Basses - Page 54

Ibanez has further expanded their BTB model range with several incarnations. This summer they expanded the BTB700 series with four and seven-string models, plus their BTB Premium line will now have options for figured maple tops. The BTB is typically a five or six-string bass, but the BTB740 and BTB747 take things one step further as a four-string and a...

Bassists looking for a super short scale bass have a new option with the Guild Jumbo Junior Bass, a four-string acoustic/electric. It has just a 23¾-inch scale. Part of Guild’s Westerly Collection, the Jumbo Junior bass is built with a solid Sitka spruce top with arched flamed maple for the back and sides. “We chose [the combination] to mirror the...

Fender debuted five new signature models at the Summer NAMM show this year including one bass: the Justin Meldal-Johnsen Road Worn Mustang Bass. The session ace, who has worked with artists ranging from Beck to Nine Inch Nails, teamed up with the company to create an instrument based on his personal ’66 Daphne Blue Mustang Bass. The short-scale bass is...

Yamaha’s BB Bass series is growing this summer with nine new models that debuted at the Summer NAMM Show. The reworked basses, which range from entry-level to professional, will feature a smaller body among other upgrades. The new line starts with the four-string BB234 and five-string BB235. Each is built a solid alder body fitted with a custom V3 ceramic...

Each year, Warwick releases a special master-built, limited-edition model. This year they’re celebrating their 35th anniversary with a version of the Thumb NT, but they’ve also just announced a companion model in their Teambuilt series. The Warwick Teambuilt Pro Series Thumb BO LTD 2017 will come in four and five-string models limited to 100 units of each. The bass’s body...

Modulus Graphite has expanded on their Funk Unlimited model with the RevOLite version. Designed by master builder Joe Perman, the Funk Unlimited RevOLite carries the same shape with advanced carbon fiber reinforced construction that increases rigidity and reducing weight. The bass weighs in at just 6.5 pounds. The RevOLite’s body is built with carbon fiber-reinforced alder, ash, or basswood while...

After revamping their standard BTB line earlier this year, Ibanez has now announced an updated version of their BTB Premium basses for 2017. The new 1805E and 1806E BTB Premium basses feature the combination of a rosewood and ash body with a nine-piece wenge/bubinga/maple neck-through design. The neck is also reinforced with graphite rods. They’ve also changed the pickups to...

To keep up with the new CITES regulations on rosewood, Sandberg Guitars has turned to a new fingerboard option: steamed oak. The innovation was first shown at NAMM this year as a prototype. “Oak is a very eco-friendly and sustainable wood with very desirable sonic qualities and dynamic response,” the company wrote in a press release. “Sandberg has adopted a...

Cort has expanded their GB7 series of guitars and basses with the GB74JJ, a jazz-style bass that they describe as integrating both modern and classic aspects. That blend is centered in its pair of VTB-ST pickups that are fitted into a swamp ash body. “Crafted with winding materials that maximize high and low frequencies, the refined design of these pickups...

Fender has introduced the Classic Design series that they say is aimed at the company’s acoustic tone and aesthetic at an affordable price. The lineup includes the CB-60SCE, an acoustic bass guitar featuring a slim-taper neck profile and rolled fingerboard edges for playability. Its concert-bass body is built with a solid spruce top with mahogany for the back and sides....

Ibanez announced the expansion of their Portamento Fretless bass series with a six-string version. The SRF706 will retain the features of its four and five-string predecessors while adding a high C string. The bass is built with neck-through construction featuring a five-piece maple and bubinga neck, mahogany body wings, and a rosewood fingerboard. Ibanez fits it with a pair of...

At the beginning of the year, new CITES regulations went into effect for all species of rosewood. The wood is very common in basses and other stringed instruments as a fretboard material. To address the issue, Fender released a statement on how they are changing their instruments to deal with the new regulation. “Fender is committed to the continued use...