Obrienp
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I always fancied one of the 360 12 strings for some reason. A triumph of hope over experience. My experience with 12 strings being you spend the whole time tuning the things and very little actually playing them!
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Well, I’ll join under the existing rules then. My ambition is to get down to 5 basses, which requires selling off 3. I sold a couple last year, so I feel I am on a roll. Also sold a BF cab and an amp. Loads more stuff to go to get down to what I actually use. 🥴
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Belatedly joining this at least for Tier 1. Can you do a sort of carbon offset deal where you get credit for selling bass gear? Thinking something like selling two basses gives you a pass on one bass purchase? Asking for a friend.
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Shocking! I would be inclined to just return it for a refund and stuff them. Don’t get these issues with LFSys and their 10” cabs are definitely a cut above BF IMO.
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Sorry, I seem to have started a hare running! I have no idea where I would get decent timber in my part of Norfolk. There must be places but the nearest to me are the usual culprits and even as a complete woodworking novice, I can tell the quality of the solid woods on offer is abysmal. The pine looks not much better than balsa wood and there aren’t any sheets wide enough to do the panels of a 12” cab (yes, I’m posting in the 8” thread: it seemed more active). My gut says 15mm ply but not from my local B&Q: the sheets there are all bashed about, full of filler and voids and most are warped. I am thinking I might have to order online from further afield. Big risk; as any pre-cut sheets might arrive dog eared from courier handling. If anybody has a good experience of this and can recommend a supplier, I would be really grateful. My mate has been making open back guitar combos: I don’t think he has realised the dimensions I will need for a closed, ported 12” bass cab. He might change his mind about solid timber when I show him the dimensions, besides I’m paying, so I get the last say. I will definitely go for the finger joints though. I might also need to seek advice about port size and length in due course.
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Thanks for the feedback folks. Said friend has built a few guitar combos this way. He does reproductions of a Selmer combo he liked when younger, including building the valve amp. They are heavy for their size but I think that is down to the valve amp. The finger joints do look very cool (he just varnishes the combos). I think he has just used pine but at least 15mm, possibly 20. I’m a bit wary about pine TBH. All the stuff I’ve seen in the usual outlets is very green and I’m sure would be subject to shrinkage, cracking and possibly warping on drying out. I guess I could source furniture quality from somewhere to avoid this.
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Thank you very much for the offer. Would the port pipe for a 12” cab be the same size as an 8” cab? I hope to be getting round to the build in about a month. I have a mate who has an impressive workshop full of woodworking machinery. He is pressing me to have finger jointed panels instead of using batons (he has a machine for that). He is also suggesting solid wood rather than ply. I’m not convinced, especially regarding weight.
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I have all the bits, except the plywood ready to go for a 12" cab. Unfortunately, illness over the last few months has prevented me from doing anything. I don't have the wherewithal to accurately cut the ply, so I am looking for a local supplier that can do it. My local B&Q doesn't but having seen the quality of the ply they sell, I wouldn't want to use them anyway. Congratulations @rwillett. I found your journey very inspiring. I might eventually get round to building the cab after all!
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The Short Scale Bass Appreciation Society!
Obrienp replied to Baloney Balderdash's topic in Bass Guitars
Back to DIY modification of a cheap donor bronco or Mustang? A set of Tone Rider the Duke J pickups costs £65, plus a bit of P&P. If you are handy with a router, you are laughing. Just need a custom pickguard made, or even DIY it. I would be tempted to have a crack, if I didn't have J bass so well covered already. . -
That just looks like a fun band to be in. Love a bit of brass and backing singers too.
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The Short Scale Bass Appreciation Society!
Obrienp replied to Baloney Balderdash's topic in Bass Guitars
I think I would be inclined to make one from a Squier Sonic Bronco, or Mustang as suggested a few posts back up the thread. My experience of Japanese made Fenders is you will want to change the pickups anyway. If you are hacking it about, you may as well put some contours on the slab body as well. Fender high mass bridge and some decent machine heads, and it would still come out a lot cheaper than importing. -
The Short Scale Bass Appreciation Society!
Obrienp replied to Baloney Balderdash's topic in Bass Guitars
GAS abated! 👍 -
The Short Scale Bass Appreciation Society!
Obrienp replied to Baloney Balderdash's topic in Bass Guitars
Every time I hear mention of the Bass VI I get gas and I was hoping to be a star of the gear abstinence thread this year! 😳 I can’t explain why they appeal. It’s a pretty daft design really with that whammy bar set up and the string spacing is narrow, even for my tiny Trump like digits! Perhaps it is because Jack Bruce played one at some stage and the Beatles had one kicking around. I’ve probably seen other hero’s from my teens using them as well. -
The Short Scale Bass Appreciation Society!
Obrienp replied to Baloney Balderdash's topic in Bass Guitars
I think it is more than a few people. Try oldies and there are a lot of us. Size, weight and stretch become issues when you have back and joint problems. You might be spared but many of us aren’t. The sweet spot for me at the moment is medium scale but shorties are even more forgiving and may become my standard in the not too distant future as arthritis progresses. At the moment I use a couple in one band because they suit the material we play. I am not always convinced by the kids with full scale basses. They may be able to slap the hell out of a six string for 5 minutes but could they get through a full gig with that beast over their shoulder? I guess Tal Wilkenfeld is the prime example of a small person who can and is a brilliant bassist in multiple styles. -
Muddy got it right: “Champagne and reefer, ain’t going to touch no cocaine”. However, can’t afford the former and it’s been more than a few years since the latter. I tend not to worry about people smoking some weed. Generally it makes them pretty mellow, although there is always someone who reacts differently. I get decidedly unsettled if it’s obvious that harder drugs are in use. Of course, alcohol is the cause of the most amount of aggro in society and obvious drunks are concerning at a gig, especially if it’s young men.
