Atlansia Breeze bass

[uwe]

I want one when I grow up.

Vintage-Robbie really is a changed man since that fateful night when my Transformers 20/20



raped him on my office table. I should have done something, but it all seemed very consensual to me. And then being Dutch indicates a liberal outlook on life.

I've heard of (and seen in articles, never in real) Atlansia basses before - they are regualrly featured in German bass mags as not of this earth but cool. They are supposed to sound good too (and of course they are excellently made), if hi-fi'sh, but I guess you don't want to buy a bass like that and then have it sound like a P or an EB-0.

There is something Manga about them, but I like Japanese design and find that design-language infinitely preferable to another relic-vintage-Fender-wanna-be from a banzai-boutique maker. Everybody derided the Japanese as copycats in the 70ies in the pre lawsuit-era, but I find that they have really developed their own design style eschewing obvious classic model iinfluences even with their rank and file stuff, not just with unicorns like the Atlansias. Prefer them to the dreaded Ritter basses too.

[mc2NY]

I think Mr. Hayashi, who runs Atlansia, is a genius. I first met him in 1991, while writing a feature on innovative builders. A real humble, artsy guy who comes up with all kinds of original designs. Holds a LOT of patents on hardware designs. He has an extensive in-house machine shop where he makes all his own hardware and pickups, etc.

I think he was the first guy to make the single string bridges that you see on fanned fret style basses.
I love his round individual string pickups. The guy definitely thinks outside the box.

I've played some of his basses. Really like his Pegasus modul, which looks a lot like the one you posted but was introduced in 1991. The girl who played bass in The Family Stand back in the 90s used an Atlansia. My guitarist, Ronni Crooks and she had a side project, where I saw it.

I've only ever seen a couple of his basses for sale used. A few have popped up in the U.S. at LowEnd.com for sale used.

He also makes a really cool 1- and 2-string bass.

He always struck me as sort of Japan's Phil Kubicki, making ergonomic unusual designs and coming up with different ideas.

[Basvarken]

Vintage-Robbie really is a changed man since that fateful night when my Transformers 20/20

Well, not really. I've always liked a design that's well thought of.
And I've always liked things that are different (music, bass guitars, cars, etc)
The Atlansia Breeze Bass is both.

So, double plus good   

[Chris P.]

Don't grow up, Rob! It's a trap!

Dave: Haha, true! But I guess the Buzzard is still quite a 'normal' bass if you compare it to this bass where everything is different. Four in a row tuners, normal nut, a neck through. More a strange shaped Explorer with some Tbird features. 

[uwe]

[Chris P.]

 

One of my favourite insults

[Dave W]

Nice image! 
 
Who else besides Uwe would ever think of using the term to describe a Warwick-loving Dutchman!

[uwe]

One day,  they will uncover the sneaky audio manipulation software Warwick uses to have all those good reviews of their instruments!  It's endemic ...

[Chris P.]

Besides the Buzzard and Stryker, there aren't a lot of Warwicks I really like. Active, harsh sounding. I'm not a fan of the looks of the Thumb and Corvette. Most of them look too small on me. I bought a Streamer CV, liked it for a while, but it wasn't my bass. Until I got a Streamer $$. Light, great feeling wenge neck. I ripped the battery out of it so I plat it in passive mode. Mostly with both pickups open. It sounds huge, warm, open and never muddy. The parallel mode sounds great with piano and the series mode with guitars This really is one of the best basses I've ever played And curious about the cheaper Clayton bass. The Streamer with blocks and split P.

Ow and I'm even further into the dark side: I found a NEW Fortress in a Dutch shop. A German one. P/J/ It was there since '96 or '97 (it arrives one of these days so I can check the S/N. So it's in a shop since almost 20 years.... Bought it for half the price of a new classic series Squier:)

[Dave W]

That sounds like a great deal, Chris. As long as there aren't any major issues, you can always recover your investment if you don't like it.

[uwe]

I did like the Fortress shape. The bass with the most phallic horn ever. 

[Basvarken]

This one isn't as aroused...

[uwe]

Indeed, it kind of limps along ...

 Vorsprung durch Technik!



Whenever I played mine, comments like "Is this a Prince bass?" were unavoidable.

[amptech]

I did like the Fortress shape. The bass with the most phallic horn ever. 

But what a dull name, ´fortress´.

They should have a more proper name on it, like ´hornbringer´or something

[uwe]

Or something cute like "Roddy" perhaps?