MICHAEL KELLY DRAGONFLY 5 FRETLESS BASS
Michael Kelly Dragonfly 5 fretless bass
Saturday, June 6, 2015
It’s not always easy to articulate what a player finds attractive in a musical instrument. It might be the color or the body style, the weight, the features, its individual tone, or similarity to a favorite musician’s instrument. For me, it often comes down to a feature or combination of features I don’t have in the instruments I already own.
For example, I love the sound and the feel of my Oscar Schmidt OB-100 acoustic bass. It’s great to be able to work out a bass line without an amplifier, or to blend in better with an ensemble of acoustic guitars.
And I really have a lot of fun playing my Yamaha RBX-250F fretless bass. Depending on the settings, my signal chain, and the arrangement, I can use it for jazz, blues, or rock .. and until I got my Höfner, it was the bass I went to for my best Beatle tone.
By the time I saw this Michael Kelly Dragonfly 5 fretless bass at Solar Loan, I had pretty much given up on ever owning an upright bass (although I would wind up finding one about a year later). I immediately recognized that a fretless acoustic bass would be a pretty close approximation, and the fact that this particular model had the low B fifth string was just a nice little added bonus.
Michael Kelly was founded in 1999 and focused mainly on mandolins and acoustic bass guitars, although they have since expanded to acoustic guitars as well. The brand is currently owned by Hanser Music Group, the same company that builds Kustom amplifiers and BC Rich guitars. Although they do also sell through retailers like Musician’s Friend and Sam Ash, Michael Kelly primarily sells direct to musicians through its website.
The Dragonfly series of basses includes four models: the Dragonfly 4, Dragonfly 4 fretless, Dragonfly 5, and Dragonfly 5 fretless. All four models have a quilted maple body, mahogany neck and rosewood fretboard, and a stunning dragonfly-themed inlay. On the fretless models, fret indicators at the upside of the neck help the player be more precise, particularly those that are new or inexperienced on fretless basses.
The amber finish is probably not one I would have chosen had I had the option. Generally I don’t like yellow and orange guitars, and will usually choose a natural finish, a solid dark color, or a sunburst finish. But the amber really does let the quilted maple show through, and it’s quite a beautiful instrument when you really get a good look at it. Solar Loan had a black model in a couple years later, and honestly I think I like the look of my amber Dragonfly better.
It’s got great acoustic tone, and sounds fine amplified too. The body is much larger than my Oscar Schmidt OB-100 (and a longer scale length too at 34”), but the body and neck are well balanced so you’re not fighting gravity as you play. It’s easier to transport than an upright bass, so it does get to play out a little more often.
The Dragonfly 5 fretless has an MSRP of $900 USD. You can order direct through Michael Kelly for $629 (although I don’t think the amber finish is currently available). It currently goes for about $400 on the used market, and I paid just under $300 at Solar Loan. All told, I think I got quite a deal.
Photo by Donna Jo Wallace