BassLab STD V

Built in 2006, my personal version of a STD-V (5-string) by BassLab is BY FAR the best instrument I ever owned. As every instrument it is made of "tunable composite", a patented material created by BassLab founder and innovative thinker Heiko H??pfinger.
All features in a row;

- MuMan-stlye Pickup bridge position
- humbucker neck position
- BassXX active preamp with Bass/treble boost/cut and parametric Mid Boost/cut
- 24 frets
- white finish all over
- headless mechanics by ETS
- battery control LED, it starts to flash when the battery is only able to provide power for two more hours (very cool feature!)

Another cool thing is its balance - when you strap on the bass, it perfectly stays in position. Once again, the well-balanced Bass I ever played.

The first thing you notice when plugging in the Bass is the weight - due to the hollow body and neck construction the Bass is #1 when it comes to weight decrease. The first thing that comes to the mind of most players is "wow, that is a light bass - it cannot have any sound". WRONG! That's the next thing you notice; when you play the first note, you hear the most distincitve and fast attack an instrument ever delivered.
The Bass picks up every nuance of your playing, giving a rich and high-defined sound. The material does not lack of Bass frequencies or anything - it is not comparable to graphite instruments AT ALL. It sounds ultimately bright, yet with a good balanced low end, but thanks to the active preamp you can re-direct it to any sound you need.
I myself am an extreme metal and funk player, and the Bass fits both styles equally. Especially tapping and slapping techniques come out better than on any other Bass I ever had the chance to play - the fast attack fits just perfect for any styles.

Of course, the Bass does not sound like a wooden instrument - it has a lot of advantages, but some people just don't like the sound quality, which is just a matter of taste. But you should definately give it a try!

The setup was flawless when I picked up the Bass. No fret noise, low set action and great pickup adjustment made it a perfect first impression. until today, it needed almost no adjustment to my playing.

Due to the instrument being totally white, you see every little piece of dust that found its way in the painting cabine. There are maybe 2 or 3 black spots, but that's about it. The overall finish is very good.

The material itself is very hard. It is immune to humidity changes, temperature changes or anyhting like that. Adjustments of the truss rod are only necessary for fitting it to your personal likes. When I changed the strings from 40-125 to 50-135 for recording purposes, it took me about one minute to fit the Bass to it. The good thing is that the neck, once put in a good radius, does not change anymore. A typical wood instruments needs its time to "follow the new instructions". Another bonus point here.
The headless hardware seems trustworthy - besides the tuners that react a bit too slow for my personal taste, it is easy to adjust and string changes are easy; AND, you don't need double-Ballend strings!

Customer Support could not be better. Any issue you might have will be solved fast and perfect, but I doubt there will be many...

I am playing Bass for almost seven years. Before I ordered my BassLab, I tested Basses of every company I came across - Phantom, Marleaux, Music Man, Fender, Yamaha, Lairat, Bassculture, Windmill, Warwick...you know them. Not one of them offered what I wanted from a Bass - a fast, direct sound with lots of overtones, great playability and killer looks! When I received a demo instrument, I was completely blown away - not long after that, I ordered my personal BassLab. I'd definately buy it again, and this is definately not my last instrument built in Kassel, germany.

The was hand made in Germany end of 2003.
24 Frets, 5 strings, headless.
Controls : volume for each pickup, bass, treble, parametric eq
Active electronics. Rough Crystal pickups.
Composite body and neck. (thin neck)
Finish : dark blue (luvly)
Gig bag

I'm playing metal and fusion (fingers and slap, no pick). It's got powerful and very well defined lows. Very punchy. Slapping on it is just fab, very easy to play, very comfortable.
I'm playing on Ampeg SVT III with ampeg 4x10 classic. Wow, just wow...
No noise at all. By tweaking the eq and the bass/treble knobs, you can drastically change the sound, from a rich and warm sound to brighter settings. You basically can do whatever sound you like with this bass.
I've used it on stage and in studio, and it made wonders in both situations.

Basslabs are hand made and personnally checked by Heiko, the boss. Mine came in perfectly set up and ready to use.

It seems quite solid. I've used it on several gigs without any backup (never felt the need for one). It suffered a few minor scratches, but it makes it look more evil \m/

Heiko is very helpful and available. We actually exchanged email during 3 weeks to check everything before he actually started the work on my bass. And the bass was delivered 3 weeks before the date we planned. Next time I'm over to Germany, I'll sure pay him a visit to thank him for his wonderful work.

been playing for 14 years. I own another 5 strings bass from luthier Dominique Gauthier (France).
If it was stolen, I'd surely buy another basslab STD V.
I love its sound, I love its look (people love it or hate it, but they sure remember it !). I love everything about this bass. Wish it had a hip shot cos' I often detune the E string to D for one of my bands.

This hand-made bass is born 2003, Germany.
24 frets, 5 strings
Headless
Fully hollow !!! All carbon and composites !!!
Volume/mute, balace, bass/treble active and passive, mid active and mid gain.
Pickups : H/H, Rough Crystal
Finish : Metallic Blue
Neck-trough body !
Gig-bag.

I play rock, some metal and a lot of slap-pop. I use an Eden WT-800, a TC Electronic compressor and TC electronic Reverb. Cabinets: 2x Eden D410-XLT.
The sound of this bass is incredible! Really, you have to try it. It sounds crystal sharp and the low B is well defined! The neck is perfect and this STD V plays itself :)

This bass is hand-made in Germany. I used to plays on other hand-made basses but this one is particulary well build.

Carbon and composites. Honestly, who can say how many years it will last ?

Heiko is simply the owner of the company BASSLAB and he is very professional. I think if I was Stu Hamm I didn't get a better service !

I plays since I was 18...now it makes 12 years. I was drummer before.
Until I purchased this bass, I only use wooden basses. I own actually a Warwick 6 and a SSD (stuart Spector Design) 5 strings.

Compare this bass to a modulus or a zon. I think you will be surprised. Basslab is my number one now ! Try it or have a look on www.basslab.de