Marcus Miller - P6 4 Cordes LH Black

The Sire Marcus Miller P6 4-String Left-Hand in sandblasted black strikes even before it's plugged in: the sandblasted finish on a solid ash top strips the wood down to its densest fibres, creating a matt, slightly rough surface that changes the feel under the right hand - less slippery than varnish, closer to living wood. The mahogany body underneath this top works on the low and mid-low frequencies: its long fibres dampen parasitic vibrations without stifling sustain, giving the P6 that thick, full-bodied bass characteristic of well-constructed Precision basses. The overall weight remains deliberately restrained, a choice of luthiery that takes the strain off the shoulder and back on two-hour sets and beyond.

The C-profile hard maple neck, screwed to the body with a four-screw steel plate, forms a rigid and stable unit in the face of climatic variations - hard maple deforms very little and reproduces vibrations without intermediate loss. Its Edgeless™ hard maple fingerboard with rounded edges changes the dynamics of playing in the upright position: the chamfer removed from the fingerboard edges frees the thumb and index finger from lateral friction that is only measured when absent. The 241.3 mm (9.5") radius flattens the surface just enough to hold held notes without detonating, the 38 mm saddle bone channels the vibration right from the headstock, and the 20 2.4 mm medium frets distribute an even attack from the first to the twentieth fret. The 20 mm bridge spacing of the Modern-S Bass Bridge gives plenty of space between the strings for crisp thumb action, with no unintended contact with adjacent strings.

The Marcus Super-PJ Revolution configuration - a P pickup in the centre, a J pickup at the heel - covers two distinct sonic territories: the P adds punch and body in the lower midrange, while the J sharpens contour and definition at the top of the spectrum. The Heritage-3 three-band active preamp (no variable midrange, fixed by choice) doses these two sources via controls with a clear response. The passive push/pull mode disconnects the electronics in a fraction of a second to restore the raw signal from the microphones - a useful safety feature on stage. The DR Dragon Skin+ DBQ5-45 strings supplied as standard maintain an even brilliance over time thanks to their protective coating, while the lightweight premium chrome open tuners anchor the tuning without overloading the head on this 34-inch (863.6 mm) scale.