Basses - Page 50

Tensor Basses is updating their Classic series of basses for 2018. Described as a “complete ground up redesign,” the new basses offer a deeper cutaway for access to the top frets, Nordstrand J-series pickups, and a new finish. It also updates the company’s main bass feature, the Force Balance System, which replaces the need for a truss rod. “As an...

Spector was showing off several new models at the 2018 Winter NAMM Show including the new Bantam 4, a short-scale bass with a chambered alder body. The combo of features helps to keep the bass’s weight down to just seven pounds. The basses are built with a carved NS-style body topped with quilted maple in black cherry or black stain...

Warwick unveiled a bass counterpart to the Framus Idolmaker at the Winter NAMM Show. Produced in the custom shop or as part of their German Pro Series Teambuilt line, the Warwick Idolmaker Bass is built with a carved mahogany body and a bolt-on wenge neck. It comes in four or five-string versions as well as fretted or fretless. Warwick uses...

One of the booths at the NAMM Show that always has tons of buzz is the Marco Bass Guitars display. This year they introduced the N1 bass, which they describe as a game changer. Although the bass is their entry-level model, it’s still made in the USA in the Marco shop. “Marco Cortes has spent over three decades perfecting his...

Ned Steinberger and NS Design unveiled the latest in their Radius bass guitar series with the NXTa Radius. The headless bass carries many of the same features of the lineup while adding their NXTa battery-free active electronics. “The new NXTa brings together the brilliant ergonomics of the headless neck and body configuration, the NS self-clamping tuning system, custom NS/EMG™ pickups,...

Ernie Ball Music Man’s StingRay has been a time-tested model for decades, but both the four and five-string versions will be getting an update for 2018. The company made the announcement at the Winter NAMM Show. “For 2018, the StingRay4 and StingRay5 have been reimagined with new features and appointments that provide a new level of playing comfort while retaining...

Rickenbacker announced the return of the 4003S/5 bass at the 2018 Winter NAMM Show. The five-string bass, which has not been offered for over a decade, has been updated with a slightly wider string spacing, a Schaller 3D-5 bridge, and a new single coil pickup design. The pickup was re-engineered with two blade magnets that angle further out towards the...

Ibanez is continuing to grow their Soundgear bass lineup this year with the SR870, SR875, and SR876 models. The new basses, which they describe as some of the most visually striking basses in the series, were unveiled at the Winter NAMM Show. Each of the basses is built with a mahogany body topped with flamed maple. The 870 is a...

Sadowsky Guitars unveiled a new line of basses called the MetroExpress series at the Winter NAMM Show this year. The line will be made in Japan with the company’s own preamp, pickups, strings, and hardware. “The MetroExpress is made in Japan to Roger Sadowsky’s exacting standards under the supervision of Yoshi Kikuchi,” Sadowsky writes. “Roger and Yoshi began working together...

2018 marks forty years since F Bass owner and founder George Furlanetto started the company. To celebrate, the company has announced a special limited edition 40th Anniversary PJ based off of the first ever fretted F Bass. The model will be limited to four pieces each of which will be crafted, signed, and numbered by George Furlanetto. Although it’s based...

Yamaha’s TRBX bass series will get two models this year. The company will be unveiling the TRBX604FM and TRBX605FM at the 2018 Winter NAMM Show in Anaheim, California. Four and five-string basses, respectively, the TRBX604FM and TRBX605FM upgrade the bass’s looks with flame maple tops with matching headstocks. They carry many of the same features of their predecessors with Yamaha...

Schecter will be rolling out a new line of basses at the Winter NAMM Show called the Apocalypse Bass Series. Designed with “high-end specs and aggressive style,” the company says that the C-4 and C-5 Apocalypse basses pack a punch thanks to their pickups. “[They are] powered by Schecter US Custom Shop Apocalypse Bass Humbucker Pickups,” Schecter explains. “These earth-shaking,...