BITE Roxanne

Austrian luthiers Bite have a novel approach to bass-building, driven by the customer. We test out the company’s Roxanne P-Bass...

We’ve all dreamed of having a custom bass one day, and in today’s digitally-managed world, it seems that most bass players with medium-sized budgets can afford one. The first time we heard of an online configurator for a custom bass was by Sandberg—credit where it’s due—and now the same concept is available from Bite Guitars, whose website offers you the chance to design a bass with a ton of different materials and sound options. For around $1,400, you can nab an instrument like this one, a Precision-style bass with individual artwork. Let’s see what we’re getting.

TECHNICAL SPECIFICATION

Price | From $1,400 plus VAT and shipping; this varies with design, spec, and customer location

Made In | Austria

Color | Vintage white, gloss finish

Body | US alder

Neck | Hard maple, 34” scale

Neck Joint | Bolt-on

Nut Width | 41.9mm

Fingerboard | Hard maple, 20 frets, Graph Tech nut

Pickups | Passive Bite reverse split coil

Controls | Volume, tone

Hardware | Bite tuners, Gotoh bridge

Weight | 8.4 lbs

Case/gig bag included | No Left-hand option available | No

WHAT WE THINK

Plus | Friendly, playable design; affordable custom options

Minus | None

Overall | An easy way into a custom bass

Build Quality