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PEDULLA BASS-ics
Bass design is a subjective endeavor, like music itself. But to create a great instrument, or a great piece of music, there are guidelines and
techniques the designer must master. Timeless instruments, like ageless music, can be created only by mastering and following these guidelines.
Michael V Pedulla
When buying a bass your decision should be a sound one
The most important factor in choosing any instrument is the way it sounds. The better you sound, the better you play. As is the case with any
instrument, there are many decisions to be made in the design and production of a bass - every one of which has a profound effect on it’s sound, performance and reliability. Our basses are all designed as
acoustic instruments, and as you will see, electronics only embellish the acoustic qualities.
We're not afraid to stick our necks out
The difference in sound between our neck-through basses ( MVP/Buzz & Thunderbass ) and our bolt-on basses ( Thunderbolt & Rapture ) is a direct result of design, which has a profound influence on the character of the voice. A neck-through design, also called a capillary neck, means that all the sound producing parts (strings and pickups), the sound transfer parts (bridge, nut, and machines), and the sound coloring parts (fingerboard and neck wood) are integrated on one continuous piece of wood or lamination. The result is a sound that is very open and bright, with the focus of a strong fundamental and maximum natural sustain.
The bolt-on neck is joined to the body and features a more traditional sound that is warmer, rounder and rich with overtones. NOTE: certain production techniques allow us to offer our bolt-on designs at a lower price than our neck-through basses. They are both made at our shop by the same craftsmen, with the same quality of materials and with the same pride and attention to detail.
 The way a neck is constructed varies from manufacturer
to manufacturer. After years of making basses, we’ve settled on a construction that is superior in three ways. The way it feels, the way it sounds, and the way it lasts.
All of our necks (with the exception of the Rapture) are made of two, three, or five piece laminate of clear
quartersawn hard eastern maple for stability and rigidity. Laminating allows the forces in the wood to equalize somewhat, creating a more stable neck and defining the character of the
sound. The number of laminations in the neck further defines the register of attack and the hard maple contributes to the punch, clarity, and sustain. The laminations in our 5-piece Thunderbass neck includes two thin strips of Bubinga to help define the lower midrange and depth. For the Rapture, we chose to use a one piece flatsawn maple neck for it’s vintage sound qualities. We
use a unique 1/4” truss rod (larger than most) which moves between two oppositely threaded anchors. This allows neck adjustment in either direction, independent of string tension, and can
accommodate wide swings in relative humidity (which is the primary cause of neck movement). Parallel to the truss rod, we inlay two small stiffening bars which help make the neck consistently
strong and allow the forces of the truss rod to affect the neck from the first fret to the last.
Fingerboard material, an often overlooked component of the mix, also affects the sound and feel
of the bass. For our neck through basses we chose ebony for it’s glassy feel, great sustain, medium attack, and the sweet and supple low mid grind it produces (not to mention it’s great
looks!). We selected rosewood for our more “classic” bolt-on designs, as it delivers the vintage sound we’re all familiar with: a softer attack, rich overtones, sweet high end, and a very round
sound. We also use an optional coated birdseye maple fingerboard on our Rapture and Thunderbolt models. The hard birdseye maple offsets the bolt-on properties somewhat by
delivering increased attack, brightness, and less decay.
Our fretless Buzz Bass has an ebony fingerboard, finished with a thin coating of polyester (80%
as hard as glass). Too much coating would diminish the effect of the fingerboard on the sound. The thinner coat allows the ebony’s low-mid response to remain an acoustic factor. The coated
surface is smoother and harder than the wood, and sends more energy back into the string. The result is increased sustain, a more defined attack, a wider swell, and a mega-growl in the low
-mids. The coating also protects the finger board from the wear and tear of round wound nickel strings. (Not all basses with coating produce a sound like that of our Buzz Bass-there are many
other factors of design and construction that gives the Buzz Bass it’s unique voice.)
