Gear Reviews
Interview with Lior Koren of LK Straps
Get to know Lior Koren of LK Straps…
I am always on the hunt for new and interesting pedals, amps, books, and accessories. Recently I saw a picture of a spray-painted bass strap that looked fantastic and I wanted to find out more about it.
The straps are created, one of a kind, in Brooklyn, and I tracked down the owner of LK Straps, Lior Koren, and asked him if he would send me a strap to review. I received it and was very impressed! It was both easy on the eyes and easy on the back. Created with repurposed leather, it is soft and durable.
I sat down with the owner and here is a brief interview of that meeting.
What got you interested in creating straps?
When I was 17 years old, I bought a 1979 Fender Precision bass that weighed almost 13 lbs. It sounded incredible but was way too heavy for me to play with on stage. My grandfather used to work in leather so having a few old leather scraps laying around wasn’t uncommon.
I took two pieces and glued them together the best I could to create a makeshift strap. The second I wore it with my bass I was shocked to see how it completely took the weight out of my bass, allowing me to play the instrument comfortably.
A few days later at a local rehearsal studio, I ran into a bass player friend of mine and he saw the strap I made and said to me, “Cool strap! where did you get it”? I replied that I actually made it myself, so he asked me to make him one and that’s how it all began.
What is repurposed leather and where do you find it?
To repurpose something is to take material from an item and reuse it to create something new. I get my leather only from secondhand goods, such as old couches, chairs, and vintage clothing. My leather is never sourced directly from tanneries or other leather manufacturers.
Do you have different widths and lengths?
Yes absolutely. LK Straps is a 100% custom made leather strap company. Every customer has absolute freedom to customize their strap to match their instrument, choosing the length, width, color of the thread, and color of the LK logo, thus giving every strap a complete one-of-a-kind look; If you can imagine it, I can make it happen.
You have an interesting roster of artists endorsing your straps… what do you attribute it to?
I am truly grateful for every single person that decides to be part of our beautiful and growing LK Straps family. I’d like to believe that the wide variety of artists who endorse LK Straps do so because of my unique ability to provide such an individualized product that feels like an extension of their instrument and self, which creates room for every artist to truly feel connected to the brand.
Each strap is 100% custom-made and personalized, and I work with every musician to design exactly what they’re looking for in a strap, both aesthetically and in feel. Additionally, building a personal relationship with each person I make a strap for is a top priority. I feel that the warm, considerate, and welcoming treatment given to every person upon beginning their ordering process to receiving their strap is definitely something that draws so many different kinds of people to LK Straps.
You have a variety of designs… could you tell us about them and how you do them?
I have a variety of designs but I feel my two signature looks are the Distressed series and the Spray Paint series. As an artist, I’m intrigued and fascinated by color combinations, different textures, and I am always looking for ways to improve and stretch the limits of creation. To me, making a strap is making art. Every strap is completely hand-made and customized for every artist, so naturally, each strap is unique and different, from the type of leather and color combination to the size, shape, and feel.
Finding the perfect match for each customer’s instrument is truly a privilege. Some artists have really unique instruments and creating a strap for them always keeps me on my toes. What really makes things interesting is that you can mix and blend between different designs, which unleashes endless possibilities for strap designs.
When you go to my website, you’ll find a few different categories:
- Solid Colors
- Solid colors with paint splatter
- Distressed series
- Spray Paint series
- Artist models
- Quarantine series
- Limited Edition series
The Solid Colors Series offers a wide variety of solid color options from the more traditional colors like black, brown and white, to more popping colors like green, blue, orange, red, teal, yellow, silver and many more.
The Solid colors with paint splatter offer a solid color of your choosing topped with a beautiful and soft color splatter. I find that this series works best for artists who want a little “pop” to their strap. It’s amazing what a difference a few splashes of paint can make!
The Distressed series is one of the most desired models I offer. Like I said before, all the leather I use is repurposed leather, which mainly comes from 30+ year old couches. It’s truly fascinating to strip a couch and see how every piece of leather looks and feels different from the other. The back part of the couch is almost always in perfect condition, with no wear, scratches, or dents on it. The sides usually have some light signs of use, and depending on the age and use of the couch itself, the cushions (where people sit and lay down) have the most distressed look. A couch can tell a lot about its owner.
The Spray Paint series is where things get real crazy! Talk about unique – the options are absolutely limitless. In this series, you can choose any color combination you dream of and I will make it fit your instrument like nothing you’ve ever seen. I usually ask the artist to send me a picture of their instrument and a picture of them playing live. Working with paint is very personal and I feel that because of that, every strap contains the energy and vibe of its owner. Mixing colors and seeing how every strap comes out slightly different from the next never stops to amaze me. One artist can ask for a blue, yellow, gold and black color combination and the other blue, yellow, gold, black and pink and those straps won’t even be close to looking alike.
