Electric Bass Archives - Page 34

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....

This week we’re checking out another gorgeous bass from Alpher Instruments. This Mako Elite Thinline 5-String immediately caught my attention on Facebook for its incredible purple “crazy burl” top and slick shape. The 34-inch scale bass is built with a book matched, flamed maple body matched to an Indian rosewood neck and African blackwood fingerboard. For electronics, Alpher fitted it...

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,...

Jon from Simnett Guitars shot us an email with his latest build, and it’s a beauty. This five-string fretless has some gorgeous features that the luthier put serious time and effort into. “It’s a 33-inch scale (tuned E-C) ‘piezo-only’ fretless. The Black Limba body is chambered and has a spalted Hornbeam top,” he explains. “There’s matching Hornbeam headstock veneers on...

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...

Master luthier Gerald Marleaux unveiled a brand new model at the NAMM Show this year called the Tiuz. Named after the mythological German god, the bass is designed to be lightweight, customizable, and flexible. That flexibility is due in part to Marleaux’s new pickups and preamp. “The heart of the TIUZ lies in a brand new electronics package,” the Marleaux...

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...

This week we’re taking a look at a beautiful model by the UK’s Anaconda Basses. This particular Anaconda Tribute J5E Elite was built for Joe Sam, a pro bass player from London, with a special twist. “He’s an avid Prince fan and wanted a bass which had certain design cues to pay tribute to the master,” builder Andrew Taylor-Cummings explains....

AC Guitars has unveiled the latest in their bass lineup with the RetroB. The retro-styled bass is a departure from luthier Alan Cringean’s typical designs. “Over the years I have been asked to build copies and have alway turned down the work because it was not something I was interested in, there are more than enough J Basses out there...

Wandering around the halls at the NAMM Show is great for finding unique instruments. While browsing Hall E this year I saw this killer four-string fretless built by Tim Seisser of LowDown Bass Guitars. With all the interesting body work and the stunning fingerboard, I had to find out more. “This bass started as an effort to use some really...

Schecter introduced the Stiletto Stage four- and five-string models at the Winter NAMM Show. The basses are designed to be a stripped-down, performance-ready bass at an affordable price point. Available in white and black gloss finishes, the neck-through basses are built with a mahogany body, a carbon-fiber reinforced maple neck, and ebony fretboard. The frets are marked with mother of...