Electric Bass Archives - Page 37

This week we’re checking out a cool one-off that Yamaha built for bass shredder Billy Sheehan. Based on his signature Attitude LTD3 model, the bass brings together some interesting elements tied around Sheehan’s band The Winery Dogs. “Before The Winery Dogs’ touring cycle in support of their second album Hot Streak, Billy asked us to build him an Attitude LTD3...

Kiesel Guitars has introduced two new multi-scale versions of their Vanquish bass. The VM49K and VM59K are four- and five-string basses, respectively, that are the Kiesel custom shop’s first multiscale bass instruments. The design includes fanned frets and offers some technical improvements. “The advantage of a multiscale bass over a traditional instrument is that the lower strings have a greater...

Fender has unveiled the American Professional Series, which takes the place of their recently discontinued American Standard line. The new series will, of course, include Precision and Jazz bass models, but each will have new features. Updated specs include a new fret shape, new pickups, new electronics, new hardware, and new colors. Both the American Professional P-Bass and Jazz Bass...

Andy Irvine of The Daily Funk Club shared some pictures of this bass on Facebook and it made me stop scrolling. The Picasso by KD Basses is a colorful, artistic take on the instrument made in Bulgaria. The bass’s body is built with an Elm core, but luthier Kostadin Dimitrov covered it with an irregularly-shaped piece of maple burl in...

Fodera unveiled the third bass in their Masterbuilt line this past week with a special version of their Emperor II 5 Elite. The one-of-a-kind instrument is called “Brooklyn” and pays respect to the New York City borough that the company calls home. “Brooklyn, NY has been a part of the heart and soul of Fodera Guitars since the founding of...

I love it when luthiers think outside the box with the woods they use for their instruments. A recent trend has been to recycle old skateboards to create instant mojo, and Brazilian bass builder Antonio Cesar Scopel nailed it with his P-Board bass. Inspired by the Fender Precisions from 1951 to 1957, the P-Board’s body is made entirely from used...

Ernie Ball Music Man has unveiled their 2017 Spring Collection, including a 30th Anniversary StingRay5 model. The 5-string version of their flagship bass was first introduced in 1986 and the company is celebrating gorgeous limited edition version. The bass is built with an ash body covered in a transparent buttercream finish that’s accented with a red tortoise shell pickguard. The...

Meshuggah’s Dick Lovgren has gotten a crazy new bass from Zon Guitars, and it’s our bass of the week. The one-of-a-kind Zemi Acoustik is based on Zon’s Sonus body style but has a thicker, hollow mahogany body with a stunning flame maple top. Its set neck is made of a composite, while the phenowood fingerboard holds 24 frets. The pickups...

Roger Sadowsky and crew have introduced a vintage version of their Single Cut model, which was introduced earlier this year. The bass retains the specs of the original bass with two key differences: different pickups and the inclusion of a pickguard and control plate. Sadowsky gave us the scoop on the new pickup set, which includes a single J-style pickup...

The extended range specialists at Strictly 7 Guitars have officially launched a new line of bass guitars. The series includes three models: the Copperhead, the Sidewinder, and the Python. “The Copperhead was the original bass model we started in 2013 with Simone Bertozzi of Mnemic,” the company writes. “We needed it to produce a low F frequency with some balls...

Jamaica-born, Australia-based luthier Dwight Cunningham creates some stunning basses, including this gorgeous RLJ-5 Splendour Jazz Bass. The semi-hollow bass features a myrtle and alder body loaded with a Nordstrand Bigman pickup in the bridge position with a split coil in the neck position. Its seven-piece neck is crafted from Myrtle, Indian Rosewood, Maple and Mahogany. The lined fretless fingerboard is...

Eastwood will be introducing a five-string version of their Classic hollow body bass as part of their crowdfunding platform. The Classic 5 Bass will be built with a bound laminated maple body, maple top, and bound f-holes. Similar to the four-string, the fiver is fitted with a pair of EW-Retro humbuckers controlled with a 3-way switch. Its knobs are set...