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 51
Bass of the Week: ML Basses Volcan
After 20 years of work making and repairing stringed instruments, Meaulnes Laberge formed ML Basses to focus on building electric basses. One of his striking instruments is the Volcan, an edgy yet elegant design available in 4- and 5-string configurations. Featuring bolt-on construction, the Volcan is built with a light maple body, three-piece maple neck and an Indian rosewood fingerboard....
Bass of the Week: Lane Poor Minima
While looking up videos of Jack Casady on YouTube, I stumbled upon a real head-turner of a bass: the Lane Poor Minima. Poor, who is renowned for his pickups, designed and manufactured the bass in the early ’90s. Besides the obvious headless and stepped-tuner body design, the Minima had a graphite fingerboard with special epoxy “frets”, which as Bob Gollihur...
Bass of the Week: Skjold Design Guitars’ Skjoldslayer
This week we take a look at the Skjoldslayer by Skjold Design Guitars, which luthier Pete Skjold came up with the design as a take on one of his singlecut models. “The Skjoldslayer came about after the Damian Erskine Whaleback,” Skjold explains. “I basically made a doublecut version and that was the inspiration for it. It has become one of...
Bass of the Week: Lemmy Kilmister’s Nick Page Gott 4 Bass
Apparently, Lemmy Kilmister has one of the coolest bass collections on the planet. One of our very first Bass of the Week features was of the Motorhead frontman’s signature Rickenbacker. This week, we’re checking out his Nick Page Gott 4, which the luthier built specially for him. “The Lemmy Bass was a very special move we did, because Nick is...
Bass of the Week: Noguera Expression
This week we take a look at Noguera Basses’ flagship model, the Expression. Designed to produce a “rich sound with accurate low end,” the bass is hand made in France. Available in 4-, 5- and 6-string models, the Expression features bolt-on construction with a bubinga body, maple neck, and wenge fingerboard. The elegant bridge is wood with individual brass saddles...
Bass of the Week: Moses Vertical Jump Bass
Known for making graphite necks, Moses Carbon Graphite Guitars has always been into making forward-thinking products, and the Vertical Jump Bass is no exception. Built to be played vertically or horizontally, the bass has a swiveling bout horn for proper balance when wearing it with a strap. The Vertical Jump Bass has a polycarbonate body that comes in three options:...
Bass of the Week: Norton Guitars Wraith Bass
Norton Guitars takes a unique approach to building instruments by utilizing what they call the “Norton Mainframe” – a skeleton made of T6061 aircraft grade aluminum. The bass is then built with wood and electronics from there. A prime example of their work is their Wraith model bass. Featuring the “Tube” frame version of the Norton Mainframe, the Wraith is...
Bass of the Week: Atlansia Solitaire
There’s been an on-going discussion about what constitutes a bass, and specifically how more than four strings is “breaking the rules.” Well, what if there’s only one string? Enter the Atlansia Solitaire. Based in Nagano, Atlansia is known for outlandish designs – so much so that their website has to specify that the instruments are “Made in Japan on Planet...
Bass of the Week: Kristall Solid Electric Bass
German builder Andreas Kristall makes a host of impressive basses, including this week’s bass of the week: The Kristall Solid. Available in 4, 5, and 6-string models, the Solid sports a singlecut design with bolt on construction. Kristall says the bass was built for “Rock character, sound, look, and feel.” As each piece is made to order, options vary from...
Bass of the Week: Rob Allen MB-2
The Rob Allen MB-2 is a unique semi-hollow bass designed to combine the warmth of an upright with the punch of a solid body electric bass. Though it’s available in a fretted version, the MB-2 comes standard as fretless to keep with the organic feel. The bass is offered in three variations depending on the top selected: Maple, Walnut, or...
Bass of the Week: Adamovic Eric Czar Signature 7
Eric Czar’s Signature bass from Adamovic is a thing of beauty. With a monstrous 7-strings and 30 frets, the instrument gives Czar an incredible range. Strung E to A#, bass was designed between Czar and Nikola Adamovic to allow for easy chord playing and fast tapping while combining “the unique voices and timbres of a bass and a baritone guitar...
Bass of the Week: DeMars Guitars Long Trail Bass
DeMars Guitars’ Long Trail bass is no doubt an instrument for proud players of the low end. Inspired by Vermont’s hiking trail of the same name, the Long Trail is a a chambered solid-body instrument sporting the company’s patented bass clef soundhole, which the company calls “a stunning visual signature for forward-thinking bassists.” We call it righteous. The Long Trail...