Sage Guitars

2009-09-27T23:21:00.002-04:00

It's been quite some time since I've posted here, 2009 has been very busy for us, so busy in fact that where the last post left off with a bass in finish, this post begins with pics of it's completion. This bass has made it's way to it's new owner Elias Wortsman in the beautiful country of Chile. This was a bass truly fit for a king.

2009-03-18T21:30:00.003-04:00

Here's one of the basses bound for Chile. I can't get over how awesome the Maple Burl looks with just the sealer on! More on this bass soon. Also look to see some cosmetic changes to the blog as well as the main website. Stay tuned!

2009-01-05T14:08:00.004-05:00

Anyone who followed the progress of the "Grabbertarian" we constructed for Paul Burnette of the band Darkest Hour using a mixed bag of Gibson Grabber parts and custom Sage parts will be interested in seeing this beast in action. So here we go, D.H. live in D.C.

2008-11-23T23:19:00.004-05:00

Stealth 6

This 6 is off to Atlanta Bass Gallery for customer Eric Cornillo. I got the order when Eric tried to purchase a Warwick $$ from the Warwick custom shop, but Warwick wouldn't do a 35" scale. Some people think a 35" scale is no big deal, we tend to think most of those people have short fingers, the 35" scale absolutely kills on a low B, period, end of story. This bass had simple beginnings, two piece Swamp Ash body, Rock Maple neck, unlined fretless fingerboard, but then this wolf takes off it's sheep's clothing. Once you add a Black finish, custom Aero singlecoils, and an Audere preamp with a 5 way rotary control (www.audereaudio.com/Scripts/prodView.asp?idproduct=44) this puppy kills.

2008-11-05T22:57:00.003-05:00

Maple Burl Longhorn 4

Several posts ago I showed a rendering of a bass being built for a client in Chile. Here's the rough beginnings of the bass. I love the character of the Maple Burl, the red accents look fantastic, and I made sure to have them show up in the top, back, and a touch in the headstock, it really adds a pop. The Ziricote fingerboard has amazing grain and is offset by striking mother of pearl block inlays. This bass is also one of many to be adorned with custom made wooden knobs, and will also have an oversized wooden pickup ramp/cover loaded with Sage custom pickups made for us by Aero. Other features of this bass will include a custom 4-band preamp made for us by Audere, 33" scale, custom Hipshot hardware fitted with a Graphtech piezo system, a Plek fret treatment for amazingly low action, and a custom flight case. In other words there's a new sheriff in town...

2008-11-05T22:50:00.002-05:00

The Grabbertarian is DONE!

OK so the bass is done and shipped. After Paul gets it I'll post any comments. This was a fun build, But now it's back to business as usual.

2008-10-27T22:39:00.006-04:00

The Envelope Pusher

Cliff Davies bass just went out the other day. It was one of those basses that was sad to let go of. I thought I'd post a few of Cliff's thoughts upon opening his new instrument:

"Dude I got it. DAMN. The first thing that hit was how amazing the finish job is on this bass, I've had MTD's and Roscoes, but this bass' finish is amazing. If I smashed the bass, the wood inside would crumble but the finish would hold for sure. Well done!

I'm gonna play it for about a week until I tell you my thoughts on it's sound, I've only just plugged it in for about an hour but DAMN, it's such a great difference from the single coils I've been livin' on.

The Glock sounds great, the knobs are awesome, they make the top side of the bass so nice.

The Aeros and the pickup box are killer, I really dig the box and how it came out. The location on the bass is perfect for my style. I just love exposed pole pickups.

Dude it's just awesome, I'm so happy I took and chance on you guys and ordered this bass. You are the detail king, ever aspect is great, from the cool hex screws to the extra maple laminate where the neck is bolted to the body. You were right with the red finish on the back, it just kills. There's definitely another Sage in my future.

Thanks dude, I love this bass!

Cliff"

We Couldn't ask for a better response to one of our instruments. Thanks for carrying the torch Cliff.

2008-10-27T19:54:00.002-04:00

The Grabbertarian Is Done!

