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Meridian basses are completely handmade in Avezzano, Italy, by luthier Davide Cardone.

These are basses that have been designed from scratch following some really artistic lines. Davide studied arts in Italy and you can tell that just by looking at the perfect proportions of his instruments. We also love the fact that these are original designs and not just another copy of famous "boutique" basses, if you know what we mean.

As you can see there's a certain modern design to these basses but the use of quality tonewoods anchors them within the fine tradition of Italian lutherie. We love this perfect blend of form and function.

We love the fact that all Meridian basses include some information about the year that the wood for the body and/or neck was cut. This averages 35 years and of course the wood has been drying ever since so as you can expect this makes for exceptionally stable instruments. Davide is also a firm believer in thin finish. If the finish is too thick or if it is thin but too many layers are applied, he feels that the wood cannot vibrate freely, resulting in a slightly muffled tone.

The combination of light woods that have been drying for years plus just the right amount of layers of thin coat plus light hardware make for basses that feel strong, are vibrant and of course can be played for hours with no fatigue.

The icing on the cake is the neck which is slim and ultra comfortable.

This model is named MOJO II and it is Andrés Rotmistrovsky Signature model. The whole idea here is to create a medium scale bass that plays and sounds like a dream and is featherlight thanks in part to the semihollow construcction.

The mahogany body (from 1982) is 45mm thick instead of 38mm, the idea here being that a thicker body will add resonance, especially being semi hollow

An Maple neck (from 1986) is safely bolted to the body with 6 bolts. Access up to the end of the fingerboard is surprisingly easy. Using this selection of wood that was cut decades ago ensures stability. Great job!

The fingerboard is made from a spectacular piece of a very special wood called Coraçao de Negro

We love the aluminum special markers on the side of the fingerboard. That's all you need for playing reference while the blank fingerboard looks really elegant.

There's an absolutely stunning Coraçao de Negro top that is simply gorgeous to look at and matches the fingerboard.

A pair of Delano Times Square pickups are mounted at the right spot for an incredibly array of top quality sounds.

The bass sounds fantastic in Passive. In that mode you actually get Single-Humbucker operation for each pickup plus Passive Tone so there are plenty of sounds on tap.

If you need more power or versatility just move to Active mode. This bass comes with one of our all time favorite electronics: Trickfish/Mike Pope 4 band EQ. This is an extremely musical preamp that really lets the natural character of the instrument get through while adding a lot of options. You get Bass, Low Mids, High Mids and Treble as well as a really musical Passive Tone pot that will act both in Passive and Active.

There are two switches that change from Single Coil  mode to Series or Paralell for each pickup, so depending on the type of sound you need you can just use that.

Regarding the hardware, the bridge is a Hipshot Style A unit with 18mm spacing. Tuners are Hipshot Ultralite, helping keep the weight of the bass controlled as well as reducing neck diving. We just love the neck and overall playability. The combination of a narrow nut (43mm) with a standard spacing bridge (18mm) is probably one of the best recipies for comfort in both hands. Some 5 string basses feel a bit intimidating but in this case the slim neck and perfect dimensions make playing the MOJO II bass a breeze. The nut, buy the way, is made from carbon fiber, excellent choice and again proof that Meridian basses are all about details.

Of course the fact that the scale of this bass is 32" makes it incredibly comfortable. Everything is at hand. We can only describe this as one of the most comfortable 5 string basses we've ever tried. The amazing thing here is that the low B here is phenomenal. It sounds full, clear and every note sounds the way it should. Actually it sounds and feels better than on many 34" basses. Incredible!

To sum up:  an incredibly well designed high end handmade bass that sports really stable tonewoods, top notch hardware and electronics and is a pure work of art to look for as well as an instrument that will give you years of service and pleasure. It is also probably the most comfortable 5 string bass we've tried in the last few years. If you are looking for a serious and unique 5 string bass but don't want to spend a fortune, this is your best option.

By the way, the included gigbag matches some costing 300€ and completes a simply gorgeous instrument.