SpondonBassed

[quote name='BigRedX' timestamp='1488044714' post='3245387'] So if you are serious about your specification, then you should at least make an enquiry. He's already made an all-gold G1 guitar with a coloured carbon fibre fingerboard: [/quote] No pressure then. Heeheehee. I'd very much like to but I'll wait 'till I've given this topic plenty of time to get responses from the 'hood as it were. By then, I'll have given it due consideration and (maybe) condensed my wish list to a set of things that are of real use on stage. As it is, I only started to think semi-seriously today.

[quote name='fleabag' timestamp='1488036245' post='3245263'] I haven't taken much in the way of photos, so it wont look like a diary. Also, the serious work has to go to someone else, and i dont want to add to their workload by making them stop for photos at stages I'll chuck some photos in of the finished article when its done , if thats any good ? [/quote] That's cool. I hope it works well for you too.

[quote name='julesb' timestamp='1487880608' post='3243901'] Just had a look. They can't even spell it correctly so that tells you something. I bought a telecaster online from CC which was a good guitar but had obviously come straight from a smackheads layer into the shop and then to me without any attempt to prepare it for sale i.e. clean it! It was disgusting. Don't let that put you off though, just be aware that they get stuff in and get it out asap. Bargains can be had... [/quote] Um, did you know that you can't spell "lair"? Just pulling your leg, heeheehee.

[quote name='TheGreek' timestamp='1488039542' post='3245315'] Like everything, if you're prepared to throw enough money at something, somebody out there will be willing to take it off you. Whether you get VFM or a playable instrument (after all that is what you're paying for) is a different matter. I'm currently talking to Andy about my next project with him, which again, is a bit of a dream but if it comes off will be well worth it. My advice, make your dreams SMART:[list] [*][b]S[/b]pecific [*][b]M[/b]easurable [*][b]A[/b]chievable [*][b]R[/b]ealistic [*][b]T[/b]imebound (not necessarily in this case) [/list] [/quote] Cheers my friend. I have to say that none of the criteria above strike me as being applicable to a dream. They make for a good plan however so thanks. This thread is helping me to refine my ideas already and it isn't even six hours old yet!

[quote name='BigRedX' timestamp='1488021923' post='3245079'] [url="http://www.lefay.de/english/bass_remingtonsteele.html"]LeFay do a steel fingerboard[/url] and [url="http://www.vigierguitars.com/page/fiche_produit.php?id_prod=244"]Vigier[/url] have their Imetal. Also Andreas guitars used to make guitars and basses with an aluminium fingerboard. Here's a photo of my Andreas Black Shark guitar: So it's by no means impossible. [/quote] That's nice. Do you use it a lot?

[quote name='BigRedX' timestamp='1488020379' post='3245057'] If this is serious and you have serious money to spend, I'm pretty certain that Simon Farmer of [url="http://www.gusguitars.com"]Gus Guitars[/url] would be able to make you a Gus G3 to that spec. [/quote] I kind of like the way these guitars get away from the old school thinking that you have to see wood somewhere on the instrument to make it look less of a toy. For me, this [b]is[/b] a toy. Note I didn't call it an adult toy but essentially, that's what we're talking about with instruments really. They're just play things at the end of it all.

[quote name='3below' timestamp='1488030111' post='3245171'] An interesting challenge, have you considered anodizing the fingerboard rather than enamel. Less susceptible to chips? With a thick (10mm +) Ti fingerboard would a composite neck be necessary (I realise is desirable). [/quote] Not yet. The enamel is a particular feature that I'd like to try. I might have a look around later to see if there is any precedent. It might turn out to be a bad idea though in which case your idea may work better. Can you get a pure white anodised finish? The composite neck would be where I might have "wiggle room" to mass balance the instrument. So it's negotiable. I don't think the fingerboard needs to be more than about 2mm thick. Getting a reliable bonding process may prove difficult due to differential expansion and contraction. It'd have to stand a cold soak in the boot of a vehicle on occasion followed by a rapid warm up (in some of the sweatier venues) else it would be more ornament than tool.

