The Laurus Quasar T-900 XRS is a hand-crafted bass guitar which synthesises the best aspects of playability, design and sonic qualities.
Construction/Sustain
The neck-through construction and the angle made by the headstock, that works as an anchor for the strings which are fine tuned by the solid brass custom bridge, allow this 34 inch scale bass to achieve just the right string tension, very much appreciated on the low B string, that many bass manufacturers try to obtain with a 34.5 or 35 inches scale neck. All the strings feel even throughout the whole instrument, and the adjustable brass nut allows adjustment to the right height for each string according to the different tastes and playing styles.
The never ending sustain is also increased by the tonal chambers (located in between the pickups and on the top wing) and the phenolic resin fretboard, which has a more consistent density than wood and leaves NO dead spots on the fretboard.
The top woods add some colour to the instrument, bright and sharp with ash, slightly mellower with maple and deeper and defined with rosewood and olive tree.
Sonic-wise, the medium thin frets and the phenolic resin chosen for the fretboard give extreme clarity and focus to each note, on each string and in any position, enabling a piano-like fidelity. It is unbelievable how clear and precise an E fretted at the 17th fret of the B string resonates, as well as almost no differences perceivable when comparing the open E to the fretted E at the 5th fret on the B string.
In a recording studio environment this bass offers a wide and solid low end spectrum plus it is versatile and sonically rich with harmonics. On stage it provides the cutting-through qualities and a beautiful voice to support all styles.
The active Electronic provided by Noll, combined with the Norstrand pickups, match perfectly the essence of the instrument, which is meant to reproduce the performance in the most accurate way, as it does not affect the timbre of the wood anyhow. In fact when switching from active to passive mode with a flat EQ, by pulling the push-pull volume knob, no differences are perceived, and by gently boosting the +/- 15db EQ controls it brings forward the relevant set of frequencies without affecting the others.
The playability is another key element of Laurus basses, as comfortable instruments always go along with good playing. The neck behind the 14″ radius fretboard, has been studied and developed on the form of the hand and its asymmetric shape is the result of this study. This creates a consistency, so in any place on the neck there is always the same ‘amount’ of wood in your hand.
Strapped on, the bass balances perfectly and the slim mahogany Kaya body allows your back to last easily a three hour show. Also the high/low strap buttons allow adjustment to not only the height, but also the inclination of the whole bass against the player’s body. Anchoring the strap on the lower button keeps the bass straight and perpendicular, and does not force the wrist to do an extra rotation when the bass is tilted.
The Laurus Quasar T-900 XRS comes with a tough custom deluxe gig bag and because of the small headstock, the length of the instrument within the case is just 113 cm and it will easily fit city car booths and overhead lockers.
Because of its craft and the price, the Laurus is definitely not for a neophyte bassist, it addresses all needs of a professional who expects a reliable and trusty tool to express his/her love for music.
“Whoever you meet can feel the beauty of your soul:
a Laurus bass will also make its voice heard”
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More information in the words of the maker…
The pleasure of a comfortable fretboard and a dynamically rich sound to emphasise every accent and inflection. The exotic wood used, as well as the seasoning and varnishing, provide excellent acoustics. The neck, making up the central part of the body (neckthru body), consists of 5 to 7 sections of highly selected types of wood, guaranteeing absolute non-deformability.
Strengthened by an inner graphite frame, Laurus necks are extremely easy to hold thanks to their craftwork and particular asymmetrical moulding. They also incorporate a new double-acting truss-rod system, allowing millimetric adjustment, both in convexity and concavity.
The electronic components fitted to Laurus bass guitars are always top quality, in order to faithfully reproduce all the sustain and the series of harmonics created by the instrument, with great timbre versatility of a high professional level. The absence of background noise and output impedance provide an excellent signal for amplifiers, mixers and recording.
Available with 4, 5 and 6 strings, fretted or fretless.
The two communicating tone chambers housed inside the body are intended to enhance mid and treble-mid frequencies, and to make the instrument increasingly sensitive to vibration, remarkably speeding up the sustain attack.
Types of wood used for the body
Kaya-mahogany with tone chamber and decorative top in Olive/Santos rosewood/European flamed maple
Neck
laminate, 5 to 7 alternate sections in maple and purpleheart wood, with an exclusive asymmetrical shape designed from a hand mould – extraordinary comfort!
Headstock slotted-in with lockpin fastening according to the best criteria of classic stringed instrument making – greater solidity
Scale 34”
Fretboard phenolic resin – greater compactness, better sustain, less humidity absorption, increased life of string grooves, eliminates dead notes
Machine head tuners
End of body with high-precision tuning. Headstock locking allowing maximum transmission speed by the strings (all types of strings can be used)
Nut in brass, with individual string adjustment
Bridge with independent brass saddles in one piece
Pick up Nordstrand Humbuker (single-coil, T 900 SC version)
Tone Controls
Noll 3-way (bass – mid – treble) preamplifier triggered at +/- 15dB, pushpull active/passive general volume, pick-up balance. 9-18 volt power supply. Fretless bass guitars are fitted with a preamplifier with semi-parametric mid frequencies.
Varnishing Handicraft “waxed” polyurethane varnishing