(bottom) The Lodestone’s curvaceous top not only looks cool, it makes room for aggressive treble-side finger pops.
Mark Gooday’s Lodestone brand is a reinterpretation of the original T Bass design. He took essential aspects of the T Bass—the intriguing headstock, monorail bridge, and Jstyle body—but added some modern touches, like a curvaceous top made possible via the magic of computer-controlled routing. Lodestone basses are available as either Pro or Artist models; the only difference is the Artist’s figured maple or poplar tops.
(top) The Lodestone’s primary design detail is its LaidBack headstock, angled to allow easier access to the tuning machines.
The Lodestone’s most notable feature is its “LaidBack” headstock, which angles the tuners backward for an easier reach. The resulting shape is large and strangely beautiful with complex curves that send the strings on a gently angled path from the nut. A potential fringe benefit is its size: the entire neck and headstock is carved from a single piece of maple, with possible sonic advantages. The LaidBack headstock’s most promoted benefit, tuning ease, proved true, although I’m not sure the typical tuner arrangement was challenging to begin with.
The Artist bass has a few other neat design cues. The undulating top not only looks appealing, adding some aesthetic interest, it’s also fairly deep at the treble-side neck joint, freeing up space for D- and G-string pops. The monorail bridge consists of five separate saddle units, each sunk deeply into the bass’s body. The saddles’ contact point is made from hard ceramic, which Lodestone says is optimum for the transmission of string vibration into the body. Gooday is a big racecar aficionado, so his inspiration for this design, the ceramic brake rotors on high-end performance cars, makes sense. Whether the material is an optimum transducer would be difficult to test without a similarly equipped non-ceramic-saddle bass.
The Lodestone’s construction was excellent, with competent fretwork, a skillful finish, and solidly installed hardware. Our tester arrived with bad intonation, an understandable consequence of an overseas trip. While the Lodestone’s intonation adjustment method is a bit finicky (I had to loosen a set-screw and slide the saddle with my fingers), the out-oftune neck was easily fixed.
Lodestone chose EMG “Hyperactive” pickups and a proprietary EQ system for its basses. I like the volume/volume arrangement on Jstyle basses for its versatility, and the boostonly EQ was effective without being too extreme, although the treble control was voiced high for my taste. The EMG pickups responded cleanly, clearly, and evenly, with significant sensitivity throughout the frequency spectrum.
MAGNETIC
The Lodestone’s playability depends on personal taste. On my lap it seemed a touch neck heavy, due no doubt to the large headstock, but on a strap the ergonomically contoured body balanced well. The real divisive aspect is its nearly flat fingerboard. Its minimal radius is not at all Fender-like, so fans of the vintage feel may find the Lodestone’s neck less easy to love. It’s a chunky neck for a J-style bass—not a bad thing, but another matter of taste. The cut-away affords easy access to the 24th fret, but the blocky neck heel may annoy those who spend a lot of time up there.
Our tester’s tone was strong and aggressive. The EMG pickups are sensitive and unforgiving, yielding a quick full-spectrum sound that demands an attention to technical detail. It’s not the bass for caressing and coaxing smooth tone, like a vintage Fender; rather, it’s a precise and potent modern machine. The B string was a tad floppy with the shipped strings, but a new set of stainless steel Dunlops brought more focus and precision to low-register note definition. The Lodestone was adept at fingerstyle bridge pickup tone, especially with a bump in the bass from the onboard control, and scintillating slap sounds. Finger pops jumped off the bass with “look at me” authority. To expand versatility, I’d like to see Lodestone roll out additional pickup and electronics options.
The Lodestone is an interesting addition to a crowded field of J-style basses. Its unique styling and thick aggressive tone set it apart in a sub-category filled with more vintage-y alternatives.
LODESTONE PRIMAL ARTIST
Price Exact U.S. prices unavailable at press time; we expect prices to begin around $1,500.
Pros Burning bridge-pickup and slap tones; appealing modern design
Cons Flat fingerboard not for all
Bottom line The Lodestone is an attractive addition to the active J-Bass genus.
Contact
www.lodestoneguitars.com
TECH SPECS
Weight 9.5 lbs
Scale length 34"
Body Alder
Neck Carbon fiber-reinforced bolt-on maple
Fingerboard Indian rosewood
Nut Plastic
Pickups EMG Hyperactive J-style
Controls Volume, volume, treble, bass
Colors Natural, Tobacco Sunburst, Transparent Black, Transparent Honey, Transparent Red
Made in U.S.A.