Finding the perfect strap can be difficult sometimes and is always a dialogue between the artist and myself. It’s a beautiful process, where we inspire each other to create the vision we both see.
The Artist models: Endorsed artists, that usually own a number of straps, have the option of creating their own Artist Model, Like Michael League from Snarky Puppy, Tim Lefebvre, Eric Fortaleza, Richard Bona, Felix Pastorius and many more.
Quarantine series: This series was my wife’s brilliant idea. Leah has a beautiful and unique perspective into the world of colors, which is extremely useful. Like most artists, sometimes I get stuck with a vision I’m trying to translate into a strap design, and in those moments, having another set of eyes can really be helpful. We came up with the names with her siblings and started to work.
The beautiful thing about this series is the unique names of the straps like “Orange You Glad I washed My Hands?” and ” Not Just The Flu Blue”, as well as the more affordable price tag on these straps during the pandemic. We’re hoping this has brought a little laughter and financial ease to our dear customers.
The Limited Edition series: Most of the leather colors I get are traditional like black, and all shades of brown, but every now and then I run across unique leather colors and textures that usually were created by many years of use, a thing that you simply cannot replicate by any means. This is where the Limited Edition comes in, getting a truly one of a kind strap with texture and color you will never see anywhere else.
What makes these LK Straps so comfortable?
There are many things that make my straps comfortable the way they are, but I think the main thing is the quality and accurate combination of the leather I’m using.
I’ve been working for a long time to find the perfect formula that delivers a slick and unique look that feels sturdy but also soft as butter on your shoulders. Unfortunately, I find that most artists really underestimate the importance and essence of having a good solid strap. I’ve talked to the biggest bass players in the world that perform every single night and when asking them, “So how do you like your strap? Is it comfortable?”, most of them answer that they either hate their strap and that it gives them a terrible backache or sometimes they just admit to never really caring about it and that’s absurd to me.
People invest a lot of money in expensive instruments and when it comes to a strap, some of them are oblivious to the fact that their nylon strap causes them damage every time they wear it. After trying my straps, the most common reaction is the disbelief of how light-weight their instrument feels now. Having the right balance is essential and critical for every musician of every age.
When you get a leather strap, it usually feels stiff and it takes a few years of sweat and frequently performing with it, bending, molding and shaping it to fit you perfectly, My straps give you the “broken in” feeling the second you wear them. Once you try LK Straps, you simply can’t wear anything else.
On your website, you say that you have played all over the world. Can you share some of your credits?
I’ve been a professional bass player for about 15 years. and am originally from Israel, which is where my music career started. I’ve been living in the US for the past 8 years touring with various groups around the country.
Some well-known Israeli artists who I’ve played with include Dudu Tassa, A-WA, Shiri Maimon, Mosh Ben-Ari and many others. I also write and perform my original music under my stage name, LyO. Currently, I am mixing my second EP called “Terms Of Conditions”, stay tuned for the release date.
I am thrilled with LK Straps and can recommend them highly to anyone interested in a custom, one of a kind strap.
Two things… you can go to the website and pick out any of the straps that Lior has available or you can have him make one to your exact specifications and colors.
One of my basses has DR Pink Neon strings on it and I want a spray-painted strap with a neon pink format. I will be interested in seeing what Lior comes up with.
Visit online at lkstraps.com
David C Gross has been the bassist for a lot of folks. He has written 14 bass books and 3 instructional videos, hosts “The Notes From An Artist Radio Show” on www.cygnusradio.com Monday nights 8 PM EDT, and the “Notes From An Artist” podcast available on iTunes, Spotify and all podcast platforms.
NFAA brings you behind the scenes with individuals who forged a timeless musical canon – spanning rock, jazz, funk, blues, folk, country, and permutations thereof. Listen to stories and anecdotes hitherto untold and relive more than a few chronicles that have become lore with a fresh vision. It’s the soundtrack of our lives. Celebrate the past, live in the present, and anticipate the future – take Notes From An Artist
You can contact David @ www.thebassguitarchannel.com/contact for more information regarding his online lessons and world-renown correspondence course.
Gear
New Joe Dart Bass From Sterling By Music Man
Sterling by Music Man introduces the Joe Dart Artist Series Bass (“Joe Dart”), named after and designed in collaboration with the celebrated Vulfpeck bassist.
Above photo credit: JORDAN THIBEAUX
This highly-anticipated model marks the debut of the Dart bass in the Sterling by Music Man lineup, paying homage to the Ernie Ball Music Man original that all funk players know and love. The bass embodies many of the original model’s distinctive features, from its iconic minimalist design to the passive electronics.
