Aquilina Shelby Chambre Acoustique 5 Custom (#011855) - natural

Handcrafted in France, the AQUILINA Shelby Chambre Acoustique 5 Custom 5-string solid body electric bass (#011855) is an exceptional instrument featuring an alder + mahogany body with an acoustic chamber under the bridge (poplar burl top), a set neck in Ash + Sycamore (34" scale), a rosewood fingerboard, a duo of Aguilar DCB pickups, a remarkable John East pre-amp and Hipshot hardware.
It's an award-winning bass at the 2013 NAMM Show, offering hybrid tones with a strong acoustic dimension. A bassist by trade, Sébastien Aquilina naturally turned to making this instrument. After graduating in 1998 from London Guild Hall University, then ITEMM (Institut technologique européen des métiers de la musique), he continued his apprenticeship with LAG, Gilles Pourtoy and Kopo Lutherie, before opening his own workshop in Rennes at the end of 2003. From 4 to 7 strings, Aquilina Basses stands out for its sublime creations for Richard Bona, Etienne Mbappé, Kevin Reveyrand, Pascal Celma, Chip Shearin and Edo Castro.
Thanks to his Shelby with acoustic chamber, Sébastien Aquilina is the only French luthier to have won the "Best of show" award, at the 2013 Namm Show. Each Aquilina model has been designed according to a specific sound signature, from the most traditional to the most innovative, but with a systematic desire to optimize the balance of masses and sounds.
All the wood species, whether historical (American, exotic) or local (Sycamore, Cormier, Alisier, Poplar burr), have been dried for over 15 years, to guarantee the best possible stability. The fingerboards benefit from a special treatment to homogenize the spectrum and eliminate dead notes. Each stage of construction is carried out with the utmost meticulousness (study of ergonomics according to body and neck interlocking, overturning, etc.), entirely by hand, without digital machining.

For fittings, electronics and pickups, Aquilina relies on leading brands such as Aguilar, John East, Glockenklang and Hipshot. The necks are reinforced with an in-house truss rod in steel and carbon. All these small details give Aquilina basses outstanding playability and harmonic richness.