Deep 4 Semi Hollow Fretless Bass (4 string, paduk pictured)
The Deep 4 builds on the tone of the Mb-2 bass, and take it in the direction of an even more acoustic sound. A thicker, more hollow body with f-hole and a narrower solid center block is featured, in combination with a super rigid 5 piece laminate neck. These elements combine to achieve a superior bass tone that has it all; clarity, warmth and a little bit of “wool.”
Neck: I select every piece of wood myself. Why a laminate neck you ask? All wood moves to some degree with changes in humidity and temperature. By combining 3 pieces of quartersawn black walnut and two ebony strips, you have 5 pieces of wood that when properly oriented will all move in slightly different directions from one another, in effect canceling each other out, creating a more stable and rigid neck. Since the body of the Deep 4 is extra hollow, the most rigid neck is needed to produce a strong fundamental tone and no dead spots. The fingerboard is ebony, and is made from the same stock as the bridge, for a perfect match. All the wood is dried to 6% humidity or below, and a non-water based glue is used during construction, as to not destabilize the wood.
Body: The body starts out with 3" thick alder stock and is surfaced down to 2 1/8", and routed with large hollow chambers , leaving a 1 3/4" wide center block. These large hollow chambers in combination with the f-hole make the body lighter and less rigid, which adds resonance, warmth and overtones. The f-hole does not add much noticeable volume, it is about creating TONE. The volume is achieved through the pickup system. You will not experience feedback with a Deep 4/5, they can be used in stadium size venues with no feedback issues whatsoever. The top is made from the finest curly koa, walnut or maple. The body gets 4 coats of penetrating oil, which is a finish that goes into the wood and hardens, as opposed to a film finish which sits atop the wood. Film finishes (lacquer, polyurethane and the vast majority of modern guitar finishes) act as dampeners on vibration (imagine some tape on a snare drum head to reduce the volume). The extremely thin finish is a big part of letting the instrument “breathe.”
Electronics: The Deep 4 basses feature electronics designed an manufactured specifically for these models. Controls are a master volume and stacked treble/bass, both integrated into the ebony bridge. The piezo pickup is a vibration sensor, therefore it "hears" the whole instrument, which is what makes the materials and design so important. I’m a purist when it comes to tone and believe an instrument should do one thing really well, as opposed to doing a few things pretty good, and that is my aim with this bass; to give the best, fullest bass tone possible.
all materials hand selected
5-piece laminate neck of rock maple with ebony stringers
Deep 4 nut with: 1 5/8"
ebony fingerboard and bridge
matching bound headstock (same as top wood)
semi hollow alder body
premium curly koa, walnut or maple top with f-hole
sculpted body at neck heel
alder wood back plate
volume, and stacked bass/treble control on bridge
celluloid “tortoise shell” binding
ergonomically balanced
approx weight 7.5 lbs
options: lined or unlined fingerboard