My attempt to photograph this monster is pretty weak, never the less it totally kills. I'm gonna try and set up a real shoot before shipping it off to Paul, if it happens I'll post pics. This was an all out success, and we can't wait to see Paul hit the road and the studio with it.

2008-10-23T02:21:00.002-04:00

Raining Blood

Blood Red paint that is. Paul asked us to match the Wine Red color Gibson used as one of the stock colors on the Grabbers. No sweat. A quick color match and two coats of the aforementioned red and we had the vibe we were looking for. Forgive some of these shots, the spray booth isn't ideal for photography, we promise to have some pro shots of the final product. Which is the next update. Stay tuned.......

2008-10-20T23:54:00.004-04:00

The Grabbertarian

Every once in a while we take on special projects, it breaks up routine and serves a personal amusement. Our latest is for a personal friend Paul Burnette of the band Darkest Hour. Paul plays a Gibson Grabber that was modified with a replacement P-bass neck after the original neck crapped out, also it's fitted with new hardware. This bass has been Paul's companion for many years, and it shows. A fan gave Paul a bass they had tried to do the same thing with a while back, and although it was a nice gift it didn't really fire on all cylinders, so we took it upon ourselves to re-vamp the bass and give Paul a fitting backup bass to take on the road.

We started the project by eliminating everything except the body, next we made a custom Utilitarian neck, and set the bass up in raw form to get all the fit and playability issues in order. After filling many holes and adding new ones the bass was brought into the spray booth where it will receive a new wine red finish. In the coming days we'll post pics of the final finish, and eventually the final product which will feature custom pickups from the Seymour Duncan custom shop, and Hipshot Hardware, and lot's of Sage mojo.

Stay Tuned............

2008-10-03T16:00:00.002-04:00

Our newest client Elias hails from Santiago, Chile. The first of two basses on order is a custom long horn with a Swamp Ash body core with bookmatched Maple Burl facings on the top and back, Ziricote fingerboard with block inlays, a pickup ramp, piezo bridge and custom Audere preamp. It gonna be a real envelope pusher. This installment features a rendered drawing of the bass. It's a great way to visualize a project before the first scrap of wood is cut. In the next installment I'll post the actual bass in-process, it's a head turner for sure!

2008-09-25T08:47:00.004-04:00

Dudes

It's been way too long since a new post, and although I'd love to be sad it means we're busy. Anyhoo look forward to new updates on what's coming through the shop. This update focuses on a sometime overlooked component, knobs. We've been working with our good friend David King to come up with some special jewels to grace the tops of our basses, and fulfill our clients dreams. All the knobs shown here were custom made to our specs using wood from their respective bodies wood, so the match is seamless. It's a small touch that adds a big impact.

2008-06-08T11:01:00.002-04:00

Just a quickie here folks. This is the final rendering of the Stew bass.

2008-05-28T00:09:00.002-04:00

OK new this week is a rendered drawing of the new 10 string bass we're building for Stew Mckinsey, the nickname for this bass is the Behemoth. Rendered drawings are something I'd love to do more of, it's a great way to get our customer's vision to a state of reality before the first piece of wood is cut. Now all we have to do is build it! Stay tuned...............

2008-05-12T16:13:00.002-04:00

New 10 String ERB In The Works

The latest news from Sage headquarters is a new 10 string being built for Stew McKinsey. We've known Stew for several years, and as most people know Stew has been one of the ERB kingpins for some time. Most people also know he lost some of his prised basses in the Hurricane Katrina tragedy in 2005. We're tickled to have the opportunity to help rebuild his bass collection. I've drawn the initial blueprint, and over the next several months we'll make this bass a reality. We fully intend on making this bass destroy all other ERB 10's on the block, not with an inlay of a dragon clutching a pearl, not by making it out of some sacred wood Ben Franklin owned, This thing is gonna kick ass because it's a well thought out design, executed with razor sharp precision. Here's the specs thus far:

- Swamp Ash Body (top as of yet undetermined)

- Rock Maple Neck

- Birdseye Maple Fingerboard

- Hipshot Custom Hardware

- 34" Scale

- 27 Frets

- 9mm Nut Spacing

- 17mm Bridge Spacing

So Get Ready To Run For Your Life.....................

