Solar drops hot neon colours on its made-for-metal 2022 bass guitar lineup

Solar bass guitars 2022
(Image credit: Solar Guitars)

Ola Englund’s Solar Guitars can always be relied upon for super-aggressive instrument design that is 100 per cent ready for the topsy-turvy business of playing heavy metal, and its new 2022 bass guitar lineup is no exception.

This year’s new models have a whiff of the late ‘80s look to them as the AB2.4ON, AB2.4S and AB2.5GN debut new matte finishes in Orange Neon, Silver and Green Neon, with the AB2.5GN particularly cool, offering a hot-slime coloured five-string version of Solar’s Type AB bass. 

There is no mistaking the shared DNA here. Each has that comprehensively contoured and aggressively sharpened solid alder body with a reverse-headstock completing the look. The necks join the body with six bolts and are a typically svelte but solid five-piece affair comprising maple and jatoba. Both four-string models have a 34” scale, with the five-string measuring 35”. 

The neon models feature a none-more-black ebony fingerboard, with Solar’s signature 12th fret inlay, while the Silver model has a deep tan roasted maple fingerboard. These ‘boards are all topped with 24 jumbo frets and have a 15.74” radius.

Other shared features include black hardware, 17:1 ratio Solar tuners, high-mass bridges, and the pickups and preamp system. 

Here, we have a pair of Solar Tesla Soapbar dual-coil pickups and an active preamp with volume, balance, bass and treble controls to tune in what Solar describes as “deep and rich lows and punchy midrange”. 

Of course, you don’t just have to take its word for it. Check out the demo and judge for yourself. These basses are available to pre-order now, shipping April, with the AB2.4ON priced $849, the AB2.4S $799, and the five-string AB2.5GN priced $949.

For more details, head over to Solar Guitars.

Jonathan Horsley

Jonathan Horsley has been writing about guitars and guitar culture since 2005, playing them since 1990, and regularly contributes to MusicRadar, Total Guitar and Guitar World. He uses Jazz III nylon picks, 10s during the week, 9s at the weekend, and shamefully still struggles with rhythm figure one of Van Halen’s Panama.