Fingerboard radius (the arc of the fingerboard) affects the neck comfort, and is adjusted
depending on fingerboard width and the shape of the neck. We use a 12” radius on our 4- and 5-string basses, and a 15” radius on our 5-string 19mm and 6-string basses. The higher the
number, the flatter the fingerboard. Correct fingerboard radius facilitates good technique. Most players are sensitive to the “action” (the height of the strings from the fingerboard), but they
often ignore the “across the strings” setup. Both the right and left hand pivot in a slight arc, and the most comfortable radius is one that mimics that arc. Too much arc requires excess motion in
both hands, while too little arc becomes awkward - both of which contribute to fatigue.
Our neck shape is best described as sleek. It’s fast. With full two
octave facility on our neck-thru basses and 22 fret facility on our bolt-ons. And every single one is blended and shaped using what is perhaps the most valuable equipment in our shop - our hands (which
makes sense because most people play the instrument with the same equipment).
String spacing is another crucial consideration. With too wide a neck,
you’re left with a fatigued left hand (or right hand for the leftys) and a neck that could serve double duty as a diving board. With too little
space, right hand technique becomes awkward. We’ve settled on a string spacing and neck taper that facilitates both hands. And to accommodate the variety of hand sizes, we offer our 5- and 6-string
basses in both 17.5mm spacing and 19mm spacing. All our 4-string basses are 19mm. This measurement is taken from string center to string center at the bridge.
The last step in constructing a Pedulla neck is to seat the frets. We tend to spend what might be considered an inordinate amount of time on them: frets are pressed, glued, leveled, dressed,
and polished. We know of no other manufacturer that frets so much over their frets.
Some people love us for our bodies
Many people think that the choice of body style or wood is purely a cosmetic one, but there is
much more involved. Aside from the visual, an instrument must work ergonomically; that is, to say it must be light enough and comfortably balanced with all parts arranged in a fashion that
facilitates technique. Wood choice is also influenced by it’s weight, visual appeal, and it’s sound coloring qualities.
Our MVP/Buzz and Thunderbass use a three piece maple neck with solid Eastern flame maple
wings. Our grading system, AA, AAA, and 5A, is for the wings only and is based on the intensity, contrast, and consistency of figure. There are virtually no tonal differences between them. We
also offer 5A Quilted maple on all of the MVP/BUZZ basses (Limited Edition). The all maple design of the MVP/Buzz is partially responsible for the very smooth and “unaffected” response of the
instrument. Crisp high-end with well balanced and even response from lows to highs. The MVP/Buzz has a well defined and focused low-end, responsive attack, focused fundamentals,
incredible sustain, and a midrange that cuts. A very versatile instrument.
The Thunderbass design was our first departure from our familiar MVP/Buzz models, with a more streamlined and modern look. As with MVP/Buzz, the T is made with a three piece maple neck and solid maple wings.
We’ve used different pickups and electronics to produce considerably different tone (see Electronics). The ET (Exotic Top) Thunderbass uses laminated wings set to our five piece neck
that includes two thin strips of Bubinga. The increased laminating redefines the attack while the Bubinga accentuates the lowmids.
Choices of ET “tops” are Zebra, Bubinga, Cocobola, Lacewood, 3A Flame and Quilted Maple, all laminated on a soft maple back. They are also available with optional Limited Edition 5A quilted
maple. This combination produces a considerable different tone: deeper, rounder, throatier, with a well defined “sweet” high-end. Zebra and Bubinga tops accentuate lower mids. Cocobola is
slightly “richer” sounding and has a deeper voice. Quilt and Lacewood are more open sounding. Granted, tonal differences between wood tops are slight, but we figure if we appreciate them,
chances are you will too.
The Thunderbolt combines a bolt on two piece quartersawn maple neck with rosewood
fingerboard and a laminated body, producing a more traditional tone, deep and rich with overtones. The body consists of a two piece soft maple back with a bookmatched AA, AAA, or
Limited Edition 5A flame or 5A quilted maple. In addition, the transition from the neck to the body is tapered so that the feeling is more like a neck-through instrument allowing unobstructed
access to the higher frets.