2008-05-05T14:27:00.003-04:00

Thee-Ram Is The Man

This is the owner of our latest SC to hit the street. Thee-Ram lays it down with a heavy thumb with the likes of Bootsy Collins and Buckethead. This dude has a super funky smile so he has to wear a mask. We've heard some of the latest cuts he's been doing with Bootsy, and they keep the funk real. Look for sound clips in the future.

2008-04-30T02:07:00.003-04:00

The Singlecut body shape is our newest design. Although it first appeared at the NAMM show in 2007 in the form of a 10 string ERB dubbed "The Burley Mammoth", this is the first 4 string to leave the shop. It belongs to a dude named Thee-Ram, who does a good deal of work with Bootsy Collins and Buckethead, not bad company to keep. We have a 5 and 6 string SC coming down the line, and will post pics in a week or so. Until then keep the groove in the heart.

2008-03-18T00:50:00.003-04:00

Off to the UK!!!

This beauty is headed off to merry ol' England, to a customer named Robert Copeland. We met Rob through Myspace, and I knew he was going to be a champ when his picture was Boba Fett. In the high-end bass world crazy wood is king. Woods with insane figure, unpronounceable names are always the norm. So you might think a bass with a flamed maple top to be on the tame side, not so with this bass. The top on this bass is so perfectly figured, and snow white in color. The Mahogany back adds a refined elegance. The other thing the bass has going for it is the wonderful snarl of a set of EMG DC humbuckers. I really like these pickups when coupled with the 3-band EMG eq with sweepable mid control. This bass is a real punisher.

2008-03-09T15:45:00.002-04:00

Custom Basses

One of the major parts of Sage Guitars is custom basses. We take building customs extremely serious, because when someone puts a great deal of faith into us to build the bass of their dreams we want to deliver 100%. I often find myself bringing in-progress basses home at the end of the day. At night while I'm relaxing with my wife I'll place the instrument across from us so I can take it all in. I find this exercise helps me see the next step, and give me some introspection on how the build is progressing. The latest piece to grace the shop is a Long Horn 4 belonging to Cliff Davies. The bass features a killer piece of Mineral Stained Flamed Maple that presents itself on the top, peghead, and truss-rod cover. The other player in this picture is a piece of figured Macassar Ebony used for the fingerboard and pickup ramp/cover, both parts came from the same piece of wood. This bass has a sense of continuity and elegance. We're really privileged to build Cliff his dream bass. Now that all the basic fabrication is done it's on to final sanding and lacquer. More on that to follow.

2008-02-27T00:32:00.002-05:00

Pickups, Pickups, Pickups!

Can you guess the topic of our latest post? So as many of you may already know Sage has had a wonderful relationship with Aero pickups and it's founder Larry Pollack over the years. Aero's have long been a top shelf option on all our basses, offering what we consider the ultimate in an uncolored voice of our basses. Pickups that let your bass's voice speak clearly. There's a little magic in these babies, and we always wished every Sage came equipped with them. After hours of long talks on construction topics from pole-pieces, to windings, and more now they do. The standard Sage pickup will be based on a single coil design that won Aero a "Top Tone" award by Bass Player Magazine, but with a few tweaks here and there. We will of course still offer the Aero humbuckers we have always used in the past as an upgrade. In a world of cheaper, faster, better it's really nice to know we're adding something that is boutique quality to all our basses, a micro brew if you will. Stay tuned for more info and pics on this topic.

