Masterbuild Liger
Features
Masterbuild Liger
Named after the hybrid of lion and tiger, This bass features an extremely rare one piece Saga Burl Body and roasted one piece tight grain maple neck. It's a real beast to work with and roars like one too.
One-piece Through Thickness Saga Burl Body
Probably the biggest highlight of this build, we used a solid piece of Saga Burl as the body. Acquiring such a piece of Saga Burl could only be described as an once-in-decade miracle.
The Saga tree by itself is a rare sight in the woods of South East Asia, having one that's grown old and thus wide enough for a one piece bass body is extremely rare by itself. However, we managed to salvage one that has formed a huge burl that's wide, thick, stable and flawless enough to make a bass!
Just imagine how slim is the probability of that occuring!
To be completely honest, any sane man would resaw the burl into 8 pieces of topwood and make a small fortune selling it but my inner luthier got in the way and this is how this monstrous bass is born!
The Body Shape
The shape of this particular bass definitely counts as a feature by itself. Every curve and shape on this is sculpted in accordance with the flow of the chaotic wood grain of the Saga Burl.
Most people would be intrigued by the "hole" at first glace. The function of the carve out isn't purely for weight concerns as most other basses would suggest. The carve out was carefully calculated and positioned into the bass even before the shape was finalised to remove the nodes which warping will most likely to occur.
The carve out also allows for natural movement of the wood, allowing a thinner and more natural coat of finishing to be applied compared to the "soak it in epoxy/coating" approach most luthiers use when dealing with burl bodies.
Back
Another detail of the carve out is that only the front tapers to sharp "fangs" while the back shows gentle curves resembling a lion's mane.
P/S: It's also fun to play the bass with your right hand through the hole.
One-Piece Roasted Maple Neck
The neck might look underwhelming compared to the alluring looks of the body but it is anything but. This is actually the first one-piece neck I've put on my basses.
Due to its' extremely tight grain (comparable to the likes of violin bridges) combined with specialised thermal treatment and titanium stiffening rods, it has given me enough confidence to use it as an one-piece flatsawn neck.
Headstock
-Saga Burl Headplates & Trussrod Cover
-Gold Mother of Pearl Logo Inlay
-Hipshot Ultralite Y Tuners
-Custom Bell Brass String tree
-Bell Brass Nut
-Zero Fret
Proprietary Pickups
Custom wound in-house, the pair of pickups, "Tigris" and "Leo" brings out the best of the bass with clear transparency.
Both the angle of slanting and the construction of the pickups are finalised only after multiple prototypes and testing to ensure that they compliment the bass perfectly.
Only then the pickup covers are carved out of two solid bars of Saga Burl. This by itself took multiple attempts as the chaotic grain and high wood hardness simply resist being made into covers with less than 3mm thin walls.
Saga Burl Engraved Cover
By certain definition, all basses from Shan Basses are "Masterbuilt". However, this particular bass has it in title and engraved in gold simply due to it's magnitude of extravagance, excellence and exclusivity.
Body Matching Saga Burl Covers
Even the quick change magnetic battery covers are made from exotic Saga Burl, saving no expenses.
Full Contact Hardware
As always, we utilise Babicz"s FCH-5 Bass Bridge to maximise tonal transference and sub-bass response of the instrument.
Preamp and Controls
The preamp chosen is the tried and true Aguilar OBP-3.
Controls are:
-Vol
-Vol
-Treble
-Mid
-Bass
-Active/Passive Sw
-Mid Freq Sw
-Kill Switch
Also pictured: custom burl knobs with brass indicators.
Set Neck Construction
The neck construction is set neck to maximise ergonomic comfort without sacrificing structural stability. It took a longer time to hand carve Saga Burl but I believe the difference can be easily felt.
Fretboard
Birdseye Maple fretboard with Paua Abalone inlays brings a feeling of serenity and flow into the overall aesthetics. Tonally, it helps with giving a clear midrange and a slap tone that really cuts through.
The fretwires are Stewmac Stainless Steel Jumbos. Sidedots are Paua Abalone as well.
Contact Us
Interested in placing an order or learning more? Simply reach out today.
+60 12-519 5305