New Headless Multiscale Zeus Basses from Kiesel

[LordCashew]

4 String: https://www.kieselguitars.com/catalog/guitars/zbm4

5 String: https://www.kieselguitars.com/catalog/guitars/zbm5

6 String: https://www.kieselguitars.com/catalog/guitars/zbm6

The scale on the low end is only 35", but it's still cool to see this kind of progress. As always, Kiesel aesthetics are a bit much for me, but I respect the execution on these.

 

[lewis]

4 String: https://www.kieselguitars.com/catalog/guitars/zbm4

5 String: https://www.kieselguitars.com/catalog/guitars/zbm5

6 String: https://www.kieselguitars.com/catalog/guitars/zbm6

The scale on the low end is only 35", but it's still cool to see this kind of progress. As always, Kiesel aesthetics are a bit much for me, but I respect the execution on these.

That Purple one kind of reminds me of the style of an Aristides.
I really like that. Pickups getting painted works nice too

 

[KnightBrolaire]

the colorshift purple one is really cool. I hate the fade though. Going from purple with an abrupt transition into turquoise triggers me. It would have made more sense to do purple to darker blue to turquoise, or just eschew the turquoise altogether.

 

[r3tr0sp3ct1v3]

That Purple one kind of reminds me of the style of an Aristides.
I really like that. Pickups getting painted works nice too

I think they charge like 200 to paint the pickups and non returnable

 

[Grand Moff Tim]

35"? Swing and a miss. I guess it's fine if they're just trying to sell to people who only want a multiscale because they're trendy right now, but I doubt many bassists who actually really want the full benefits of a multiscale are going to jump at a 35" B.

 

[MikeNeal]

I've never been a fan of kiesel, but this I like.

 

[LordCashew]

35"? Swing and a miss. I guess it's fine if they're just trying to sell to people who only want a multiscale because they're trendy right now, but I doubt many bassists who actually really want the full benefits of a multiscale are going to jump at a 35" B.

Right? I don't get it either. I honestly think the djent/whateverthetrendysubgenreiscallednow crowd would be all over a 37" Kiesel. According to other posters, Jeff wants customers to be able to use standard strings. Doesn't seem to be holding Dingwall back, though.

 

[ICSvortex]

Is it just me or is there a big chunk missing from the fretboard at the 20th fret?

 

[jemfloral]

Is it just me or is there a big chunk missing from the fretboard at the 20th fret?

It's hard to see from that angle, but Kiesel is now also putting bevels on the fretboard. Jeff said it gives better access to the 24th fret on the lowest string.

 

[I play music]

Is it just me or is there a big chunk missing from the fretboard at the 20th fret?

Looks like very bad photoshop editing to me. Parts of the body are also missing, for example on the lower horn...

 

[LordCashew]

Looks like very bad photoshop editing to me. Parts of the body are also missing, for example on the lower horn...

Yeah, the string looks super weird around the 20th fret too.

 

[Blasphemer]

Huh. I really hate it as a guitar, but it really works for me as a bass...

Also, I'm pretty sure the chunk out of the fretboard is because they used the iphone's portrait mode to take the picture. I've seen it do similar things before, although I could be wrong

 

[Masoo2]

Is it just me or is there a big chunk missing from the fretboard at the 20th fret?

iOS portrait mode or similar likely

I actually really dig that 6 string one, I'm fine with a 35 inch low end as long as the pickups work well

For some reason my experience with Music Man humbuckers has been very bad (Stingray 5 HH)

It is surprising that they haven't went longer than 35.5 though, a readily available ~$1100 MIA 34-37 would sell like hotcakes

 

[spudmunkey]

For what it's worth, I've heard a fair number of folks say they are "MM style" pickups in appearance only.

 

[MaxOfMetal]

For what it's worth, I've heard a fair number of folks say they are "MM style" pickups in appearance only.

That's probably because, while configured the same as MM style pickups, the magnets and windings are completely different, not to mention positioning as well.

I had these same pickups in an XB6 and LB5. Those basses sounded nothing like my StingRays. Not that that's a bad thing, they were good sounding basses.

 

[GunpointMetal]

35"? Swing and a miss. I guess it's fine if they're just trying to sell to people who only want a multiscale because they're trendy right now, but I doubt many bassists who actually really want the full benefits of a multiscale are going to jump at a 35" B.

They're not gonna do anything to far outside normal scale lengths. Which sucks.

Is it just me or is there a big chunk missing from the fretboard at the 20th fret?

bad photoshop of whatever was behind that bass, is what it looks likes to me.

 

[stevexc]

35"? Swing and a miss. I guess it's fine if they're just trying to sell to people who only want a multiscale because they're trendy right now, but I doubt many bassists who actually really want the full benefits of a multiscale are going to jump at a 35" B.

don't care still want it

For serious though, 37" is just way too much for me to handle. 35" works perfectly, and 33.5-35 gives me (almost) a pretty even 40 pounds per string at C Standard with a standard .125 set.

 

[spudmunkey]

For historical context, their old "extended scale" XB75 bass was 35.25". For some reason a lot of people think it was 36". Mendela effect, perhaps?

That Purple one kind of reminds me of the style of an Aristides.
I really like that. Pickups getting painted works nice too

In case it isn't clear in the photo, that's actually a color-shifting metallic paint.

 

[DudeManBrother]

For historical context, their old "extended scale" XB75 bass was 35.25". For some reason a lot of people think it was 36". Mendela effect, perhaps?

This might sound crazy, but I swear to God, I grew up remembering their logo looking like it said “Carvin” and not “Kiesel”; like, WTF bro, what’s CERN really doing out there? Anyone else remember that?

 

[GenghisCoyne]

I feel like most of the people that think a bass should have longer than a 35 inch scale have never played a bass with a 36 inch scale. The first fret is like 4 inches wide.