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The "Wilkat" Headless Beatle Bass - My Personal Bass!

This bass was inspired by the sixties and my love of the well known Hofner Beatle Bass.
I realized that in order to make the instrument well balanced, and introduce a 34" scale length,
I could not use a graphite composite neck for my dream bass. And, since I did not have an available Steinberger bridge, I selected an ABM system bridge with individual units. I opted
to go with EMG active pickups, and an EMG BTC control for the 3 band EQ.

Given that I love the sound of fretless basses, and since I had to make a wood neck, I figured
I would make this one fretless, and went with a walnut neck, and a rosewood lined finger board.
I chose to make the fret line markers out of strips of maple veneer, and the entire neck is
Danish oiled finish polished as smooth as a baby's bottom!.

I selected a quilted maple top and carved it to suit my neck and hardware, and the back is
alder with a thin walnut veneer sandwiched between the top and the back. I stained the alder
to get a darker contrast with the top, and to even out it's shade.

The natural beauty of a classic shape, and.....beautiful wood -- of course!

I was going to use an oil finish (my favourite) on this baby, but the alder proved too thirsty after
applying the antique red stain, so I elected to use a high gloss polyurethane finish instead.
    I can't say that I am disappointed with the way she looks, but I think I should have selected
maple with an ebony finger board for the neck, simply to give the bass a more traditional look,
along the lines of a full size double bass. In fact, many folks refer to these basses as violin
basses, and yet the shape is that of a double bass -- check out a violin and you'll see the
differences.

Nice Outdoor Photo!

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Bill's Comments:

I really love the way this bass turned out, and it's a blast to play! Although I essentially began
as a bass player, I'm now more proficient at the guitar, and would love to be able to pump out
the bottom end like many of the talented bass players out there today -- and there sure a lot
of them out there! :)

Regardless, I love the tones delivered by the EMG pickups and controls, and the feel & sound
of the fretless but I will need more practice with the fretless that's for sure! :)

Check out some Sound Bites (raw takes):

1.      2.      3.      4.

Notes: EMG, ABM, Hofner, & Steinberger are registered trade names of the manufacturers & are not affiliated with Wilkat Guitars in any way.

Special Thanks to Ned Steinberger for his words of wisdom, and for creating the "original" Steinberger bass. His ingenious designs will live on!