MEGADETH's DAVID ELLEFSON: 'When A Bass Looks Cool, You Want To Play It'

A new video interview with MEGADETH's David Ellefson about the design, pickups, tone controls and other key features of his new Jackson 2016 USA signature Concert Bass models can be seen below.

"This might sound very immature, but when a bass looks cool, you want to play it," said Ellefson. "It's been like that since I was a kid and when I walk in and I see these basses, I'm, like, 'I wanna play that bass.' That feeling just resonates throughout and I think most musicians are like that."

Ellefson has reigned as a thrash bass godfather, garnering worldwide acclaim as a co-founding member of "Big Four" thrash innovator MEGADETH and widely known for his fleet-fingered, hard-hitting style and versatility. Simply put, nobody shreds a bass like Ellefson, and Jackson is proud to have his name on several new formidable bass models.

David Ellefson USA Signature Concert Bass: The all-new USA Signature Concert Bass is available in both 4-and-5 string models featuring an alder body with black binding, hand-rubbed urethane finish, quartersawn neck-through neck with white binding and scarf joint, 12-16" compound radius rosewood fingerboard, outlined sharkfin inlays, 21 jumbo frets, EMG humbucking neck (35CS) and bridge (35DC) pickups, five black domed control knobs (volume control, three-band EQ, blend),Jackson high mass bridge and Hipshot open-gear locking tuners. Both models are offered in Satin Black or Satin Silver.

David Ellefson Concert Bass CBX IV and V: Redesigned ergonomic contours on the new CBX IV and CBX V provide the perfect platform for launching a musical assault — the upper contour provides a comfortably stable anchor for pick or fingerstyle playing alike while the lower contour provides perfect balance when propped on a knee for monitor stands.

The CBX IV offers a basswood body, 12"-16" compound radius rosewood fingerboard and a Jackson HiMass 4-string bridge to sharpen notes’ attack for extra punch and clarity, granting enhanced sustain without significantly altering the instrument’s fundamental tone. An earth-shaking pair of EMG HZ35 active humbucking pickups in the neck and bridge positions provide plenty of girth and cut as an active 3-band EQ bolsters their native power, shaping and refining it for maximum impact and versatility. The blend knob allows for mixing the pickups to taste — add more of the neck pickup for a touch of warmth, or bring up the bridge pickup for more cut.

The CBX V also features a basswood body, a Jackson HiMass 5-string bridge and a pair of EMG HZ40 active humbucking pickups in the neck and bridge positions that provide plenty of girth and cut as an active 3-band EQ bolsters their native power, shaping and refining it for maximum impact and versatility. Similar to the CBX IV, the 5-string model also features a 12"-16" compound radius rosewood fingerboard and a blend knob.

Both models feature all-black hardware — from the bridge to the Jackson die-cast sealed tuning machines, durable gloss finish in either Quicksilver or Black, pearloid sharkfin neck inlays, single-ply white neck binding with an engraved "Fallout/Radiation" logo and Ellefson's signature embossed on the truss rod cover.