BL Design Bass Concept

Feel
I believe that the way an instrument feels is one of the most important factors in good instrument design. By controlling physical attributes such as neck width and shape, scale length, balance, weight, body shape, ergonomics and setup an instrument can be tailored to an individual for optimum performance. These attributes directly result in the way an instrument feels which affects how a player uses the instrument and ultimately the sound.

Sound
The use of different woods does undoubtedly affect the sound of the instrument, even an electric one! It is difficult to quantify this effect beyond general statements about tone. I believe that harder and denser woods allow more sustain, clarity and have a relatively even frequency response. Softer woods are less dense and absorb vibration producing "warmth". Medium density woods are somewhere in between. While electronics are a large part of how an instrument sounds, the acoustic properties of the wood and construction methods used are first and foremost in determining the tone of an instrument.

Quality

High quality materials and exacting woodwork do provide clean looks, but more importantly they improve sound transmission which creates a richer, more full bodied tone. In addition, these well made instruments are designed to hold up to the rigors of a professional musician and last a lifetime.

ABOUT: BEAU LEOPARD

My inspiration to start BL Design stems from my childhood. My father and I spent a great deal of time building skateboards and ramps, and many other woodworking projects. I also spent many hours drawing, building models, and listening to music. When I was 14 some friends needed a bass player for their band. I decided to try it out and fell in love with the bass. This quickly evolved into a fascination with all things bass related and the desire to try to build one.

In 1991 I built my first bass with the help of my father and a few people local to the Rochester, NY area involved in furniture making and guitar repair. The first bass was a success and it became my main instrument for many years.

During high school I continued to build several instruments in the schools’ woodshop and in my parents’ garage. My fascination with the bass then led me to attend Hampshire College, Berklee College of Music, and the Roberto-Venn School of Luthiery where I was able to study music, acoustic and electric bass, audio engineering and guitar building and repair.

In 2005 I began to acquire tools necessary for building bass guitars and started "BL Design" in a 1920’s cold storage building in Ontario, NY. My father had been renovating and repurposing the building for small industrial businesses. By helping with the renovation, I was able to secure space for a woodshop.

In 2007 I completed what I consider to be my first batch of high-end handmade custom basses. After several batches of entirely handmade instruments, I started to become interested in incorporating a CNC machine into my workflow. In 2014 I acquired an obsolete CNC router and spent several years rebuilding it to modern standards and teaching myself CAD/CAM. Though CNC has become a significant part of my overall build process, BL Design instruments are still largely handmade, with upmost care and keen attention to detail.

Nearly 20 years later in 2026 I'm still at it, producing a handful of high-end electric bass guitars per year. To date, I have made fifty instruments in small batches that take a year or two to complete. The batches are comprised of custom orders, inventory instruments and prototypes for evaluating new ideas.

Eventually, I would like to expand BL Design from a one man shop to full manufacturing with several employees. This would include a line of high quality yet affordable bass guitars based on my custom designs and a few other products in the works. Who knows, maybe I'll make some electric guitars as well…
-Beau Leopard