Bee Basses • Shoreline Music

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Bee Basses are handmade in Oregon by Fred Bolton, who for obvious reasons chose not to build neck-through basses under the name "Bolton Basses". These are some of the best bass guitars being made anywhere right now, and I am thankful for what at the time seeemed a serendipitous first meeting with Fred: At the NAMM trade show in 2003, I was on the lookout for a new bass guitar. I wasn't looking for one to carry here in the shop; I just wanted one for myself, and I knew that there would be a decent mix of factory basses and handbuilders at the show. I played through dozens of basses, but the ones that were the best in the show were at the Bee Basses booth. Fred can attest to the fact that I kept visiting his booth 3 or 4 times a day--I just couldn't get his fretless 5-string out of my head (the Accugroove cabinet I was hearing wasn't so bad, either). That one guitar was so inspiring that I decided to start carrying bass gear in the shop just so I could play more of them. Well, that, and I bought one for myself.

The instruments themselves are flawlessly constructed, with clean lines, minimal electronics, and a beautiful selection of tonewoods. I really appreciate Fred's design aesthetic, which reminds me a lot of Mcilroy guitars--rather than load up the guitar with lots of inlays and thick finishes, he prefers to let the wood do the work, using a hand-rubbed oil finish and no inlays or fretmarkers. Fred insists that he's making guitars to be tools for musicians (rather than showpieces), but there's no denying that the instruments are nevertheless gorgeous works of craftsmanship.

But, of course, if anyone is more fanatic about tone than acoustic guitar players, it's bass players. And this is where Fred's basses rock: As gorgeous as they are to look at and hold, these instruments have tone like no other. The fretless models have tons of mwah up and down the fingerboard, and the fretted models have the best balance and intonation I've ever heard on a bass. Every model boasts a fantastic combination of growl and articulation, and the low B on the 5-strings will make the rest of your band jealous that they don't play bass. These really are sweet instruments, and I don't expect them to sell for less than $3000 for much longer.

Bee Basses offers several standard designs. All models are available as 4, 5, 6, or 7, -string guitars. If you want more strings on your bass, Fred builds those, too, but we tend to stock the 4s, 5s and 6s. Standard scale length is 35". All models are also available as fretted or fretless. Fretted models come with 24 frets standard:

Queen Bee - This is Bee's neck-through model, and the one we order most frequently. I think Fred's fretless Queen 5-string is as close to a perfect bass as I've ever played. Available as either a single or double cutaway. More pics: Fretted 5-string.

Worker Bee - Virtually identical to the Queen, the Worker models have bolt-on single-piece maple necks (with a deep neck pocket for improved stability) instead of through-the-body designs. This makes for a more affordable way to get one of these remarkable instruments into your hands. High-res pics: Front. Back. Front close-up.

The prices listed below are for the relatively standard builds. Fred regularly substitutes woods for tops and backs, fretboards, and more. His standard electronics are Delano pickups and a custom-designed Bee preamp. Fred can, of course, substitute Bartolinis, Aguilar preamps, etc (but I strongly recommend the Delano pickups--those things are great on his basses). For further custom options, please contact us. The prices listed below apply to both fretted and fretless models:

Bee Basses Price List
Queen Bees	Price*
Queen 4	$2395
Queen 5	$2595
Queen 6	$2795
Queen 7	$2995
Worker Bees	Price*
Worker 4	$1995
Worker 5	$2195
Worker 6	$2395
Worker 7	$2595
Options	Price*
Single cutaway (Queen only)	$200
Graphite neck reinforcement	$100
3-band EQ	$25
Hipshot Ultralights (a good idea with 6- and 7-strings)	$12/each
Hipshot Bass Extender	$75
28 or 36 frets	$10/fret extra

*All Bee Basses prices include Summit gigbag and free shipping in the US. CO residents add 7.4% sales tax. Please see our Shipping page for additional international shipping information.