Bass Gear - Page 286

Kala has added a new Cherry Burst finish to its S-U-B line of solid body U-Basses. The new bass shares all the characteristics of its brethren, including a solid body, a 21″ scale, a Shadow active pickup system, a 2-band EQ, Hipshot-licensed tuners and proprietary polyurethane strings. Kala, a ukelele company, first introduced the U-Bass in 2009 and has since...

Mike Lull Custom Guitars has announced the Jeff Ament JAXT4 Signature bass, to be available starting in January 2012. The Pearl Jam bassist worked closely with Lull on the specifications of the bass, which is a modified version of Lull’s T4. One of the key features to the JAXT4 is it’s oversized body, which is 20% larger than Lull’s regular...

After nearly a year of product testing since displaying a prototype at the last Winter NAMM Show, Fuchs Audio Technology has announced three final models of their Bruiser Bass Amp: The Bruiser, the Bruiser-I, and the Bruiser-II. The main difference between each head is power, as the original Bruiser is rated 500 watts into 4 ohms while the Bruiser-I is...

Iron Ether has released the Polytope, a quad-voice pitch detuner. The pedal creates up to four identical copies of the input signal that can then be detuned in pitch to create sounds from “subtle thickening to huge multi-voice detuned synth sounds.” The voices are added and faded in by raising the Voices knob with each new voice alternating above and...

Squier announced this week that Biffy Clyro bassist James Johnston’s signature Jazz Bass would be available worldwide in 2012. First announced in Fall of 2009, the instrument has thus far only been available only in Europe. Johnston’s signature axe is based on his personal Fender USA Jazz and has a basswood body finished in Lake Placid Blue with a matching...

This week we take a look at Chillbass Guitars’ Pantera, a sleek fretless bass that takes its cues from minimalism. The bass has a medium, 32″ scale, which the French bass builder explains lowers the string tension and ultimately aids upper register tones, playability, and adds to a “fat low end.” The Pantera has a swamp ash body, maple neck...

For all you do-it-yourselfer’s out there, JackTight USA released the JackTight, a tool for fixing loose output jacks on basses and guitars. The JackTight works by gripping and stabilizing the jack from the inside, allowing for users to tighten the nut without the jack spinning. In addition to being handy on instruments the JackTight works on any jack, including effects...

Philosophy Amplifiers has entered the bass amplifier scene with the launch of their flagship Philosophy amp, a 200-watt all tube bass amp. The class AB amplifier utilizes three JJ 12ax7 preamp tubes and four JJ KT-88 power tubes for it’s all-tube signal path, which the company explains is capable of both clean and overdriven sounds without the aid of pedals....

Le Fay has released a new fanned fret version of their Pangton headless bass. The bass has a unique bridge, head piece and pickups to accommodate the multi-scale lengths, which range from 35.24” for the B-string and 33.46” for the G-string. Though the design is quite unique, the German bass company says it’s easy to adjust to. “Soon this bass...

Electro-Harmonix has unveiled the Switchblade+ Channel Selector, a flexible stompbox that allows you to route your input signal to either two different locations (Channel A or B) or both simultaneously. The Switchblade+ then picks up where the company’s original Switchblade left off with the inclusion of a dedicated Tuner out, which EHX explains is hardwired to the input. This provides...

Thirty years after the introduction of their flagship L-2000 model, G&L has unveiled their new M-series basses. The M-2000 and M2500 both build upon their predecessor, which was first designed by Leo Fender in 1981, and aim to be more flexible while retaining the same attitude. The M-series basses still feature dual MFD humbuckers, but the pickups have been voiced...

Named after a butterfly found in southern Spain, the JanAid Yolanda 5 bass draws inspiration from nature. This week, we check out the latest incarnation of the bass, which is also a signature model for Baltimore-based player Bob Abbott. The Yolanda 5 was built with a variety of woods, utilizing their “defects” to create a a piece of art. The...