Think kill switches don’t belong on bass? Steve Tréguier’s new metal machine from Vola Guitars is here to prove you wrong

You might not be familiar with the name Steve Tréguier, but if you’ve heard much from French metal band The Dali Thundering Concept you’re likely to have been impressed with his progressive approach to the bass guitar. 

Founded by luthier Shawn Cho, Vola Guitars has been collaborating with Tréguier to produce a signature bass, which Tréguier puts to good use in this video, using the kill switch as a tremolo effect to rapidly cut the signal. 

Handmade in Japan, the Vasti 5 STM J1 has been built with an ash body and a roasted maple neck and fingerboard, which is loaded with 24 medium jumbo stainless steel frets set out on a 35-inch scale. The sandblasted olympic white finish makes it one of the most eye-catching models in the range.

Tréguier’s choice of pickups – the company’s own custom-wound Vola SB5 N and Vola SB5 B pickups – have been designed to offer a wide range of progressive bass tones that are accessed with a 3-band active EQ, plus controls for master volume, pickup blend, and an active/passive mini switch.

To complete the features, you get a mother of pearl 'ST' logo on the 12th fret, a Vola Custom Series gig bag, a Gotoh 303 SJ 5 bridge, and a Graph Tech nut for stable tuning without any of the hassle.

The Volt Vasti 5 STM J1 is available with new direct-to-consumer pricing, making it even more accessible to bassists worldwide. The current street price is $1,319.

Visit volaguitars.com for more info.