McLAREN

Bruce McLaren worked many years as a design engineer in the defense industry and played bass guitar in several amateur bands. When the design of new defense products came to a halt, he started a company (McLaren Products) which manufactures electric bass guitars.
McLaren Products of San Diego, CA produced distinctive, highly figured four- and five-string basses. Because of a tracer mill-type cutting tool developed by Bruce McLaren, a fully carved and beveled body (both front and back) can be produced economically. The body has a unique outline sometimes described as a cross between "an SG and a Strat," and features strips of solid figured hardwoods rather than figured veneer glued onto a lightweight body core (which is done on most figured wood basses being offered today). Due to the extensive carving, the basses weigh in at a light 8.5 pounds.