soulmate classic

Controls

Volume, Tone. We have tested many different pots and caps. We were surprised that there’s a real audible difference between brands of pots. We have selected a pot for punch and clarity. Tone caps is a world on it’s own. We have tested many caps and in the end we found a NOS ceramic disc cap that sounded best to our ears.

Hidden fretslots

I use a fairly unique method for creating fretslots. You can learn more in this video. In short: I found a way to make use of the inner strenght of the wood instead of cutting it away. That enhances stability, it also prevents fretends from sticking out over time. It’s also quite elegant.

Tuners & Headstock

Headstock vibration is something we don’t talk about much, but it’s an important factor for the overall timbre of an instrument. A vibrating string will cause the headstock to vibrate. The headstock vibrations then interfere with string vibrations. This is the cause of the infamous dead spots on the G string. But it’s also the thing that gives basses their particular timbre, since there’s cancellation and amplification of frequencies happening. In order to get a most vintage tone, we decided to use classic heavy steel tuners. We think they help create that authentic vintage tone. It also makes the neck a bit top heavy. If this is an issue for you, then you could opt for a light weight tuner.

Veneer board

A veneer board is the thinnest fingerboard. This results in a neck that has a bit more maple in the mix, so to say. The perfect in between neck, between an all maple and a maple/rosewood neck. We feel that a veneer fingerboard adds to the authentic vintage tone of Soulmate Classic. 

However, we took the classic veneer board to the next level. It is a compound radius veneer board. The radius goes from 7.25″ to 12″, which allows for precise adjustments and setup.

Neck design

On Soulmate Classic we don’t use carbon rods to reinforce the neck. Although it’s hard to determine the direct impact of carbon rods on the tone, we feel that in order to get a vintage tone we shouldn’t use them. There’s a dual action truss rod, for precise neck adjustments. The neck width at the nut is 42 mm, and it has a comfortable fat C shape. This enhances the vintage feel of the neck.

Small frets

Many vintage basses have small frets. They play so easy, it’s almost as if you play better. But if they wear down, you can’t level them anymore, you need a refret. On Bebop I use small vintage frets, but made from a harder nickel silver alloy. They last.

Noise

Although a split coil is humcancelling, it can still be a bit noisy in certain situations. In order to eliminate this as much as possible we shield the pickup routing cavities with nickel paint.  The control cavity is shielded with thick copperfoil. The pickguard is grounded as well, to eliminate electrostatic noise. 

Bridge

We use a classic steel bridge on Soulmate Classic. A steel bridge sounds different than a brass bridge (as on standard Soulmate). Steel sounds a bit more raw, punchy and narrower in frequency range, while brass sounds more even, balanced, with wider frequency range. For that authentic P tone, a steel bridge is a must. 

Finish

For our Classic line we use only nitro cellulose lacquer. We apply it very thin, to create an appealing vintage look. All Classic models have an aged look and feel, a mild relic, subtle, in order to add to the vintage vibes.