Vid Bass Lab · Hand-built custom basses, Belgrade
Vid Bass Lab
Three completed Vid Bass Lab instruments
Custom bass builder · Belgrade, Serbia

Breaking the rules of bass design

Every bass is customized to the player. No two basses are the same.

Commission a bass

A machine gives you consistency. It takes the humanity out.

Every instrument is made by hand, except the hardware. If a part can be made from wood, it is. I believe shaping a bass takes a human touch, and that is not something worth automating. Thus, I promise no CNCs will ever be used in the crafting of a VBL bass.

STEFAN STEPIC

Everyone stops at volume and tone.

I want to know how far passive can really go. No active electronics. They can fail you when you need them most. The real experiment is placement. Move a pickup toward the bridge or the neck, even rotate it, and the whole voice changes. Somewhere in there is the sweet spot between clarity and depth. Finding it is the work.

This one is The Experiment: a single and a reverse-P, no active circuit anywhere in it. Everything you hear is wood, placement, and wire.

Turn it up.

Instruments

Agathon bass, natural finish, front
01

Agathon

The only multiscale. Double cutaway.

MULTISCALE · DBL CUT
Lahor bass in red, front
02

Lahor

Single-cut, set-neck, ash body, humbucker.

SINGLE-CUT · SET-NECK
Varosh bass in green
03

Varosh

Modern shape, unusual pickup layout.

IN DEVELOPMENT
Marina bass in deep blue, front
04

Marina

Short scale, 30 inch, three single coils.

SHORT SCALE · 30"
The Experiment bass, front
05

The Experiment

Single and reverse-P. Very light, very playable.

LIGHTWEIGHT
Spectrum bass, in development
06

Spectrum

Unconventional by design. A tribute to the range of abilities and experiences of neurodiverse minds.

IN DEVELOPMENT
Stefan Stepic with his son Vid
Stefan and his son, Vid

Stefan Stepic

I am a self-taught luthier who has been building instruments for six years. In addition to being a craftsman, I am a special education and English teacher, which is maybe why the first step of every build is listening.

I spend hours with bassists, taking notes and tweaking, until the instrument is truly their own. When it comes to designing and building, I am a bit of a mad scientist, chasing ideas most builders would not try.

I also prefer working outdoors, where the colors and the shapes of nature do half of the thinking for me. I build one bass at a time with no set routine. I do what the day and the wood ask for.

Recently, my wife and I opened the Vidokrug Educational Center for Special Education and Rehabilitation, to support families of children with special needs.

On the nameThe shop carries my son's name, Vid, a name out of Slavic myth. In the old stories, every tree has a spirit of its own. I have never stopped believing that.

In the workshop

Stefan, in his own words
Varosh body getting its top glued on
Varosh, gluing the top
Shaping a bass neck by hand
Shaping a neck by hand

Watch

Start a conversation

Tell me about the bass in your head.

Every build begins with a conversation. Bring an idea, a rough sketch, or just a feeling, and we will find the instrument in it. Replies within 24 hours.

STEP 01

Talk

Shape, scale, strings, wood, color. We map the bass before anything is cut.

STEP 02

Draw

A full-scale drawing on paper. Every measurement checked, then checked again.

STEP 03

Build

Rough build first. I check in with you before I take it to the finish.

STEP 04

Set up & ship

Final setup by hand, then delivered or shipped by DHL, wherever you are.

Lead time~ 2 months
DepositHalf up front
BalanceOn completion
WarrantyOne year
Range$1,200–2,800