Inlays are crushed pearl, and the paint finish is a five-color burst that Andy calls "Chianti". It started out with an amber base coat, over which a bright ruby red was sprayed. Then it was shaded with maroon, violet, and a little black at the very edge against the checkerboard purfling. It has a LRBaggs iMix stereo dual element pickup system.
The most challenging part of the development was getting the neck stiff AND slim, since most Rick bass players value slimmer (front to back) necks. This was accomplished with a carbon fiber spline under the fretboard, from edge to edge, tapered from .030" at the nut end to .125" at the body end. This adds graduated stiffness and gives the neck good spring and adjustability with the usual dual truss rod system. It also assists energy transfer and sustain, coupled with a 7/16" thick straight-pull bridge. You can see the carbon fiber as a black stripe on the edge of the neck running from nut to body:
The tone, acoustically speaking is crisp and authoritative. But when it's amped, it really comes into its own--the dual element pickup gives a choice of stereo output or mono, with an adjustable balance between the upper and lower piezos. Upper, under-saddle gives a nice growly treble tone, and the lower, under bridge plate, is a lovely mellower timbre, but without a trace of mud. I ran this through my '63 Dual Showman and it rattled the speakers...oops. Through my aluminum-coned Berhringer 300W, it is, erm, quite authoritative, although it of course can be toned down for smaller rooms.
Thanks for your cooperation and patience, Andy!
