MusicRadar

A P Bass for 2009 and beyond?

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• Review

When British bass amplification expert Mark Gooday left the Trace Elliot Company and started his soon-to-be-popular Ashdown range, one of the casualties of the move was the T-Bass.

This was a calculated and much-researched entry into the bass guitar market by Trace Elliot. It was a bold statement that offered several innovations, but by far the most striking was the curious 'LaidBack' headstock design that presented both ergonomic and practical advantages.

Sadly all of that seemed to be lost to the past until Gooday revised the ideas (and added some more) when producing the Lodestone guitars and basses. Better still these models are made in the Czech Republic under the watchful eye of Ashdown, meaning you get a lot of bass for your money.

First examples of the Lodestone Bass, with off-set bodies and dual single-coil pickups, were obviously inspired by Fender's mighty Jazz, but here we are presented with a healthy touch of the Precision as well by way of the EMG-HZ split-coil pickup with passive circuitry and a wider-than-Jazz Bass fingerboard width.

The offset body remains, however, and although this is essentially slab in style it has been given a very dramatically carved top. It's only when looking from a short distancethat you appreciate that the curves in the surface actually make arcs that reappear on the headstock, and that's curiously pleasing.

There is further continuity in the way the upper and lower body horns are 'nipped off' in line and this all helps to emphasise this clever design statement.

But as it was with the T-Bass it's that headstock design that causes the most controversy, for even though it certainly works from a practical point of view many players still find it a little, er, disturbing visually. In reality it's easy to use and ensures good string seating, while the extra mass, is said to improve sustain and tonal warmth.

The neck offers a typical American-style profile and the fingerboard is relatively flat so the general feel is more Lakland than Fender. Beneath this rosewood fingerboard carbon fibre rods are inserted to add strength to the neck and introduce extra sonic properties. The 'claw' inlays are both visually striking and offer a refreshing deviation from the usual dots or slabs.

There's another move away from convention in the shape of the bridge for, although it's of raised tail design, it's equipped with substantial individual ceramic saddles sandwiched between anchor blocks to prevent lateral movement.

The whole thing is extremely solid, the string ends are fully concealed and the asymmetric shape neatly follows the curve of the body edge. The choice of ceramic for the saddles is an unusual one but it's a very hardwearing material (used in the braking systems of racing cars among other things) and is said to allow string vibration to pass through to the body more easily, thus 'improving' tonal quality and sustain.

The dominant feature on the body is the tortoiseshell scratchplate that provides a respectful nod to the past and looks really good on this creamy white finish. It also has a very obvious truss rod access slot highlighted here by the cream finish that shows through – perhaps it will be less obvious on the sunburst model.

Essentially a slab body bass, then, with a strikingly contoured top that allows the controls to sit neatly within a ripple on the surface. With the headstock and body given the same first-rate finish and the jack socket out of sight on the edge this is a very fresh and pleasing presentation.