Veritas Portlander Bigsby w/ BearCats, Roasted Maple & RW Neck – Shoreline Gold

Information

Brand New w/ Warranty. We are an authorized Veritas Dealer.

Like what you see? All photos are of the exact instrument you will receive.

We are happy to welcome Veritas to Guitars to Be Played! Being just a hop, skip, and jump away, it’s great to have another local builder in our showroom.

Born from passion and built for players, the Portlander is the heartbeat of Veritas Custom Guitars. Inspired by the Double Cut Portlander, the first Veritas model ever created, it was the Portlander that truly took off—setting the standard for everything we build today.

Rooted in the Pacific Northwest, its name is a nod to Portland, OR, just across the river from where Veritas was founded in Vancouver, WA. We carry that spirit forward—bold, independent, and built to perform at the highest level.

More than just a guitar, the Portlander is a sonic powerhouse. Designed for ultimate versatility, it delivers everything from gritty rock tones to searing blues leads, smooth jazz chords to country twang, and even the soaring soundscapes of worship music. No matter your style, the Portlander delivers—every time, in any setting. This is the guitar that put us on the map. And it’s ready to take your sound wherever you want to go.

What Does Cam Think?

The Portlander is a superbly comfortable guitar. It’s well balanced, relatively light at just above 8 lbs, and absolutely stunning. There are many takes on the ‘T’ shape out there, but Veritas really came up with something unique.

This Portlander comes equipped with Veritas’ own Bearcat humbuckers. These pickups are only available in completed Veritas guitars and cannot be purchased separately. As a pair, they are remarkably well balanced. The bridge pickup starts off where the neck pickup ends, so switching between the two is seamless.

Some humbuckers seem congested in the mids, but this bridge position Bearcat is not one of them. In fact, it’s a remarkably clear pickup with tight lows and musical highs. It works well with a clean tone, not getting too bright or nasally. With some overdrive its stays articulate, yet full.

The neck pickup also represents the lows and highs favorably without over-accentuating any frequency. It's very much a classic PAF sound with great balance. You can get dark with some jazz lines, or strum some chords, it does both very well. The middle position on the toggle can sometimes disappear in a mix, but here it sounds thick and present. This would be a great tone for heavy effects like longer delays and reverbs. I felt very comfortable finding my tone and would have no problem gigging with this instrument.

While I am admittedly a locking trem guy, this Bigsby stays in tune remarkably well. This is a testament to the excellent nut work and overall construction from Veritas. The details matter! Tuning and intonation are places where inconsistencies may rear their ugly heads. The Bigsby also feels great with smooth bar action!

How Does It Play?

Despite the accolades given in the paragraphs above, the neck is honestly the star of the show. It’s a Medium C profile that is finished in a smooth satin. The frets are filed and polished with no sharp ends or edges. Action-wise, the low E string sits just above 4/64” with the high E string right at 4/64”, both measured at the 12th fret. The rosewood board is quite thick, with the truss rod adjustment wheel peeking through just below the 22nd fret. The wheel is the best truss rod adjustment option in my opinion.

Weight: 8lbs 1.2oz.

The G&G hard case pictured is included!

Specifications

Body Specs

Model: Portlander

Series: Custom

Neck Pocket: Bolt On

Body Wood: Alder

Cutaway: Belly

Pickup Route: Humbucker

Bridge: Tune-o-matic

Tremolo: Bigsby B5

Edge Radius: Standard

Output Jack: Standard

Top Binding: Cream

Top Color: Shoreline Gold

Side Color: Shoreline Gold

Back Color: Shoreline Gold

Neck Specs

Neck Wood: Roasted Maple

Fretboard Wood: Rosewood

Scale Length: 25.5"

Truss Rod: 2 Way Spoke Wheel

Neck Shape: Medium C (.82-.90)

Fretboard Radius: 12"

Fret Count: 22

Fret Size: Medium FW-47095-NS

Nut Width: 1-11/16”

Nut Type: Bone

Inlay Type: Dot

Inlay Material: MOP

Side Dots: Aluminum

Matching Headstock: Yes

Face Plate Finish: Shoreline Gold

Neck Back Finish: Vintage Maple OGS

Hardware Specs

Pickguard: CBC (Cream Black Cream)

Hardware Color: Nickel

Tuners: Kluson Deluxe

String Trees: Standard

Switch: 3 Way Toggle

Jack Plate: Standard

Pickup Brand: Veritas Guitars

Neck Pickup: BearCats

Middle Pickup: N/A

Bridge Pickup: BearCats

Knobs: Gibson Top Hat

Pots: CTS 500K

Caps: Orange Drop .022

String Gauge: 10s