Andyjr1515

[quote name='Harryburke14' timestamp='1483276358' post='3205795'] I will have a look into this actually. Sand down, try and bring in all the edges by a quarter of an inch or so (or as much as i can get away with), maybe make it a bit thinner front to back, and refinish. I had looked into chambering and capping but that seems like far too much effort and i didnt want to lose too much sustain. [/quote] Hi, Harry Guitar and bass builds and mods is my hobby and I like doing veneer jobs because of the sheer transformation you can get for not much outlay. I'm presently doing some trials with different varnishes, etc so more than happy to quote you on a veneer job if you are happy to be a 'guinea pig'. If you are OK with some of the veneers I have in the loft, we can probably do a deal that gets close to your budget. Ref the weight, I suspect the body is plywood - it tends to be very heavy! Very feasible to get some wood out of it - and the tone is not likely to be affected at all (there are a lot of myths around on the topic). Drop me a PM if that's of any interest. Andy p.s. - these are a few of the veneer jobs I've done: This recent one is plywood (there's a thread in the Build Diaries)...nothing wrong with plywood: ...and this is also plywood (but probably couldn't do a deal on this type of thing ): This is my own Squier VM bass:

...oh, and by the way, I've now fitted two Aquilar P pickups - one for Paul_S's 5 string and more recently a 4-string version for jonnythenotes...and in both cases they sounded fantastic. LOTS of oooumph and clarity. They should also be on your list of possibles....

[quote name='Jecklin' timestamp='1483274717' post='3205774'] Thanks everyone for the replies Yes it's more than an eq thing, the pickup just doesn't seem to respond tonally in the way I'd Like. I won't go the route of adding another bpick up as I will eventually acquire a new bass, so I will investigate some of the precision pick up suggestions. Cheers Thomas [/quote] Just had a listen on your website, Thomas. Some very interesting music...I've never heard contrabassoon played like that - sounds really good. Is it the Yamaha on Incantation? If so, I would have thought a bit of external EQ-ing (pedal or amp) could make a significant difference. Mind you, sounds pretty good as it is

Bit of a minefield, this. If you want to find a P pickup with a specific EQ, then the Seymour Duncan site is probably the best guide because it quotes both the output and the comparative EQ characteristics of each of their pretty wide range. If the link works, it's here http://www.seymourduncan.com/pickups/bass/p-bass However, it might not give you the answer you are looking for. The pickup position has a much greater impact on the tone than the pickup itself. Also, as Paul_S and I found out, the Musicman pickup is VERY low powered - it gets its volume entirely through the active EQ. An active EQ again can make a big, big difference, but they are pricey and have to be fitted. The cheapest and easiest first step is as geoffbyrne says above - try a cheap EQ pedal for starters (I gigged with a dirt cheap Behringer for years with a tonally troublesome instrument). If you want to experiment with a different pickup, then I agree the DiMarzio Model P has some merits or you could pick one of the closest EQ'd S Duncan ones. Or fit a bridge pickup....but the costs can start getting close to just buying another bass that suits you better.

That is superb! Wonderful stuff

[quote name='White Cloud' timestamp='1483138894' post='3205079'] Wow...love it [/quote] Thanks, White Cloud I'm looking forward to seeing it painted! Weight wise, it's looking like it's going to finish at around 8.5lb, not bad with two such chunky p/ups. Balance should be good too with the long top horn and lightweight tuners.

I get to the stage where I go into risk avoidance mode...which usually means avoiding using a router! The bridge p/up chamber has therefore been done with a combination of forstner bits to rough out pretty close to the line and my freshly sharpened chisels. This is in progress: ...and this is in place There's loads of 'fit and function' tasks still to do, but the basic build will be finished this week. Then comes the painting and finishing

That's an interesting comment ref the Bongo. I converted Paul_S 's Sterling 5 to passive and added a P pickup in the neck recently. The Musicman pickup is exceptionally low output so I had to wire it in series to match the Aguilar's output. Sounded OK. Actually, as a pair, sounded great! I suspect it wouldn't be at all difficult to do the same on both pickups on a Bongo...anyone here tried it?

Superb!

Watching with interest, Maude It certainly looks better already without those...er...indidividualistic roses...

[quote name='T-Bay' timestamp='1482936465' post='3203619'] Decided it has to be worth a go at a repair so set to today. I used a router to cut a slot bridging the cracks then made a couple of pieces to fit in there. I then forced glue into the cracks and fitted the pieces. That's all for today as the glue needs a day to go off fully. It will need dressing back and then a light skim of filler in places but should look ok when done. [/quote] That's an excellent way of doing it!

[quote name='TheGreek' timestamp='1483026720' post='3204254'] Coming on a treat....Nic must be having a breakdown having to watch and wait.. [/quote] Pacing up and down like an expectant father, I suspect The Model One is in: I will be sinking the whole thing into the top by a couple of mm to give enough clearance for the strings, with the fretboard having been set intentionally low on the top. I'll do that tomorrow...and also see if I can get the bridge p/up in place too It's starting to pick up a bit of speed post the Christmas lull

With a couple of spare strings in place to line up with, this is probably where I will position the two pickups. The 'musicman' isn't actually a musicman - it's a much hotter passive lookalike. The Model One is also very hot and very bassy. As such, I've placed the bridge pickup around 1cm or so closer to the bridge than a Stingray or Sterling. They should give a usable spread of tones between the two pickups and in the middle position, especially as they will be wired to go series / parallel and split for each pickup as well as individual volume and passive tone controls.

