For this instrument Markbass designed an original body shape design refining the pickups and their position.
The Markbass NAVIGATOR name comes from Marco De Virgiliis’ passion towards the scientist Enrico Fermi and his place in the history of Physics. When Enrico Fermi heated the first atomic pile named CP-1, the US President was informed via a coded message advising him “The Italian Navigator has just landed in the new world”. Our Navigator F1 bass was born in honour of Enrico Fermi and his history.
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They exclusively used spruce wood from Val Di Fiemme, to create an ultra light, ultra resonant and unique instrument. All our F1 range of instruments – inspired by Formula 1 – are premium instruments crafted using an artisanal manufacturing process, without any compromise in sound or quality.
Key points
With top-level construction, these instruments are not just a series of basses, they’re another chapter that proudly shows Markbass quality. The care and attention to detail given to each bass is embedded in our artisanal process – referring to the Italian lute-making tradition – blended with the constant innovation and passion they bring to all their products.
The NAVIGATOR F1 bass provides a remarkable sound expected from a premium bass, enhanced by our proprietary Markbass electronics that provide the clearest frequencies for a truly powerful sound – simple, intuitive and effective even on extreme settings and without volume changes when switching from passive to active and vice-versa. The P and HB Markbass pickups and their position, were chosen to give large tonal options, from a P split coil punch to a fat tone of the humbucker at bridge, splittable in single coil for more J style tones and everything in-between.
The NAVIGATOR F1 basses exclusively use Val di Fiemme Spruce, not simply because it’s available to us locally in Italy but because of its unmatched characteristics which lead to truly unique instruments. Markbass created an original body shape design, one that’s ergonomic and balanced, with maximum access even at the highest frets. And even though it’s not a standard industry shape, it still maintains elements of familiar styles most bassists will appreciate.
Marco De Virgiliis’ preferences along with the Markbass philosophy results in us always aiming to have our own original parts. This applies to the majority of the hardware featured on our instruments from tuners and bridges, to Mark Strings. Most of the hardware is original ‘Made in Italy’ parts, along with additional carefully selected top-quality parts on the market.
For local enquiries, visit CMC Music.
