Kardinal’s $549 KGB bass pairs neck-through construction with a February delivery
The four-string preorder combines a mahogany neck-through body, stainless frets and custom Alnico V soapbars at an unusually accessible launch price.
Credit: Kardinal Guitars (via source)
Kardinal Guitars' new Kardinal Bass, sold on the maker's site as the Cardinal KGB, is a four-string neck-through instrument aimed at players who want a full professional-style specification without moving into four-figure pricing. The model opened for preorder at $549 in the US, with the order window closing November 20 and delivery scheduled for February.
The bass pairs a mahogany body and neck with a quilted-maple top, flame-maple binding and a rosewood fingerboard. Its playing dimensions are conventional rather than compact: a 34-inch scale, 40 mm nut and 12-inch fingerboard radius. Kardinal specifies 22 stainless-steel frets with rounded ends, a Graph Tech nut and a bridge with brass saddles. Three launch finishes are listed: Cardinal Red, Sapphire Blue and Midnight Black.
Electronics stay passive. Two custom dual-coil soapbar pickups use Alnico V magnets and feed full-size volume, tone and blend controls. The manufacturer says the KGB is hand assembled in small batches; that detail, along with the neck-through construction, distinguishes it from many entry-priced instruments built around bolt-on necks and generic pickup packages.
For bassists, the interesting part is the combination of an accessible preorder price with hardware and construction choices more often used as upgrade points. The limited order window also makes this a concrete launch rather than a future concept, although buyers will wait until February for delivery.
Why it matters
The KGB puts neck-through construction, stainless-steel frets and purpose-built passive pickups into a $549 preorder, making it a notable small-builder value proposition.
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