 |
Web Hosting by Netfirms | Free Domain Names by Netfirms |
|
|
|
Below are a slew of pics I took of a customer's bass (back in the shop for a setup). The body is Hawaiian acacia wood, also known as koa. It is a medium weight wood with the visual and tonal warmth of mahogany, but with a deeper, richer golden hue, and more exotic grain. It has approximately 10 coats of tung oil varnish, giving it a subtle gloss and smooth wood feel. The neck is unfinished, made of the African wood goncalo alves, with chocolate brown stripes and a smooth fast feel. It may be difficult to see in these pics but the neck wood has some subtle horizontal flame to it as well. The wood is very dense and therefore needs no finish, making it very comfortable in the hands. The fingerboard is pau ferro (aka Bolivian rosewood) which is essentially a very colorful and stripey cousin of the standard fretboard wood, Indian rosewood.
The pickups are Seymour Duncan alnico polepiece Musicman replacement pickups, for a rich, smooth passive sound with lots of depth and detail. There is a 2 * 2 switch matrix that offers on/off switches for each pickup and series/parallel switches for each pickup. This allows you to set each pickup with either the delicately detailed Jazz Bass-like tone of parallel wiring, or for the hotter, thicker, fat tone of series wiring. It also lets you change pickups while preserving the positions of the Jazz Bass-like pot layout, so you don't lose a blended setting on the volume pots when you want to switch to just one pickup. The tone is uniquely full sounding for passive pickups; it has what could be called "warmth with clarity". The pickups deliver lots of bass and deep warm midrange, but they also have a detailed yet never harsh top end, making the bass ideal for rock, blues, r'n'b, funk, fusion, and even jazz. If you are a rock bassist struggling to find a sound that can fill up the room and really drive a band, this might be the ticket!
I can personally build this bass for you for a negotiable price of $1200. Obviously, everything is customizable, so different woods, pickups, hardware, etc., can also be had, which could either reduce or increase the price. Contact me to inquire and to work out a price quote for what you would like.
