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SYLPHID
a modern neck through, 5 string, medium scale (32”) headless design with a hi-fi voice. Weighing in at under 3KG it defies expectations, especially considering the bass pictured here is made from solid Oak, a wood which is often (wrongly) dismissed as too heavy, when in fact it’s no heavier than a number of other woods commonly used in luthiery.
Features Overview
Headless 5 String
32” scale
Neck through
24 Stainless steel frets
Bog Oak fingerboard
3pc Oak Neck
Burr Oak wings
SIMS Superquad pickup
Glockenklang 2 band EQ
Custom Burr Oak pickup cover
Custom Burr Oak mute
Nova bridges
Oil finish
Schaller Straplocks
The bass only features one species of wood - English Oak, but we have showcased it here in three very different types. The neck is a 3 piece construction of ¼ sawn Oak featuring some beautiful medullary rays - a home grown alternative to Flamed Maple. The wings are highly figured Burr oak sourced locally and the fretboard Bog Oak which is the same species of Oak except it has been submerged in a bog for hundreds (if not thousands) of years and over time it turns black and very hard - a home grown alternative to Ebony.
Tuning takes place at the bridge thanks to the Nova bridges which are handmade in Brazil.
Instead of the usual stumpy headless look at the end of the neck we have a smaller headstock which echoes the body shape, on top of this sits a custom mute covering the Nova headpiece. This mute features foam on the back to stop any sympathetic vibrations and magnets at the top to keep it firmly in place. This mute has also had the Manton logo burnt into it by a local Pyrography artist.
The bass features the SIMS Superquad pickup, which has 3 different voices (MM, Jazz and Precision) accessible by a toggle switch and indicated by the LED on the pickup. The pickup itself is housed in a custom cover made of the same Burr Oak as the wings. The SIMS pickup is paired with a Glockenklang 2 band preamp to ensure the bass can cover an even wider range of sounds.
Features Overview
30” scale
24 fret
5 piece Walnut neck (carbon fibre reinforced)
Ebony fretboard
Claro Walnut burr top and tone block
English Walnut wings
Sims Super Quad pickup
Claro Walnut burr pickup cover
Claro Walnut burr headpiece mute
Glockenklang 2 band preamp
Nova bridge
Bone nut
Weight 7lbs
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This time we decided on Walnut in different varieties. A beautiful Claro Walnut burr top on the wings and tone block on the back, English Walnut for the wings themselves and a 5 piece American black Walnut neck.
We bent the one wood rule a little and introduced a second wood (Ebony) for the fretboard, as it’s a bit more hard wearing than Walnut and adds some nice contrast visually and ties in with the black accents throughout.
The pickup is the Sims Super Quad and is housed in a custom pickup cover made from the top wood. The main feature of these Super Quad pickups is that they have a switch to go between Jazz, Precision and Musicman modes, so it’s like 3 pickups/basses in one! We also have a Glockenklang 2 band preamp with active/passive push/pull, so there are plenty of different tones available.
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The bass is technically headless and all tuning takes place via the excellent Nova bridge, but there is also a small headstock where the headpiece sits. On top of this we have another off-cut from the top wood with a foam backing to sit over the strings. This acts as a mute to eliminate any potential unwanted sympathetic vibrations (in the same way a fret wrap does).
The end result was a super comfortable, perfectly balancing short scale 5 string headless bass, weighing just 7lbs.
Features Overview
32” scale
Headless
Neck through
24 stainless steel frets
3 piece oak neck
Carbon fibre neck reinforcement
Burr oak wings
Bog oak fretboard
Nova bridge/headpiece
Armstrong pickup on burr oak cover
Active Glockenklang 2 band preamp
3 way toggle, series/single/parallel
Schaller straplocks
Weight under 7lb
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A modern super light weight, medium scale headless neck through design made entirely of English Oak. The Oak is showcased in three different types - burr for the wings, 1/4 sawn for the neck and ancient Bog Oak for the fretboard.
The pickup was also made in the workshop and then sent off to Aaron Armstrong to wind a beast of an MM style pickup. This is wired to a 3 way toggle for series/single/parallel and a 2 band Glockenklang preamp with active/passive push pull.
Once again as on previous Sylphid models the bridge is by Nova, these are handmade in Brazil and excellent quality.
Weight is just under 7lb and balances perfectly.
TESTIMONIAL
"Robin has built a 4 string “Sylphid” headless bass for me in beautiful English Oak and I am extremely happy with the instrument and the service provided.
Nothing, and I do mean nothing, was too much trouble for Robin. I found him to be knowledgeable, likeable, very skilful and passionate about his craft, all types of wood and bass guitars in general.
His workmanship is superb and the bass just radiates the love he put into its making.
If you buy a bass from Robin, then you will be getting something really special.'
Paul - Sussex