Andyjr1515

[quote name='Myke' timestamp='1470337085' post='3105306'] Go with the first one! I've been looking at it and it's really been growing on me! [/quote] It will come out darker in any case, but once it's all finished and got the hardware on, I think the book-matched fancy one will look spectacular

...and with the 'devil's treatment'

[quote name='Myke' timestamp='1470335995' post='3105292'] Have you got other pieces of wood that you're thinking of or is that your main stock? [/quote] This is presently what is going on the back (it will have the thru-neck between the two halves) and I have a one-piece from further down the plank that could be used for the top. Probably a bit less swirly, but that kind of thing.

[quote name='Myke' timestamp='1470331876' post='3105244'] No, no, no, no, no, no! Well maybe. The more I look the better it gets! [/quote] Thing is, it IS going to be red, because that's the one thing that Pete has asked for. So the choice is nondescript but perfectly normal grain, in red.....or something a bit more eye-catching, in red

Something like this (just a photoshop job, JPJ!): What do you reckon?

I put a template over to see how much of the figuring might be lost and where. NOW you can see his horns! Well, I may have to go into hiding for a generation or so, but it's just begging to be stained red

[quote name='Bassmonkey' timestamp='1470323271' post='3105147'] Here's the original colour under the pickguard along with an original owners name and address scratched on it in 1974 Amazing colour change. Nice [/quote] That's really quite something. Have to smile also because I generally use fountain pen ink or calligraphy ink for my stains and folk in the know get quite twitchy (probably with some justification) about the colour fastness. I would happily pitch my red ink against Gibson's commercial stain of the '70s based on this for colour fastness Your bass has real mojo, Bassmonkey. Well done for tracking such a good one down.

[quote name='Bassmonkey' timestamp='1470322684' post='3105140'] Was made in '73. I only got it this year so dunno. Nice though [/quote][quote name='Bassmonkey' timestamp='1470322684' post='3105140'] Was made in '73. I only got it this year so dunno. Nice though [/quote] It's the real deal!

[quote name='BassBus' timestamp='1470310495' post='3104966'] You won't need to. The horned devil in the wood will do it for you. Or am I getting too Freudian. [/quote] No - I think you are being absolutely correct....blimey, there are some crazy scary images in there. Beats ink and blotting paper any day!

[quote name='Bassmonkey' timestamp='1470320949' post='3105111'] Here's mine for reference if that's any help. Was a deep red wine colour, now browner than brown (except under the pics guard Subscribed. Andy [/quote] Wow - lovely job How long did it take to lose the red? Remarkable....

[quote name='JPJ' timestamp='1470310067' post='3104957'] Go anywhere near that beautiful piece of timber with red stain and I will be forced to hunt you down and kill you! [/quote] Now, then....I used to think that also ... until I stained Mick's (TheGreek) 'Silk' bass walnut back panels orange on a 'I wonder if...' basis: So..... 'I wonder if...'

The one thing that Pete wants is the bass to be cherry red. Beyond that, he is happy for me to do pretty much any variations that take my fancy. One possibility is the top. I wonder how this might look, stained cherry red?

[quote name='Wolverinebass' timestamp='1470085721' post='3103234'] How much is this costing?!! I bet lots of folk on the forum would be interested in getting in on this. I don't even like Gibsons and I'd be up for this. Plus it'd beat paying £6500 for the equivalent EB3 Warwick copy. [/quote] Now there's the rub. You can get an Epiphone SG Bass for significantly less than the cost of the timber alone to build one. Wood, hardware and pickups get you fast heading towards Gibson's finished price - and that's before the couple of months making it. It's why this to me is a hobby and not a going concern

That's looking really good.

[quote name='BigRedX' timestamp='1470077733' post='3103129'] Gibson did make a long-scale version of the EB3. Have a look at [url="http://www.flyguitars.com/gibson/bass/EB3.php"]Fly Guitars[/url] for more details including models with two completely different pickup positions. [/quote] Wow - fascinating, BigRedX. Those pickup positions are quite, quite different!

Of course, the observant amongst you will have noticed that the big pickup goes in the neck position! I also forgot to mention the Varitone... So the spec will be, of course:[list] [*]34" scale, with bridge moved back from original to improve balance and shorten the apparent look and feel of the neck [*]Mahogany two piece body with maple or Wenge demarcation stripe. Chambered to reduce weight. [*]Mahogany through neck with central walnut splice [*]Ebony fretboard and headstock [*]Cherry red stain [*]DiMarzio Number One [b]neck[/b] pickup [*]Still to be spec'd mini humbucker for [b]bridge[/b] [*]Infamous Gibson three-point bridge - purely for a passing nod towards authenticity (even though JB did also play EB3's with the even earlier non-compensated nickel bar bridges, but I do have at least one photo of him playing a three-pointer) [*]Varitone [/list]

[quote name='Hobbayne' timestamp='1469985146' post='3102468'] Those two paper templates reminded me of J Kay's hat. [/quote]

That is Soooooo good, Bastav . The degree of originality and innovation surpasses almost any other bass I've ever seen!

