Yancey Basses

12/09/2025

The first California built Yancey bass, for me, which I promptly took to Melbourne, Australia. I’m happy with this model and will make another next time I’m back in the USA.

12/10/2023

Starting to finally see the end-of-tunnel light regarding having all my tools together in the same state again (California now!). So I'm just about ready to restart making things. But much time has passed, and I'm starting to wonder why should I?

Since I started building 26 years ago the combination of easy access to information and cheaper automation tools (CNC, lasers, etc) has enabled and empowered more and more talented people to create and build instruments, which is awesome, but I feel the market is really saturated now. There are probably more guitars than humans?

I was making great basses in my 20's and felt pretty special and unique, but now at 45 definitely less so. But I do still have unique ideas to offer and a wide palette of skills to draw from. I can bring something to the table and intend to do so. For now though I'll leave you with relevant words from Mitch Hedberg:

"I want to climb a mountain—not so I can get to the top—cause I want to hang out at base camp. That seems f***ing fun as sh**. You sleep in a colorful tent, you grow a beard, you drink hot chocolate, you walk around, ‘Hey, you going to the top?’ . . . ‘Soon.’”

06/17/2022

If you have a bass I made I'd love to see pictures of it (and you if you're so inclined!) to see how ya'll are doing, plus it will help tide me over until I can get back to building.
I'm still in a hiatus phase, renovating the house, doing carpenter work for us instead of luthier work for you.

10/23/2020

By popular demand (FACT CHECK: no one demanded this) here's a video of me demoing and talking about the birdseye five string bass. It's my first video demo, but that should be obvious to anyone who watches this...

My first attempt at making a video demo of a bass I made that's for sale. I can see how practicing such a thing might be useful in the future.

10/22/2020

Some new-old-stock basses for sale!

Six String:
Quilted Sapele top over book-matched mahogany body, matching headstock
Five piece ash/wenge neck, wenge fingerboard, 24 frets, set-neck construction
34.5" scale length, 18.5mm string spacing
Yancey dual-coil pickups with fancy NVD (no volume drop) single coil/humbucker switch in wenge/mahogany wooden covers
Bartolini three-band preamp/EQ
Hipshot USA bridge/tuners
9.25lbs
$3000

Five String:
Birdseye maple over ash w/red accent line, matching headstock
Three piece rock maple neck, bloodwood fingerboard, 24 frets, bolt-on construction.
35" scale length, 19mm string spacing
Yancey wide-apeture inline humbucker pickups in bloodwood topped wooden covers
Nordstrand three-band preamp/EQ
Hipshot USA bridge/tuners
8.75lbs
$SOLD SOLD SOLD!
Try to find birdseye maple like this anymore! It's from a board I bought in 1998.

Four String:
Flamed maple over ash with dark cherry sunburst. iPhone cameras seem to have serious issues resolving reds - I can't get the figure to pop in pictures but it is indeed there
Flamed-maple neck, pau ferro fingerboard, 24 frets, bolt-on construction.
34" scale length, 19mm string spacing
Yancey dual coil pickups with NVD (no-volume-drop) single coil/humbucker switch.
Nordstrand three band preamp/EQ
Hipshot USA bridge/tuners
7.25lbs
$2400

I'll try to get a video with sound clips up before too long. My single coil/humbucker switch is pretty rad. Unlike a lot of coil switching systems there's no volume difference between the two, and it's a passive system so works with or without the preamp engaged.

10/02/2020

Reviving some new-old-stock basses I meant to complete and sell ages ago but never did... more soon!

08/08/2020

New amp is coming along nicely. It’s a mess right now, but what isn’t these days?

01/02/2020

New Year, new bass. Medium 32” scale. Two sets in and I like it so far.

11/04/2019

Prototyping a new thing! It’s a 32” scale guy. I’m having fun.

01/15/2019

Uh oh, I guess I'm going to learn to solder surface mount components now? Prototype PCBs ordered! Coming soon - an active blend control/preamp with independent adjustable gain for each pickup.

08/29/2017

Reconing my 1998 Eden 410XLT speakers.

08/29/2017

One down, three to go!