Bass Gear - Page 295

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...

Lakland has added another flavor of their Hollowbody bass to the Skyline series. The Skyline Hollowbody 30 shortens the model to a 30? scale for ease of playing and an old school feel. The bass is stocked with a pair of single-coil, vintage-style pickups with a Volume/volume/tone configuration. Its compact body is machined with an “F” hole. Other features include...

Planet Waves has expanded their American Stage series of cables to include right angle instrument cables as well as XLR microphone cables. Made in the U.S., the cables are made with premium cable, Neutrik-built plugs, and inline solder joints. Another unique feature to the American Stage series is the Geo-Tip, a patented connector tip that better accommodates the range of...

Source Audio’s Soundblox 2 lineup has gotten a little spacier with the Orbital Modulator, a combination phaser, flanger, chorus and tremolo pedal designed for both bass and guitar. Housed in a cast-aluminum 4.5? by 4.5? chassis, the new stompbox offers plenty of tweakability with nine adjustable parameters including Depth, Feedback, Delay, Frequency, Volume, LoRetain (Source Audio’s proprietary low-end preserving algorithm),...

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?...

GFS Pickups has announced new REDactive series of pickups, including Jazz and P Bass styles. The pickups are low impedance, noiseless models with internal preamplifiers. Each pickup is vintage voiced and “position calibrated” by their coils and the internal preamplifier. Beyond standard configurations, each pickup can be matched with REDactive components including pots, jacks, caps, and switches to personalize your...

Warwick has added to their RockBass series with the Vampyre Dark Lord, a 35? scale bass built for extra low tuning. From lowest strings to highest, the Dark Lord is tuned F#, B, E, A, which the company says gives it a “diabolic sound character.” The bass’s body is crafted from alder while neck is maple with ekanga veneer stripes....

Phil Jones Bass has introduced the H-850 headphones, a pair of headphones designed with bassists in mind the company says bridges the gap between “high-quality music and deep clear bass.” Designed for practice, studio and casual listening, the set utilizes 40mm neodymium magnets and closed back acoustic loading for clear sound reproduction. Other features include acoustic isolation and a light...

German luthier Gerald Marleaux has introduced a new model for 2013 named the Votan XS Deluxe. Continuing on the traditionally inspired Votan series, the XS Deluxe features a slim birdseye maple neck and a smaller solid African Dibetou hardwood body. The Votan XS Deluxe is fitted with a pair of Delano JSBC custom single coil pickups and a Marleaux 2-band...

ESP’s Frank Bello LTD Signature line of basses has a new addition. The FB-204 is an entry level model with bolt-on construction and a black satin finish to suit the Anthrax bassist’s style. The FB-204 is built with a basswood body, maple neck, and rosewood fingerboard. The P/J pickup configuration consists of the company’s LTD LDJ and LDP, which are...

Lakland has given their Skyline 44-01 and 55-01 models the Deluxe treatment this year. Sporting four and five strings respectively, the Lakland 44-01 and 55-01 Deluxe Spalt models add to their predecessors with spalted maple tops for visual flair. The models are built with ash bodies, maple necks, and rosewood fingerboards. The 4-string has a 34? scale, while the 5-string...

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...