Solar Guitars unveil the most metal bass guitar of 2021, the Canibalismo
Sharp, pointed edges, fat low end...
We can always rely on Solar Guitars for some of the best guitars for metal but don’t let it be said it leaves the bass players out. Today, the chuggable brand expanded its collection of metal-ready bass guitars with the AB2.4 Canibalismo.
That’s quite the name, isn’t it: Canibalismo. If there hadn’t been any further details with the release we might have assumed it was a new eau de parfum for death metal superfans. But here we are. The Canibalismo aspect of the bass is very much about the finish, a sort of Blood Red Open Pore stain with Blood Splatter detail.
The Canibalismo chassis is a little more familiar; a type AB2.4 double-cutaway four-string solidbody, with a trademark four-in-line pointed headstock, reversed like Regan MacNeil in The Exorcist. It has a body of sungkai, whose grain you can see through the finish, with a five-piece maple/jatoba neck joining the body with a five-bolt join.
The neck is carved into a C profile and topped with an ebony fingerboard with a customary Solar logo (in blood red) marking out the 12th fret, with 24 super jumbo frets ensuring a high-performance feel as standard.
There is a high-mass bridge to enhance sustain, while the Solar tuners have a 17:1 ratio, and for the crucial business of thunder provision you have a pair of Solar Tesla Soapbar humbuckers with an active preamp and controls for volume, balance, bass, and treble.
Tune in for “deep and rich lows and punchy midrange,” says Solar. All you need is a bass amp with a nice overdrive and you’re all set. Like the A-type electric guitars, the Canibalismo is contoured to tempt players up 12th fret and beyond, so just try to remember this is still a bass guitar and that the number one job is holding that rhythm section down.
The AB2.4 Canibalismo is available to preorder now, priced $749. See Solar Guitars for more details.
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Jonathan Horsley has been writing about guitars and guitar culture since 2005, playing them since 1990, and regularly contributes to MusicRadar, Total Guitar and Guitar World. He uses Jazz III nylon picks, 10s during the week, 9s at the weekend, and shamefully still struggles with rhythm figure one of Van Halen’s Panama.
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