The Rapture thinner, racier design combines a single flatsawn hard maple neck and a solid soft
Eastern maple body. This combination sets the stage for a classic sound enhanced by a smooth midrange and bright high-end that cuts through even the most crowded mix. The Rapture 2000 is
the same design but substitutes a solid AA, AAA, or Limited Edition 5A Flame or 5A Quilted maple body with a 5A birdseye maple fingerboard.
Before we chose our hardware, we did a lot of screwing around
After lots of trial and error, we’ve been able to come up with the optimum combination for all Pedulla models. The machine heads we’ve settled on (found on all our models) turn smoothly and
have a high gear ratio for precision tuning.
All of our neck-through models feature a machined brass bridge which offers high grade steel
rollers, adjustable saddles for both action and intonation, and quick change string slots. The bridges, machined from solid brass, outperform less expensive die cast bridges by adding extra sweetness to the high-end.
The Rapture and Thunderbolt employ a "barrel" bridge, also machined brass, which imparts the
more traditional sound we wanted from a bolt on. Again sound was our first consideration. The massive neck-through bridge detracts from the high-end in a bolt-on.
With the exception of the standard Rapture (which is available in chrome only), Pedulla bases are available with choice of hardware color: chrome, gold, or black.
It takes a lot of guts to make a bass this good
The guts of a Pedulla bass - (pickups, electronics, controls) - can really allow you to tailor the
sound to your own personal taste. They were chosen to complement the natural acoustic design of each moel. We chose Bartolini pickups and electronics for their integrity and ability to bring
out the natural sound of the instrument. In designing the electronics and control set-ups, our aim was to keep them as simple as possible while providing an optimum number of useful bass sounds.
The standard control layout on the MVP/Buzz consists of master volume, pickup pan, individual
active bass and treble boost/cut controls and a low mid boost/cut switch. In addition to the active tone system, the soapbar pickups have an integral straight gain preamp. The MVP/Buzz is
available with your choice of pickup configurations: PJ, JJ, or Soapbar (SB).
PJ combination: This set-up is extremely versatile and as a result, is the most commonly used
pickup configuration on the MVP/Buzz series. The PJ, to our ears, is the best way to reproduce what the strings and wood of the instrument are doing acoustically. The precision has a tight
midrange growl and combines very well with the upper mids of the J pickup. With a full-range, flat frequency response, the PJ setup allows you to tailor sound through careful selection of on
board settings, amplifier, cabinet and EQ. JJ combination: The JJ has the same bridge pickup as the PJ, but can provide more low-end with just the fingerboard pickup and more upper midrange
with both. Finger sound is warmer, but slap is full of growl and bite. Soap Bar (SB) humbucking pickup combination: This configuration packs a lot of low-end bite, a deep midrange, and a very
bright high-end (this sucker has guts). The rear pickup has a similar round, tight sound as a single J pickup, but with a fuller low-end. Thunderbass and Thunderbolt controls include a master volume, pickup pan, individual active treble and bass boost/cut controls and the Thunderguts
switch. In conjunction with Bill Bartolini, we have designed our own proprietary tone shaping circuits (exclusive to the Pedulla Thunderbass and Thunderbolt) to work with two active Bartolini
soapbar pickups. The result is a quiet system delivering punch, definition, and a uniquely present sound that shines through any mix, whether it’s in the studio or on a gig. The tone is meaty and
full bodied throughout the bass’ entire range (not just the low notes as on lesser instruments), deep low-end, throaty growling midrange, and a very wet high-end.
This unique system allows for a smooth and warm finger sound and a full bodied slap and pop sound without changing your controls. The Thunderguts switchable circuit adds another
dimension to the already devastating tonal range, accessing a thicker character with a tight, articulate low-end and midrange.
