The old adage is true: so many basses, so little time. That’s why we’re bringing you the “Bass of the Week,” a column featuring low-end instruments ranging from beautiful to bizarre. Have a bass you think we should feature? Drop us a note at [email protected]
Bass of the Week - Page 40
Bass of the Week: Bonobo Guitars Double Neck Headless Bass
As I’ve said many timed before, Facebook is a great tool for discovering awesome instruments. I saw bassist Roey Haviv’s quick demo of his new double-neck headless bass from Bonobo Guitars while scrolling through my feed and my jaw dropped. With one fretless neck and one fretted neck, the bass is made for versatility. It’s designed after the Zira model,...
Bass of the Week: Hannah Mayne Gamba Bass
I love the elegance of the double bass, especially this gorgeous Gamba model built by Hannah Mayne. Inspired by an 18th-century Italian bass, it’s crafted with Bosnian maple for the back, sides, and neck with an Engelmann spruce top. “I modified the original outline of the bass, along with the dimensions, making it my own design. The sound holes, other...
Bass of the Week: Alpher Instruments Mako Elite Thinline 5-String
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...
Bass of the Week: Simnett Guitars 5-String Fretless
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...
Bass of the Week: AJR Guitarmods Piccolo Bass
Last year we featured a gorgeous singlecut bass from AJR Guitarmods that wowed readers. Now, builder Andy Rogers has finished a new instrument in a different direction: a semi-hollow piccolo bass. The elegant model was built for his band’s bassist, Pete. “Pete wanted a bass that he could practice with, and sort new riffs out, on the settee without risking...
Bass of the Week: Anaconda Basses Tribute J5E – Elite
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....
Bass of the Week: LowDown Bass Guitars Special Custom Series 4F Fretless
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...
Bass of the Week: Ernie Ball Music Man Bongo 4 HH
This week we’re checking out the Ernie Ball Music Man Bongo 4 HH, a bass they describe as “well balanced, comfortable, resonant and expressive with effortless playability.” The Bongo was introduced in 2003 with a modern double cutaway body design that complements the flagship StingRay model. It’s built with a basswood body in six color options: Black, Tangerine Pearl, Sky...
Bass of the Week: Blasius Guitars Kata 4 Headless
The Kata 4 Headless from Blasius Guitars features a pretty unique body shape with the tone to match. A take on the company’s flagship Kata model, this headless bass is built with three-layer body wings consisting of a bubinga back, maple core, and flamed maple top. Its five-piece neck is a sandwich of maple, padouk, and walnut while the ebony...
Bass of the Week: Lorita Basses Century Series II
This week we’re checking out a cool new bass from Lorita Basses. The Century Series II carries the same singlecut body shape as the Century model, but with a solid body construction and a bolt-on neck. This particular bass has a headless setup and is constructed with a swamp ash body, burl elm top, hard ash and hard maple neck,...
Bass of the Week: Roberto Franceschini Double Bass
This week we’re checking out a cool double bass made by Italian luthier Roberto Franceschini. The instrument features a slimmed down body that makes it more portable while retaining the acoustic sound of a double bass. “Various luthiers around the world have been trying for years to find solutions for building less bulky double basses without giving up any bit...
Bass of the Week: Manne Guitars Moab
This week we’re checking out the Manne Guitars Moab, which they describe as their flagship luxury bass model. The bass comes in four, five, and six-string versions with a korina body topped by walnut, Italian Yew, or poplar. Its multi-laminated neck is fitted with a thin “F resin” fretboard, which Manne says allows for precise attack without dead notes. Its...