The design process prioritized reliability, playability, and accessibility at the forefront. Constructed from the timeless Sterling body, the Dart features a slightly smaller neck profile, offering a clean tone within a comfortable package. The body is crafted from soft maple wood for clarity and warmth while the natural finish emphasizes the simple yet unique look.
Engineered for straightforward performance, this passive bass features a ceramic humbucking bridge pickup and a single ‘toaster’ knob for volume control. Reliable with a classic tone, it’s perfect for playing in the pocket. The Dart is strung with the all-new Ernie Ball Stainless Steel Flatwound Electric Bass Strings for the smoothest feel and a mellow sound.
The Sterling by Music Man Joe Dart Bass is a special “Timed Edition” release, exclusively available for order on the Sterling by Music Man website for just one month. Each bass is made to order, with the window closing on May 31st and shipping starting in November. A dedicated countdown timer will indicate the remaining time for purchase on the product page. Additionally, the back of the headstock will be marked with a “2024 Crop” stamp to commemorate the harvest year for this special, one-of-a-kind release.
The Joe Dart Bass is priced at $399.99 (MAP) and can be ordered globally at https://sterlingbymusicman.com/products/joe-dart.
To learn more about Joe Dart, visit the official Vulfpeck artist site here https://www.vulfpeck.com/.
Gear Reviews
The Frank Brocklehurst 6-String Fretless Bass Build
A few months ago, my Ken Bebensee 6-string fretted bass needed some TLC. You know, the one rocking those Pink Neon strings! I scoured my Connecticut neighborhood for a top-notch luthier and got pointed to Frank Brocklehurst, F Brock Music. He swung by my place, scooped up the bass, and boom, returned it the next day, good as new. Not only that, he showed up with a custom 5-string fretted bass that blew me away. I couldn’t resist asking if he could whip up a 6-string fretless for me.
Alright, let’s break down the process here. We’ve got our raw materials: Mahogany, Maple, and Holly. Fun fact – the Mahogany and Maple have been chilling in the wood vault for a solid 13 years. Frank is serious about his wood; they buy it, stash it away, and keep an eye on it to make sure it’s stable.
First up, they’re tackling the Mahogany. Frank glues it together, then lets it sit for a few days to let everything settle and the glue to fully dry. After that, it’s onto the thickness planer and sander to get it nice and flat for the CNC machine. The CNC machine’s the real star here – it’s gonna carve out the body chambers and volume control cavity like a pro.
While the Mahogany’s doing its thing, Frank goes onto the neck core. Three pieces of quartersawn maple are coming together for this bad boy. Quartersawn means the grain’s going vertical. He is also sneaking in some graphite rods under the fingerboard for stability and to avoid any dead spots. The truss rod is going to be two-way adjustable, and the CNC machine’s doing its magic to make sure everything’s just right.
Now, onto the design phase. Frank uses CAD software to plan out the body shape, neck pocket, chambering, and those cool f-holes. I had this idea for trapezoid F-holes, just to do something different. The CAD software also helps us map out the neck shape, graphite channels, and truss-rod channel with pinpoint accuracy.
Once everything’s planned out, it’s CNC time again. Frank cuts out the body outline, neck pocket, and the trapezoid F-holes. Then it’s a mix of hand sanding and power tools to get that neck just how we like it. Oh, and those f holes? We’re going for trapezoids of different sizes – gotta keep things interesting.
Next step: gluing that neck into the pocket with some old-school hide glue. It’s got great tonal transfer and can be taken apart later if needed. Then it’s onto hand-carving that neck-body transition.
For the custom-made bridge, Frank uses brass for definition and Ebony for tonal transfer and that warm, woody sound.
BTW, for tunes, Frank went with Hipshot Ultralights with a D Tuner on the low B. This way I can drop to a low A which is a wonderful tone particularly if you are doing any demolition around your house!
Now it’s time for the side dots. Typically, on most basses, these dots sit right in the middle of the frets. But with this bass, they’re placed around the 1st, 3rd, 5th, 7th, 9th, and 12th frets.
Frank’s got his pickup hookup. Since the pickup he was building wasn’t ready, he popped in a Nordstrand blade to give it a whirl.
It sounded good, but I was itching for that single-coil vibe! And speaking of pickups, Frank showed me the Holly cover he was cutting to match, along with all the pink wire – talk about attention to detail!
A couple of things, while it is important for me to go passive, it is equally important for me to just go with a volume knob. Tone knobs are really just low-pass filters and the less in the way of a pure sound for me, the better.
Finally, it’s string time! As usual, I went for the DR Pink Neon strings. Hey, I even have matching pink Cons…Both low tops and high!
