PRETTY BUT TOUGH
The body is made of Spalted Mahogany either side of a five- piece Maple/Walnut neck-thru center block/neck. There’s a 22-fret Rosewood fingerboard adorned with block inlays, an aggressively-styled two-a-side headstock with deluxe tuners, and a comfortable body bevel below the raised center block which recalls a Gibson Firebird or Thunderbird without copying. The bridge is a Diamond custom solid-mount system, which prevents lateral movement of the saddles, allowing for extra tuning stability. The electronics include a pair of Seymour Duncan SSB-4 passive soapbar pickups along with an active preamp with volume, balance and stacked high/low
EQ controls powered by a 9v battery in a compartment in the back. The pickups have ceramic magnets and a relatively scooped tone profile, designed to give you plenty of punch and an organic feel.
GIMME FUEL, GIMME FIRE
First up, this bass is crazy com- fortable. The balance is just right whether you’re playing seated or standing, and the neck just fits right in your hand. It’s great for really laying into a repetitive, static bass part (which can be ironically difficult and painful on some basses), but it’s also slick enough to let you get more ad- venturous with soloing or more progressive bass parts. As for the tone, it’s full-bodied, yet not cluttered in the midrange. You can further enhance this effect by boosting the highs or lows at the concentric pot. The bridge pickup has a good amount of attack and detail, and the neck pickup is fuller and darker but not in a muffled way. Balance them just right and you’ve got a basic sound that’s ideal for clean tones in a blues context. Add a little more treble focus and you have the perfect foundation for a more edgy rock tone. Boost the bass and run into some overdrive and you’ve got a great metal tone.
ROCK + METAL = HAILFIRE
This is a comfortable, beauti- ful, great playing bass. The look might not be for everyone and it’s not exactly a slap-and- popper, but if you play rock or metal, or even blues or blues- rock, you’ll find plenty of great sounds and effortless playability in here.