Decent bit of progress this morning. The bridge has been positioned and fixing screw holes drilled: The neck/body transition is pretty much there: ...and the control chamber has been routed to finished depth: Now the bridge is in position, I can pop a couple of spare strings on loosely to line up the positions for the pickups

That's a GREAT bass to help you get you back into it

[quote name='uzzell' timestamp='1482954419' post='3203757'] Absolutely loving watching your work come along. Out of interest, do you think it would be possible to retrofit an existing neck with these luminlay side dots? [/quote] Hi uzzell Yes - it is relatively straightforward. Exactly how straightforward depends on the thickness of the fretboard and the size and position of the existing dots, if any, and also the existing finish. Nevertheless, in most cases it is eminently achievable.

[quote name='Norris' timestamp='1482867946' post='3203220'] I wish that tactic worked on my wife. There again the quantity of alcohol consumed to get to that point would probably mean the use of power tools is unwise to say the least. Tomorrow I'm going to make some sawdust! [/quote] Nic gave me his preferred control layout. There will be also two micro switches but I will finally position those later on. I usually drill the main pot and switch holes before I hog out and rout the chamber: Also managed to hog out the bulk of the chamber before the first set of 'post-Christmas visitors' descended: The template and final rout of the chamber will have to wait until tomorrow

Well, my tactic of sitting for four days, drink in hand, grinning inebriatedly and inanely at Mrs Andyjr1515 finally worked. "Why don't you just go back into the cellar and go back to make lots of noise and dust! ANYTHING would be better than seeing your stupid face gawping everywhere!!!" The luminlay side dots are in. There are cheaper alternatives (and it's a bit of a bind having to order direct from Japan), but the ease of fitment with the neat outer sheath and easy, chip-free sawing makes such a difference. Basically, it's drill the hole; drop of cyano; press the stick in; cut flush: The are neat and great both in daylight and in the dark. Here they are fitted - I've gone for the 5mm ones up to the body join: ...and 3mm where the fretboard is flat against the body top: That's another job crossed off the 'to-do' list

I think it boils down to what you prefer. From a feasibility point of view they are both OK options. Yes, you have a major crack but structurally that would be possible to fix...and there are no structurally critical areas impacted as far as I can see. So yes, more than possible to make that physically sound and then veneer over it to get the forward facing aesthetics looking OK. Successfully removing a set neck and building a new body from scratch is a much bigger job, but also feasible....

[quote name='T-Bay' timestamp='1482571954' post='3201481'] The donor bass has arrived! Pics to follow...... [/quote] Excellent! Mmmmm....although white oak is better than some oaks, I personally would stay well, well clear. In my own experience oak for guitar building varies between 'very challenging' to 'f*****g unusable!' Ref veneers, I can give you some hints and tips along the way on using those if you end up going that direction

[quote name='The-Ox' timestamp='1482526902' post='3201339'] haha, no worries [/quote] Just sent

[quote name='The-Ox' timestamp='1482509438' post='3201203'] brilliant work again Andy! [/quote] Thanks! Haven't forgotten I owe you a PM

[quote name='sblueplanet' timestamp='1482414319' post='3200325'] You could make the f-hole opening in the shape of a large swift like on your headstocks that would look cool. I have an Alvarez mini travel bass which i think is 27" scale. It is fitted with black tapewound strings. Bottom E response is questionable but overall it's a very playable little instrument. [/quote] Great minds think alike....I actually did cut out a swift shape too at the time, but actually, the teardrop looked better Thanks for the additional info too

Although physically nothing is likely to happen to this until Nic's Mouradian-style has got to the painting and varnishing stage, I have been pondering and researching and asking about and am now close to crystallising a few more of the thoughts. I checked the relative pitches of bass, baritone and 6 string electric and, as many of you will already know, electric guitar is one octave higher than bass guitar and baritone guitar is tuned differently and pitched somewhere between the two. Therefore, if I get it wrong, at c 25" scale, my piccolo bass will be a....well...guitar! Also found out that, with the bottom four strings of a five string set, you can achieve standard bass tuning with acceptable string tension with a c 25" scale instrument. And so I asked Pete. Did he want a very short bass, or a .... four string guitar? And it's the latter. I now know a bit better where I'm heading. And I'm thinking: - definitely fanned frets...trying to extend the scale of the low end - follow BigRedX's thoughts on string choice - heavy end of the guitar string gauges, wound G - maybe even flat wounds? - investigate the thoughts of pickup...on that scale and to get that bass 'mojo', will piezo cut the mustard better than coil pickups? Mmmm.....more pondering and research coming up while I peel the sprouts.....

I very much look forward to seeing this develop