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 58
Bass of the Week: Brett Wall’s “ThunderBacker”
Brett Wall has been making his own basses ever since he started playing. He dropped us an email with a couple of his latest creations including what he calls The ThunderBacker. The dual-course, 8-string bass brings together elements of a Rickenbacker, a Thunderbird and a Precision bass for a unique blend and stunning design. The Ric-inspired body is made of...
Bass of the Week: Off Guitar Design soulbrotha’
A collaboration between Martin Off and luthier Jozsi Lak, the Off Guitar Design soulbrotha’ bass is unique mix of retro and modern design aesthetics. The bass, which gets its design from the company’s soulsista’ guitar, is handmade by Lak in Germany. Much of the soulbrotha’s construction is optional, from the body wood (alder, swamp ash or mahogany) to the neck...
Bass of the Week: SimpleBass e4 Fretless Bass
After 20 years of playing a fretless Jazz Bass, Italian bassist Roberto Musso decided it was time to spice things up. That’s when he designed the SimpleBass e4, a 4-string fretless model with an extended fingerboard and a sleek body shape. The result is a lightweight, balanced bass. “Having some more fret space would have been a real help in...
Bass of the Week: BassLab STD
BassLab isn’t your ordinary bass manufacturer and they certainly don’t make your average bass. Developed by a musician and a physicist, the company uses a tuneable composite material instead of wood. “We use carbon for stiffness, but add other [elements] to the mix for tone,” they shared. “It’s called ‘tuneable’, because we can also alter the tone.” BassLab’s flagship instrument...
Bass of the Week: Overwater Basses Expression Semi-Acoustic Bass
U.K.-based company Overwater Basses stretches things with their Expression model, a semi-acoustic bass built with a solid spruce top and 3? deep hollow Central American mahogany body bound in Cocobolo. Its body has elements of a violin-shape and a single-cut with a the lower horn cutaway for better access to up to the 22nd fret. Available in 4, 5, and...
Bass of the Week: Amfisound “Hellbass”
Our friend Greg B. emailed me with a few shots of his bass, and I couldn’t wait to share it. Greg’s axe was built by Finnish luthier Sampo Leppävuori of Amfisound, who based it after their Kuru model. The six-stringer – dubbed the “Hellbass” – has two personalities. The first is a gorgeous, bright red 4-string bass with a 32?...
Bass of the Week: CallowHill Guitars MDM
This week we check out the CallowHill Guitars’ flagship bass, the MDM. The MDM was born out of three separate instrument models, and eventually evolved into a single model with several options. The MDM is offered in 5- and 6-string versions with standard features including lightweight swamp ash bodies, Nordstrand pickups and a fully passive wiring stage with a modified...
Bass of the Week: F Bass BNF Fretless
The F Bass BNF is a fretless version of their BN model that the company says offers a “traditional fretless tone.” Available in 4-, 5- and 6-string versions, the BNF features a sleek Gabon ebony fingerboard, a 3-piece quartersawn maple neck, and a body constructed of a maple center block and ash wings. Its pickups are a pair of stacked,...
Bass of the Week: Line 6 Variax Bass 700
This week we take a look at the Line 6 Variax Bass 700, an interesting bass that was produced during the 2000’s. It included special modeling software to reproduce tons of classic bass sounds, ranging from a ’61 Jazz Bass to a ’03 Thumb to bass synths. The Variax used piezo bridge saddles to capture each string’s vibrations, then signals...
Bass of the Week: Stash Stainless Bass Guitar
While perusing Facebook, I stumbled upon this uber-sleek, uber-unique instrument: The Stash Stainless Bass Guitar. Designed and built by Stanislaw Potyrala in Mississauga, Ontario, the bass is made entirely of stainless steel, which the company says improves stiffness, mechanical and environmental stability, sound quality and tunability. “The only disadvantage is that rock stars will not be able to destroy this...
Bass of the Week: Dingwall Z3
Known best for their use of the Novax fanned-fret system, Dingwall decided to capture classic tones with their Z-series. The Z1 set out to “capture the best qualities of the classic swamp ash tone” by placing their Super-Fatty pickups in the same relative positions as traditional designs. The Z2 then put the pickups closer together towards the bridge to get...
Bass of the Week: ODD Guitars Hive 3D Printed Bass Guitar
As 3D printing becomes a more accessible means of creation, it seems that imagination is our only limit. ODD Guitars realized this and put the technology to use in instruments. “3D printing allows designs to be manufactured that could not be manufactured through traditional means,” the company writes on their website. “The 3D Printing technology used in ODD guitars is...