Andyjr1515

I can see another masterpiece coming on. Curses!

I don't really know enough about this aspect (ie, achieving mwah!), but logically the nut won't have any effect because the mwah is created as you run a 'fretted' point up the fretboard, and the neck likewise won't. I'm personally sceptical that the fretboard would make too much of a difference, assuming that it is a relatively hard wood. Action height will and therefore neck relief will - if it is too high, then you won't get the vibration of the string interacting with the fretboard at the 'fretting' point. And string tension will - lower tension will vibrate more and therefore hit the fretboard more. The pickups and /or eq might...piezo's and some other pickups emphasise the higher frequencies better and, logically, the mwah frequencies are the higher ones? But maybe there are other factors. If it was me, i'd check the action height, I'd try low tension strings and then, because it is probably the cheaper option, spend a day in a well stocked shop and try other basses. Anyone else got a view?

There may be other factors in play. The most likely is string tension...I'm guessing (anyone know for sure?) that string makes or types with lower tension will mwah more than those with higher tension. There is a table somewhere (google should find it) where someone has put down the actual tension values for different makes and types of bass string. I'm not sure the neck itself will be the main factor....

Ref nut and truss rod for fretless, I set the truss rod exactly the same as a fretted bass and the nut so that the strings are just touching the fretboard. If in doubt, a gnat's whisker above the fretboard is better than a gnat's whisker digging into the fretboard. Personally, I use D'Addario Chromes for fretless to reduce the fretboard ridges that round-wounds can sometimes quite quickly leave.

Great job

Thanks, John. Waiting for some replacement captive screws that were wrongly sent and, irritatingly haven't arrived yet to then finish it off. I've still got a few other jobs on it which I will hopefully clear over the next two or three days in between the 'Christmas preparation help' task list (which is quite a long list!)

Flattery is always welcome but I'd be well pleased if that was one of mine...

I think that looks GREAT! Well done

Lovely job And matching headstock, I also reckon

Go for the second option. You need the length of pocket to spread load from the upward pull. The pocket wood itself will be strong enough without the wood from the cutaway being there (think bottom horn of a stratocaster - it's just the same)

There's a video of one of the Herts Basschat bashes here with Nick Smith demo-ing the Super Quads - including playing Mick's that I had delivered to him earlier that day

The Sims site is a bit misleading. The info on the Super Quad is on their main site, not their Super Quad or Sims Pickups site... Anyway - it's here There's an installation video on that page too. Can't recall offhand which of the single coil pairs cut. Trouble with turning them round is that the 'P' bass setting will also be reversed (as well as those large connectors ending up on the far side of the pickup chamber. I would stick with how they are designed - the sound options were pretty good.

Good to see yet another build on the go, Jez. I stole that 3-sashclamp trick from last time you posted it. Great tip And that's got me thinking. I'm on nodding terms with a few hospital surgeons. Hmmm....bone acoustic saddles?

Hi @Dazed Sorry for the delay. Amazing how useful photos are I remember it all now! OK - Lengthwise, the leads are pretty standard and usable length (and to any prospective customers, the bottom of the chamber floor was how it was BEFORE I worked on it, not AFTER I worked on it. Honest ): But - as you can see - there are additional considerations if you are retro fitting. Those connectors have to be able to get to the control chamber from the pickup chamber. The other end is also a multi-connector so no help there: Also note how deep this connector makes the bottom of the chamber (I think I remember there are some chamber dimensions on Sims website?) Final thing to note is that the connectors, that plug into pre-configured toggle switches, come out vertically so, again, it's worth double checking your control chamber is deep enough. Hope this helps Andy

Onto the headstock plate. Most important lesson learned during my early veneering work - always know where the holes are before you cover them up! String tree hole drilled and thin double sided tape applied: Not perfect, but fit for purpose as a fully reversible mod: The (probably final) additional coat of the Osmo worked well: And full view: Rear view - the hatches have still got to have the edges tidied up but they seat nicely and almost certainly will be fine with magnetic catches: We are moving to machine screws (like Wal) rather than the standard Fender screws. Got some nice stainless allen key machine screws for it but the supplier sent the wrong type of captive nuts - replacements should be with me Monday. Still to do: Tidy up the rear hatch edges Install neck captive nuts Fit magnetic catches Copper-foil shield control chamber Install pickups, switch and pots Install strap buttons Install bridge Set up That's not too bad - and I'm really pleased how this is starting to look

Hi, @Dazed It's going back a bit, but my recollection is that the supplied cables are fairly 'standard' length (ie similar to a fixed cable in a humbucker). I may have some photos - I'll have a look in the morning

In absolute terms with nothing to compare to, the Duncan-designed are generally OK. But side by side there will be no comparison. I'm sure it will be worth your time.

So what was my experiment? It was seeing if something I did on Mick's Psilos bass in matt, would work on satin. The above is halfway through the process but I'm confident it's working. On Mick's Psilos, I experimented whether you could do the same 'slurry and buff' approach with Osmo as you can with Tru-oil. And the answer was that you certainly could. Using the same approach as Tru-oil, the process eded up as a self-grainfilling, super silky finish. So what's the issue with higher gloss levels? Well my problem is always about trying to keep the coating thin but it actually levelling properly without leaving brushmarks or cloth-wipe ripples. I knew I wasn't going to be able to buff satin while wet - because the additional applications tend to soften the earlier coats and that affects the gloss level - but I could do a variation. So basically, what I have done so far is: Apply a decent coat with a soft brush Slurry with 400 grit wet and dry, working with the grain Wipe off with (industrial - cheaper and bigger rolls) kitchen roll Let dry Repeat Repeat, but using 800 grit The results are very encouraging with the shine coming through but the thin-coat-organic-silky feel retained Tomorrow, I will repeat, using 1500 or 2000 grit. It shouldn't need any more. For my 'piccolo-bass turned electric' project that I'm doing for myself, I'm going to see if I can get it to work with full gloss. I've tried Osmo full gloss once before and had a few issues, but the above approach might just work. Worth trying...

Well - Osmo might have something to do with it too ...s'pose

I'm a genius. Just sayin'

I like that a lot

Well....so far, I think the Osmo is going to blink first. But I'd better wait until the morning when it will be fully dry before I do my victory lap

Which will break first - Andy or the Osmo...

And in the meantime, I'm applying some Osmo Polyx 3032 satin on top of the 3044 so that we retain the colour but get a nice semi-gloss. I'm doing a bit of an experiment with the way of applying the Osmo. If it works I'll post the photos....and if it doesn't, I'll quietly sand it off and do it the way the instructions say

The headstock plate is too thin to attempt MoP inlays, but Mike and I thought it might be fun to be able to see at least a little of the original Rascal colour : Once the edges have been sanded to match exactly the original headstock, all it will need is some strips of thin double-sided tape to fully secure it - the bushes and string tree will do the rest