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 43
Bass of the Week: Bassart Guitars Phönix
The Bassart Guitars Phönix is a handmade bass from Braunschweig, Germany created by master luthier Matthias Meyer. This week we’re checking out a Phönix (German for Phoenix) in a dazzling blue sparkle finish. It’s built with a curly maple neck, rosewood fingerboard, and an alder body, although the model can also be built with a swamp ash or mahogany body....
Bass of the Week: J Ferro Basses Escalon
This week we’re checking out the J Ferro Escalon bass. The model is part of a new series created by industry veteran Jose Ferro, who spent 17 years as Executive Vice President of ESP Guitars. Available in four- and five-string versions, the Escalon features neck-through construction with a five-piece maple and mahogany neck matched to mahogany body wings. Its top...
Bass of the Week: Pachyderm Basses Blonde Bass
Les Claypool has always played distinct basses, and this week we’re checking out one of those basses he helped design: The Pachyderm Basses Blonde Bass. Claypool worked with luthier and longtime friend Dan Maloney to form the company and create his idea of the ultimate bass. “My idea was to incorporate the traits of the instruments I have loved over...
Bass of the Week: Emerald Guitars Balor Bass
This week we’re checking out the Emerald Guitars Balor, an acoustic bass guitar built entirely with carbon fiber. The model is the latest in the evolution of their acoustic bass models. “Physics implies that an acoustic bass should be large to properly create low frequencies at a useable acoustic volume,” the company writes. “So we have developed a completely new...
Bass of the Week: AMJ Guitars Fretless Bass
No Treble reader Deryl Gallant wrote in to us with a cool story on the creation of his AMJ Guitars fretless bass. Strangely enough, it started out as just a neck for his Fender Jazz and ended up with a body of reclaimed wood. Gallant tells the story: “In 2015 I visited Adam Marsh Johnston of AMJ Guitars to get...
Bass of the Week: Meridian Guitars Jazz Evolution Carbon
Since its introduction in 1960, there have been many bass models inspired by the Fender Jazz. This week we’re checking out an exceptional Italian riff on the classic with the Meridian Guitars Jazz Evolution Carbon. The bass features an ash body with a charcoal burst color and polyurethane satin finish. Its neck is made from maple that was harvested 30...
Bass of the Week: 39 Custom Guitars CK Canorous
Chris Kollias wrote in to share his new bass from 39 Custom Guitars, and it’s a beauty. The CK Canorous is a 5-string that the bassist wanted to cover a wide tonal palette. “The main purpose of this instrument is to cover a wide variety of sounds according to the demanding needs,” Kollias said. “The neck is made of white...
Bass of the Week: Conklin Guitars OM
This week we’re checking out a collaboration between Conklin Guitars and Jason Everett called the OM Bass. The bass is a seven-string fretless that is fitted with several interesting features to suit the bassist’s world music style. Its pickups are a pair of custom Bartolinis along with a set of GraphTECH Ghost piezos in individual saddlebridges. Besides EQing, the OM...
Bass of the Week: Fodera Guitars Masterbuilt Kestrel
Fodera introduced the Masterbuilt series earlier this year, and this week we’re checking out the second ever bass in the series: The Kestrel. The avian-themed instrument features some of the company’s finest materials to create an astounding visual and sonic experience. “Over the years we have produced a number of special instruments that feature inlays of various birds,” Fodera writes....
Bass of the Week: Jerzy Drozd Soul IV “Matisse”
Tim Cook sent us a few pictures of his bass, and we were drooling. The Jerzy Drozd Soul IV “Matisse” is a real piece of art, which is fitting since it was inspired by other pieces of art. “Jerzy Drozd monikers his work as ‘Jerzy Drozd, the Bass Art Company’ and fittingly a search for a description of this bass...
Bass of the Week: Nichols Guitar Company Seas of Cheese Bass
Just like with music, great bass designs often come from the inspiration of other basses. That’s the case with our featured bass this week: the Nichols Guitar Company’s Seas of Cheese Bass. As the name suggests, the model is inspired by the famous Carl Thompson basses used by Primus’s Les Claypool. “The design was inspired by Les Claypool and some...
Bass of the Week: Maurizio ?ber Basses ?ber-Groove 4 Single Cut
This week we’re checking out an ?ber-Groove 4 Single Cut by Maurizio ?ber Basses called The Promise. The bass features a stunning Monkeypod top over an Asian mahogany body. “The Promise was built for a client who, among other gigs, plays regularly at church,” M?B explains. “Being a religious man, he wanted his bass to be inspired to a verse...