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I do believe that is the first fanned fret lefty I have ever seen. How cool!!

That is the first I have heard of Fanned Fret, here is what Wikipedia has

In 1989, Novak patented a new type of fret arrangement that he called the “fanned fret”.[1][5] The patent has expired, but Novak holds a trademark over the term "fanned-fret".[6][7] The fanned frets create a different shape to the guitar and may allow a different performance. The slanted frets lengthen the low strings and shorten the high-pitched strings. This is achieved by placing the bridge at an angle to the nut such that the distance between the nut and bridge on the side of the fretboard for the low E string is longer than it is on the side of the high E string. There is uniform string tension across the neck of the guitar, easier adaptability to altered tuning, such as DADGAD, dropped C and dropped D, enhanced definition of harmonics, and the elimination of non-harmonic overtones and unwanted noise.[4] The B string, in particular, sounds lighter and more distinct than it does on non-fanned models. On a traditional guitar, the G string sometimes feels like it has a higher tension than the other strings; on fanned-fret guitars, the G string retains normal tension and has a somewhat warmer tone.[4]

God all mighty! I hope the weight is a miss print!! I think I would feel better as well if the picture were not a reversed right handed image.

Real men play 19lb basses, Bill. Which is why I always keep an extra bass strapped on when I play.

I can't say I know much about fanned fretboards, but it's my understanding that extended range/low B basses are the ones that benefit the most, since it's supposed to tighten up the sound due to the scale? (In this case, a 37" bass). Can anyone explain the benefits first hand? They make a 4 string version as well, but I'm not sure there's benefit to a 4 string.

I've build a few myself, the longer the Low B gets the tighter it wil sound. The two five strings I made are 36 (B) to 32 (G) inch.




Also made a four string at 34 (E) to 32.5 (G) inch, the higher strings will sound more short scale-ish.


Another benefit from fanned frets is that playing is less of a strain for the wrist, your hand is in a more relaxed natural position (at least that's how it feels for me).
A disadvantage is the picking position if you play a lot on top of the bridge pickup, on the higher strings you will need to move your hand closer to the neck or you might hit the bridge. That's one of the reasons I made the four string, to experiment with the position of 'straight' fret which on this one is the 16th fret, 'standard' it is the 7th fret.

Man, blablas, those are all amazing!

Killer as always..... if I see a cool bass, my rule of thumb is that either Carmine owns one (or more), or Blablas has built one.... (or more). Totally cool!!

I like how the pickups follow the angle of the neck, and frets, but as far as your comment on the disadvantage... do they "really" need to be angled? If they were in the typical "straight" positions, how would that effect tone, if at all?

On the SG style I've put a Chines toaster style humbucker in the straight position underneath the mudbucker housing, It sounds okay, but if the pickup is positioned at an angle the sound will be a little bit more balanced from string to string.

I hated the mudbucker sound so when I replaced the innards with the toaster I could play around a bit with the pickup position. On this bass the difference between angled and straight was marginal, however the distance to bridge saddles is less extreme than on the 5 string basses.

When positioning the pickups straight it would kill the overall looks of the bass, done some CAD experiments with only the neck layout and the bridge for that. To me as a builder the looks is also an important factor!

I mean, if I can move my plucking fingers an inch up the string and hear a noticeable difference in tone, I don't see why the same wouldn't hold true for pickups. I find it hard to imagine hearing balance across strings with "straight" (compared to what, the ground?) pickups.

Incredible workmanship, blablas. Those things are stunning.

I've always thought fanned frets were a really cool concept but I also feel like I spend so much time on that B string, the extra reach wouldn't be worth it.