“Unprecedented customization”: Brubaker merges headless guitar hype with modern modular designs for the NBS Series – which offers switchable high-end preamps

Handmade low-end crafter Brubaker Guitars has debuted its first series of headless bass guitars – but they come with a bit of a twist.

The “revolutionary” NBS collection offers four and five-string models that stand to embody “Brubaker’s commitment to superior craftsmanship and redefine portability, versatility, and performance”.

With a choice of full-scale 34” models and smaller 30” versions, they bring together Brubaker signature touches and new features for an assortment of headless basses that are quite unlike any other currently on the market.

Like all Brubaker builds, they feature the firm’s proprietary B.O.B. technology (Brubaker On-Board), which arrives in the form of a swappable preamp system. In practice, six different modular preamps can be installed into the NBS basses, each of which can be interchanged in less than 60 seconds for “unprecedented customization”.

The swapping-out process involves three screws, with Bartolini, Dark Glass, John East, Aguilar, and Nordstrand preamp modules all available. They’re sold separately for $350 each.

Brubaker hasn’t compromised on the specs, either, with elegant spalted maple-topped alder bodies hosting high-end Hipshot hardware. There are also matching spalted maple pickguards and B.O.B. plates, and color-matched 'headstock' veneers for a swish, visual cohesion.

Customization is clearly an important quality to Brubaker, and so players can pick from J/J, P/J, and Humbucker pickup configurations to cover a range of tones and playing styles.

Of course, the decapitation process makes them more compact than usual – roughly 8" shorter than a traditional bass, in fact – but it also reduces their overall weight, making them easier to ship from stage to stage.

Each NBS bass is hand-numbered and signed by master builder Kevin Brubaker, who is eager for his firm to enter the growing world of headless guitars.

“The NBS Headless series represents years of innovation and feedback from the players who inspire us. With the B.O.B. swappable preamps and the weight-saving headless design, we’re giving bassists more control, convenience, and creativity than ever before.”

Abasi Guitars, headed up by Animals As Leaders’ Tosin Abasi,marked its first foray into headless bass building earlier this year with its Larada model. Cort has also got in on the action with its Space 5 bass. In the electric guitar world, Ibanez has reprised its headless Quest range, Schecter is teasing its first headstock-free design, and Balaguer has decapitated its Growler.

So, with the release of the Brubaker NBS bass collection, the headless bass market suddenly looks very competitive and, for the player, full of choice.

It’s also worth noting that modular guitar designs are also becoming more common. The Reddick Voyager, for example, lets players switch out pickups and control circuits as they see fit.

Visit Brubaker for the full lowdown on the NBS series.