We are a two-person shop, and somehow we keep adding colors. The Bass Builder now has 39 finishes to choose from. That is a lot of color for a tiny shop in San Diego, and there is one big reason it works: Madelyn.
Meet the painter
Madelyn McGrath is a four-time Emmy Award winner in art and graphic design. These days, her canvas is your bass. Every finish except our solid colors is hand-stained or hand-painted by her, one body at a time, so no two McGrath basses are exactly alike.
She also hand-drew every part of the Bass Builder itself, so when you click through colors on your design, you are looking at her work twice.
Each color starts with a feeling. A bougainvillea spilling down a white wall. A Miami-style neon sunset. Light shining through a strong cup of coffee. A bass should sound amazing, but it should make you smile when you open the case too.
A few of the 39
- Black Sands: the hand-painted finish on our first left-handed Thunderhorse, our NAMM 2026 showpiece.
- Vice City: a bright neon one-off so many people asked about at NAMM that we added it to the builder. A dose of sun for a snowy winter.
- Coffee: shaded edges, gold mica and shimmer, and Madelyn's favorite one to paint.
- Beskar: pewter and marble brushwork that looks like molten metal and forged ancient swords.
- Geode, Ammolite and Violet Storm: more of Madelyn's hand-stained artwork, each one a little different every time.
- Candy Apple Red and Satin Black: sprayed solids for when you want something clean and classic. Our Candy Apple Red has shimmery mica under a glossy candy coat.
Then make it yours
The finish is just the start. In the Bass Builder you can also pick:
- A gloss or satin topcoat
- One of 17 pickguards, or none at all
- A matching painted headstock if you want the whole bass to match
- Your body wood: ash, alder, mahogany or extra-light basswood
Put all that together across P Style, J Style, Rebel and Thunderhorse layouts, 4 or 5 strings, right- or left-handed, and the combinations get pretty wild. Do not see the one you are dreaming of? Just ask. After you order, we contact you personally to confirm every detail before your build begins.
Find your color
Open the Bass Builder and try a few finishes on your model. A 25% deposit reserves your build, lead time is currently about 4 months, and every bass ships in a McGrath x Protec hybrid case. Want one sooner? Browse our in-stock instruments, or come see the colors in person at NAMM 2027, Booth #5336.
Cormac & Madelyn
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