4-string Bass Archives - Page 47

U2 bassist Adam Clayton has teamed up with Fender to create a new signature bass. The veteran rocker’s new axe is take on his 1965 Jazz with a few tweaks. “I played (my Sherwood Green 1965 Jazz Bass) a lot on the ‘All That You Can’t Leave Behind’ tour and I really love it,” Clayton said in a press release....

This week we take a look at the MIA, a custom fretless P-style bass built by Serbian luthier Milos Tomisic. The design is the brainchild of bassist Marko Cvetkovic, who put his work talents to use for his musical endeavors. “After some planning, [Tomisic] decided to start his own model line and that’s where we started to cooperate,” Cvetkovic writes....

A classic bass is getting a limited edition contemporary makeover. Höfner has announced two new versions of their German-built Violin Bass featuring composite material in place of their typically rosewood fingerboards. “Traditionally most fingerboards have been faced with Rosewood or Ebony, but these are becoming restricted in use in some countries as world wood resources dwindle or there is a...

Fender took a leap last year by introducing a new model apart from their genre-defining Precision and Jazz basses. The Dimension Bass started as a model in their Modern Player Series before branching into their Deluxe and American Deluxe series. But now the double humbucker model has been cemented into the brand’s lineup with an American Standard version. We got...

This week we check out the Sciatt bass by the new Italian company Assi Guitars. Bringing together modern and retro vibes, the bass is built with an Akatio body finished in a catching green that’s accented with a black pickguard. Its Balkan Maple neck is topped with an Indian Rosewood fingerboard. Assi fitted the bass with Gotoh hardware and Magnetics...

Here’s something you’ve probably never seen. The Jackson Steel Guitar Company has introduced the SlideKing Bass, an instrument that blends a bass guitar with a pedal steel guitar. Introduced at Summer NAMM this year, the bass is set up horizontally with pedals and comes in 4- or 5-string models. It’s built with a solid hard rock maple body and neck...

Jens Ritter has a knack for creating unique instruments, but this one is something different even for him. Bassist and performance artist Angie Taylor got this custom made Ritter Cora with a mystic neon paint job. The 4-string bass is built with an alder body, maple neck, and ebony fingerboard. Its neck features a black frosted transparent finish to complete...

Next year will see the revamp of two classic Gibson basses including the SG Standard and Thunderbird bass models. Each of the basses will retain many of their features with improvements including a full contact bridge, thicker and smoother rosewood fingerboards, pearl inlays, comprehensive setups, upgraded output jacks, and more robust cables for improved signal strength. The 2015 Gibson Thunderbird...

This week we check out an incredible project led by the good folks at Doner Designs, a father and son team that pieces together themed instruments to donate to charity. Steve and Richard Doner started playing bass and guitar, respectively, in 2008 as a bonding experience that grew into tinkering with upgrades and modifications. Now their hobby is benefiting their...

A few months ago, Jordan Brown sent us some pictures of a bass he was having made. I knew even before it was finished that it was going to be a killer bass, and it looks like I was right. Brown, who is an active player in London, reached out to Italian luthier Matteo Rufini to build an instrument that...

You’re in for a special treat in this edition of Old School. Bassist Daniel Bayer shares the story behind his 1960’s Baldwin/Burns Jazz bass – a rare beauty, which Daniel believes was made in 1965 or 1966. According to the Burns Guitars website, James Burns (1925-1998) was often described as the “British Leo Fender”, and this background on the man...

This week we check out a stunning bass by Italian company Black Beard Guitars called the Fahrenheit 4:51 II. Inspired by the Fender ’51 Precision bass, Black Beard calls this “the first electric bass… revisited.” Its pine body is finished in a roasted semi-gloss and adorned with a an aluminum pickguard that etched with floral patterns. The maple neck has...