Design .:. The soul of the bass guitar

In making bass guitars I bring 20 years of experience as a designer, luthier and player to each instrument that I create. My time building basses has been a long personal quest for the right instrument, an instrument that helps to inspire me. I strive to produce instruments that are balanced physically, tonally and aesthetically. This is evident in the feel, sound and quality of each instrument.

Feel
I believe that the way an instrument feels is one of the most important factors in good instrument design. By controlling physical attributes such as neck width and shape, scale length, balance, weight, body shape and setup an instrument can be tailored to an individual for optimum performance. These attributes directly result in the way an instrument feels which affects how a player uses the instrument and ultimately the sound.

Sound
The use of different woods does undoubtedly affect the sound of the instrument, even an electric one! It is difficult to quantify this effect beyond general statements about tone. I believe that harder and denser woods allow more sustain, clarity and have a relatively even frequency response. Softer woods are less dense and absorb vibration producing "warmth". Medium density woods are somewhere in between. Electronics are also a large part of how an instrument sounds but can be modified to a players taste and are secondary to quality of construction.

Quality
High quality materials and exacting woodwork do provide clean looks, but more importantly they improve sound transmission which creates a richer, more full bodied tone. In addition, a well made instrument is designed to hold up to the rigors of a professional musician and last a lifetime.

The Details
I'm currently producing basses with three body styles; the Marozi and Caracal (double cutaways) and the Barbary (single cutaway).

Models, Specs and Pricing

Available Instruments

Bass Photo Gallery

“If you pursue a dream wholeheartedly for long enough eventually you will find you’ve reached your end goal. At that exact point the “end goal” suddenly becomes the new "beginning". Get to the beginning..."
like us on facebook

B-logo© 2005-2011 D. Beau Leopard