Hi I alluded in another thread that I was on the road to another full build. In summary, our old-gits-band's bassist, Pete, has persuaded me in the past to build him two "in the style of" instruments. He is a long-standing Jack Bruce fan and first got me to build him a Jack Bruce Thumb tribute fretless, which many of you will have seen before: ...and - because he fancies himself as a six-string lead player too (actually, he plays a mighty fine lead when the band's main lead guitarist lets him) - an SG-style electric: The new request is a neat seque of the two ... a nod to one of the EB3 fretted basses that Jack Bruce used to play. Happily, Pete isn't a purist. If he was, he wouldn't ask me to build guitars and basses for him More than that, he doesn't want it to be short-scale per the original. So the spec in my mind, so far is:[list] [*]34" scale, with bridge moved back from original to improve balance and shorten the apparent look and feel of the neck [*]Mahogany two piece body with maple or Wenge demarcation stripe. Chambered to reduce weight. [*]Mahogany through neck with central walnut splice [*]Ebony fretboard and headstock [*]Cherry red stain [*]DiMarzio Number One bridge pickup [*]Still to be spec'd mini humbucker for neck [*]Infamous Gibson three-point bridge - purely for a passing nod towards authenticity (even though JB did also play EB3's with the even earlier non-compensated nickel bar bridges, but I do have at least one photo of him playing a three-pointer) [*]Still to be spec'd EQ if any. [/list] I got hold of one of the few remaining three pointers on the shelves - I think the UN has banned them for crimes against humanity: Note the (supplied) Sellotape holding the saddle-screws in....because there's nothing else holding them in, certainly! Two paper templates cut - one for the back and one for the top: Two pieces of mahogany ready: ...and DiMarzio Number One bought from Thomann to achieve free postage for Stuart when I ordered his semi-acoustic's EQ : I think we're away

Thanks folks for the encouraging feedback - always much appreciated

[quote name='ikay' timestamp='1469953256' post='3102179'] ..."[color=#282828][font=helvetica, arial, sans-serif]Will I lose any of my basses current tone if I simply add J pup at the bridge?"[/font][/color] [color=#282828][font=helvetica, arial, sans-serif]Adding a vol pot and J pickup to the circuit will change the impedance/loading on the P pickup and the soloed P will sound slightly different. Quite subtle but it won;t be exactly the same.[/font][/color] [/quote] Clearly this is the case with a blend pot. Any idea if the same applies with a three-way switch? I've never been quite sure...

[quote name='W1_Pro' timestamp='1469942508' post='3102125'] Speaking as the man that knows what it [i]used [/i]to sound like, both when it was new and when the last bout of 'repairs' was done, I can safely say that this is unrecognisable. The originally fitted KA preamp circuit, was[i] very[/i] noisy, for reasons I'm still not completely clear about, and the bass after the circuit was removed, simply sounded flat. This, is frankly, amazing work. [/quote]

[quote name='BassBus' timestamp='1469913565' post='3102009'] Wow! Above and beyond the call of duty. As much attention to detail on the sound samples as you have put into the physical work. Thank you very much. I love the tones when the neck pu is blended in. [/quote] It's an interesting combination of pickups with a single coil in the neck position. With fully variable tone boost or cut for all three levels, plus the split coil option and also the undemonstrated slap control on the push pull, there's almost no tone that is out of reach

[quote name='BassBus' timestamp='1469814343' post='3101314'] Stunning work. I love the hatch on the back. You have to look closely to see it. Can we hear what it sounds like? [/quote] [url="https://soundcloud.com/andy-rogers-6/custom-semi-acoustic-bass"]I've done some simple recordings - all of the same sequence- directly through a Focusrite Scarlett interface into Ableton Live with no effects applied on Soundcloud here [/url] Each switch position is announced before a small clip and includes:[list] [*]Bridge (full humbucker); Middle; Neck [*]Bridge (full humbucker) with no boost; with full mids boost; with full bass boost; with full mids and bass boost [*]Middle postion with no boost; with full mids boost; with full bass boost; with full mids and bass boost [*]Neck position with no boost; with full mids boost; with full bass boost; with full mids and bass boost [*]Middle position (with bridge pickup in split coil mode) with no boost; with full mids boost; with full bass boost; with full mids and bass boost [/list] What it will actually sound like will obviously be hugely influenced by the rig it goes through but this hopefully gives some indication of the huge variety of sounds. I haven't done any recordings with full treble boost - the impact through my rig seems less than with the bass and mids boosts and, of course, this is where the hiss will be most audible.

[quote name='kodiakblair' timestamp='1469894105' post='3101852'] Already done that Andy. Fella's even replied Sadly none of us were close. How long will I wait before spilling the bean ? [/quote]