Electric Bass Archives - Page 66

ESP will be unveiling the first batch of products from their new US factory at NAMM this year. The instruments will be part of the new E-II series and will be built in North Hollywood, California. Among the new basses will be the ESP E-II AP-4 and AP-5 models. Each of the four and five-sting versions are built with bolt-on...

The best basses come with great stories. Jimmy Haslip’s six-string bass from Wyn Guitars, called “Gabriela Rose,” is a great example. Wyn Guitars luthier Randy Fullmer recounts the whole process on his website. “It’s a luthier’s dream to make an instrument for an artist with the stature and playing chops of Jimmy Haslip,” Fullmer humbly states. “I of course handled...

Jeff Berlin has teamed up with Cort for a new signature bass for 2014. Dubbed the RITHIMIC, the model features an alder body with a striking padouk and spalted maple top with a matching spalted headstock. Its hard rock maple neck is topped with a rosewood fingerboard. The bass is set up to Berlin’s liking with low action and a...

Schecter has introduced the Session series of basses, which they describe as combining “no frills looks with high end electronics.” The series includes four and five string basses in the company’s Stiletto and Riot body styles. Each of the models features a contoured swamp ash body and 6-bolt Canadian Maple neck. The 24-fret maple fingerboard is accented with ebony offset...

This week we check out the Classic 5 String Bass from Zoov Guitars, a custom shop based in Colorado Springs, Colorado. While each bass is made to order by luthier Nicholas Lacroix, this particular fretless version really stands out for its beauty and attention to detail. The bass has a beautiful assortment of woods. Its neck is tigerwood is topped...

Swiss luthier Tino Tedesco has unveiled The Primal series of basses, including the 4/21 and 5/21. The new line aims to reduce the amount of options to be able to offer a professional instrument on a budget. “We have retained a lot of important features also present on our other models like the graphite reinforced necks, the 2-way trussrods and...

This year marks Gibson’s 120th anniversary and they’re celebrating with a plethora of new and upgraded models including the 2014 SG Special Bass. The 30-inch scale bass incorporates features from several of Gibson’s electric basses to create a unique and affordable bass. Starting with a solid mahogany body in the classic SG shape, the bass is built with a glued-in...

Fender’s Custom Shop has unveiled the 2014 edition instruments of their annual Custom Collection. The lineup includes two basses: the 2014 Proto Precision Bass and the 1964 Heavy Relic Precision Bass. Fender Custom Shop 2014 Proto Precision Bass Formerly named the Pro Series, the Proto Series is the Fender Custom Shop’s “proving-ground” line built with distinctive features requested for master...

This week we check out the Nelson Instruments Coquette Bass, a neck-through bass that blends elements of retro styles. The quarter-sawn hard maple neck is flanked with basswood body wings, which the company says offers enhanced sustain, rigidity, and projection. The bass comes in single and dual pickup configurations. The pickups are Nelson’s Bass Chiefs mounted to the gold-anodized aluminum...

Bass legend Chuck Rainey has a new signature model from Xotic called the XPJ-1T, a bass designed with versatility in mind. Rainey collaborated with Xotic on the bass which features a P/J pickup configuration with elements of the company’s XP and XJ models. The XPJ-1T starts with a ash body and a bolt-on maple neck with 21 frets. Its original...

Scott Walker is an independent luthier based in North Carolina. Though his primary focus is electric guitars, his California Bass is more than an after thought. Its construction includes a long tenon design, laminated hard woods, and multiple bolt coupling to eliminate dead spots and promote resonance. The bass starts with a body of Alder or Swamp ash and a...

Musicvox has introduced a new limited edition 12-string version of their MI-5 bass. The Limited Edition 2014 MI-5 bass features four triple courses for a familiar tuning with more strings. It’s built with neck-through construction with a mahogany body and maple neck topped with a rosewood fingerboard. The body and headstock are triple bound while the neck is reinforced with...