SOULMATE

Controls

There is passive Volume and Tone. I feel that the Fatboost would be a mismatch with the soul of the instrument.

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

Lightweight tuners help to eliminate the neckdive caused by heavy tuners. However, the mass of heavy tuners does add to tone, but a thicker headstock does a similar thing. So on Soulmate you have both goodies: light weight, balanced, and enhanced tone.

Neck stability

Nobody likes a neck that’s constantly on the move. I implement a steel dual action trussrod and carbon fibre reinforcements into each neck. This creates stability and allows for comfortable neck adjustments, as well as easy future servicing. This neck is designed to last.

Fingerboard radius

Soulmate features a compound fingerboard radius of 6.5” to 8”. This stays close to the 7.25” of vintage basses. The advantage of a compound radius is that it allows for a lower setup than a constant radius. If you don’t like low action, I can always set it up any way you like.

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 Soulmate I use small vintage frets, but made from a harder nickel silver alloy. They last.

Noise

The pickup is a splitcoil and therefore humcancelling. In order to eliminate any remaining noise we shield the pickup routing cavity with nickel paint.  The control cavity is shielded with thick copperfoil. The pickguard is grounded as well, to eliminate electrostatic noise. 

Bridge

The bridge is solid brass with quick change string insert holes. Solid brass has a different sound than a vintage steel bridge. It’s hard to express in words, but I’d say that it’s a bit more punchy and direct. Perfectly suited for a more modern bass.