F Bass Modified Deluxe BN5 FretSpot Exclusive: Figured Maple Body, Vintage Tint Matte Finish & Macassar Ebony Fingerboard

F Bass Modified Deluxe BN5 FretSpot Exclusive: Figured Maple Body, Vintage Tint Matte Finish & Macassar Ebony Fingerboard

My personal number one bass is a Modified Deluxe. My number two is a standard BN5. My number three is an MTD. So when I tell you this series is something special, you know exactly where I am coming from.

Most of the Modified Deluxes that have come through FretSpot have been fully blinged out with exotic tops, walnut wings, and all the things. This one takes a different approach. Three piece figured hard maple body in a vintage tint matte sheen finish, Macassar Ebony fingerboard, maple neck in the same vintage tint. Beautiful, understated, and not a coffee table. There is gorgeous rippling flame through the maple and some nice mineral staining and figuring that gives it real character without demanding attention. This is a player's instrument first and a showpiece second.

The Modified Deluxe concept was born out of a specific idea. I spent time with a Ken Smith bass and got the appeal: that harmonic presence, that way of cutting through a mix clearly without needing to be the loudest voice in the room. But I always missed the broader harmonic and dynamic range I get from an F Bass. So I worked with Marcel at F Bass to identify what was creating that Smith bass character and build it into the F Bass Deluxe platform. The result is a bass that gives you the articulation and mix-cutting presence of the Smith combined with the full harmonic range and tonal versatility of the F Bass Deluxe.

The pickup positions are shifted from standard: neck pickup moved 30mm, bridge pickup moved 15mm. True dual coil humbucking pickups with two 3-way toggle switches giving you single coil, series, and parallel modes on each pickup independently. Tara Labs wiring, adjustable brass nut, A style string-through bridge, small vintage fretwire, active F Bass preamp, 24 frets, 34.5" scale, 19mm string spacing. In single coil mode the Deluxe sounds very close to a standard BN5 with a slightly warmer character. In parallel and series mode and when soloing a pickup with true humbucking you start to understand exactly why this series has been so consistently popular. Gospel players and anyone who needs to cut through a dense mix without competing for volume will feel this immediately.

At 9 lbs 10 oz this wears comfortably all night. Ships in the F Bass brown vegan leather deluxe gig bag. Available at FretSpot.

Specs:

• Model: F Bass Modified Deluxe BN5 (FretSpot Exclusive)
• Serial Number: 250226
• Body: 3-Piece Figured Hard Maple
• Finish: Vintage Tint, Matte Sheen
• Neck: Maple, Vintage Tint, Matte Sheen
• Fingerboard: Macassar Ebony
• Nut: Adjustable Brass
• Frets: 24, Small Vintage Fretwire
• Scale Length: 34.5"
• String Spacing: 19mm
• Pickups: F Bass Humbucking Dual Coil, Exposed Pole (Neck shifted 30mm, Bridge shifted 15mm from standard)
• Switching: 2x 3-Way Toggle (Single Coil, Series, Parallel)
• Wiring: Tara Labs
• Preamp: Active F Bass
• Bridge: A Style (String-Through)
• Hardware: Black
• Knobs: Ebony
• Weight: 9 lbs 10 oz
• Case: F Bass Brown Vegan Leather Deluxe Gig Bag Included