Fender has joined forces with first-call producer and composer Adrian Younge to create a new signature Masterbuilt bass guitar, and it's a doozy.
Based on Younge's personal 2021 Custom Shop Jazz Bass, the semi-fretless (!) signature model is envisioned as a strange, futuristic brew of twists on Jazz bass convention that nonetheless evokes Younge's more retro influences.
“For me this bass… represents something that was kind of put into a time capsule in hopes that somebody would find this in the future and use it,” Younge says. “It is a creative machine. I’m just excited to see what everyone’s going to do with this.”
A multi-instrumentalist whose influences and work incorporate hip-hop, soul, funk, R&B, and a touch of woozy psychedelia, Younge first came to prominence via the colorful score he created for the popular 2009 blaxploitation homage, Black Dynamite.
He's gone on to further acclaimed soundtrack work, and collaborations with a virtual who's who of hip-hop royalty – Jay-Z, Wu-Tang Clan, Common, and Kendrick Lamar all feature on his CV.
Younge's signature bass is meant, in turn, to reflect the variety of his needs.
“Trying to capture an artist’s personality within a custom instrument is no easy task, but Adrian’s love of vintage analog recording equipment and his distinct playing style are on full display in his signature Jazz Bass,” Fender Custom Shop Director Chase Paul explains.
“The design of this bass elegantly weaves together wild features into something that truly feels like it could’ve been a producer’s secret weapon in the early 1970s. It’s the perfect representation of Adrian’s creativity and style.”
So, let's get down to the nitty-gritty, shall we?
The model is bestowed with a Journeyman Relic-Aged Silver Sparkle lacquer finish, lightly oxidized hardware, a black pickguard, a vintage-style bass bridge, vintage-style tuners, and a dark rosewood fretboard.
The headlining feature is, of course, that fretboard – which is fitted with vintage upgrade fret wire up through the 9th fret, and is fretless from there all the way to the 20th.
And things get more interesting still from there.
Tone-wise, in place of your typical line-up of single-coils, there's a Custom Shop Hand-Wound ‘62 Split Single-Coil Precision Bass pickup and a Curtis Novak BS-DS pickup. And that's not to mention the pair of on-board effects.
A nod to Younge's own favorites, the bass features a ‘60s-voiced fuzz and a square wave tremolo, accessible via switchable push-pull toggles on the master volume and tone knobs. Used in combination with the fretless upper register of the fingerboard, players can, Fender says, “seamlessly move from early-’70s fuzzy funk grooves to spacey, synth-like melodies.”
“Whether it’s the half fretless, or the built-in effects, there are so many things about this bass that are new and innovative that make it a creative workhorse, but at its core it is still a classic Fender that feels like it has been pulled from the past,” posited Fender Custom Shop Masterbuilder Levi Perry, who worked with Younge to create the model.
“It’s precisely that fusion of classic, contemporary, and totally far out that feels like the perfect way to pay homage to Younge. I am honored to be a part of this project and to get these Bass's into players hands and to see the creative and sonic boundaries it pushes.”
Being a limited-edition, Custom Shop Masterbuilt model, the Limited Edition Masterbuilt Adrian Younge Jazz Bass, to give it its full name, is a premium purchase, ringing up at $14,500. It comes with a custom, vintage-inspired strap and certificate of authenticity
For more info on the model, visit the Fender Custom Shop
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