Hand-made Type O Negative/Peter Steele tribute "Steele Bass"

If you know, you know. The "Steele Bass" is the holy grail for every Type O Negative fan. This is my take on it. For the uninitiated, I'll explain and list parts used and the process, aaaand why it's a five string.

The body started off as an Aria Pro II, which was reshaped to appear more Rickenbacker/Washburn M10-like. I wasn't sure what I was going to do with the project initially, a Steele bass had been on my mind, but Peter's wasn't a 5 string. But after reshaping the body, it was *too* close to his bass to not go for it. From there it got the best hardware I could find. Gotoh MIJ tuners, a vintage German Schaller roller bridge, a custom wound pickup, all accented in neon green. The neck is off of a Japanese Ibanez, I asked a friend to reshape the headstock as they saw fit. The original finish was removed and replaced with a darker-than-black matte black. The entire bass was painted, even the fretboard, with breathable black and green paints. The strap buttons had to be made from steel rods, as there were no hooks I had on hand that were the correct size. It also has a piezo contact mic under the bridge, which is wired into the output, just like Peter's.

I decided a five string tribute wasn't too blasphemous, as it's still in B, now just with a G, as well.

The finish isn't perfect. It's not meant to be. The bass isn't perfect, it's not meant to be. I feel Peter wouldn't have had it any other way. An endearing blemish are two screws for a thumbrest, which have been screwed into the body and painted over.

Channel your inner "Green Man".