[Bass of the Week] Lowell Long Bass "The Nouveau"

See the business listing for this bass builder here

This week’s BotW is an attempt by builder Shawn Long at “playable art”, and the result turned out amazing.

Shawn writes:

As a graphic designer, artist, craftsman and musician, I’m always looking for ways to combine mediums. I wanted to make something that was in essence, a piece of playable art. I have a fondness for organic forms and shapes and wanted to make a bass that felt like it was alive and growing. I call it The Nouveau. The Nouveau features 4 pieces of black limba laminated together to form a neck-through design. The fretboard is made of pau ferro. The patterns on the body are created from a combination of pau ferro relief work with a slight accent of basswood inlay for contrast. In addition, my design makes use of a built in leather padding on the back and right side of the instrument for added comfort. In terms of hardware, I’ve installed Hipshot Ultralite tuners, an EMG HZ passive humbucker pickup, and a Badass bridge. Eventually, I would like to replace the Badass bridge with a Hipshot A style bridge. In all, the selection of woods has helped to create a certain warmth in sound that adds to the fretless experience.

The leather padding on the back definitely should make this a super-comfy player. Well done, Shawn!

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