GIBSON
Midtown Standard Bass
This classy new addition to Gibson’s line of semihollowbodies
has a mini alnico bridge humbucker,
wide ceramic neck humbucker, three-way pickup
selector switch, volume control, tone control, and
Gibson’s three-point adjustable bridge. The chambered
mahogany body (made of routed solid
woods) is matched with a one-piece mahogany
neck and a maple fretboard with cream binding.
It’s available in cherry, ebony, vintage sunburst,
and Pelham blue finishes.
Street
$1,300
Contact
gibson.com
HÖFNER Limited Edition Black Violin Bass
The venerated German company is celebrating
its 125th anniversary by building 12—yes, only
12—of these 30
"-scale, 22-fret Black Violin Basses,
which sport black gloss coats, black control consoles
with special black knobs, flame-maple sides,
spruce tops, three-piece flame-maple and beech
necks, and “Toaster” single-coil pickups.
Street
$3,400
Contact
hofner.com
SQUIER
Chris Aiken Precision Bass
This signature axe in honor of Strung Out bassist
Chris Aiken is an eye-catching amalgam of several
elements: A ’70s Jazz-style “C” maple neck and
board with blocks and binding, white Precision
body with a Steve Harris-style mirror pickguard,
Space Age “Astrolux” logo on the headstock, Hi-
Mass four-saddle bridge with brass barrel saddles,
Duncan Designed PB-105 pickup, and a single volume
knob.
Street
$500
Contact
fender.com
CARL MARTIN Bass Drive
The Bass Drive, aimed at those of us who love the
sound of overdriven tubes, sports a 3-band EQ,
gain and level controls, as well as its very own
12AX7 tube. Use it just to fatten up your tone—or
push it harder for that classic tube growl and extra
sustain.
Street $389
Contact carlmartin.com
FENDER
Nate Mendel Signature Precision Bass
Besides its optional “Fender/Foos” logo neck
plate, this replica of the Foo Fighters bass man’s
cherished ’71 Precision is straight out of the Me
Decade: Dig that ash body, rosewood board,
maple neck, 3-ply pickguard, and slim “C” neck,
and check those ’70s-correct tuners and knurled
chrome knobs. The lightly road-worn fi nish completes
the look.
Street $1,200
Contact fender.com
SNARK SN10 Tuner
This SoCal company’s stompbox chromatic tuner
boasts a large LCD, pitch calibration from 415Hz
to 466Hz, true bypass, and a die-cast metal case—
and it comes with an additional perk: Power it with
a 9-volt battery or an adapter, and you can use its
9-volt out to power another pedal.
Street $40
Contact snarktuners.com
IBANEZ ATK Premium Basses
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| ATK 800 | ATK 805 |
The Premium boasts many of the qualities that
made the original mid- and late-’90s ATK cult
classic, including a 3-piece maple neck, ash body,
medium frets, maple fretboard, and that massive
ATK bridge, of course. What makes this new iteration
premium are the CAP Sonic Arch neck pickup,
CAP double humbucker bridge pickup, specially
made ATK-N3 3-band EQ, and pickup coil-selector
switch.
Street $750 (4-string), $800 (5-string)
Contact ibanez.com