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 42
Bass of the Week: Tomisic Guitars MIA Fretless Bass
This week we take a look at the MIA, a custom fretless P-style bass built by Serbian luthier Milos Tomisic. The design is the brainchild of bassist Marko Cvetkovic, who put his work talents to use for his musical endeavors. “After some planning, [Tomisic] decided to start his own model line and that’s where we started to cooperate,” Cvetkovic writes....
Bass of the Week: Assi Guitars Sciatt Bass
This week we check out the Sciatt bass by the new Italian company Assi Guitars. Bringing together modern and retro vibes, the bass is built with an Akatio body finished in a catching green that’s accented with a black pickguard. Its Balkan Maple neck is topped with an Indian Rosewood fingerboard. Assi fitted the bass with Gotoh hardware and Magnetics...
Bass of the Week: Dahrendorf Guitars Darwin EUB34
Sergey Poedinko of Dahrendorf Guitars sent us the details for this gorgeous electric upright bass, and I knew we had to share it. Dubbed the Darwin EUB34, the bass mixes elements of both electric and upright basses into a minimalist design. “It has [an] absolutely ‘upright’ sound in its compact body that fits regular bass guitar gigbag,” the Dahrendorf site...
Bass of the Week: Angie Taylor’s Custom Ritter Instruments Cora
Jens Ritter has a knack for creating unique instruments, but this one is something different even for him. Bassist and performance artist Angie Taylor got this custom made Ritter Cora with a mystic neon paint job. The 4-string bass is built with an alder body, maple neck, and ebony fingerboard. Its neck features a black frosted transparent finish to complete...
Bass of the Week: Doner Designs Navy Bass
This week we check out an incredible project led by the good folks at Doner Designs, a father and son team that pieces together themed instruments to donate to charity. Steve and Richard Doner started playing bass and guitar, respectively, in 2008 as a bonding experience that grew into tinkering with upgrades and modifications. Now their hobby is benefiting their...
Bass of the Week: Matteo Rufini Precision IV Custom Vintage Series
A few months ago, Jordan Brown sent us some pictures of a bass he was having made. I knew even before it was finished that it was going to be a killer bass, and it looks like I was right. Brown, who is an active player in London, reached out to Italian luthier Matteo Rufini to build an instrument that...
Bass of the Week: Black Beard Guitars Fahrenheit 4:51 II
This week we check out a stunning bass by Italian company Black Beard Guitars called the Fahrenheit 4:51 II. Inspired by the Fender ’51 Precision bass, Black Beard calls this “the first electric bass… revisited.” Its pine body is finished in a roasted semi-gloss and adorned with a an aluminum pickguard that etched with floral patterns. The maple neck has...
Bass of the Week: Beardly Customs Rainbow Bass
Beardly Customs luthier Rick Link sent us this example of his take on a rainbow style bass, and it looks like he knocked it out of the park. The bass is centered around its body, which has thirty separate pieces of wood to give a rainbow-like effect. Link used rosewood, purpleheart, wenge, flamed maple, redwood burl, blood wood, walnut, cocobolo,...
Bass of the Week: Epiphone Allen Woody Rumblekat
Allen Woody wasn’t just a phenomenal bass player, he was an avid collector of vintage basses. The bassist – who laid down the low end for The Allman Brothers and Gov’t Mule – owned over 450 basses before his untimely passing in 2000. Before he passed away, he worked with Epiphone on what would become a signature bass called the...
Bass of the Week: Scott Guitar Works SB-2
This week we check out the SB-2 by Scott Guitar Works of Louisville, Kentucky. The bass is built to order and has a plethora of options, but its central point is its unique body shape. Scott shaves down to a minimalist design with a short lower horn and thinner, longer upper horn while keeping it curvy in the lower half...
Bass of the Week: M-Tone Guitars Boki
M-Tone Guitars made their first bass earlier this year, and by the looks of it, they got it right the first time. The M-Tone Boki is a custom bass that was hand-built in Portland, Oregon with a “super light” one-piece swamp ash body finished in a gorgeous floral paint job. Its motif is carried over to its steel pickguard, too....
Bass of the Week: Whitt Guitars 5-String Fretless Archtop Acoustic Bass
My friend Gil sent me a heads up for this week’s featured bass, and I’m glad he did. This intriguing instrument is a one-of-a-kind acoustic fretless 5-string bass built by Daniel Whitt of Whitt Guitars. “At Whitt guitars, I build guitars that inspire creativity, capture the imagination and throw everything for a loop,” the bass builder writes. “I don’t build...