Ken Bebensee Baruke bass finally complete! (:^D

[pingvuiini]

After almost a year of top secret build Ken Bebensee is finally near completion of my custom left-handed five string fretless 23" scale semi-hollow uke bass. He has been sending me photos the whole time to show progress, but the photos never had a person to show the human scale. So it was hard for me not to imagine it as anything other than a standard scale bass. Today I was quite surprised to see him holding it and how small it actually is. I will post more photos of the finished bass and perhaps even the build process. I can't wait to play it! Special thanks to Ken Bebensee for all his hard work and dodging the pesky fires in his area a few months ago to complete the project.

Specs (as far as I can recall):

Neck laminates - Red heart, purple heart, wenge.

Body woods - Mahogany, walnut.

Top woods - Spalted myrtle with purple heart pinstripe.

Headstock - Spalted myrtle, ebony with carbon fiber reinforcement.

Fingerboard, bridge, knobs and truss rod cover - Macassar ebony.

Side dots & headstock logo - Abalone.

Knob dots - Mother-of-pearl.

Saddle & nut - Unbleached bone.

Active Electronics - Open-to-Source Sensors™ piezo pickup with Audere Classic 3-band EQ preamp. 9v.

Hardware - Hipshot Ultralight tuners. Dunlop Straploks.

Strings - Road Toad Pahoehoe.

Scale length - 23".

 

[nonohmic]

Wow pretty. 23" unlined must be hard to play!

 

[nixdad]

That’s truly a work of art.
I hope it’s everything and more regarding your expectations!

 

[bholder]

Wow!

 

[Flamingo21]

I'm curious about intonation. To my eye, that bridge seems perpendicular.

 

[HaphAsSard]

I'm curious about intonation. To my eye, that bridge seems perpendicular.

Slightly, but it does look slanted, to mine. I'd also surmise even the largest Pahoehoe strings being flexible enough not to require dramatic compensatio relative to the G.

 

[JimmyThunder]

that flourish at the bottom of the fingerboard is so lovely and something I've not seen before

 

[chris_b]

It's left handed, fretless and short-short scale, nothing about it ticks any of my boxes, but those photos look incredible. What a beautiful bass.

 

[musicman556]

Absolutely stunning! Congratulations, and I can't wait to read about your first impressions after it arrives! Really cool.

 

[eastcoasteddie]

I'm curious about intonation. To my eye, that bridge seems perpendicular.

It’s not.

 

[eastcoasteddie]

That is truly beautiful. much more than what I expected reading ‘ 23” Uke Bass’ ...

 

[Killing Floor]

Love the fingerboard and bridge. Very sleek. Enjoy.

 

[pingvuiini]

I'm curious about intonation. To my eye, that bridge seems perpendicular.

Slightly, but it does look slanted, to mine. I'd also surmise even the largest Pahoehoe strings being flexible enough not to require dramatic compensatio relative to the G.

The bridge appears compensated. The low B is quite fat! The flowery endpiece of the fingerboard is the truss rod wheel cover held in place with magnets. Bass is being shipped as we speak. I can't wait!

 

[JPJ]

Ken was the first guy who I really got excited about back in the day. Wish I could have put an order in back in the '90s. LOVE the Baroque body shape, his carve on the scroll, the f-holes, etc. One of the OGs of the new school....which is now the old school.

 

[Flamingo21]

The bridge appears compensated.
View attachment 4081406

From this pic, I agree.

 

[macteacher]

awesome and good for you! I had talked to Ken about building a short scale years ago, but he was busy with other projects. that's a beauty you have there!