F-Bass BN4 Bass, Maple Fingerboard, Ash Body, Sunburst Gloss

Player’s Perspective

The discerning players here at the shop always appreciate when a builder can take an iconic platform and elevate it to the next level, and that's what F-Bass has done with the 4-string BN4 series bass. The bass' visual appeal lies in the classic combination of the vintage sunburst body and maple neck with a classy artisan execution that features pickup covers that are fashioned to match the body, which wowed us immediately upon opening the bag.

In addition to the handmade Canadian craftsmanship, the genius of the design can be seen in the changes to its ergonomics, from the improved-from-vintage neck profile that seems to play itself to the longer upper horn that improves the instrument's balance and eliminates neck heaviness.

The highlight of the bass is its amazing-sounding tonal combination of its versatile pickups and extremely flexible active preamp. The pickups pack an equally robust punch used both on their own or together. The neck sounds huge and smooth while remaining able to sit in a studio mix nicely, while the bridge pickup remains tight, punchy and present in a way that will more than likely stand out in a packed live arrangement. And even if that wasn't enough, the preamp can account for any EQ changes to taste, and we found every control and knob to have a useful impact on the bass' inherent tone. In addition, the pickups are individually fully hum-canceling, which we expect your mixing engineer or live sound guy to love. And if you did want to go fully old-school in your sound, the bassists here at the store appreciated the inclusion of controls to split the pickups into true single-coils or bypass the active preamp.

For a truly boutique-feeling bass that also serves as a do-it-all live and studio workhorse, this F-Bass BN4 absolutely checks all the boxes and then some.

Details

The BN series is the product of 40+ years of F Bass evolution. While it has roots stemming from the original Jazz Bass, it has slowly morphed into our signature sound, feel, and look. The BN series’ voice leans heavily on the wood choices and design of the instrument itself, with the electronics designed to simply enhance those attributes, rather than colour them. The F Bass pickups and preamp are natural & transparent though offer the flexibility of a modern active bass. The result is a big yet controlled bottom end, a rich punchy midrange, and a high end that is articulate yet sweet. We’re often asked how our BN series differs from our VF series—the BN is a bigger yet more refined and “polite” tone that can still get plenty aggressive when asked.