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Designing
and building instruments has always been my passion. After 35 years of experience I can honestly say that the basses are, without question, the best ever.
My years of experience help, however, it takes more
than that. Never settle, no matter what level proficiency you achieve. You can always do better. You must
always do better. Raise the bar and then raise it again. There is always room for improvement with everything we do, and in who we are. The hands now know inherently what to do. Neck shapes are not measured, the hands remember, they are measured to feel. Sculpting, fretting, sanding, finishing… all exacting and unforgiving. Yet once the techniques are ingrained, one goes above the science and technique, and enters the art. Like musicians, you work very consciously on techniques and develop tools and strong foundations. And at some point, somewhere down the road, those tools and techniques become so refined that you no longer actively think about them. That’s when the magic happens. At this level of performance, you are able to get the inside out, imparting soul and character in your craft. There are those people that have great technique, yet lack the art, the magic. Magic hits you square between the eyes, you can’t define it, but you know it when you see or hear it. It comes from deep within and it's always unique. It lives in the instrument and becomes totally yours.... the feel, the sound, and the soul. This is the essence of a true instrument.
Through all the turmoil and pleasures, twists and turns life has brought me, the one constant for the past 35 years has
been building, always challenging me, on good days and bad. Life experience, top of the world to bottom of the barrel, absolutely influences your art. Without it, it’s all technique, and no soul.
Tangible improvements include a new technique for better fingerboards, improvement to the truss rod system, larger and better inventory of wood, additional steps in blending curves and doing finish
preparation, new finishing techniques that accentuate the wood figure and also result in a smoother and more lustrous finish, improved electronics, and many other details too numerous to mention.
I have
returned to building every bass 100% by myself. This means less distractions of directing other people and more of my focus on each and every bass. The basses have my name on them and I take that personally.
- Michael V. Pedulla
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