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2008 Bright Guitars Pelican Custom Bass w/ Nordstrand J Pickups & Fishman Piezo

$1,999.99

+ shipping

Up for sale, a 2008 Bright Guitars Pelican Custom bass in exceptional, 100% original condition and in perfect working order. Handcrafted by Will Bright in Bellingham, WA, Bright instruments feature top-notch craftsmanship and hand-selected tonewoods. This masterfully-crafted semi-hollow Pelican bass features a bevy of onboard electronics for tonal sculpting, and the dual output design has dedicated outputs for the Nordstrand J-style pickup pair and Piezo under-bridge pickup with active Fishman preamp.

Tonewoods include a chambered alder body with a deeply figured, dimensional quilted maple top and a five-piece maple/walnut neck capped by an ebony fingerboard. The chambered body results in a naturally resonant instrument with an airy acoustic quality that weighs just 7lbs 11oz. That breathy resonance is accentuated by the flatwound strings and faithfully captured by the Fishman piezo pickup beneath the saddle of the ebony bridge. The piezo delivers warm, natural-sounding tones similar to an acoustic bass, with an onboard active preamp and independent output. The Nordstrand NJ4SE hum-canceling J-style single coil pickups produce classic Jazz Bass-esque growl and cut, with treble articulation, midrange burp, and bass register punch. This Pelican Custom has been professionally setup here at Mike & Mike’s Guitar Bar with 45-100 flatwound strings, easy-playing action, and accurate intonation.

The five-piece neck has a slender C-shaped profile carve with well-rounded shoulders, gaining a hair more heft in the upper registers, measuring .805” deep at the 1st fret and .895” at the 12th. The thick slab ebony fretboard is framed by multi-ply binding, with flawless medium jumbo fretwire. This bass plays cleanly up the 34” scale with a straight neck and a responsive, optimally-adjusted truss rod. The nut measures 1 1/2“ in width, carved from bone for optimal sustain and articulation. The headstock sports an ebony veneer and abalone sun inlay, and the Hipshot Ultralight tuning machines turn smoothly and hold accurate pitch.

All of the electronics function as intended, with 500K pots, copper shielding, and independent outputs for the Fishman piezo pickup and Nordstrand single coils. The single coils are governed by a Volume/Volume/Tone control configuration, and the Fishman has a single Master Volume control. The onboard Fishman Acoustic Matrix Natural 1 preamp is powered by a 9V battery, which is accessed beneath the magnetic quilted maple cavity cover. Hardware includes the finely crafted maple knobs and the two-tone ebony toploader bridge.

The Natural finish on the body (more glossy on top, with a satin back) highlights the dynamic, dimensional figuring and grain of the two-piece quilted maple top. Cosmetic wear is limited to some tiny dings along the treble-side body edge, and a few faint finish scratches on the body as a whole. The smooth satin finish on the neck profile is flawless.

A gigbag is included.