After using my B1 fretted for some time, I thought I would really like to have a Fretless Barker too. My main fretless has been a Zon Legacy Elite, and most of the music I play suits a fretless very well. In conversations I had with Lee, I asked him if he would consider building a special bass, using some ideas I have had on my mind for a while. He thought the project would be viable, so the idea worked into reality.
Lee felt the B1 would be the jumping off point. My concept was to use a p-bass pickup, and a j-bass pickup, with the j-bass pickup in the bridge position. I wanted to use concentric pots for volume and tone, like the early Fender Jazz Bass. I wanted to use a fretless Bulbinga neck, with an Ebony fret board.
There were several reasons I wanted to use the Bulbinga / Ebony neck configuration. Bulbinga, when used as a neck material, produces a bright midrange, and a thick, well defined bottom. All
P- Bass pickups are noted for their big, full, and round tone. Jazz pickups in the bridge position give even tone, great articulation, and snap…which comes in handy for solos. The concentric tone / volume pots make a lot of blending combinations possible, and I like their clean appearance. Lee suggested using Nordstrand pickups, and I agreed.
So that’s how this whole “Leo Goff Special”
