lettsguitars

looks like you got a nice mahogany under there. maybe have a crack at a sunburst.

that thumb rest looks frighteningly close to the e string. is it?

looks like you made a good job, and if it suits you, then it's all good. has it affected the balance at all?

[quote name='Wil' post='1043428' date='Dec 1 2010, 10:05 AM']True, but I suppose it depends what you want from a manufacturer. Spector for instance have a core design that they've tweaked over the years, but when you purchase an NS Spector, you expect it to feel and sound like an NS Spector. I suppose the other end of the scale is someone like Carl Thompson where you get whatever the luthier creates for you and any deviations from design along the way are considered part of the character.[/quote] definately, you have hit the nail on the head.

[quote name='Wil' post='1043404' date='Dec 1 2010, 09:54 AM']Surely though a CNC is programmed to do just what the luthier wants it to do? Once they've perfected their design they can make a machine reproduce that design perfectly, every time. Most luthiers will still finish the bass off and set it up by hand anyway.[/quote] there no such thing as a perfect design. things should constantly evolve. again, just my opinion.

[quote name='Wil' post='1043312' date='Dec 1 2010, 08:39 AM']Well, that's your view and you're entitled to it, but it seems pretty crazy to me. I don't see a downside to using all the excellent technology available in addition to human experience in order to create a high quality instrument.[/quote] i just think we rely too much on these things. a computer cares not what it does. and you think a design is 'right' so you program your machine and off you go. no more 'happy mistakes', and a sterile product. i'm not dissing spector by any degree. just my thoughts.

[quote name='charic' post='1043300' date='Dec 1 2010, 08:19 AM']I like how does it balance? Looks like it may be a candidate for neckdive (looks can be misleading mind)[/quote] oh man. i assure you this bass balances perfectly. sitting down, it just sits there obediently. standing up, there should be a slight upward angle of the neck, the perfect playing position. as i tell any customer who's worried about the dive, it is one of the foremost considerations when choosing woods and deciding on thickness. and it's light too! which reminds me, a chap who is considering a build told me the other day that, he'd recently picked up a warwick (model escapes me) which had a serious case of the dives. unforgivable mr warwick, whats up? your factory workers got a bag on?

hmm. cnc machines. that is just lazy. in my stupid opinion, any guitar touched by a computer is not a handmade guitar. every 'handmade guitar should be one of a kind. the human eye, ear, and hand is unable to detect such low levels of tolerance, but is more than capable of sensing the work of human hands, which is the key to a really nice bass. interesting. there's a wal bass for sale on here at the mo that has people trying to sell their mothers. i wonder if wal used cnc's???

well, it happened! theres a great big lump of snow inbetween the bass and the pickup. tomorrow's gonna be roasting though, right? seriously, ben couldn't get over coz of ice on the road (wheres all this salt we're not short of). see what tomorrow brings.

pics of truss rod access cover and new nut.

always worth going, if you're nearby. sure to get a bargain as it's not a sales driven thing. more for product visibility, and companies are more prone to selling stuff cheap, than load up the van again on the way home.

maplins dont do it, and neither do b&q. you can get slug repellant tape from garden centres, but this is thinner than sheild tape, and also, has a non-conductive adhesive, which means you have to solder every peice together to form a 'circuit'. ebay. look for the stuff with conductive adhesive.

[quote name='jonunders' post='1042342' date='Nov 30 2010, 01:37 PM']i saw the adverts in my bass mag this month. who's going to go and are these shows good?[/quote] i want to take some instruments to a few shows in 2011. when i do, i want to go home empty handed as far as stock. this said, i'll be 'giving them away' towards the end of shows. i don't know about this show in particular, but as shows are more about visibility for companies and not sales, you are sure to get some great bargains. if theres a show near you, and you've got some pocket money, go.

as for max'ing out a rod, i can't imagine that ever happening. if somethings 'rattling' and the rod is in tension, you've got problems.

sounds like a single action rod to me, though i could be wrong. basically single action rods will only pull the neck to its original straightness and the only fix once a neck is bowed at full truss rod tension, is to level the board and refret.

of course, you could always get somebody to build you a custom. i offer a basic setup for £500 with a satisfaction guarantee, or your money back. no paint jobs though, just natural handcarved exotic wood. checkout my current build diary if you're interested, titled 'from log to axe. . .'

[quote name='scojack' post='908724' date='Jul 28 2010, 09:52 PM']38" Electric Upright this time ... Im going to use some type of piezo pups on this one. Figured Sycamore Body Goncalo Alves FB Was a real task planing this stuff, think it will go well with the Sycamore. Maple Neck/Scroll This is where im up to now .... [/quote] yea, that goncalo alves is the hardest thing i've come up against. did you get this piece off ebay by any chance? there was a lot on there for a while. alas, it seems to be all gone now.

[quote name='sprocketflup' post='1042047' date='Nov 30 2010, 10:16 AM']Gotta be honest, when this thread first appeared I looked at the raw woods and thought Im not going to like this bass, but Im eating my words (thoughts) now coz this has turned out to be absolutely beautiful. Its lucky that not everyone is as short sighted as me eh? lol Much kudos to you both[/quote] thanks. always a bit of a gamble when choosing woods. but when you're working with timber of such a high standard, the results are usually pleasing. the high contrast of the ash and ziricote turned out nice. plus, the tone and resonance is really something else.

we are literally waiting for the pickup now, i'm hoping we'll have it tonight. got the new bone and cocobolo nut on, which is quite special! had about 6 coats of oil and i'm deciding whether or not to finish with wax. pics t'morrow, possibly finished, we'll see. it'll need to go to ben for wiring up after pup goes in. so wont be totally ready to ship for a few days yet. easy now. jon

thanks everyone. massive help!

[quote name='jimijimmi' post='1037560' date='Nov 26 2010, 11:21 AM']Picato strings will make them for you..im sure of it. if not, ill get them for you j[/quote] nice one, i'll check that out.

got some strings on for a test drive. signature burned into headstock. starting to look like a bass. plays beautifully. no buzzing, great resonance and really cool tone. it'll be stripped down before we fit the pickup and controls. Ben is working out a cool circuit for pete who likes to experiment a lot. coil tap at 3000 turns, blend pot, a couple of switches and tone controls. it'll be fun to play with. still no dots, i'll get them in and when its stripped down for pickup and clean up. will also get a ziricote truss access cover. i may ebony for a bone and cocobolo nut, not sure whether i like using animal bits or not. any veggie players with opinions on that?

doesn't affect the pickup at all my man. the only thing that would affect the pickup is a metal case, which could have a desirable effect on the mag field, or distance, the further away from the strings you get, the weaker the signal. the way to do it is to buy your emg or whatever, disc sand the flats flat (a pickup is not square, as you need a slight angle when you vacuum form your case), and then glue your wood to the case. however, i couldn't bring myself to spend 70 boys on a pickup and then hope to get it right 1st time and crapping out a decent pup. the other way (and the best option in my view) is to get someone to make you a pickup without a case, and make a solid wooden case by routing out the hole before cutting it out and squaring up the sides on the disc sander. it just so happens that i know a man who can make you a custom scatterwound pup for £40-£60 that will blow away any factory made jobby, and will sound like no other pickup on the market.

i struggle to find strings that are long enough for my builds. i only do 34" at the minute and even then, ernie ball 'long scale' are barely long enough to deal with a bridge/tailpiece setup. obviously companies only cater for basses with standard hardtail designs where the saddles are very close to the anchors. i made a 36" once and couldn't find anything near long enough. now, i plan on making 35", 36", and 38" scale in the long term and can see a huge problem in finding the right strings. companies never state the actual wound length of the string and on my 34's from tail to nut is 36". any suggestions? i mean, how about a string through? what then i ask you? i believe a standup is around the 40" mark, thats a proper length for a bass note in my book. what g'wan?

[quote name='umph' post='1031729' date='Nov 21 2010, 07:30 PM']right so i maybe took a little longer getting photos up than i thought i would ;p Pre final coat of laquer after final coat of laquer and before final flatting etc. doing some fret work [/quote] don't look down!