The feature bass this week is all about the flower power. Builder Drew Wills writes: Wanted something different so I purchased a PBass body and had my talented wife painted the body in a sort of psychedelic/talavera pottery style. She enjoyed painting it so much that we purchased 4 more bodies for her to paint. … Read more
Steve Harris is considered one of those most influential heavy metal bass players of all time, and the simple answer to the question of “What is Steve Harris bass tone?” is P bass. Lots and lots of P bass. Typical to many hard rock/metal recordings of years past, the bass is usually placed squarely in … Read more
This week’s feature build is 19th century style with a modernist take. Builder Sergey Poedinko writes: Style and aesthetics came when I tried to imagine how might look like the hi-end custom bass of the 19th century. Things back days were made solid but beautiful. I like the aged look of really old musical instruments … Read more
A rather large complaint by bassists that are fans of Metallica is that in the original studio recordings for the album …And Justice For All, Jason Newsted’s bass can barely be heard. The response to this by Metallica fans who wanted to hear the best was to literally remix the entire album using the tools … Read more
The feature bass this week is made from korina, which is typically not an easy wood to work with. Builder Wesley Wilson writes: One piece Korina, covered with an image of the Carina nebula. The headstock is overlayed with an image of the Cats Eye nebula. The pickups are Wilde Bill Lawrence’s J45’s. They are … Read more
Many bass players find the delay effect to not be all that useful only because they haven’t been shown an example of where it can not only be used but used well. For one of the best examples of bass with delay added in that worked phenomenally well, we have to go all the way … Read more
The feature bass this week is a nice take on a ’51 Fender Precision Bass copy. ’51 P bass that I’ve been building over the last few weeks. One piece swamp ash body. Fender neck, Schaller nickel tuners, Schaller nickel strap buttons, Solid Brass high mass bridge modified for string through body, Seymour Duncan Hot … Read more
Anyone even slightly familiar with Chris Squire’s bass playing style knows he uses a heavy-handed pick, which is part of how he got his signature sound. But it’s also obvious that the Rickenbacker bass he used also played a huge part in that trebly, clacky tone he was able to get. It’s a common belief … Read more
The feature bass this week has a really cool pickup configuration! Owner Michael Logiovino writes: I purchased this Bass as it was originally built by Jon Letts. I became aware of Letts through my nephew who has had several Basses custom built by this Luthier. I was looking for a 5 string fretless Bass at … Read more
For aspiring bass builders out there, you may be faced with the decision of whether to build a show bass or a performance bass. An example of this is looking at two Warwick signature models, the Bootsy Collins Artist Series vs. the Bootsy Collins Space Bass. We’ll start with the Artist Series model which is … Read more
