MEGADETH's DAVID ELLEFSON On His Signature Bass: 'My Goal Has Always Been To Invent And Develop Very High-Octane, Cutting-Edge Instruments'

MEGADETH bassist David Ellefson recently spoke to Guitar World about his all-new X Series Signature David Ellefson Concert Bass CBXM IV and V models.

"My goal has always been to invent and develop very high-octane, cutting-edge instruments," he explained. "I prefer basses that look like they move fast and move forward. With that said, while trying to bring the brand ahead, there's something to be said for going back to the classics.

"As with MEGADETH, and indeed with the entire concert business, sometimes the best way forward is to go back in time, and to create a classic, traditional instrument that still has all the usual Jackson-isms.”

He added: "This is a bass that you can play at a MEGADETH show, or in a country band, or in church, and maybe even in a jazz band: somehow it works in all those environments. As you go down the neck there’s a brightness and an attack from the maple fingerboard that comes across, and I went back in time with the P/J setup.

"The very first Jackson basses that I got from Grover Jackson back in the day had that configuration, because I noticed that if you flipped the P pickup to the reverse position, with the lower magnet towards the neck than towards the bridge, it got rid of an annoying low-mid frequency that just doesn’t work in a metal setting, because it gets the bass right down inside the kick drum."

About X Series Signature David Ellefson Concert Bass CBXM IV: The resonant poplar body is constructed with an upper contour that provides a comfortably stable anchor for pick or fingerstyle playing alike while the lower contour provides perfect balance when propped on a knee. Built for highly-technical lightspeed playing, a graphite-reinforced bolt-on quartersawn maple neck provides the utmost stability, while the 12"-16" compound radius maple fingerboard flattens out as you move up the neck for increased playing comfort and speedy articulation. A convenitently located heel-mount truss rod thumbwheel also allows for quick and easy neck adjustments.

Active EMG J bridge and EMG P neck pickups provide plenty of punchy mid-range and increased output as an active 3-band EQ bolsters their native power, shaping and refining it for maximum impact and versatility. The blend knob allows you to mix the pickups to your taste — add more of the neck pickup for a punch of warmth, or bring up the bridge pickup for more cut. The Jackson HiMass four-string bridge sharpens your notes' attack for extra clarity, granting enhanced sustain without significantly altering the instrument’s fundamental tone.

For a stylish twist, Ellefson has added a few new cosmetic touches including a pickguard and all-new Jackson paddle headstock that features the familiar "Radiation" logo and Ellefson's signature embossed on the truss rod cover.

Offered in Gloss Black with white pickguard or Snow White with black pickguard, this low-end leviathan is finished off with chrome hardware, including everything from the bridge to the Jackson sealed die-cast tuning machines.

About X Series Signature David Ellefson Concert Bass CBXM V: The resonant poplar body is constructed with an upper contour that provides a comfortably stable anchor for pick or fingerstyle playing alike while the lower contour provides perfect balance when propped on a knee. Built for highly-technical lightspeed playing, a graphite-reinforced bolt-on quartersawn maple neck provides the utmost stability, while the 12"-16" compound radius maple fingerboard flattens out as you move up the neck for increased playing comfort and speedy articulation. A convenitently located heel-mount truss rod thumbwheel also allows for quick and easy neck adjustments.

Active EMG J bridge and EMG P neck pickups provide plenty of punchy mid-range and increased output as an active 3-band EQ bolsters their native power, shaping and refining it for maximum impact and versatility. The blend knob allows you to mix the pickups to your taste — add more of the neck pickup for a touch of warmth, or bring up the bridge pickup for more cut. The Jackson HiMass five-string bridge sharpens your notes’ attack for extra punch and clarity, granting enhanced sustain without significantly altering the instrument's fundamental tone.

For a stylish twist, Ellefson has added a few new cosmetic touches including a pickguard and all-new Jackson 4x1 (4 tuners on top, 1 on bottom) paddle headstock that features the familiar "Radiation" logo and Ellefson's signature embossed on the truss rod cover.

Offered in Gloss Black with white pickguard or Snow White with black pickguard, this low-end leviathan is finished off with chrome hardware, including everything from the bridge to the Jackson sealed die-cast tuning machines.