2008-02-25T14:34:00.003-05:00

Some months are better than others February has been great! We have had record sales and lots of new incoming projects. We're pleased to report that our 5 string Utilitarian prototype sold over the weekend to a great local bassist named Larry Lefebvre (he also owns the Cocobolo 5 in the gallery), we know in Larry's hands the bass will get a great workout. As you can see from the photo its neck building time. We build our necks in batches of 8, usually we need a few while the others sit on the shelf ready for the next customer order. In the next couple of updates we'll show you basses ordered by Carlos Peniche of Mexico, and Cliff Davies of California. Carlos Ordered a Chambered Singlecut fretless 4 with a 33" scale, and Cliff ordered a Long Horn bolt-on 4 with all the trimmings. These are just two of the very special basses in the fold. So keep your eyes peeled.

2008-02-22T15:41:00.003-05:00

Here's the latest 4 string ready to leave the nest. It's our standard body shape with set-neck construction. It features a beautiful piece of Spalted Flamed Maple for the top, Wenge tone plate, and Mahogany body. Married to a Rock Maple neck with a Ziricote fingerboard. Last but not least the heart of the bass features a set of Aero humbuckers with an Aguilar OBP-2 Preamp. This bass is a tone arsenal for sure. Holla!

2008-02-21T01:16:00.002-05:00

OK the latest batch to be leaving the nest soon are these three. The 4 is going to our good friend Theron, while the 5 and 6 will be off to Sleek Elite in Japan. Stay tuned for some pics of the finished pieces.

2008-02-08T19:12:00.000-05:00

OK so this is what's new these days. Our new Utilitarian line developed with our close friend Jeff Caxide's needs for a killer sounding bass, with minimal frills, and plenty of moxie. These basses have been an instant hit at the shop, and all the artists who have graced us at the shop during the development of these basses have given major praise. Look for a full gallery of photos and specs in the coming weeks.

2008-02-07T14:45:00.000-05:00

Holey smokes is this section in need of some major updates! No worries they're on the way. We just recently got back from the NAMM show in Anaheim, Completed the prototypes for the new Utilitarian basses, gave a shop tour and hung out with Liam of Dillinger Escape Plan, and a whole host of other stuff. We should have more content soon in terms of bass gallery photos, and eventually some restructering of the web site in general, so keep an eye out. 2008 is poised to be a sweet year for Sage.

2006-10-31T11:43:00.000-05:00

OK I fully intend on posting full frontal shots of the Wedge, and Steve DiEva's LH-4. Having said that here are a couple shots of one of the sickest bass players laying it down on them at Bass Player Live in NYC , Marcus Miller. The man is just a killer with a bass in hand.

2006-09-23T22:25:00.000-04:00

Here are some new pics of the back of the Wedge. We love the look of the Mineral Streaked Tiger Maple. The back is carved into the sides giving it a very rounded feel, super comfortable on my body in the seated position.

2006-09-23T19:22:00.000-04:00

OK so we have the blues, or should I say the blueburst. This bass should be in tow at Bass Player Live in October. Quilt Maple Top, Mahogany back. The neck is Maple with a Ziricote fingerboard and Headcap. Stay tuned to see the progress of this sexy beast.

2006-09-13T02:24:00.000-04:00

OK we've finally gotten around to putting the wedge in "The Wedge". The next step in the evolution is to glue the back wood on, in this case a book-matched piece of mineral streaked figured maple. Larry from Aero is hard at work building the custom pickup, which should be here in a couple of weeks. In the meantime we'll be cutting the pickup route, drilling holes for the electronics, and starting on the finishing. I'm starting to see light at the end of the tunnel.

2006-09-01T02:21:00.000-04:00

Steve's bass is in the booth at the moment. Just put some vinyl sealer and a nitro washcoat on before filling the pores of the Mahogany. Next we'll get some clear coats on, and prepare the Mahogany for a red/brown color coat.

2006-08-26T20:17:00.000-04:00

The Steve DiEva bass is almost ready for finish. Here's a couple of pics showing the bass prior to fretting. Note the upper horns dual contour (I love the look, I see more basses with this style in the future). We'll have more pics of this puppy after the first couple coats of finish go on.

2006-08-06T13:25:00.000-04:00

Here's a rough draft of the final look of the Wedge. There are a few changes to be made but this gives you an idea.

