Gear Shed
L.e.H. Guitars
OFFSET 5-STRING By Jonathan Herrera
IT’S PERHAPS A TROPE, BUT I HAVE occasionally noticed an abstract relationship between a luthier’s location and their design philosophy. The oil-finished alt-woods that often constitute a contemporary MTD bass exude the upmarket lumberjack-chic vibe that represents the urbane side of Upstate New York. By contrast, the flamboyant and quasi-psychedelic flourishes and filigrees of a top-
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of-the-line Alembic are as Northern Californian as redwoods, vegan bakeries, and $3,000-per-month “studio apartments.” This relationship between place and perspective hit me as I got to know the L.e.H. Offset bass. Built by longtime Sadowsky shop manager L. Ellis Hahn in New York City, the Offset is so New York. New York defies description, sure, but my point demands I try:
BASS MAGAZINE ; ISSUE 5 ; bassmagazine.com
NYC is a place where hard-working people go to compete with other hard-working people, but unlike in other hard-working places like West Virginia or Guangzhou, many New Yorkers are conspicuously fashion-forward. New York City is a utilitarian place, but with aesthetic panache. People go there to do stuff and look the part. Which gets me to the L.e.H. bass. It is a draft horse of
