Imagine a scenario where a dulcimer and bass guitar hook up after a
gig, head off to a bar for a few drinks, and
nine months later, the result of their
romantic interlude is an instrument that
embodies the best attributes of both. That’s
what John Shelton of Wisconsin must have
imagined when he came up with the
Bassimer. (Actually, he got the idea after
visiting a Kentucky dulcimer shop.) I was
first introduced to this instrument by Victor
Wooten, who played a beautiful
melody on it. While it’s true that Vic could
strum a tree branch and make it sound
beautiful (something he’s probably done
at one of his Bass/Nature camps), the
unique sound of the Bassimer is what
caught my ear. The Bassimer offers a rich
and resonant open tuning, with one A offsetting
the instrument’s plethora of D
strings. Its tone and voicing immediately
brought to mind Michael Manring, a bass
player famous for his use of odd tunings
and unorthodox string types.
Our test Bassimer STD sported a
poplar body covered in industrial hammered
paint. The medium frets dive into
the rosewood fingerboard just below the D2 string, making the bass a fretted/fretless
hybrid. While I dug this aspect of the
instrument, I found that chords were difficult
to play as a result, since barring across
the neck made the fretless string ring flat.
A single Mighty Mite soapbar pickup sits
closer to the bridge than the neck, allowing
room for the upside-down-mounted
EBow, located below the octave-spaced
double-course top strings.
Speaking of that, the EBow feature is
way cool. In the 3-position switch’s down
position it functions normally, accentuating
the first-order harmonic sound, and in the
“up” position it adds more high-harmonic
texture. We bassists have few calls to use
anything like an EBow, so getting to experiment
with one was an absolute blast, especially
when I combined it with a loop pedal.
The STD model is basic in many
respects, with inexpensive electronics and
construction materials; higher-end models
can be customized to one’s own specifications
(although all Bassimers are short-scale
basses, usually 30"–32"). If painted poplar
is not your thing, you can upgrade to
mahogany, maple, etc.; pickups and electronics
can vary as well. The heel/neck joint
on our tester was not as tight as I would
like, perhaps due to the fact that Shelton
uses existing short-scale necks rather than
constructing them in connection with a particular body. Also, the electronics cavity
was unshielded. However, these aspects
seemed to have little or no effect on the
instrument’s sound.
The key to easy playing involves thinking
of the bass as a reverse dulcimer to some
degree, utilizing the outer strings for droning
and the middle strings for chording
and/or melody creation. After just a few
minutes with the Bassimer, I was able to
compose a short piece that was both fun to
play and (according to my wife) not unpleasant
to hear. The inexpensive soapbar pickup
proved ample in providing clear and vibrant
tones, and the tone control worked well,
especially in relationship to the EBow control;
rolling off the tone when utilizing the
EBow yielded softer, more flute-like tones.
On his website, Shelton provides several
videos of him playing original compositions
on the dulcimer, which will give you some
idea of how one might approach the instrument,
but the fun of this bass is really trying
to figure it out for yourself.
All of us here enjoyed exploring the
Bassimer, and each tended to approach it
from a different musical perspective. I found
the instrument inspiring and delightfully
friendly in terms of the learning curve, so
we’ll likely be seeing more of these little
bass/dulcimer ankle-biters running around
in the future. —Rod Taylor
BASSIMER STD
Street $850
Pros Innovative sounds, easy to play, huge
fun factor
Cons Some minor construction issues
TECH SPECS
Weight 6.9 lbs
Made in U.S.A.
Warranty One year limited
Contact www.bassimer.com