I love it when luthiers think outside the box with the woods they use for their instruments. A recent trend has been to recycle old skateboards to create instant mojo, and Brazilian bass builder Antonio Cesar Scopel nailed it with his P-Board bass.
Inspired by the Fender Precisions from 1951 to 1957, the P-Board’s body is made entirely from used skateboards joined by nuts and bolts. Its maple neck is on the slim side with 20 frets and a compound radius of 7.5 inches to 10 inches.
For electronics, Scopel went with a Hot Rails humbucker that can be switched into series and parallel operation. An acrylic thumb rest allow for anchoring and comfort. Hardware includes a string-thru stainless steel bridge made by Scopel himself with wooden saddles.
Check out this demo of bassist Tofik Ferdinian playing through The Police’s “Message In A Bottle”:
