We have tried a number of combinations of exotic woods from all over the globe, before stumbling over a material literally growing in our back yard: Texas Mesquite. Known for its barbecue prowess, few people have bothered making musical instruments out of this wood, because it usually is a small, shrubby tree. We located a unique mill here in central Texas whose primary industry is the production of mesquite lumber. From them we obtain long, straight stable pieces for neck blanks, as well as gorgeous exotic pieces for the body tops.

Combining the dimensionally stable Mesquite with flamed Maple, we make necks that are extremely stable and warp resistant, that feel good under your hand and have a lovely, bright tone that is nearly free of dead spots, unlike conventional necks.

The 1/4" top of figured, dense mesquite adds a bright punch to the attack of the instrument. The remaining 1 3/8" of the slim body is HondurasMahogany. Long known as one of the most stable woods, this timber has been in use for hundreds of years as an instrument wood. Resonant and full sounding, this wood has great sustain and natural harmonics that make your notes sing.

The HEMBROOK Standard Bass has been designed to be first and foremost a functional instrument. Look over the design and notice these salient features:

Comfort

The upper horn is extended to the 12th fret of the neck, to ensure that the instrument balances well, even with wide necks on multi-string basses. Narrow waists ensure that the instrument hugs your chest for effortless playing comfort. Pick an angle, any angle, and the bass will stay there. Deep cutaways expose all 24 frets for comfortable high register playing. Wide lower body concentrates mass down low to assist balance. The broad contact surface allows you to feel the vibrations of the bass more easily. Wide string spacing at the bridge on multi-string basses makes them feel familiar. Narrow nut spacing allow the player to comfortably fret notes and chords across the neck.

Construction

Neck
Neck of laminated Maple and Mesquite is dimensionally stable and very warp resistant. 4 and 8 string basses and 6-string baritones use a 3-piece laminated neck. 5, 6 and more string necks use a 5-piece neck. Rutland Plywood Laminated Birch optional for the neck. Similar to Graphite for stability, yet still warm under the hand. Maintains a woody resonance. New! Carbon fiber (graphite) U-channel with stainless steel truss rod is in use on multi-string basses. Lighter and stiffer than our previous aluminum U-channel truss rod, this unit is very warp resistant and helps eliminate dead spots in the neck.

Fingerboard
Fingerboards can be made of Bocote, Cocobolo, or Texas Ebony. Abalone or Mother-of-Pearl 1/4" dot fingerboard inlays. 24 frets standard. Available fretless. Fretted models feature zero frets. This gives a more consistent sound for the open and fretted notes, and reduces the problems associated with nut wear.

Body
Resonant Mahogany body wings are topped with 1/4" of figured Mesquite, an exotic wood from the American Southwest. If weight is a concern, we can use Spanish Cedar with or without the Mesquite tops. Body wings can be made semi-acoustic for enhanced tone and further reduced weight. Sound holes are optional.

Electronics

Magnetic Pickups
We are proud to feature as standard Seymour Duncan Basslines active soapbar pickups. These units are low impedance active units. They are built with a split-coil structure (like a P-Bass pickup) and are humbucking.

They provide a surprisingly good modern sound alone, and can have a tremendous variety of tones on tap with the preamp we use. Roll off the treble, and you get classic sounds of vintage instruments. Boost the bass and go for a modern funky tone. Many sounds are just a knob twist away, in contrast to so many "one tone" basses.

The neck and bridge units are voiced differently, which gives each a unique character. Combined with the natural acoustics of the instrument, a HEMBROOK Standard is very punchy and growly, but can be backed off to a warm, round floating sound that surrounds you.

Preamp
Included is a Seymour Duncan STC-2 "Tone Circuit" active bass and treble preamp. Bass centered at 30 Hz. 12dB range of adjustment. Treble centered at 6.5 kHz. 15 dB range of adjustment. This preamp includes an exclusive contour circuit that boosts the bass (at 83 Hz) and scoops out the middle (at 633 Hz). The amounts of bass boost ( to dB) and mid cut (-3 to -11 dB) are adjustable via internal trimpots on the preamp board. Excellent for funk or solo playing, or to give you a quick tone change. The electronics are conveniently mounted on a CNC machined stainless steel control plate that is attached with screws. The screws thread into durable metal bushings rather than using common wood screws that often strip out with use.

Piezoelectric Pickups
Hembrook piezoelectric pickups are also available. This is a special film transducer that is mounted between the bridge plate and the body. The result is a big, warm natural sound, unlike the scratchy, thin sound associated with piezo crystal elements installed in the string saddles like most current units. With the piezo pickups, a buffering preamp and blend control are added to the standard equipment, allowing the piezo pickup to be blended with the mixed signal from the two magnetic pickups before the tone circuitry. Especially warm and woody sounding with fretless instruments. Combined with a semi-acoustic body and you can come very close to an upright bass tone.

Hardware

We use the following premium hardware: Hipshot Ultralite Tuners, Bone nuts; fully adjustable bridges. Chrome finish is chosen for hardware because it is by far the most durable finish available. It is much harder than black oxide or gold plating. All instruments are shipped with a set of Schaller Straplocks. The strap buttons also accommodate standard straps. 

Page begun: 1 Dec 1995
Last Modified: 23 Feb 2002
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