Last month I profiled the Ernie Ball Earthwood bass, a pioneering instrument whose creation was inspired by the guitarrón. This month’s unusual axe is a classic case of “turnaround is fair play,” as it is a Mexican ABG that appears to be strongly influenced by the Earthwood’s design. I found this in the early ’90s in Austin, Texas. It has no brand name or any other clue to its origin other than what looks like an old-fashioned ink stamp proudly stating “Made in Mexico.” I have never seen anything quite like it, and it has become one of my favorite basses.
The “Mexican Bass,” as it has come to be known, is a bit smaller than the Earthwood, but still larger than almost any modern ABG, and it has a few snazzy extras and finishing touches. It has a belly cut on the top of the back that alleviates some of the reach problems of the flat-backed Earthwood. Its cedar top is accentuated by a fancy inlaid soundhole ring that looks suspiciously like it was copied (or lifted from) an early-model Ovation acoustic guitar. The five-layered binding has green, red and black colors and is nicely executed. The sides and back are made of a highly figured wood similar to koa, and the bookmatched back has two “eyes” and a toothy grin that look like a hippo staring back at you hence its other nickname, the “Hippo Bass.” The headstock has a graceful curved shape, Japanese tuners, and another strip of binding.
After I bought the bass, it became apparent that the frets were, shall we say, not placed with a great deal of precision, so I opted to have it refretted. Along with moving the bridge saddle back about a quarter inch, the refretting greatly improved the intonation. I also installed an LR Baggs Dual Source pickup/mic systems that sounds quite good up to a medium level, when the mic creates a feedback problem. The action has crept up a bit over the years, but the bass is still very playable, especially when compared to a real guitarrón.
This bass has a mellow tone, but it’s more volume than you might expect from an ABG. It’s not quite as loud or “barky” as the Earthwood, but it can hold its own in an acoustic jam session more so than most ABGs—and with the addition of the pickup, it is very useful in a variety of musical situations. The black nylon strings add to the bass’s gut-string baritone guitar vibe. Access to the upper frets is limited by the lack of a cutaway, but as a friend once said, “There’s no money up there, anyway!” For a recorded example of the acoustic tone of this bass, check out my solo piece “Breezy Point” [Tomorrow Never Knows, Earwave], which was directly inspired by the sound of this anonymously crafted instrument. Next month we will move on to the MTV era and explore one more chapter in the ABG story. Stay tuned!