Meridian Guitars
Meridian Guitars is the workshop of Davide Cardone in Avezzano, a town in Abruzzo east of Rome. Every Meridian bass is built there by hand by Davide himself and comes with a certificate of authenticity in his name. The Aural we have in the shop carries his signature on the back of the headstock and a spec sheet that lists exactly which woods went into it.
Davide didn’t come to bass building through a factory or an apprenticeship. He came from art. His studies in painting, sculpture and architecture are still in every instrument he makes: all Meridian shapes start from the same geometric module, the ellipse, and are refined from there through prototypes until the look, the balance, the comfort and the sound all work together. That’s why a Meridian looks like nothing else on the wall, and why it still sits perfectly on a strap.
His first bass was not a success. The neck cracked and the headstock came off while he was putting the strings on. Instead of giving up, he went back to the books, the forums and the instruments of the builders he admired, and learned the craft properly. Today Meridian builds for players all over the world.
What really sets Meridian apart is the wood. Davide works with stock that has been seasoning for 25, 30 or even 35 years. Old, settled wood is light, stable and resonant, and you hear it the moment you play a Meridian unplugged. It isn’t a vague promise either: Meridian lists the year the wood was cut, and on our Aural that means mahogany from 1982 and maple from 1986. He likes unusual species too, so expect striking tops and combinations you won’t find on a production bass.
The finishes are kept thin on purpose. Davide’s view is that a heavy finish chokes the wood, so Meridian uses light, flexible finishes that protect the bass and let it vibrate freely. Under your arm it feels like wood, not plastic.
Inside, Meridian uses components from the names serious bassists trust: Bartolini and Delano pickups, preamps from John East and Mike Pope, and Hipshot bridges and tuners. Each bass is wired to suit its pickups and its owner, often with coil selection and active/passive switching, so one instrument can go from warm and vintage to modern and hi-fi.
The range includes models like the Aural, Amun, Horizon, J-24, J-Evo, Mojo and Neelo, and every one of them is built to order with the woods, electronics and hardware the player chooses. At Bass Buddha we love Meridian because it is the real thing: one luthier, old wood and an instrument that is truly one of a kind.