Manne Soulmover bass - Glenn Hughes signature model

guitarz.blogspot.com:

We've looked at plenty of vintage Italian guitars and basses on this blog, so it's good for a change to take a look at some contemporary Italian luthiery. This is a Manne Soulmover bass built by Andrea Ballarin in Italy, and is the signature model of Glenn Hughes, sometime bassist with Deep Purple and others. This is a boutique instrument; the seller on eBay tells us that "Andrea's built-in-Italy creations start at $2000 and can easily go for $10,000 or more." This model has a list price of $3,703 but this particular model having seen action at a few trade shows is being offered for sale on eBay with a Buy It Now price of $1,699.

The body is made from Korina and has a bolt-on assymmetrical neck of maple laminates and ash sides. The fingerboard is of Manne's own 'F Resin', "giving a more even response and eliminating dead spots." Pickups are the tried and trusted pairing of P and J units, and the bass also features a Drop D de-tuner.

I particularly like the inverted teardrop fingerboard inlays which echo the shape of the red tortoiseshell pickguard. I can't say I am overly keen on the dolphin-nose shaped headstock. Somehow, I just think the head should look more Rickenbacker-y. Well, the bass does look like a Rickenbacker from the future, you cannot deny that!

Thanks to Bill for bringing this bass to my attention.

G L Wilson

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