The Wood Shed Bass: Vintage Soul. Modern Voice.
There’s something timeless about a great Jazz Bass — the feel, the punch, the balance between clarity and warmth. The Wood Shed Bass, created in collaboration between Woodcraft Guitars and The Bass Shed, captures that spirit with a modern sensibility. Designed for players who appreciate vintage tone but demand contemporary playability, this instrument blends classic design cues with thoughtful refinements that make it a serious tool for today’s bassist.
A Collaboration Rooted in Craft and Community
The idea for the Wood Shed Bass was born from a shared vision: to create an instrument that honors the classic Jazz Bass tradition while reflecting the needs of modern musicians. Woodcraft Guitars brings decades of expertise in custom luthiery and vintage restoration, while The Bass Shed, led by bassist and educator Ryan Roberts, brings the insight of a working player — someone who knows how an instrument needs to respond on stage, in the studio, and in the shed.
The result is a bass that feels instantly familiar yet fresh — a workhorse that delivers tone, versatility, and inspiration.
Specifications and Design
Scale Length: 34 inches
Strings: 4-string configuration
Pickups: Choice of Fender Noiseless or Fralin single-coil pickups
Controls:
Master Volume
Concentric Volume/Tone for Neck Pickup
Concentric Volume/Tone for Bridge Pickup
Bridge: Allparts Hi-Mass Bridge
Every component of the Wood Shed Bass was selected for tone, feel, and reliability. The 34-inch scale keeps the instrument balanced and responsive — the industry standard for good reason — while the pickup options allow players to tailor their sound. The Fralin single coils bring vintage sparkle and detail, while the Fender Noiseless set provides the same classic articulation with a quieter, hum-free performance ideal for studio or live settings.
A Nod to Fender’s Golden Era
The concentric knob layout is a direct tribute to the early Fender Jazz Basses of 1960–1961, which featured stacked volume and tone controls for each pickup before transitioning to the now-familiar three-knob configuration.
That early design allowed players to shape each pickup’s tone independently — a feature that offered far more nuance and tonal control than later versions. By reintroducing concentric knobs, the Wood Shed Bass revives this lost era of passive tone shaping, letting players blend and sculpt frequencies with precision while keeping the signal purely analog.
In practice, that means you can dial in a warm, round neck sound while keeping a brighter, cutting bridge tone — or roll back both tone controls for a vintage thump reminiscent of early ’60s recordings. It’s a small detail with a huge impact on musicality.
Modern Playability Meets Vintage Feel
While its sonic DNA is unmistakably vintage, the Wood Shed Bass plays like a modern instrument. The neck profile is slim and smooth, the fretwork precise, and the hardware solid and road-ready. The Allparts bridge adds sustain and tuning stability without compromising the organic feel of a traditional passive setup.
Whether you’re grooving on stage, laying down tracks in the studio, or teaching your next generation of students, the Wood Shed Bass delivers the tone, comfort, and inspiration every serious bassist needs.
Built for the Modern Bassist
In a market crowded with flashy instruments and short-lived trends, the Wood Shed Bass stands apart for its simplicity and purpose. It’s not about reinventing the wheel — it’s about refining a classic.
This instrument speaks directly to players who live in the groove, who understand that tone comes from the hands, and who appreciate an instrument that responds honestly and musically.
As Ryan Roberts puts it, “The Wood Shed Bass isn’t about hype — it’s about heritage, feel, and sound. It’s the bass I always wanted to play.”
The Wood Shed Bass
Vintage Soul. Modern Voice.