[quote name='Andyjr1515' timestamp='1488028106' post='3245147'] It's certainly out of my league, but I'd love to see it when it was finished! [/quote] A shared dream then. Heeheehee. If I was any good at graphics I'd try and make a mock up in a 3D app.

Ah, the subtle art of childproofing your living space. Not had the pleasure myself but I have to keep certain things out of reach for when the lodger's grandchildren come 'round. They're not bad as kids go these days though. When the boy was small he had a fascination for the middle of my speaker cones. They were protected by wire mesh, the cats having ruined the grill cloth years before. The lad had tiny fingers however. I caught him trying to poke his finger into the domed part of the mid range cones on more than one occasion. You could see the mischievous glint in his eye when he was about to try it. Fortunately no damage was ever caused but it was so funny.

[quote name='dlloyd' timestamp='1488032715' post='3245205'] ... That's the intro, 1st verse and chorus... the rest repeats this general groove. [/quote] Cheers chap! I'll have a quick run through for comparison later. It's about time I had another go, especially given the help that's been offered freely here. It would be rude not to in fact. Heeheehee

[quote name='fleabag' timestamp='1488033199' post='3245212'] There's a way to go mate Bridge is under way, then the tuners, but just the elephant ears, not the mech itself Then more extensive work on body, ( routing and other stuff ) and preamp to fit and cable up Gonna be a month or so, minimum [/quote] Will you put some piccies up in Build Diaries? It's sounding interesting.

I think I'd ask how much of a cut I was going to get in the first approach and base my follow up on the answer.

[quote name='JapanAxe' timestamp='1488019563' post='3245041'] This does nothing to improve my view of promoters! [/quote] Promoters polititians... What's the difference? Heeheehee

[quote name='stingrayPete1977' timestamp='1488026921' post='3245130'] I had a 78 Ricky on loan for a while, I don't know why they didn't just put the bridge on the opposite end so you could play it the other way up! [/quote] I wonder if that's due to Rickies having twin truss rods...?

[quote name='Muzz' timestamp='1488019745' post='3245044'] Dunno if this has been covered particularly well previously, but following on from a sub-discussion on the Thunderbirds thread (nooooo, not Gerry Anderson/-related, sorry), what's the worst culprit for neck dive you've experienced? I'll start the ball rolling by submitting the Washburn B20-8, which literally anchored your left hand to the neck: if you let go, it plummeted to the floor. I'm always amazed it got past the first prototype stage, it was that bad... [/quote] For me and the way I hang my strap any guitar with a headstock to some extent. It's probably why I dislike Fenders because there is the old "plank" routine going on as well where you can accidentally decapitate your mates on smaller stages. I can't say that I have a particular culprit in mind because I haven't played a great variety of instruments. That said; I got rid of my Squier fretless Jazz thirty years ago having got fed up with clonking the damned thing off band mates, walls, furnishings, tall dogs etc. I owned that for less than six months and the Vantage (below) replaced it. You'd think headless basses would be free of the problem but my Steinberger fiver does it a bit. Used to it now though.

[quote name='dlloyd' timestamp='1488024765' post='3245112'] Shhh! [url="http://videa.hu/videok/zene/marlowe-dk-hit-me-w-basszusgitar-with-your-rhythm-stick-iQqkk4neWrVJbDZZ"]http://videa.hu/vide...Qqkk4neWrVJbDZZ[/url] [/quote] [quote name='dlloyd' timestamp='1488024858' post='3245113'] Yep, I'll tab it out in powertab and post it later... it's in my head at the moment. [/quote] The job's a good 'un. Clip successfully [s]captured[/s] viewed (your honour). Many thanks for offering to do the tab too.

[quote name='interpol52' timestamp='1488023745' post='3245099'] The MarloweDK cover on YouTube sounds right to me. I used that to help me nail it. [/quote] Interestingly that is blocked on the basis of my country for copyright reasons by SME. Who tf is/are SME?

