KLŌS Bass Review – KLŌS Apollo Electric Bass With Carbon Fiber Neck

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The first bass from KLŌS Guitars is a winner – easy to play, versatile sounds, light weight and a nearly indestructible neck – and it travels well

I made my first foray into instruments that feature alternative materials with a Kramer 650B with an aluminum neck back in 1977, and later a carbon fiber necked Status fretless bass. I’m open to new tech and techniques in instrument manufacturing and I’ve admired Moses graphite necks and Modulus Graphite basses. Building with carbon fiber is typically more expensive than wood due to the cost of materials and processes involved, but now two brothers from Utah have broken the price barrier with the KLŌS Apollo Bass that starts at $1399.

The neck is where its at

Carbon fiber offers the unique characterics of a high strength to weight ratio, harmonically complex sound signature and extremely high stiffness and tensile strength. There are no CF (carbon fiber) stiffening rods required in this neck but it does have a truss rod to adjust the neck relief to your desired amount. The truss rod adjusts easily and the instrument has a hex wrench included for the task. The high gloss finish on the neck is epoxy resin which is slick and durable and does not get sticky like a gloss varnish neck. And oh, the shape. At the nut the neck profile is a rounded U that gradually morphs into a shallow C as you move towards the body. I found the neck to be extremely comfortable and easy to play with precisely finished jumbo frets on a composite ebony-look-alike fretboard. The frets appear to have a slight fallaway where the neck joins the body.

What is that headstock?

The tiny 2×2 headstock is the unmistakable trademark feature of the KLŌS product line. Its about as small as it can get and still have easy access to the tuners. This bass and all the KLŌS instruments are designed for travel, and the smaller headstock allows the bass to collapse into a smaller package to save on shipping and make it easier to fit in an airliners overhead bin. Its also easier to move around while wearing the bass. But don’t view this as a “travel bass” – its a serious instrument that happens to travel well.

Watch the video to hear the bass in action

Features From The KLŌS Website

• Neck Material: Carbon Fiber
• Fretboard Material: Composite Ebony
• Neck Shape: C and D shape blend
• Number of Frets: 24
• Scale Length: 34”
• Bridge String Spacing: 19 mm
• Nut Width:  40 mm (1.57in)
• Pickguard Material: Carbon Fiber
• Fingerboard Radius: 12”
• Body Thickness: 40 mm
• Body: White Okoume Wood
• Bridge: Steel, Hardtail, String Through Bridge
• Tuners: Black KLŌS Tuners
• Pickups: KLŌS Passive Custom Shop Humbuckers
• Knob Setup: 3 Knobs (2 Volume, 1 Tone)Knobs: Black Steel Knobs
• Nut Material: Composite Plastic
• Bridge: Black KLŌS Bridge
• Included Strings: D’Addario EXL170 Nickel Reg-Light 45-100
• Weight: 7lbs
• Accessories: Mini philips screwdriver, 4 mm hex wrench for Truss Rod, 1.5 mm hex wrench for Saddles
• 30 day returns – lifetime warranty

My measurements and observations of this instrument after assembly

• Relief at the 8th fret – .13″ (I was able to set the relief to .12″)
• String height at 17th fret – 5/64 E string, 3/64 G string
• Neck width – 1.595″ at nut, 2.518″ at 24th fret
• Extra piece of fretboard up top impedes slapping
• Neck pocket not the tighest of fits
• Cutaway on G side could be a little deeper for more comfortable access to 24th fret
• Controls and tuners work as expected

To Travel Or Not To Travel

One of the unique features of this bass is that it arrives in a cardboard box without the neck attached to the body. But don’t fret, it includes everything you need to complete the assembly, which is straight forward and easy to accomplish. Be sure to watch the video for a complete overview. For future travel you have the option of removing the neck and repeating the process.

Final Thoughts

The Apollo bass is beautifully designed from the body and head stock shapes to body color and hardware – the fret board look blends with the pickups and nut – the pick guard finish blends with the hardware, tuners and knobs. The neck is very stable and holds tune for days. The pick guard made of carbon fiber appears to have a highly scratch resistant surface.

I found this to be an inspiring bass to play due in part to its playability, sounds and neck bending ability. At 7+ pounds the bass is non-fatiguing and balances nicely on the strap. I had an issue with 2 of the bridge springs rattling, an issue I’ve had with other bridges, that can be rectified with stiffer springs that can be found at a good hardware store. The humbuckers work well and are quiet, as they should be, but seam to have a frequency threshold that doesn’t capture the full upper frequencies of this bass. I look forward to trying the KLŌS Apollo Pro Bass which features upgraded body wood, pickups and active electronics. They also offer upgrades to this base model that you can check out at https://klosguitars.com/products/electric-bass.

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