PlungerModerno

Guess who's back! [url="http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Ikon-Custom-Guitar-Rare-One-Of-A-Kind-/121841922363?"]http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Ikon-Custom-Guitar-Rare-One-Of-A-Kind-/121841922363?[/url]

[quote name='MoJo' timestamp='1450009693' post='2928708'] Very much in the style of the real thing [/quote] +1 And if someone needs some reference materials: [url="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lxw51M7wAGk"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lxw51M7wAGk[/url]

Could be a set neck - or an odd morticed neck through (the face piece between the stripes could have been removed to rout out the neck pocket for example). If it is a neck through, they've tried quite hard to make it look like a set neck! OK I admit it! It's a probable set neck! It's back up: [url="http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Bass-Guitar-Through-Neck-Hand-Crafted-/321943600080?"]http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Bass-Guitar-Through-Neck-Hand-Crafted-/321943600080?[/url]

[quote name='tommorichards' timestamp='1449705236' post='2926244'] Looks like someone may have altered it and gave it a refin to allow better access? [/quote] That'd be my guess also - Doubt MM would have made that as it is - at the very least it's a refin (by my estimation).

Bizarre! Odd! Awesome! Thanks for sharing your progress, and your creative efforts. As has been mentioned already, nice carve on the upper horn. Have you decided on a headstock? I'd consider either a slotted gibson type: Or an Ampeg bass headstock (kind of a mini upright style): Or - go ahead and come up with your own version of what you like the most in headstocks/headless designs.

Sounds like a reasonable deal - The big difference in practice will probably come down to quality control, support, and hardware. If you are prepared to fit the neck (tweaking neck pocket and/or heel), fix or replace it at your own expense if it breaks, clean up any unacceptable fretwork etc, fit your own tuners (including probably shimming or reaming the post holes) - It's not a bad idea at all. For a beater / backup bass it could be perfect. For something I'd need to be rock solid - I'd much prefer to save up for a higher end neck, preferably multi-laminate (e.g. Kubicki) or carbon graphite (e.g. status).

[quote name='EBS_freak' timestamp='1449767406' post='2926691'] Go into a body shop and give them some beer money to get them to polish it with a mop. [/quote] Sounds like a plan. Nothing beats a good buffing wheel + appropriate compound in the hands of an experienced painter/finisher.

Please excuse the ignorance - but couldn't you just take off the truss rod nut and measure it? AFAIK fenders use single action truss rods, which means you can back it out all the way, and take a measurement with calipers or a suitably sized screw. Is it a USA or Mexican Fender? or Japan or other? When is it from? I know USA and most Mexican Fenders use imperial fittings, where as my experience of Japanese fenders is they are metric. The era could have an effect too (AFAIK most Mexican fenders use a mix of USA and non-USA components - like screws, truss rods etc, if my memory serves me correctly). If you do try to slip a washer on the truss rod, make sure you don't force it - you'd ideally be able to remove it later. Same with test fitting the nut on a screw - make sure it goes on well before applying torque.

Looks wonderful. With some work (once the finish has fully cured) it'll be pretty much perfect!

Problems will arise during this project - The trick is overcoming them. I'd consider a mockup with scrap wood to get the ergonomics right (bearing in mind the balance will change if you add hardware or use woods of different densities). A less laborious option would be to try different basses and try to copy one that feels excellent. Remember it's easier to remove material than add material when it comes to wood. A multi-laminate neck will probably allow you more flexibility in carving a neck profile (it could be thinner and have less chance of warping on you).

[quote name='yorks5stringer' timestamp='1447978044' post='2912077'] Confusingly the Seller says it has 'fret lights'.... [/quote] Check out the pics! It does appear to have red LED fret position markers on the side of the fingerboard.

Sweet. The camphor will really come to life when finished.

If it plays and sounds half as well as it looks - it'll be one hell of a bass.

Tried a set of the "Super Light" 95 - 40's (EXL220BT) Pretty damn good. Didn't have silks. Won't last as long as elixirs but they are a lot cheaper!

Sad when things go this way - but if the seller is selling under false pretenses - they deserve all they get. Hopefully they will be kicked of ebay, and will find their other (assuming there are other) scams less than profitable. The important thing is you got your money back - I'd look into fixing up the bass / parting it out to cover some of the time/cost you spent in this debacle.