[quote name='dlloyd' timestamp='1488023324' post='3245093'] I sweated blood learning this to play at a wedding. The first thing to watch is that most transcriptions of it are wrong. The version that was in Bassist magazine, for example, has so many errors it's almost worse than having nothing. It's a lot easier if your hands are in the right place... Keep your right hand over the bridge pickup and use rest strokes, anchoring your thumb on the E string just neckside of the pickup. I could provide a correct transcription (i.e. as NWR plays it) if you're interested... although it might be exactly what you're already playing. [/quote] Yes please! Er, can I have it in tab too? Not essential but helpful.

[quote name='Norris' timestamp='1488021390' post='3245071'] A titanium fretboard might be a bit of a challenge [/quote] Indeed. I chose titanium as a base metal because I've worked with it before. I chose on the basis of lightness and stiffness but I don't know how it would be with enamel adhesion. Machining it can be tricky too. All my enamelling experience is with copper and mild steel. I think the trick would be in getting an enamel-receptive finger board that is thick enough not to distort yet light enough as to cause no neck dive or strap rash. Also, titanium is non magnetic.

I have just put together a list of features that I would like if I was to order a custom build from scratch. If there is a more appropriate place in BC to post this, please let me know. My first ever custom build would be;[list] [*]Fretless (4 or 5) [*]Metalflake gold body [*]Composite neck using gold coloured resin (perhaps) [*]White enamelled hardware [*]Fingerboard in solid white finished metal, pinstripe outline lined in blue (no fretlines) [*]Active J and P configuration, blue pick-ups [*]Onboard FM [*]Onboard tuner with mute toggle switch [*]Blue LED side dots (small dots for every fret position between the larger dots as per convention) [*]Black nylon flats. [/list] 25-2-17. Edited out Ti and changed "fretboard" to fingerboard, added that pick-ups are to be blue. [i][color=#000080]I'm putting that idea out to tender for estimates if anyone's interested? AndyJR or Jabba the Hut spring to mind but I am sure that other luthiers [/color][/i][i][color=#000080]or [/color][/i][i][color=#000080]builders [/color][/i][i][color=#000080]are reading. If so and if interested, please PM me for discussion about it and how much it might cost.[/color][/i]

[quote name='Dan Dare' timestamp='1487986992' post='3244905'] I like that. For the real vintage look, how about ye even older blue and white enamel? [/quote] Yeah man! http://basschat.co.uk/topic/301169-an-impossible-dream/

It's all coming together nicely. May I suggest that that to compliment the bass with white hardware the owner might consider a white suit and hat like Larry Graham...? Some of his basses were all white but with - OT - gold coloured hardware. I think a bass in metalflake gold with white hardware would have a similar impact visually speaking.

[quote name='mingsta' timestamp='1487982716' post='3244893'] Overture 1928 by Dream Theatre. I learnt it fot my friends prog metal side project. There were more notes to learn in that one song than about ten of the regular verse-chorus-verse type songs in my pop covers band. I never really nailed some of the insanely fast runs that myung does. Anyway, [b]certainly made me appreciate the technicality of the peops who play this genre of music.[/b] I also find that I have trouble really committing to really learning a song well unless I know that it's going to be gigged. [/quote] [media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H6_eqxh-Qok[/media] Me too. Edit: I just listened back and realised that this is a dubbed version for whatever reason, probably international copyright. The officially released film - Amadeus - was quite good however so I can recommend it as something to watch and chill with.

[quote name='Funky Dunky' timestamp='1487979335' post='3244879'] ...Don't even mention Paul Turner's flawless version with Shuffler, which is noticeably faster than the original. [/quote] Rhythm stick cover; Sorry to go against your wishes by mentioning but I have to say - for the pointer towards Shuffler - - thanks.

[quote name='skankdelvar' timestamp='1487960027' post='3244658'] ...Of course, Rhythm and Blues are - like Country and Western - two discrete musical genres, which means there's absolutely no impediment to starting a Rhythm & Western band. [/quote] I can see a potential impediment to Country and Blues becoming a long standing or indeed a viable musical genre; It would be (roughly) as depressing as Leonard Cohen passing razor blades amongst the audience just prior to a gig and then singing about what [i]really[/i] happened to Old Yeller. Ultimately, the audience would suffer self imposed extinction. Surely this is one genre that would not attract any sort of lucrative recording contract.