 2017. The SR1400-MLG and the SR1405E-GWH are the first in the series to feature gloss finishes and come in Mojito Lime Green and Glacial White, respectively. Each model is built in the company’s premium factory with a mahogany body, figured maple top, five-piece wenge/bubinga neck, and rosewood fretboard....

Kiesel Guitars has expanded their bass lineup with the Aries series, which comes in four-, five-, and six-string versions. The made-in-the-USA model is based on their Aries guitar and carries similar aesthetics in a bigger package. As with the rest of Kiesel’s custom shop instruments, the Aries bass is available with a wide range of woods for the body, neck,...

Reverend Guitars is celebrating 20 years in the business with a special 20th Anniversary Mercalli Bass. Available in four and five-string versions, the bass carries many of the same features as the standard Mercalli with several special features. Most notable is the eye-catching sky blue flame maple top adorned with a brushed aluminum pickguard. It also has a 20th Anniversary...

Lamb of God bassist John Campbell has a new signature bass from ESP called the LTD JC-4FM. Based on the company’s Stream model, the bass is customized to Campbell’s liking, including a flamed maple top with a smooth satin black finish on its swamp ash body’s back and sides. It’s also built with a five-piece maple and bubinga neck topped...

Last year we featured a gorgeous singlecut bass from AJR Guitarmods that wowed readers. Now, builder Andy Rogers has finished a new instrument in a different direction: a semi-hollow piccolo bass. The elegant model was built for his band’s bassist, Pete. “Pete wanted a bass that he could practice with, and sort new riffs out, on the settee without risking...

After introducing a prototype at NAMM last year, Warwick has launched the Sklar Bass I Signature bass. Made with legendary session bassist Leland Sklar, the hollowbody four-stringer is based on the Star Bass with modifications for Sklar’s liking including an arm support built into the body. The German master-built instrument is built with a carved body crafted from mahogany with...

Besides celebrating the 30th anniversary of the SR this year, Ibanez also introduced a new semi-hollow body model called the SRH. The bass comes in four and five-string versions with the option of fretted or fretless fingerboards, all of which all built with a mahogany semi-hollow body and a spruce top. The body has a single f-hole with a special...