1966 Epiphone Newport Bass, Cherry

A very cool 1966 Epiphone Newport Bass, previously owned by our pal Spencer of The Heavy. The Newport is one of those brilliantly characterful Kalamazoo-built Epiphones that offers a slightly different flavour to the more obvious Gibson basses of the period. With its batwing headstock, compact mahogany body, short-scale feel and single pickup layout, it is simple, lightweight and full of personality. This is a player-grade example, with a well executed headstock repair, changed tuners and a filled strap button hole. That said, it has exactly the kind of honest working-instrument feel that makes these old basses so appealing and so good to play. The mahogany construction and slim proportions keeps things light and resonant, while the unbound fingerboard with dot markers gives it a clean, understated look. The neck measures 38.5mm at the nut, with a depth of 22.5mm at the 1st fret and 26.6mm at the 12th, and overall the C profile is very comfortable in the hand. Hardware is chrome throughout, and the changed tuners make it practical in use. The single pickup keeps the controls and sound refreshingly direct, delivering a warm, punchy and characterful bass tone with fantastic low end that sits very well in a mix. All in all, a lightweight, player-grade vintage US made bass with bags of character, plenty of vibe and a sound all of its own. With the added The Heavy provenance what's not to like?!