Once we’ve got everything tuned up and settled, we’ll give it a day or two and then tweak that truss rod as needed. And voila, we’ve got ourselves a custom-made bass ready to rock and roll.
I want to thank Frank Brocklehurst for creating this 6 string beast for me.
Gear Reviews
Review Transcript: BITE Custom Bass – The Black Knight PP Bass
This is a written transcript of our video review of the BITE Custom Bass Black Knight PP Bass originally published on March 4, 2024
BITE Custom Bass – The Black Knight PP Bass Review…
Bass Musician Magazine did a review on a Steampunk bass from BITE Guitars about three years ago, it was an amazing instrument, and we were very impressed. Now we’re happy to bring you another BITE bass, the Black Knight PP.
Everybody needs a P-type bass, it’s the standard of bass. If you’re recording, they want you to have a P bass. So why not have something that gives you a little more by having two instead of one P pickup. That’s the idea of this bass, it’s the first thing that leaps out: the double P pickup configuration.
Installing two of their 1000 millivolt split-coil pickups, BITE then went one step further and wired them up in a 4-way parallel/series circuit, a look at the controls reveal a 4-way rotary selector:
The first position, marked “B”, gives you the bridge pickup by itself.
The second position, marked “P”, gives you the bridge and neck pickups in parallel mode, that’s the traditional J-type circuit, it reduces output due to the physical law of parallel circuits.
Position number 3 is marked “N”, it gives you the neck pickup by itself.
And finally, number 4, marked “S”, gives your bridge and neck in a series (humbucking) mode which adds up resistances and thus boosts output. The other two controls are master volume and master tone.
What’s more, like every BITE bass, this one also has a reinforced headstock heel designed to give it extra output and sustain. The BITE website features a graph and explanation of what they have done to the heel, as compared to traditional headstocks.
A look at the body reveals a beautiful Black Blast body finish and underneath that we have alder wood. The bass has a matching headstock with a 4-in-line tuner setup and the traditional bite out of it, so everybody will know what kind of bass you’re playing. The pickguard is 3-ply black, the neck is vintage tinted hard maple and it has a satin speed finish at the back which keeps your thumb from sticking.
On top of that, there’s a clear-coated roasted black locust fretboard with black blocks marking the frets. The nut is a black Graph Tec nut, we’ve got diamond dome control knobs, and the tuners are lightweight compacts with cloverleaf buttons and a 1:17 ratio precision gear. The bridge is a Gotoh brass bridge with 19-millimeter string spacing.
Overall measurements: we’ve got a standard 34″ scale, a 1.65″ width nut and a C neck profile. This bass weighs 8.2 pounds, or 3,7 kilograms for our metric friends, and it uses standard 18% nickel silver frets.
Taking a closer look at the sound, this bass is a joy to play. The BITE proprietary 1000 millivolt pickups deliver an extraordinary amount of output which is surprising considering this is a passive instrument. You may even want to set your amp to active mode because of all of the juice you’re getting out of this guy.
The tonal possibilities are very versatile, it’s a straight P if you want but also much more with those different arrangements of the circuitry. So why have multiple basses when you’ve got one that can give you your basic P plus a lot more?
To sum it up, the Black Knight PP is an amazing instrument. The attention to detail that BITE puts into their basses is second to none. This bass is also amazingly balanced and gorgeous to hold and feel with the satin neck finish.
For more information, visit online at bite.guitars/product/black-knight-pp
Bass Videos
Reviews: Phil Jones Bass Compact Plus 450 and Bass Engine 17
Phil Jones Bass Compact Plus 450 and Bass Engine 17 Reviews…
In this issue, we take an in-depth look at two new amps from Phil Jones Bass, the Compact Plus 450 and Bass Engine 17.
For more information, visit online at pjbworld.com
Bass Videos
Video Review: BITE Custom Bass – The Black Knight PP Bass
BITE Custom Bass – The Black Knight PP Bass Review…
I am sure many of you saw my review of the Snobby Steampunk Bass from BITE Guitars back in February of 2021 and will remember what a remarkable bass it was. BITE has been building custom basses since 2019 and has a unique custom approach where you can configure your bass to your specs.
I am very excited to have another Bass From BITE Guitars in my hands, The Black Knight PP Bass!
The need for a P-Bass in one’s armamentarium is pretty standard for bass players and I recall chatting about this with Marty O’Brien about a year ago. It turns out that Marty and BITE Guitars got together and came up with this excellent configuration that gives you a P-Bass with a whole lot more. Marty even played his own Black Knight PP bass at the 2024 NAMM show. You can see his review here.
Join me as I take an in-depth look at this very cool instrument and share all the details.
Here is The Black Knight Bass from BITE Guitars!
For more information, visit online at bite.guitars/product/black-knight-pp