F-Bass AC4 Alain Caron Signature Chambered Semi-Hollow Fretless Bass, Gabon Ebony Fingerboard, Piezo, Antique Brown Burst

Player’s Perspective

We’re stoked to continue to carry F-Bass among our family of high-end and boutique basses. Handmade in Canada, the build quality is absolutely out of this world. The meticulous attention to detail is immediately evident. It doesn't get much better than this, eh?

It's not an exaggeration to say that the Alain Caron signature AC4 may very well be the nicest fretless bass to ever roll through the shop here. The entire package seems like it was built by angels, both visually and sonically. The tone is absolutely heavenly. This is the perfect example of what a fretless bass is supposed to sound like. You can get anything from Jaco-like tones to an acoustic bass sound out of this with the versatile pickup configuration, and lots of incredible sounds in between. It's got "mwah" for days and days, especially if you move your plucking hand up closer to the neck. It responds so well to dynamic changes in your plucking hand, too. It's so easy to feel "at one" with this bass. You can also toggle the pickup between true single-coil and hum-canceling mode, which can give a little more of that Pino-esque fretless tone along with some nice natural compression.

The thumb rest is an awesome addition, especially on a fretless where your plucking hand positioning really has a massively noticeable impact on the tone. For players who prefer to anchor the thumb on my plucking hand to something, this is an awesome feature. Without even touching the preamp, you've got a wealth of tones between the hum-canceling single-coil pickup and the piezo. The flexibility of the preamp really shines and only further adds to the versatility of this bass and its thunderous and massive tone.

A true work of art and a thing of beauty, this bass left us scooping our jaws off the floor. This Canadian labor of love is a truly special instrument.

Details

The AC-Signature fretless has been developed in collaboration with Canadian jazz legend Alain Caron since the mid 1980’s. This series was inspired by Alain’s desire to have one fretless bass that could do it all—anything from acoustic to modern electric tones, a big clear voice to hold down a groove and an extended range fingerboard with easy access for soloing. Al often refers to playing fretless as a second language, so it was imperative that this instrument be highly expressive and sensitive to playing dynamics. This is achieved through our original semi-chambered design, procurement of premium lumber used in traditional upright bass builds, our handwound F Bass single-coil pickup, RMC Piezo saddle pickup system, and our natural & transparent F Bass preamp. This is a highly refined instrument and has been dubbed by our players as the “King of Fretless”!