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 48
Bass of the Week: Mayones Prestige Classic
This week we check out the Mayones Prestige Classic, a bass the company calls “a tempting luxurious instrument for connoisseurs with clear yet rich tone of modern Nordstrand Fat Stack pickups.” The bass, which comes in 4-, 5-, and 6-string versions, features neck-thru construction with several layers of wood. The body wings have an ash back topped by spalted maple...
Bass of the Week: Amazon Custom Bass Imperial 5
This week we take a look at the Imperial 5 by Brazilian bass shop Amazon Custom Basses. The beautiful singlecut bass is built with a mahogany body topped with piopo. Its five-piece neck is fitted with a maple fingerboard and bound with ivory. Electronics on the bass include a pair of EMG 45DC pickups matched to an Aguilar OBP-3 preamp....
Bass of the Week: Martin Keith Guitars Elfin Hollowbody
Martin Keith took on the singlecut body design with his Elfin model, and this week we take a look at its hollowbody version. The five-string bass is built entirely like an acoustic instrument with functionality for electric players. The Elfin’s body, which measures 14 inches wide and 3 inches deep, is built with maple sides and back and a braced...
Bass of the Week: Salzmann Virutero NT
This week we’re getting a taste of Argentina with the Virutero NT by luthier Leandro Salzmann. Made in Buenos Aires, Salzmann’s Virutero model shows the bass builder has a strong grasp of creating an organic instrument that features exotic species of woods. The Virutero NT is a neck-thru bass that features a five-piece maple and cancharana with a Guayacán fretboard....
Bass of the Week: Stambaugh Designs 6-String Custom Inlayed Bass
Chris Stambaugh of Stambaugh Designs posts a “Build of the Month” on his website to show his best work of the month, and it’s incredible to see the range of styles he produces. This week, we check out a custom six-string design he featured in November 2012, with a dramatic fingerboard inlay and breath-taking body wood. “This instrument is one...
Bass of the Week: o3 Guitars Rhodium Purplehaze
This week we take a look at another eye-catching bass from o3 Custom Guitars called the Rhodium. The Spanish-made bass is also called the Purplehaze due to its gorgeous purple satin finish over its ash body. Its neck is a five-piece laminate comprised of flamed maple and wenge with a pau ferro toneblock. The bass is fitted with a pair...
Bass of the Week: MBJ Guitars Nutsy Bass
Joe Kruse has spent the past eight years working with Carl Thompson and two more years in Roger Sadowsky’s shop. Now he’s striking out on his own with MBJ Guitars, which focuses on unique short-scale designs and killer wood combinations. The luthier gave us the rundown on his Nutsy bass, which is our bass of the week. “I used mahogany...
Bass of the Week: New York Bass Works Cremona 5
This week we check out a custom Cremona 5 by New York Bass Works. Built by luthier David Segal for bassist Sean Joynes, the instrument is based around a rare wood from central Africa called Moabi. Joynes gave us the scoop: “This new Cremona 5 bass is made of Red Alder with a Moabi Pommele (African Pearwood) top,” he wrote....
Bass of the Week: Brutal Guitars Egregore 5
Vitaly Ganya sent us a note suggesting we check out the Brutal Guitars Egregore 5, and I’m glad he did. The instrument is the first bass by Latvian luthier Andrew Schultz and was made in collaboration with Ganya for his band avant-garde band Theatrum. Ganya gave us the whole scoop: “The body of this five string instrument is made from...
Bass of the Week: Bilodeau Basses #010
Bass #010 is a landmark instrument for Bilodeau Basses. Completed in 2011, the intricately designed bass was the culmination of years of work and the last before luthier Mathieu Bilodeau took a break from building to focus on his family. “I managed to complete his instrument in fall 2011 which represent the last bass before my break,” Bilodeau explains. “A...
Bass of the Week: Prometeus Guitars Kirlian 8
Prometeus Guitars has a way with creating interesting body shapes that still function well. They also have a knack for extended range basses. Both of those features are showcased on their Kirlian 8, a multi-scale eight-string bass that will stop you in your tracks. The Prometeus is built around a padouk neck and wenge fingerboard with fanned frets. The strings,...
Bass of the Week: Ruokangas Steambass Deluxe
This week we check out the Ruokangas Steambass Deluxe, a specialized version of the company’s flagship bass model. Hand-made in Finland, the bass is set apart by a 2-piece Spanish cedar body with a thermo treated arctic birch top. Its rock maple neck is also topped with a thermo treated Indian rosewood fingerboard. “From the guitar maker’s point of view,...