Ivan Mulia is an Indonesian luthier who specializes in instruments with metal. This week we’re taking a look at the insanely intricate bass he calls the “TTT Bass” Misery 3030. The bass features finely detailed, acid-etched aluminum plates for the body top and back as well as the fretless fingerboard. Images of a woman and man are overlaid with text in English and Indonesian, which Mulia says tell a personal story.
The body sides are 1-millimeter thick brass, which is also utilized for flower inlays on the pickups, top, and headstock. Other features include Hipshot tuners, a massive Aldridge Empire bridge, hand-wound Ganèé pickups, and sliders to control the volume and tone.
Premier Guitar’s Shawn Hammond interviewed Mulia about the instrument at the 2018 Holy Grail Guitar Show. Check out their chat and demo: