We interviewed bassist Snow Owl earlier this year, and his playing astounded me. His Neubauer custom six-string bass caught my attention, too, so we’re featuring it as the bass of the week.
The Neubauer Guitars Snow Owl Mazinger contrabass guitar is built with neck-through construction featuring a laminated five-piece maple/wenge neck and a wenge fingerboard. Neubauer makes the neck unique with a scarf joint that meets beyond the headstock for a solid block of wenge. Besides an extended 36-inch scale, the bass’s headstock design allows for the B-string to be strung to the furthest tuner. The front of the headstock has an olive wood veneer and is inlaid with a mother of pearl Snow Owl logo.
Its body wings are ash topped with olive and finished in an acrylic satin. The bass’s beautiful wood design is mimicked in the pickup ramp, which houses a custom made single coil pickup by Harry Häussel. The pickup is run straight out of the bass without even as much as a volume control. Hardware includes a Hipshot A Style brass bridge with 3/4-inch spacing and Hipshot tuners.
Snow Owl has a pair of Neubauer basses he uses, but you can hear this bass on his album The Art of Contrabass Guitar.
Neubauer Guitars Snow Owl Mazinger Contrabass Guitar Photos:
