lettsguitars

while we wait for ed's pickups it hought i'd have a go at a ct copy. the scroll bass is something i've been wanting to try for a long time. i'm a massive fan of carl thompson's work. his youtube channel is to die for and i learned a lot from carl thanks to his vids. all construction methods are identical to carl's apart from the heel block, which i wont be using. this bass is open to offers and if you really want a ct feel, i can add a heel block. mahogany core, ziricote top, rosewood back, mahogany neck and macassar ebony fingerboard (a stripey beauty) and cocobolo cat's eyes. this bass will have a custom, handmade, scatterwound i.m.p humbucker and hipshot ultralite tuners.

[quote name='EBS_freak' post='1062887' date='Dec 18 2010, 08:18 PM']lead?[/quote] fenders are big heavy lumps, about 2" thick. i doubt you'd have problems with dive, i'd be more worried about back injury! never fails to shock me whenever i pick up my friends jbass. i'm actually making a tele'esque bass right now that balances perfectly.

i can build you one for that! handmade pups n'all. money back satisfaction guarantee.

thats really cool. i love krappyguitars style. they seem to be getting better all the time. looks like a nicely built guitar!

all is groovy. side dots, truss rod access cover, and a good setup, and that'll do it. then it's time for ed's custom built imp humbucker-single coil combo, and some decent photos. when you're ready ben.

body and neck carved. fingerboard to be radiused, 20" or 16". bridge still to do. i've made the cocobolo and camel bone nut. should be strung up today for a setup, and then were waiting for the pickups from ben.

i've been playing for 20 odd years, and music has been the only true constant in my life. now, gigs, f&*^ing hate them. always the same. some nob calling himself a soundman gettin arsey about every little problem, and a room full of nobody. it's always been a total waste of time gigging on school nights, and there's usually one or two 'in bands' that get all the support slots. the rest of the band love playing and i try not to moan about it too much, as it is a free practice after all. but i wouldn't wanna travel very far for rubbish venues with no promotion. i'm the lead singer and guitarist.

yea. cherry is going to make a better body than neck. is the timber seasoned? a year air drying for every inch thickness. if you plan on making a neck, make sure you get some nicely quartersawn boards. i can make you a neck for £110 inc tuners fingerboard and frets.

profiled and neck attached. body and neck get carved tomorrow, along with tuner holes and a coat of oil. see pics for neck pocket snugness test (look no bolts!), and balance (look no hands).

everything glued up and roughed out, ready for template routing. ziricote 'cat's eyes' and headstock cap.

i'll finish glueing the body, cat's eyes and headstock today, and we'll be ready for shaping. this one should be ready in a week or so, depending on when pups are ready. decided to go with the mahogany back. the cocobolo is pretty heavy and really thick, and the body is about 1 1/2". if i decide there isn't enough weight i'll put something on the back later.

ed got in touch to see if i still had a bass that was on ebay a while ago, i thought he was talkin about a different bass, all got a little confusing, but ed decided to let me make one. here's how it goes. he knew straight away that he wanted a cocobolo top. cool. wasn't sure about 4 or 5string, fretted or fretless. we went through a LOT of changes to the shape, and ed finally decided on fretless 5 string with a blank board. here's pics so far. mahogany core. mahogany neck. pacific blackwood finger board (i might use maccassar ebony). possibly a rosewood back, or just the mahogany. and cocobolo on top

weighed in i guess about 7lb, with packaging, gigbag, box etc, it was 6 kg. website not ready til next year. another build diary up today though.

how do? plenty here to wittle away the hours.

[quote name='guyl' post='1046302' date='Dec 3 2010, 01:20 PM']I've never waxed my natural Streamer since I bought it around 15 years ago. It has got some grimy marks - eg around the knobs and where my right thumb rests against the pickup. I'm scared of using wire wool though![/quote] fine wire wool is how you 'buff out' a natural oil finish, before waxing. it certainly wont do any harm. just keep it away from pickups and open tuners etc.

i had a corvette pro back in the day. warwick supplied the wax. what i found was, the light coloured wood (not sure what it was, i was just a nipper) tended to get a little grimy, and then i would wax over the top of old grime and start the process again. not sure, but maybe clean up with wire wool before waxing? any opinions?

i buy hipshot tuners on a regular basis direct from jason ungliech. i could sell you a used set. or i would happily get some for you, next time i place an order, which could be a couple of months away. i would have to arrange a price with jason, as i get builder discount, and do not want to get into a sticky situation as some kind of unauthorised reseller. but i'm sure i could get a good price for you. jon

and here she is. pete should be pleased. he's got a true one of a kind bass, with a one of a kind i.m.p ibstock brick pickup which sounds absolutely lovely. as i said earlier, these pups are still under development in various regards, but it is fully functioning, features tapped coils and a 4way rotary switch. all in all, a beautiful instrument, and only £500. thanks for all your comments. and next up, a groovy cocobola build for ed shearer. easy now, jon.

what a cool bass! bet it sounds great when it's done. should be worth a few quid n'all. what style of tunage do you play? i dont get these archtop cutaways though. it looks as though the bass side is actually cutaway more than the treble. same as an sg build on here. why would anyone do that? enlighten me.

groovy! we got it wired up and it plays beautifully and sounds absolutely brilliant. ben made a fine job of making this humbucker. very impressed. the cover needs developing further and i know he had a hard time teaching himself the art of vacuum forming, not perfect but it looks very cool to say the least. adds a real original quality to the instrument. vol, tone and 4 way switch. humbucker in series, humbucker parallel, single coil in series and humbucker series tapped at 50%. pics to come.

[quote name='Pete Academy' post='1042852' date='Nov 30 2010, 08:06 PM']Selling basses, the most common thing I hear is: 'I've been told it's easier than playing guitar'[/quote] it is definately easier to play the bass badly, than to play the guitar badly. that all changes when you start playing well. there are guitarists and bassists.