Some photos. Described as an Excel


Custom 4-string set neck bass......$11,975.00

Balance K body with smooth bottom

Crown Peghead

Fretless with ghost frets

Mahogany core/back

Aluminum fret markers

Electronics: 1 AXY pickup, 1 volume, 1 bass control, 1 treble control

side jack

Up charge for Koa wood top.........$ 2,900.00

Dig that!

I am curious as to why the pickup is in the neck position for a single pickup instrument. That would not be my personal preference. Closer to the bridge would be my choice instead, in general.

Quote from: sonicus on February 20, 2026, 01:27:42 AM
I am curious as to why the pickup is in the neck position for a single pickup instrument. That would not be my personal preference. Closer to the bridge would be my choice instead, in general.

Agreed. 
Fretless with a bridge pickup would (should?) give maximum Mwah.

It certainly is attractive.

I believe I could get along just fine with that one... nice bass. 😊


Agree, good with a single pickup, but located way up there is unusual. On the other hand, my fretless sounds fine with the neck pickup solo'd... and it's smooshed up even closer to the end of the fingerboard, further from the bridge. With the rotary two-band eq (guessing that's what we have here from the Excel base model) you could defeat some of the bass boom when necessary. I dunno... that was an unusual choice.

interesting take on a fertless.  kinda the opposite direction i'm trying to go with my next one should i ever happen upon it i dunno how set neck plays and sounds differently than a neck-thru. both my fretlessesses have had special attention paid to the bridge pickup and signal path just to make sure that mwahhh and bloom shine thru the thump i get outta the neck pup.  if i'm gonna go fretless then it's gonna sound fretless, not like some guy playing a mis-tuned fretted.  then there's the matter of 4 vs. 5 string.  i gotta killer stereo 4-string.  but i can't hardly use it on stage because most of our music requires a 5-string.

good luck to all!

Cool looking bass. I favor the neck pickup a bit  on my fretless, I find it smooths it out a little.

Regarding fear of a set neck- the first Alembic I could afford is a 5 string Epic Fretless.  Mwwahh for days with TI flats. An amazing slab of ebony.  Never letting that one go!