I am very excited to present the Soul Machine made by Ryan Hyde. His shop just happens to be located one floor below Queens Vintage Guitars in the Bok building! Ryan is a former employee at Ken Smith, so he is no stranger to the world of high end custom basses. The build quality is immaculate throughout; the ergonomics and playability are perfect as he is also a gigging bass player. The body shape draws inspiration from Rickenbacker, Ken Parker, and Fender. The back carve allows the instrument to sit comfortably against your body in both standing and sitting positions. It balances nicely without neck dive which is especially nice for a full scale bass. The finish is a beautiful subtle sparkle Fiesta Red in nitrocellulose lacquer. Sound wise, it can be described as a jazz bass on steroids. It is surprisingly versatile, it can go from a bright punchy Jaco tone to a warm, soulful funk. The pickups are Nordstrands and the controls are set up in the familiar Volume Volume Tone configuration with high quality CTS pots. There are a couple very minor chips in the finish from being handled as a shop guitar but it is still in excellent condition. Overall this is a very finely crafted modern bass with a great feel and versatile sound.