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Novo Electric Basses — Dennis Fano's Nashville Bass, Finally Here
Dennis Fano started as a bassist. His first instrument was a Harmony bass his mother gave him, which he modified relentlessly to understand how it worked. His first serious purchase was a 1966 Fender Jazz Bass bought to emulate John Paul Jones, which he converted to eight strings, refinished multiple times, and eventually restored to original condition using every original part he had kept through every modification. He has spent thirty years since then building some of the most celebrated boutique electric instruments in the world under the Fano and Novo names, and the bass was always going to return to the story eventually.
At NAMM 2025, it did. The Ivorus Bass and the Vulture B6 arrived simultaneously, both carrying every element of the Novo philosophy that has defined the brand since Dennis launched it in Nashville in 2014: tempered pine bodies, hand-distressed aged finishes with no two alike, top-tier hardware and pickups, and a playing feel that players consistently describe as familiar yet entirely original, like meeting a long-lost friend.
Tempered Pine and the Novo Voice
Every Novo instrument, bass or guitar, is built from tempered tonewoods, primarily reclaimed pine sourced from old grain silo elevators in Wisconsin and cooked to remove moisture and harden the cellular structure. The result is a wood that sounds old and lively from the first note, with a strong, clear, punchy midrange character that Novo's team describes as what alder would sound like if it could. The great response to touch, going from singing to growling in a heartbeat, is the most consistent characteristic players report from any Novo instrument.
Every body is distressed by hand, with no set patterns or templates. It is a feel thing: what does the wood look and feel like, and how can that be brought out? The grain of the wood is the star, sanded with a specific technique to raise it and finished with a very light nitrocellulose coat that ensures the player always feels the wood in their hands. No two Novo basses will ever look alike.
The Models
Ivorus Bass — The flagship Novo bass and the instrument that brings Dennis Fano's full design sensibility to a dedicated bass platform for the first time. A 32-inch medium scale sits between the warmth of a short-scale and the snap of a long-scale instrument, making the Ivorus immediately comfortable for players coming from either direction. The slim taper neck profile, a pair of proprietary Novo pickups, and the tempered pine body construction deliver a warm, lively, and fundamentally musical voice that reflects thirty years of Dennis Fano thinking deeply about what a great bass should feel and sound like. Available with the full range of Novo finish and distressing options.
Vulture B6 — A 30-inch scale Bass VI that sits at the intersection of bass and guitar, equally at home played as a baritone guitar or a six-string bass and equally compelling in either role. The Vulture B6 is the natural next step for guitar players who have always been curious about the low end, and for bass players who want the melodic range of a six-string instrument without sacrificing the fundamental bass character of the Novo voice.
Part of Something Bigger
In January 2025, Novo and Fano merged under a new parent company, Psonic Design Lab, reuniting Dennis Fano with the brand that bears his name for the first time since 2014. All Novo production remains in Nashville, and Dennis continues as Head of Product Design, with the expanded operation giving both brands the resources to continue developing new instruments at the pace the market has always wanted.
Browse our available Novo bass inventory, and reach out to discuss a custom build directly.