5-string Bass Archives - Page 21

G&L has been making made-in-Fullerton jazz basses for about 10 years, but they’ve now expanded the US-made line to include a five-string. The G&L JB-5 adds a low B-string with a fast neck featuring a 1.775″ nut width and slim rear profile. The bolt-on bass is built with an alder body for standard and solid finishes or a swamp ash...

This week we’re checking out the Enfield Guitars Lionheart English Rose, a rosewood-themed bass with tons of tonal flexibility. The UK-made bass takes the company’s Lionheart design and upgrades it with a solid rosewood neck and fingerboard for feel as well as tone. “There’s no denying the natural feel of solid rosewood. It really is so inspiring to handle,” company...

Schecter expanded their Session Series of basses this year with an 8-string version of their Riot bass, a 5-string version of the Model-T, and a fretless version of the Stiletto. As a part of the series, each of the basses is built with a swamp ash body, hard rock maple neck, ebony side block inlays, and active EMG pickups and...

Luthier Scott Surine was showing his basses at the NAMM Show this year including a brand new model called the Lunara NTVII. The bass, which is Surine’s second single-cut design, features neck-through construction with a seven-piece Rock Maple and Walnut neck. The Lunara NTVII’s swamp ash body core is sandwiched between a Redwood burl top and back with black Sycamore...

Ibanez is stepping up their SR300 series with the SR300E basses, featuring upgraded pickups and electronics. The models, which come in four-, five-, and six-string versions, aim to bring a high quality of tone and control to a lower price point. The lineup centers around Ibanez’s new Powerspan dual coil pickups that have stainless steel poles to improve output, clarity,...

First introduced in the 1980s, the minimalist Gittler Guitar was reborn in 2013 thanks to musician and titanium expert Russ Rubman. This year Gittler Instruments has unveiled three new bass models, including four-string, five-string, and fretless versions. “Similar to the six string Gittler Guitar, these basses are manufactured of aircraft grade titanium with an optional weapons grade finish and weigh...

Sadowsky has unveiled the Satin Series, a lineup that brings their chambered, NYC-made basses to nearly half the cost of a built-to-order custom instrument. The instruments include their 21 fret Vintage Style J Bass and 24 fret Modern Bass models built in batch with limited options. “We’re committed to serving the working musician, so we found a way to thin...

Fender’s new bass offerings at the NAMM Show this year revolved around their new American Elite series of instruments. The lineup includes each of the company’s main models with the American Elite Precision Bass, Jazz Bass, Jazz Bass, and Dimension Bass. Common features for the series are Fender’s fourth generation Noiseless pickups, compound neck shapes, new cases, and new finishes....

Jeff Berlin’s signature Rithimic bass now comes in a five-string version. The Cort Rithimic V was displayed at the Winter NAMM show this year with the bassist on hand to talk about it. “I’m entirely a four-string guy,” Berlin noted, “but I wanted to help make an efficient an instrument as possible for five-string players. My contribution was to ask...

ESP got into the multi-scale game this year with the LTD B-1004SE and B-1005SE basses. Four and five-stringers, respectively, the new models have different scales for each string to optimize tension and ergonomics. The multi-scale effect is created with Hipshot solo bridges and a fanned fret design. Both basses are built with a swamp ash body topped with solid rosewood,...

When we interviewed Chip Shearin last year, he let us in on the scoop that he was working with Roger Sadowsky on a special project. That project came to light at the 2016 NAMM Show with the unveiling of the Sadowsky Single Cut 24 Fret 5-String Bass. “Co-designed with bassist Chip Shearin by both myself and Lisa Hahn, this model...

Ibanez has expanded their Bass Workshop and Soundgear models with the SR Cerro, a singlecut bass available in Natural and Deep Twilight finishes. The Cerro’s body connects to the neck from the 24th fret all the way to 13th fret for increased stability and sustain. Built with neck-through construction, it’s built with a mahogany body, poplar burl top, a five-piece...