2006-08-04T00:14:00.000-04:00

OK this thing is starting to resemble a bass. It's almost time for the fun stuff like Wedging the body, doing inlay, carving the neck, choosing electronics, etc. We put the peghead facing of Macassar Ebony on, drilled for tuners, and put the Abalone in the headstock in preparation for the logo. We also mocked up the bass to see visually how it was coming together. We think it's coming along nicely. We put a single Lane Poor on the face, and played around with knobs, I made some "mock-up" redwood concentric knobs; there are 8 knobs on this mock up. The layout I was thinking of was vol/vol stacked knob (if I go with 2 pickups), high mids/low mids stacked knob, treble/bass stacked knob, Piezo vol/Piezo tone stacked knob, and a 3 way mini switch for magnetic pickups/both/Piezo. I like the stacked knob arrangement because it keeps the bass looking less cluttered.

2006-07-28T05:52:00.000-04:00

Here are some shots of the Wedge's Neck in process. We routed the trussrod channel, glued the ears onto the peghead, and cut the taper into the neck. Next comes the peghead shape cutting and gluing the peghead laminates. But that's next time.

2006-07-26T03:32:00.000-04:00

The Wedge's Redwood top is now glued on to the body blank. Prior to gluing we hollowed out several chambers into the Mahogany body core. We have selected a beautiful Flamed Macassar Ebony fingerboard, and a 3 piece Flamed Maple neck. We haven't settled on the pickup arangment as of yet. The piezo bridge will be a Hipshot A style bridge modified for the Graph Tech piezo saddle system.

2006-07-26T03:18:00.000-04:00

Here are some new pics of Steve DiEva's bass. We found a beautiful piece of Mahogany for the body core. You can see the body is fully glued and profiled, pickup routes are all set and the control holes have been drilled. The Maple burl top is breathtaking.

2006-07-20T17:51:00.000-04:00

This bass is being built for Steve DiEva. Steve is a big Justin Chancellor fan, and had been wanting a Wal for the past couple years. After seeing our friend Jeff Caxide with ISIS (Jeff owns a BO-4) at a show in New York he changed his mind and gave us a call. Steve wanted to keep the wood similar to Chancellor's main bass, so we started with a Mahogany core, the top is a beautiful piece of Maple Burl, the neck is Rock/Flamed Maple, and the fingerboard is Brazilian Rosewood with our signature dots. It will have Aero Pickups and a Demeter preamp wired for stereo. I'm thinking ETS bridge for this one, but who knows. Time will tell.

2006-07-19T19:03:00.000-04:00

This bass belongs to our good friend Glen Davis AKA the www.sageguitars.com web designer. It features a two piece Swamp Ash body, Wenge neck, and Brazilian Rosewood fingerboard with our signature dots. It will feature Bartolini humbuckers with a Aguilar OBP-2 preamp, Black Hipshot hardware and a sunburst finish.

2006-07-19T18:41:00.000-04:00

This is a prototype singlecut 6 string. It features a Walnut body core with a Pomele Bubinga top. The neck and fingerboard are Wenge. It will have Bartolini Humbuckers and Hipshot hardware. We've been really pleased with how excited people are about this bass.

2006-07-19T18:28:00.000-04:00

This bass has been nicknamed the "Burly Mammoth". It's a 10 string ERB for our friend Bill Daniels. The body is Swamp Ash that will have hollow chambers, and a Myrtle Burl top. The neck is Rock Maple with a Wenge fingerboard. This bass will have custom Aero humbucking singlecoils, and have a custom A style Hipshot bridge and tuners.

2006-07-19T12:40:00.001-04:00

These are a few photo's of the prototype "Wedge" bass in progress. It will be a semi-hollow 5 string with either a low B or high C string with a Piezo Bridge, and a custom Aero pickup. These photos show the body blank during the lamination process. The body will consist of a Mahogany core with Maple and Black Veneer accent lines, and a Flamed Redwood top. More photos to come.

2006-07-16T19:57:00.000-04:00

Welcome to the new work in progress area. I intend on updating this area as work progresses.