Drake Bass Custom Fretless 4-String – No Treble
It’s always hard to part ways with a bass that you know may never come back. Bassist Andy Oliver went through that ordeal, but he found a creative solution to get the magic back.
“When I was 18 (37 now), I had an Eshenbaugh bass that I absolutely loved. At the onset of some trying years, I parted ways with the bass and largely playing bass altogether,” Oliver shared with us. “At 30, I underwent a spiritual awakening and returned to the realm of the living. I have maintained my sobriety, and my life has bloomed beyond even my greatest hopes in the time since then.”
About a year ago, Oliver set out to track down his long-lost bass, but the instrument had passed through too many hands, and he was unable to find it. As unfortunate as that was, it was even more challenging because Eshenbaugh Guitars ceased operations in 2008.
“I spoke with the luthier, Mark Eshenbaugh, who gave me his blessing to have an instrument built in the style of my beloved old bass. The next task was finding the right builder for the job,” he said. “As I had purchased a used Drake not long before the mental wheels started turning, I reached out to Andrew Drake. Andrew was enthused at the idea of the project. We went about selecting the finest woods and components to build a bass that pays homage to my old bass while using specs to my current tastes.”
Oliver’s new Drake Bass has a body made from mahogany for the core and wings with maple strings separating them. The body is completed with a beautiful Koa top. Drake fitted the 3-piece maple neck with a genuine Brazilian Rosewood fingerboard, which has fretlines and green Luminlay dots to help to navigate the fretless territory.
Electronics include a pair of Nordstrand Big Blades and a Darkglass Tone Capsule complete with a push button kill switch. Finally, Hipshot hardware rounds out the bass.
With his new Drake Bass, Oliver says his old Eshenbaugh has been reborn. “I liken the new bass as the Gandalf the White to my old bass, ’Gandalf the Grey,” he concludes.
Drake Bass Custom Fretless 4-String Photos:
Drake Bass Custom Fretless 4-String Specs:
| Scale: | 34″ |
| Body: | Mahogany core and wings, Maple stringers |
| Top: | Koa |
| Neck: | 3-piece Maple set-neck |
| Fretboard: | Dalbergia Nigra – genuine Brazilian Rosewood |
| Frets: | 24 |
| Inlays: | Luminlay – Green |
| Pickups: | 2x Nordstrand Big Blades ( warm and wooly variant) |
| Electronics: | Darkglass Tone Capsule, pushbutton kill switch |
| Tuners: | Hipshot Ultralite |
| Bridge: | Hipshot A-style brass bridge |
| Finish: | Hard Wax Oil |
| Weight: | 8.5lbs |
