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[Bass of the Week] Broeske Atomic

The feature bass this week is cat-approved!

Builder Tom Broeske writes:

While waiting for a fretted neck repair I ran across this Warmoth Dinky J body from the in stock inventory. It’s a chambered Mahogany body with a figured Maple top. It came finished as shown in Blackburst / Black back in gloss Poly. I ordered a Kelling Sound passive V V T harness with solderless terminals, and an optional tone circuit that keeps the highs alive as you lower volume. Loaded w/ DiMarzio Model J’s.

I ran out of patience and bought the fretless neck, also in stock from Warmoth. This is a flat sawn Maple slim taper Jazz profile with an unlined Maccassar Ebony board. This arrived unfinished, and I just used a Minwax Wipe on Satin Poly, 3 coats and 0000 steel wool after each coat. It’s got a little birdseye in it, and the streaking on the board is a subtle but perfect match to the natural Maple top. I mixed up the hardware just cuz’! Gold Schaller clover tuners and gold neckplate and p/u screws and a Black Hipshot A bridge. The knobology is odd, but it’s what I had at the time and now I like it. It is strung with LaBella Light guage Flats and I am very happy with it.

Well done!

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15 thoughts on “[Bass of the Week] Broeske Atomic”

  1. Other than the hs sticker (at least it can be easily removed) – a well coordinated/balanced assembly of parts. The ebony fb character is lovely, the necks birds-eye maple is nicely subtle and the pu’s/electroinics should sound good. Enjoy playing it.

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  2. Great job, looks really nice. I’ve always wondered though why some bassists feel that flatwounds are the way to go on a fretless. There’s no way Jaco used flats. I’ve experimented with Strings from dozens of Co.’s, Roundwound, Half Round, Flats etc. and what I’ve found is as soon as Flats on put on, the high frequencies disappear. No matter how nice the bass is, how good the picks-up are, whatever on-board pre-amp you have, you lose the top end with flats. I guess if one is not concerned with top end it doesn’t matter but I want it all. Low end, mids and top end and I’ll adjust my rack mount pre-amp from there. Each to his own though.

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  3. That is one of the most beautiful J-style fretless basses I’ve ever seen! What a great job! I’ve been a fretless player for most of my 50+yr career & started drooling at the photos of your build. If you ever want to sell, please contact me first. Maybe make me a duplicate?

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  4. Nice bass Tom! I have several Warmoths also. One of them looks just like that one, only fretted and with an all macassar ebony neck. Fralin splt coil pickups and a Bartolini preamp.

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