Michael Kelly Dragonfly 4 acoustic bass

Here’s a very handsome acoustic/electric bass from Michael Kelly Guitars. (Remember, playing bass is just like playing mandolin, only backward and at a longer scale.) It sounds pretty good and is a sharp looker to boot. Laminated top, sides and body are covered in outrageously figured quilted maple with a blond finish and 6-ply black & white binding. Neck is mahogany with single-ply white binding and attached with a dovetail joint. The 22- fret fretboard is ovangkol, an African relative of rosewood (yeah, I had to look it up), and has a gorgeous abalone & pearl dragonfly inlay. The bridge is likewise made of ovangkol. Soundhole has an attractive abalone rosette.

    Scale length is 34 inches; nut width is 43 mm (1.69 inches). The neck has a dual-action truss rod and a standard C profile. Single-cutaway body. The bridge pickup is a Fishman Sonicore under-saddle transducer, and there’s a Fishman Presys + Bass EQ. Gig bag included. If Michael Kelly is still making these, they don’t appear to have made any blond ones recently. MSRP is $939 and street prices for a new one are a couple hundred lower; get it here for even less.