[quote name='SICbass' timestamp='1447501310' post='2908080'] Any idea how the neck is attatched? [/quote] Looks like a set neck (or a neck through with the neck mortised through the body - but that's very unlikely).

Tis coming along - but it's not quite ready yet. You stated: "Is there any paint that would withstand strings being pulled through them?" I doubt any normal paint would hold up long term. Most plating will tend to wear away after years of use. Maybe an ultra hard enamel?

[quote name='blunderthumbs' timestamp='1447431094' post='2907669'] Pickups bought off EBay are a no go. Spoke to Dawn at Status today and she told me Rob is prepared to make me a pair of the older type 'J' pickups with the gold Status logo on the cases so the bass looks original. What a guy. They could have just told me to politely knob off but they are going the extra mile to please a customer. Can't fault them. [/quote] Amazing support / sales. Well done Status Graphite!

Try as many as you can - it's better to have one that feels great, and you can live with on & off stage - than one that sounds perfect, but is awkward. You can fairly easily swap out electronics. Swapping neck profiles and balance points is a little trickier. Chambering to reduce weight etc. is also pretty involved.

[quote name='CamdenRob' timestamp='1447778554' post='2910289'] It's funny the things that get through the design process sometimes... they must real world test this stuff surely? I have a mesa mini rectifier guitar head, which is an astonishing piece of kit in every way except it's one flaw... [b]the chrome control knobs have a chrome indent... making them impossible to read from further away than an inch. A bit of colour in there and it would have been so simple to rectify.[/b] [/quote] If you haven't already - get some dark nail polish, best to get something with a bit of colour (especially if the panel the knobs are on is dark). Put a dab in each of the indents - you should be able to see it much farther away - and tell from a glance if one of them is cranked before switching off mute.

[quote name='rmcki' timestamp='1447364345' post='2907164'] How about and ACG pre-amp? [/quote] ACG? I thought ACG had a USP with an East Pre (Unique Selling Point - marketing jargon) - the pre I refer to is the cool filter based "[size=4][font=arial,helvetica,sans-serif]ACG DFM pre-amp[/font][/size]" Read all aboot it here: [url="http://www.acguitars.co.uk/acg_admin/wordpress/basses/electronics/"]http://www.acguitars.co.uk/acg_admin/wordpress/basses/electronics/[/url] Here's a sweet looking Uber:

[quote name='roman_sub' timestamp='1447248983' post='2906096'] I think that's a decent paint job! [/quote] Honestly - I think the paint job (axe parts included) is probably the least unpleasant thing about the bass. But I'm not a KISS fan, and I quite like the classic lines of the SG bass style of instrument. Haven't found one I could live with yet due to balance issues but I'm still incredibly biased. Good use of colour with nice attention to detail (did he spray the pole pieces black (or cover them in tape)?).

Routers are an excellent tool in the right hands - but need to be treated with care. For all routing being done in wood I would advise removal of the majority of the waste by drill, bandsaw, or other means before using a router. It saves the bits, and often gives you off-cuts to practice on (important if you havn't routed the wood before (especially true with difficult grains) Router bit selection is also key - a major cost if you are to be doing a variety of routing. Also the dust is not to be trifled with. For small one-off jobs I tend to use hand tools - Partly as a cost saving, but mainly as I hate making a guide/template I suspect I'll never use again, and of course setting up (with power tools etc) unless there's the volume of work to be done to justify the prepwork beforehand and the cleanup afterwards!

[quote name='goblin' timestamp='1447253633' post='2906156'] Who'd have thought Ovangkol could look so good eh? [/quote] Well they do appear to be some choice pieces - brought to life wonderfully by the finish if your pic below is anything to go by! [url="http://s88.photobucket.com/user/goblin92/media/Basses/653D33E6-D592-40CD-A495-CB5FFFD9995E_zpslmqvqj93.jpg.html"][/url]

An elegant solution - for those without hard cases. For those with hard cases a set of shelves will probably serve better (At least for the cases!). As an additional storage option I think custom drawers could be a quite practical idea. Like any custom furniture however it'll have to compete with cheaper alternatives.