Bass of the Week - Page 55

Based out of Deidesheim, Germany, Jens Ritter is an electric bass luthier known for his artistic flair and luxurious basses. In addition to his exceptional line of basses is the Ritter Royal collection, which are set apart due to a “unique feature or an exceptional design history aspect of Jens Ritter’s career as a luthier.” In 2006 he outdid himself...

Alusonic takes metal bass to a new level – the Italian bass builders make their instruments out of aluminum, citing characteristic and environmental reasons. The special Anticorodal and Ergal alloys that they use are naturally light, rigid and produce a balanced, fat sound while Aluminum is completely recyclable, making it more eco-friendly. On top of that, the body provides full...

This week we take a look at the Telio G.V. 5-string Fretless from Waja-bass Design. The bass is built by hand in Kempen, Germany and features a striking ergonomic body shape made of swamp-ash and dibetou. Besides sculpting for easier access, the design aims for balance between the body and neck, effectively shifting the the instrument’s focus to the middle...

For our first Bass of the Week, we featured a bass with a twisted neck. This week, we look at the Burrell Fat-Boy acoustic bass guitar, which takes the same ergonomic idea and applies it to the body. The design comes from the mind of Leo Burrell, who began dreaming up more comfortable guitars during his time as an engineer...

Our featured bass this week is a BL Design Barbary 5-string. This custom fretless bass is a single cutaway design built with a redwood theme, the body is birdseye redwood with a maple veneer, while the stunning top is exhibition grade redwood burl. From there, the body is accented by a 9-piece padauk neck that has wenge and maple pinstripes...

This week we’re featuring a beautiful custom Xylem 5-string bass. This particular bass is a neck-through design featuring a black limba body with a bookmatched macassar ebony top, accented with bocote and maple. The quartersawn neck is bird’s eye maple and has an ebony fretboard and custom inlays of a tomoe and falling leaves. All the electronics are Bartolinis, including...

Bigger is better. At least that’s the concept behind Knuckle Guitar Works’ Quake, a massive 39.5″ scale built-to-order bass. With the growing popularity of drop-tuning, bassists have to tune their strings down, which Knuckle explains harms tone by losing the upper transients. Seeing the need for better string response and tension, luthier Skip Fantry set out to create a bass...

The world of extended-range basses has taken off over the last few years, and if you’ve ever searched for the term “bass” on YouTube, you’ve likely seen this week’s bass of the week: the Kenneth Lawrence “Joust” 11-string ChamberBrase I, built for Nuclear Rabbit and solo bassist Jean Baudin. A customization of Lawrence’s models, the bass features a chambered North...

Rickenbacker paid tribute to metal icon and Motorhead frontman Lemmy Kilmister with the introduction of the 4004LK, a signature bass limited to 60 pieces that was first spotted in 1995, though production started around 2000. The bass is half instrument, half art, as each piece’s walnut body features a hand-carved relief of oak leaves and white checked binding. Since they...

With time comes innovation, and for bass players, it means lighter rigs, improved effects pedals, and ergonomic basses. The Little Guitar Works Torzal Bass is a prime example of that progressive ideology. The customizable bass features your choice of woods and pickups, but the real “Twist” is in the neck. Literally. Developed in the mid-90s as a response to players...