Solar’s new Type-E models look to bring “extreme modern shapes” to the bass guitar world

 Solar Type-E bass.
Credit: Solar Guitars

Ola Englund’s Solar Guitars has expanded its range of bass guitars with “the most brutal bass ever crafted”.

It’s the first of a few hefty claims from the brand regarding its latest arrival. Solar also says its Type-E bass delivers a “new standard for metal bass”, and provides a “bold statement engineered to satisfy the most discerning metal bass player”.

As well as sounding heavy, the bass wants to look heavy, with a pointy, Explorer-like silhouette that looks to correct what Englund and Solar have bemoaned as a lack of aggressive, modern bass guitar shapes currently available.

The release delivers a four-string model with Solar's signature Canibalismo finish, and a Black Open Pore five-string model.

Both instruments deliver a 34” scale length and 24-frets, designed for “comfortable balance and playability”. The Solar-made high-output ceramic humbuckers, meanwhile, aim to put bass brutality front and center.

There are individual tone control knobs for each pickup, which sit alongside a master volume control.

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Solar Type-E bass
Solar Type-E bass

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Solar Type-E bass
Solar Type-E bass

The same assortment of tonewoods – sungkai bodies, maple necks, and rosewood fingerboards – are present across both models, as is a fixed high-mass bridge.

The four-string Canibalismo model will set low-end chasers back $999, while the five-string equivalent rises to $1,099. A gigbag is included with both bass guitars.

Head to Solar for more information.

Over on its guitar side, Solar has brought premium features like locking tuners to budget electric guitars, with its new lineup coming in at a tidy $599. Its S by Solar range, meanwhile, takes affordability one step further, with models starting at $219.