BeBop philosophy

Bebop is the bass that put us on the map. I had been building boutique style basses (with gorgeous woods, laminates, preamps, etc) for many years. All the while customers asked: ‘when are you going to build a Jazz?’ After saying no for the 20th time or so, I finally thought, well why not? It changed everything. 

You may have heard the story that Marcus Miller bought the first Bebop and the next day Richard Bona ordered his. This is a true story, it happened just like that. After word got out, so many people ordered a Bebop, that it overtook everything else we were doing at the time. That was quickly followed by ‘are you going to do a 5 string as well? And a P?’. Bebop, and later on Soulmate, became the two models that De Gier is now known for.

Bebop is a modern bass. I took (obvious) inspiration from the classic Jazz bass, but did my own thing with it. I wanted to build a bass that was an all round modern work horse for the demanding player. 

Years of building basses had taught me how to build strong necks. Wood choice, build technique, glue choice, custom fret slots, small frets, compound radiuses fingerboard, dual action truss rod, carbon reinforced, thick headstock with light weight tuners, thick heel. There are many factors that determine the outcome here. 

For the bridge I choose brass, for its full range tonality and even balanced response. Bebop was supposed to be a passive bass, but I did add the Fatboost, a subtle bass boost to beef up the low end. 

These things amongst others make Bebop a modern iteration of a J style bass, very versatile, very comfortable, very cool.

If you need that pure vintage J tone, then Bebop Classic would be more your thing. If you want a bass that you can use all the time, then look no further. 

-Sander de Gier