SoloEtte Bass

The Acoustic Bass is a light-weight, disassembling fretless bass guitar that comes with a small, padded carrying case which is accepted by airlines as a carry-on. The neck has a compound radiused fingerboard that goes from 14" near the nut to 20" at the body. We have provided easy access to the truss rod for action adjustments. Volume and tone controls and a true stereo headphones jack combined with an amp output makes the Acoustic Bass a practice instrument as well as an ensemble performance bass. This model is ideal for the serious bass player who needs the authenticity of a real bass which can stand the rugged abuse of an active lifestyle. With a 34" scale length and a 1.55" nut width, our Bass is a practical solution for the traveling and performing musician.

The Tone of our Bass ranges from fat bloom to sparkling bright, from aggressive growl to a barky staccato. The sound is acoustic in tone. The Bass is responsive to both the right and the left hand expressions. This instrument responds beautifully to right hand finger and thumb technique, palm muting, and the placement of the right hand relative to the bridge or fingerboard. This bass is punchy with a lot of dynamic potential given the sensitivity to the right hand technique. The left hand technique of vibrato, muting, and string pressure pulls a deep muwah of the low notes out through an amp as well as in headphones.

The Pickup is of our own design. It consists of a hollow tube with electronics and baffles inside. This tube forms the saddle. The strings vibrate the air inside the tube which gives it a rounder sweeter sound than piezo style pickups. And it is stereo for the headphone usage and can go out to a bass amp or sound system in mono or stereo. You can plug your computer speakers into the bass. Just unplug them from the back of the sound card and plug them directly into the bass with the use of the jack adapter provided. This will allow low level, personal amplification that will bring the bass up enough to play with another acoustic instrument.

The Bass Cutaway Frame assembles to accommodate a comfortable bass shape in your lap and balances beautifully. The edge outline of the frame allows you to rest the weight of your arm on it so your fingertips will hover over the strings right where you would expect. Because the gears are at the other end, this full sized guitar is 5 inches shorter. This reorientation of the gears creates balance and offers superior tuning access, as described below.

Tuning: Tuning from this end is probably the way it should have been all along, but was not available to standard stringed instruments when tone propagation from thin woods would be hampered by heavy tuning mechanisms. Due to the design of the SoloEtte, the area behind the bridge is available for tuners. A pegbox fits perfectly here, does not need to tilt back, and can be made stronger and thicker because the strings are spread wider. Our Bass utilizes a straight-pull pegbox which improves tuning and string alignment. It is so nice to hold the string while you tune the other string until it is perfect. Or tune while holding a chord and keep holding it with your left hand while you tune it perfectly with your right hand.

Body wood and Neck Wood is Hard Rock Maple (Acer Saccharum) "Canadian Maple".

Fingerboard Wood is Bloodwood (Brosimum Rubescens).

The Frame is solid aluminum rod covered w/ black polyurethane tubing.

The Electronics use a 9 volt battery with an easy access battery door.

There are two output jacks as well as volume and tone controls.

Spefications