The difference in sound between the ET and T Thunderbass models and the Thunderbolt is due entirely to different woods and construction techniques. The T is a bit brighter and not quite as
deep as the ET, due to it’s all maple construction and three piece laminate maple neck.
The Thunderbolt has all the characteristic Thunderbass growl. Due to the bolt-on design and
different woods used, the Thunderbolt has a rounder, more "vintage" low-end and midrange, with a slightly "wetter" treble response and results in a more compressed sound. Using the same
electronics as the neck-through Thunderbass, the Thunderbolt cuts through the toughest mix while amply filling the low-end in any room.
Specially tailored active electronics bring out the Rapture’s unique tonal range. Separate bass and treble boost/cut knobs and an active volume control provide complete flexibility in shaping
the sound. A mid-cut switch accentuates the Rapture bass’ gut shaking sub-bottom while emphasizing high-end clarity and growl and delivering vintage punch with an extra wide attack.
The Rapture and Rapture 2000 J2 & PJ are all active and include master volume, pick up pan, and individual active bass and treble boost/cut controls.
We’re in no hurry to finish an instrument
We finish each Pedulla instrument the same way: Carefully, and by hand. Finishing is one of the most demanding and skilled jobs in guitar making and can account for a large part of the budget
and headaches in any guitar factory. The process involves many steps: preparation, staining, sealing, tinting or sunbursting, and top coating. Our choice for top coat is polyester, chosen for
it’s durability and depth of gloss. It is sanded and buffed to a deep and lustrous gloss. For a different look and feel, the ET and bolt-on necks are satin finished, using oil and sealers and a
catalyst polyurethane for topcoats, giving the ET the “oil” finish feel and look, while offering the protection of a hard finish. Both topcoats offer a superior barrier whereas plain oils and lacquer
offer virtually no protection against moisture.
We offer the basses in a full array of striking colors:
Natural, Light Gold, Gold, Amber, Amber Sunburst, Cherry, Cherry Sunburst, Vintage Cherry,
Vintage Cherry Sunburst, Tobacco Sunburst, Peacock Blue, Arctic Night, Rose, Emerald Green, Violet, and Green Blue Sunburst. Solid colors are Black and Candy colors: Red, Teal, Purple, Blue and Green.
A note about protecting your bass: The Pedulla case is made to hold the instrument without placing tension on the neck or allowing the instrument to move around during transport. While
the case adds slightly to the overall price of the bass, refinishing, refretting, or replacing can be more costly.
We cannot warranty instruments that are not kept in a Pedulla case. We therefore strongly
recommend one.
Before the test, read these crib notes
When testing a Pedulla bass at a dealer for the first time, there are a few important things to
remember: The first and most important, is to play it through a quality amp and cabinet. Why? Companies that make less expensive basses which produce only a part of the full tonal spectrum,
also have been known to offer amps and cabinets manufactured around the same limited response parameters. Through such a rig, any Pedulla bass costing several thousand dollars can
sound a lot like a bass that costs several hundred. Remember: Our basses are of a quality that can be recorded directly from a studio board. They deserve to be played through a system that
will enhance, not limit, your sound.
Another thing to look for is the way the neck has been adjusted. We take great care in adjusting
the bass properly before it leaves our factory, but occasionally we’ll ship an instrument from here in the Northeast to a more humid or dryer climate. In transit, the change in humidity will cause
the fingerboard to take on or give off moisture, therefore changing the action. While this is normal, it does make it necessary for the dealer to make a truss rod adjustment after the bas
settles in to a new environment and before the instrument is played. If a bass is hard to play, uncomfortable, or gives off a buzzing, simply ask your dealer to adjust the neck. We supply a
very detailed Owners Manual and special truss rod wrench with every instrument. ALL Pedulla basses will play like a dream if they are adjusted properly.
One other thing: Play a Pedulla bass both seated and with a Pedulla strap (which is wide, soft
and padded). This will better help you understand the way our basses balance and feel when played in an actual studio or performance situation.
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