1990s Godin L.R. Baggs Fretless Bass — Ebony

A rather lovely and increasingly hard-to-find early ’90s Godin L.R. Baggs Fretless Bass, made in Canada and finished in Ebony.

Condition is very good overall, with some chips and dings from its years of use, but nothing nasty or anything that detracts from what is a seriously cool and unusual instrument. The neck is excellent, the setup is great and it plays beautifully. As with any good fretless, the setup makes all the difference, and this one is playing exactly as it should.

These early Godin L.R. Baggs basses are quite something. Built in Canada around a semi-acoustic, chambered-body concept, they feature a spruce top, maple neck and ebony fretless fingerboard. The design was developed to produce a genuinely acoustic character while remaining practical as an amplified instrument.

The specification includes a 34" scale, 16" fingerboard radius, approximately 1½" nut width and the original L.R. Baggs electronics.

The tone is the real attraction here — warm, woody, open and incredibly organic, with a lovely rounded low end and that slightly vocal quality that makes a good fretless so addictive. There is plenty of definition when you dig in, but it never loses the acoustic character of the instrument.

The L.R. Baggs system really suits the design, retaining plenty of the natural resonance while giving you the clarity and authority needed when plugged in. It has that famous Godin acoustic-electric bass sound: rich, warm and woody, with a natural response that sits beautifully in a mix.

This is one of those instruments that sounds and feels quite unlike a conventional electric bass. The fretless ebony board gives it a smooth, singing response, while the chambered construction adds an airiness and complexity to the note that is very difficult to replicate with a standard solid-body bass.

The Canadian build quality is excellent and these early instruments have developed a real following for good reason.

A really interesting piece of early Godin history and a fantastic-sounding fretless for anyone after something genuinely different.

It comes with a well-used and slightly tatty hard case.

Please study the photographs carefully as they form part of the description.

Godin L.R Baggs Acoustibass Fretless 1990s Sunburst