Moon MBC 6

One of Japan's top bass makers, Moon has a reputation for producing extremely well-made, high-quality instruments (Larry Graham swears by them, as does that bass ninja fella) They don't make MBC sixers any longer so it took a long time to track this little fella down second-hand, but it was worth the wait.

Compounding the ecstasy is that fact this is a one-off special-order affair.

Apparently made about 1993, it has an alder body (unlike the mahogany-based Climb 6 that followed); Kent Armstrong pickups; Moon's bespoke Blackbird pre-amp circuitry; Gotoh tuners as smooth as Cameron Diaz's derriere; low buzz-free action; and a built-in coffee maker to boot!

Compared to many other 6-string basses this feels as light as a feather. An alluring dark sunburst finish adds the icing to the semi-proverbial bass-cake. Stick on a set of Ken Smith strings for a full-on AJ-like sound (despite it only being 35" scale).

Not cheap, but money well spent. Now, where's the milk and sugar?