Spoombung

[quote name='hubrad' post='452495' date='Apr 2 2009, 03:24 PM']plus the balance is just waaay better![/quote] Uh-huh.

[quote name='hubrad' post='452479' date='Apr 2 2009, 02:59 PM']but there again I would have gone for headless myself. HUGH[/quote] You are insane, Hugh.

[quote name='Matte_black' post='452433' date='Apr 2 2009, 01:51 PM']I liked a lot how the Ibanez Affirma (by Rolf Spuler) was made. [/quote] The more I think about it, the more I realise that bass was a miracle of ergonomic design ...and I love the way it has a combination of soft and hard contours.

[quote name='Matte_black' post='452406' date='Apr 2 2009, 01:31 PM']I like how it's turning out, really. I'd have made the body edges rounder but it's a matter of taste.[/quote] I think if you're making a bass there's a natural inclination to make all the curves and all the contours soft because it's easy - and all the equipment - the sanders and files and power tools mean that it's really easy to do. But actually, I think more angular edges make a bass look a lot classier than something totally rounded like this for instance: ...which is not to my taste at all. Also, I don't like a rounded edge on the lower part of the body because the bass tends to roll off the lap. But as you say - a matter of taste.

[quote name='Mikey R' post='452387' date='Apr 2 2009, 01:16 PM']Did he route that free-hand?[/quote] No idea.

I bring you more news from deepest, darkest Essex. There's been a bit of routing going on down there. Measuring up: The cavity must encompass the battery in this bass: The machine moves in: Voilà... a hole. So there you go - not the most exciting collection of photos, but worthy and informative all the same. [i]Dull[/i] is the new [i]interesting[/i].

Amazing work. Well done.

[quote name='lozbass' post='450969' date='Mar 31 2009, 11:13 PM']Hmm...interesting (and valid) as Di Piazza's style/technique/music is, I don't think the sound in the clip is typical of a Fodera MG Imperial at all. It would be interesting to see what he's playing through. The rapid flourishes don't seem to show off the sound of the bass particularly well (IMO)[/quote] That's what I thought. It sounds like a £65 bass. It could be poor technique, I suppose, as he sounds like he's struggling a bit.

Do they all sound like this? He's not going to charm anyone with a tone like that.

[quote name='paul h' post='446931' date='Mar 27 2009, 09:34 AM']Ahhhh. That would be Stealth Web Design Ltd then. I much prefer Ninja Graphics for my invisible design needs. P.[/quote] Exactly. I think it's best if you don't employ a designer. Better to have it on your own computer so you can make quick changes and not worry about flashy design.

[quote name='paul h' post='446876' date='Mar 27 2009, 08:34 AM']I'm available for some kind of design service/bass trade thang? Well, you have to try! P.[/quote] Well the weird thing is he paid someone to make a site but for some reason the guy never posted it up. I don't get it....

[quote name='MacDaddy' post='446776' date='Mar 27 2009, 12:18 AM']I've been telling him that for years now![/quote] Right. It's not like he doesn't know how to use a computer or something. Nowadays guitar builders take out a digital camera before they pick up a piece of wood. I'm afraid that's how it is now. If you don't post up every month and go on the forums people think you've gone out of business. He needs a website chok-a-blok with great big luxurious photos of his basses - not a [i]'website under contruction'[/i] message and [url="http://www.zootbass.co.uk/"]a few floating letters[/url].

[quote name='crez5150' post='446670' date='Mar 26 2009, 10:55 PM']Hmmm.... perhaps I should go and have a chat....[/quote] Mike's a modest guy, but I think he should at least have a working website where he can list a few famous bass players he's made basses for, ie, this guy:

[quote name='ashevans09' post='446641' date='Mar 26 2009, 10:42 PM']I've been watching this with interest, it's looking lovely , woods are looking good too. Can't wait to see more![/quote] How are you getting on with your MTD, Ash? It looked immaculate in the pics.

[quote name='crez5150' post='446645' date='Mar 26 2009, 10:44 PM']I must go and see Mike..... is he still making the Zoot cabs do we know?[/quote] Yes he is. We had an honest chat about his business today. He really needs to get his website up and running ASAP, in my opinion.

[quote name='budget bassist' post='446602' date='Mar 26 2009, 10:26 PM']Sanding with a plane? madness i tell ye! Also i think that thing in the first pic was a pin router?[/quote] I gave up woodwork in the 3rd year after my pencil box debacle.

I now include my customary horror pic of the journey back from Essex.

[quote name='Mr. Foxen' post='446478' date='Mar 26 2009, 09:00 PM']And you get to buff up the old noggin at the same time.[/quote] Well yes! It's the equivalent of having the Eiffel Tower sticking out you head, eh?

Here's Mike taking a moment to pose with the bass. The neck isn't attached with bolts yet and there's still a long way to go with the contouring and all the other stuff but I'm starting to feel like the build is moving on a bit now.

So....how about this then? After weeks of seeing the thing in bits and pieces, for the first time I've got a [i]real [/i]feel of the disparate parts coming together to form an instrument. And you know what? It feels great and the playing angle is superb!

Then a bit of sanding:

[quote name='Matte_black' post='446425' date='Mar 26 2009, 08:13 PM']Plucking and slapping need different positions of the bass on your body... I'm not telling that body shape is "wrong", I'm only sayin it could make the bass lie too low on your leg. [/quote] Sure, I understand! The whole essence of the design was to have strings as near as possible to the leg - so the neck pivots at an angle similar to the standing position. As for [b]slapping [/b]- well as far as I can tell, it's just for kids at guitar trade shows. I don't believe it exists in the real world.

So next came the attack of the rasp:

[quote name='Matte_black' post='446378' date='Mar 26 2009, 07:50 PM']I really like how it's turning out. My only doubt about that body shape is about the position the bass wil stay in when you play sitting. It will be too low on your leg and this could make slapping a bit tricky. Other than that, I really like it! This is the problem of all the small bodies, though.[/quote] [i].........Slapping????!!!!!! [/i] C'mon, that's for the kids! Matte, the body is designed for a [i]perfect [/i]playing position. You will see the wisdom of my ways shortly, brother.

Okay, I visited the workshop today and it was time to tackle the contouring now we finally have a body to work on. Mike tends to favour very soft, rounded contours on his own basses but that's not really to my taste. With the exception of the forearm ease, I prefer something more angular especially on the edges that do not require heavy contours. so rather than uniform soft curves this bass will feature a combination of square-ish angles and softened areas. We started with Mike taking the edge of the whole body with sort of angled drill bit (I'm sorry, I can't remember what it's called) Then it was time to attack it with a very noisy disk sander. It was a terrifyingly, quick process and the wood rapidly came off it great clouds of dust.