Hand-Made Carbon Fiber with Advanced Technology
OB660 carbon fiber travel bass is hand-made with our proprietary blend of premium-grade pre-impregnated carbon fiber fabrics. The patented soundboard of our OB660 carbon bass features a unique cellular structure that creates a surprisingly woody and warm yet articulate tone. The entire travel bass is made from carbon fiber - including the neck, fingerboard, body, and bridge.
Comparison with Cheaper "Carbon" instruments
In contrast with cheaper injection-molded plastic instruments that contain a small percentage of carbon fiber (~5%), the OB660 features all carbon components and uses a blend of actual carbon fiber fabrics resulting in a woven carbon fiber content of 65-75% for body and neck construction. The benefit is a stronger structure that is more resilient to higher temperatures – an advantage for frequent commuters who want to leave their guitar in the trunk, or adventure travelers who encounter higher temperatures from a desert or rain forest. The higher carbon content also makes for a more resonant guitar with a substantially longer sustain. The neck of the OB660 carbon fiber travel bass has a dual-action truss rod for maximum adjustability, and because all the components are carbon fiber, the OB660 has no issues with components coming apart at higher temperatures.
Ergonomics
The OB660 carbon fiber travel bass is one of the most ergonomic acoustic guitars you’ll ever encounter.
The Manzer© wedge angles the guitar to allow the weight of your fretting arm to naturally add pressure to the fretboard, so it reduces stress on your wrist. The resulting angle also creates a more comfortable angle for your picking hand, thus alleviating shoulder strain and fatigue.
Bevels, Bevels, Bevels: The arm and rib bevels take the edge off, making this carbon fiber travel bass super comfy on your forearm and ribs.
Scoopaway: To maximize internal volume on the OB660 carbon fiber travel bass, we opted for a scooped cutaway that gives you comfortable access to the upper frets, but still helps maintain a similar internal volume to that of a non-cutaway travel bass.
Scale and Playability
The OB660 carbon travel bass features a 27 inch (685 mm) scale – similar to that of a Gibson Les Paul, which makes for good acoustic volume, yet with lower string tension and more comfortable fretting. The 1.75 inch (44 mm) nut and shallow C neck shape make it suitable for all sizes of hands.
Patented Removable Neck Design
Our improved mechanism not only offers a super-speedy assembly or removal of the neck in less than 20 seconds, but it also enables fine-tuning of the neck angle. This means you can assemble the guitar in less than a minute for lighter playing, and then change your action for heavy slapping with a simple twist of the knob on the back! This is a huge advantage for musicians who play multiple styles and need a variety of string setups.
Premium Appointments:
The OB660 collapsible carbon travel bass features premium appointments found in much higher-end guitars. We use 18:1 precision tuners, authentic bone nuts and saddles, ebony bridge pins, and D’addario® round-wound phosphor bronze strings help make for a traditional warm and balanced acoustic tone.
Tone
Tone was one of the main considerations when we designed the OB660 collapsible carbon fiber travel bass. The unidirectional carbon fiber top, mixed twill and proprietary layup blend of the back and sides, the offset soundhole, and even bridge, fretboard and appointment materials are all orchestrated to bring you an amazing full-sounding tone in an amazingly small and comfortable package. When amplified with our passive piezo pickup system plugged directly into a PA, the OB660 carbon travel bass sounds like a full sized acoustic bass – even without adjusting the EQ.
Electronics
We install our exclusive upgradeable JourneyTek™ proprietary passive piezo pickups in our OB660 collapsible carbon guitars. Engineered with high-output German made piezo elements, these are balanced and battery-free, and create a transparent representation of an amazing sounding travel bass. We’ve even had an artist accidentally submerge his OF660 carbon travel guitar in a canal for 3 hours, drain out the water, and perform an amplified live performance with the guitar that very same evening! Moreover, for bassists who need more control, we have a new active stereo bass pickup coming out soon!
The Travel Case
Our Patented BG001 Overhead™ collapsible travel bass backpack case brings your travel bass experience to a whole new level. The case features premium materials and fits exactly into carry-on dimensions of 22*14*9 inches (55.5*23*35.5 cm), and can accommodate multiple pedals, cables, laptops, tablets, and other accessories.
Once you travel with an Overhead™ collapsible carbon fiber travel bass, you’ll never settle for a budget travel bass again… and you might not settle for any other guitar either. ;)