ped

Mate

sorry I didn’t mean to sound dismissive like ‘you’ve watched ONE YouTube video’ 🫢

Some have it down to quite an art though when they can select the timber themselves. I remember Christian Celinder saying about using danish ash from only certain trees and only using certain pieces so the number of basses produced was tiny but they were super consistent, but expensive as a result. That kind of knowledge comes with experience I guess. Whilst other builders are quite happy to use nice prices of wood and going with a certain pickup location will give a sound in the ballpark of A or B depending on the recipe. Both approaches are fine, and I’d never have a custom build for me because I don’t have the ability or necessarily trust a builder to get it exact for me - I’d rather they the finished item in the round and see if it works as a whole.

And the way the string vibrates is affected by the wood. Graphite necked basses for example have a very particular sound. There’s no escaping the fact that the strings are attached to a piece of wood at each end. But I get your pic that it’s insignificant compared to other things. I’m sticking to my point that it affects the sound in a way which pickup location can’t, and vice versa.

So the wood does make a difference 🫣

I’m coming! My brother is up for the weekend too so he’s going, as are my two new potential band mates from work. Oh and a girl that I’m trying to set my brother up with. I’ll make sure I come and say hi!!

I dunno, I still think that’s a negative view of these guys experiences. We can’t compare having played hundreds of probably totally different basses or having watched someone pluck strings attached to a jig on YouTube to someone with years of hand making instruments for some of the best known players in the world. But everyone is entitled to their opinion and that’s why some prefer brand A to brand B which is all good. FWIW I think pickup LOCATION is the biggest factor, after that it’s strings, then neck construction, body wood and fingerboard. They all effect the sound but in different ways, the same way you can’t get flats to sound like rounds, you can’t get a MM sound from a Jazz, each change does something the other things can’t, and ultimately every instrument is a sum of all these nuances.

But the wood affects the way the string vibrates, it’s attack and sonic signature, which the pickups do pick up.

I don’t think the top flight luthiers need to do that. I just don’t think it’s necessary for them. Look at Ken Smith. If you ask him to do something else he’ll tell you to F off. They have reputations which speak for themselves so when someone like Roger says he’s experienced a clear difference in the thousands of basses he’s made then that trumps anything else for me.

ah god, tone woods at this time in the morning!! 😆 I don’t think it would make any difference to him if people believe it or not, tbh. People that say you can’t compare bass A and bass B because the body woods are different are fundamentally saying that the wood does make a difference. I think it does, and if someone who has hand made thousands of basses says it does then he’s probably the best person to judge as I’m sure he’s swapped necks on basses many times and heard the result. Even if nothing else then they certainly look different!

The stock pictures make it look like the body edges are less rounded than the Classic Vibe series, or any other mustang for that matter. Is that true?

It's not the plus version but it's plus an extra round.. decisions decisions!

Cort Action Plus from Gear4Music (£229) and a set of Elixir 40-100s (or 45-105 as I know they won't have the others in stock). Might leave me with a few £ for a drink. https://www.gear4music.com/Guitar-and-Bass/Cort-Action-Plus-Bass-Black/348M

Odd they got that wrong! Yeah being The Gallery I'm sure you'd have been sorted if there was a truss rod problem but indeed the bass should be cheaper given the real date (even if it more than likely makes no practical difference). So are you on the hunt for another? I'll keep my eyes open for you.

One for flats and one for rounds?

Ah wow amazing! I wonder why the preference for a '74, not sure what changed between 71-74. Good to know Matt is a mustang fan though, all the best people are

Probably due to shrinkage. Got any pics of the whole bass?

G&LBTQIA - whatever next!

Was it frozen solid? Can you tell us what/where the bass was just in case one of us buys it?

He's good isn't he? (Andy, not referring to myself in third person!) I do have a claim of it before somewhere, it sounded very similar to be honest - the aim was to keep the 'mini P' character and I found the thunderbird pickup with one hot coil was a great mimic for the P sound whilst also filling the existing cavity/cutout. Now I've had time to get properly cork sniffer with the pickups I'm hearing a really nice almost stingray like top end from the pickup which adds a lot of definition.

I was interested until I realised the hex saddles don’t connect to a 13 pin output like their Synth Access models did

Done mate, lovely collection 🤩

I got the fx59 back from fxpedalmodsuk https://m.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100065048851696 who were fantastic. They’ve added a clean blend (not a straightforward mod to do because of the type of circuit annd because I still need room for an battery) and pink led to the pedal. I’ll give it a try later I put some new knobs on it because it wasn’t bright enough already

Just adding these pics to keep the story going. Just playing ahead of us now