I call this weird-but-true because bass players who encounter this issue usually have no idea they’re allergic to nickel at all and just “tough it out” when in reality there’s no reason to do that. Being allergic to nickel is in fact a real thing and is normally associated with jewelry, such as having to … Read more
See the business listing for this bass builder here An unnamed bass came into the featureme@bestbassgear.com inbox this week from Melbourne, Australia. Harry writes: I’m a custom builder from Melbourne, Australia. The bass is my pilot build for my second design. It is my take of 70’s jazz bass. It features modern double cut body, … Read more
A common thread that anyone over the age of 30 says is, “they don’t make music like they used to”. Oh, I beg to differ. Check this out: That, if you can believe it, is a new song. Yes, really. The song is Treasure by Bruno Mars, and if you can believe it, the bass … Read more
See the business listing for this bass builder here This week’s BotW that arrived in the featureme@bestbassgear.com inbox screams coolness with retro done right with its “70s kitchen” look. And it’s done so well that you don’t notice at first that this bass is in fact a 5-string. Brian writes: As my go to bass … Read more
A shim when referred to guitar neck usage is for all intents and purposes a thin spacer. In rare instances a shim is sometimes called a wedge, but the standard terminology used by luthiers for a thin wedge is to call it a shim. What is the purpose of a neck shim? To adjust the … Read more
See the business listing for this bass builder here This week’s BotW that arrived in the featureme@bestbassgear.com inbox comes from CJ Broz in Washington state: This is Sasha, my first bass that was built from the ground up. I wanted something that’s comfortable to play, tonally more flexible than most basses out there, unique, and … Read more
Almost nobody these days starts out with an American-made instrument as far as modding is concerned. That may change in the future, but for now, those who mod start out with Asian-made guitars simply for the reason they’re affordable. Said another way, Asian vs. Non-Asian can sometimes literally be the difference between a $100 and … Read more
Guitar stores are very much like toy stores, because there’s a whole lot of fancy, shiny things combined with the fact that pretty much nothing in there is needed for day-to-day living. But we go anyway. Non-musician types don’t understand why we always go into the guitar store even though we’ve already bought everything we … Read more
See the business listing for this bass builder here This week’s BotW that arrived in the featureme@bestbassgear.com inbox is red all over. Literally. Steven writes: Here is the bass I recently finished. It’s my fourth complete build. It is a neck through jazz bass design and features an ash neck and body with a maple … Read more
Saving cash for a budget bass build doesn’t necessarily mean buying parts and components that are less in price, but rather just shopping smarter. Yeah, I know, “shopping smarter” is a very cliché phrase, but when it comes to budget bass builds, it totally applies. Shopping smarter simply means this: 1. Avoid needless cost.2. Use … Read more
