Bass of the Week - Page 35

Humans of New York’s phenomenal Facebook page often catches my attention with intimate photos and insightful stories, but this portrait stopped me in my tracks: The bassist’s spirit and determination also called to LedBelli Basses luthier Cleve Johnson. “In January of 2015 I was surfing the Humans of New York website and came across the photo,” he said. “I was...

This week we’re checking out a Goose bass by Jersey Girls Homemade Guitars. This particular bass – built by the team of luthiers Kaz G, Akiko Oda and Eiko Goto – is called the Bordeaux for the lovely wine colored finish over its light ash body. Its hard maple neck is topped by a fingerboard made from Karin, also known...

Our friend Andrew Arnautov wrote in to share this gorgeous Pandora bass made by Ukrainian luthier Alex Kurdritsky. Arnautov calls the maker, who has over four decades of instrument building under his belt, one of the field’s best kept secrets. Kudritsky named the model Pandora after the Greek goddess because “the instrument explodes with plethora of sounds just like a...

This week we’re taking a look at a bass called El Cabure by Argentinian luthier Fede Caceres. The curvaceous four-stringer features some interesting wood choices, especially with its flamed eucalyptus top. Its body is made of cancharana, which is a wood native to South America, while the neck is a laminate of cancharana and flamed maple. The ebony fingerboard is...

In 2011, Squier added to their retro-styled Vintage Modified series with the Vintage Modified Jaguar Bass Special SS. The model riffs on the Fender Jaguar but pares things down on the controls as well as the scale. Squier describes the 30-inch scale bass as “short and sweet with a big sound”. Its overall design is based on the Fender Jaguar...

This week we’re taking a look at the ESP E-II Stream SL-5, a bigger variation on the bass model they debuted in 2014. The SL-5 is a five-string version with a 35-inch scale and larger body than its predecessors. As part of the E-II series, the Stream SL-5 is built in ESP’s Japanese factory. Available in Deep Red Metallic Satin...

This week we’re checking out the Tom Clement Basses Angel bass, an instrument that the luthier describes as borrowing ideas from the Gibson Thunderbird to combine retro vibe with custom features. The bass was designed alongside long-time customer Jon-Inge Paulsen. “The name Angel reflects on the people we love, the people who mean the world to us, the people we...

Alembic’s basses have been a big influence on custom builders, and it’s easy to see why. They started in 1969 as a live sound consulting operation. Founders Ron and Susan Wickersham then moved into instrument electronics, creating low impedance pickups and what would become first set of active electronics for a guitar. Their first bass was built in 1972 for...

Hot Wire Basses took a page out of the old school with their Blues Bass. Modeled after the early fifties Kay Electric Bass, the Blues Bass is a vintage-style hollowbody, which the company notes was often played by four-stringers backing up Blues legends like Muddy Waters and Howlin’ Wolf. While the design imitates an old Kay, Hot Wire made some...

This week we’re checking out the W Minor 5 by Wreck Guitars. Introduced late last year, the model can be fitted with a number of woods and pickup configurations. “This is a modern bass for light right arm playing with bridge moved more to the end of an instrument,” the company writes. “[The W Minor 5’s] balance is perfect for...

Jens Ritter’s basses have a style and finesse that makes them instantly recognizable. This week we’re checking out one of his R8 Singlecut models featuring a stark black and white contrast as its motif. The 5-string bass is built with a swamp ash body and maple top, all finished in white. Its three-piece maple neck is also finished in white,...

Pete Skjold has been wowing bassists with his incredible instruments for nearly two decades. Last year he introduced a trio of new models based on his most popular body shapes, and this week we’re checking out the singlecut Drakkar bass. “The Drakkar is the modern version of the classic Whaleback,” Skjold explains on his website. “A focus on ergonomics took...