Soulmate philosophy

From a bassbuilder’s perspective there isn’t much difference between P and J style basses. You use the same wood, same construction, and the same sequence of steps in the building process. The main difference is the bodyshape and the pickup, but build-wise they are so similar that it can become a trap. A builder may loose sight of their different personalities and what it is that attracts different players to each. When that happens very often a P gets morphed into a semi-J and becomes a too-many-notes bass. It’s like driving a sports car – you simply can’t help driving fast. Such a bass may have the sound, but not the soul. Not so with Soulmate.

After comparing many old basses from the 50’s and 60’s, and together with the input from many players, an idea began to form in my mind of what Soulmate should be. For that vintage vibe, a wide neck was essential. The wide neck fights back, but at the same time it lends a helping hand so you can focus on groove, timing, phrasing, and coloring. And to me, this is the soul of bass playing. I found the 50’s necks to be just a little too bulky, but the early 60’s were just right, and that became the starting point for my neckdesign.

Just like soulmate, this bass is a salute to the original, but it’s also a 21st century bass. The same neck reinforcements and details to frets and fret slots that I use on BeBop necks are used in Soulmate necks. Thanks to our unique compound fingerboard radius a very comfortable setup can be realised. You can even string it up with thick flats without feeling you’re wrestling a bear.

Soulmate stands for advanced neckdesign combined with carefully selected wood and the finest pickups. It’s a bass with a true vintage vibe and tone, that brings your soul alive in each note you play.

I think you’ll have a hard time putting it away.

-Sander de Gier