Any bass that has “sassafras” as a material used for the build must be good, right? Well, in this case, it is.
Harry writes:
This is a build project for a customer in Malaysia.
Since this is budget build project, I’m using mostly local timbers from Australia.
One of the purpose of this entry is to share to the world that there are some beautiful looking woods in Australia.
This bass is a new design from C-Basses (facebook.com/cbasses)
It features:
Construction:
– 5 string
– Bolt-on (6 bolts with ferrules, C-Basses custom arrangement)
– 35″ scale
– Rear route, with front jack input
Contours:
– Tummy
– Forearm
Body:
– 2-piece Victorian Ash
– Wood control cavity cover
Top:
– Blackhearted Sassafras
– Wenge accent veneer under the top
Neck:
– 2 piece Victorian Ash
– Matching headstock plate
FB:
– Poplar, 24 fret, 15″ radius
– Black side dot markers
Frets: Mandolin frets
Hardware:
– Dual action truss rod (From BBG)
– Tuners: black, 5 string tuner set
– Bridge: black, hipshot type B (From BBG)
– Nut: Ebony nut
– Knobs: black, aluminum knobs
– Straplock: black, Schaller style straplock
– Lasered C Basses logo
Electronics:
– Pickups:
– Neck: Bartolini XXP25M-B (From BBG)
– Bridge: Bartolini XXP25C-T (From BBG)
– Tone monster 3 band preamp (active/passive)
Finish:
– Tung oil
– Clear matte poly
Mission accomplished, Harry, she looks great!
Would you like your bass featured for Bass of the Week? Send an email with a few photos and the story of your build to featureme@bestbassgear.com. We look forward to hearing from you!
Very nice!
Beautiful design. I love the local Australian woods used. Does the your local Sassafras smell like rootbeer? Also, the grain on the back of the neck is gorgeous. I presume Victorian Ash is harder than our typical north American varieties. I bet it has great tone! How does the poplar fingerboard hold up to wear?
Overall, superb craftsmanship, clean lines, great work!
Tony – Mana Basso
The blackhearted sassafras is not the same species as sassafras in the US (the rootbeer one). I have many people warned me about the toxicity of it. Thanks for the compliment
The blackhearted sasafrass is not the same species as the american sasafrass (the root beer one). Poplar is considered soft for a hardwood, but as I mentioned in the description that the customer is on a tight budget and he said the bass is going to be played only once a week, so I offered him the cheaper option and he agreed with it.
I think it would be ok, knowing that the bass would not be heavily gigged.
Thank you for your compliment
G’day Harry, beautiful work. Just bought some Vic Ash for neck making but it didn’t occur to me to use it for bodies *d’oh*
You have a great eye for shape, a few mm out here or there and it wouldn’t have looked right, but you have made your cuts with the precision of a fine artist moonlighting as a brain surgeon. Every curve and point is exactly where it belongs.
I love this bass.
Thank you for your compliment.
I’m over the moon by now 🙂
Very nice work
Excellent craftsmanship, beautiful finish & love the sound of the Bartolini pickups. Not sure why mandolin frets were used but if it works – it works. A beautiful bass. Well done!
Kenton Snyder – New Haven, In. Bassist for 40 years.
Mandolin will give a woodier sounding bass, because the string will be closer to the fretboard. It also allows the player to set a lower action compared to the jumbo/regular fret.
Last but not least, due to the narrower dimension, the mandolin fret will produce more accurate pitch compared to the wider ones.
I highly recommend it… 🙂
Harry