4 Strings

Thanks RK, I just say what I want and Heath sets about making it! I think he's hoping to get the inlays done so he can lacquer the front of the neck. The back will be waxed. I'm looking forward to seeing that!

Details. 12th fret, ready to be inlaid: [URL=http://s1341.photobucket.com/user/4Strings1/media/Ruach%20Utility%20Bass/Thinfish_zpsb54fd23f.jpg.html][IMG]http://i1341.photobucket.com/albums/o760/4Strings1/Ruach%20Utility%20Bass/Thinfish_zpsb54fd23f.jpg[/IMG][/URL]

Lot of talk about tuners. Going for this, despite being so expensive, I think the bass will be worth it. They have responded and it appears to be suitable for active basses (although I'm still not really sure why any wouldn't be, normal tuners aren't dependant on active or otherwise): [URL=http://s1341.photobucket.com/user/4Strings1/media/Ruach%20Utility%20Bass/ProTunersheet_zps78f26b5b.jpg.html][IMG]http://i1341.photobucket.com/albums/o760/4Strings1/Ruach%20Utility%20Bass/ProTunersheet_zps78f26b5b.jpg[/IMG][/URL] Frets, thought about these a while ago and fancied thin for the elegance and SS so they last along time (Utility). I've struggled with the second pup. I really like the simplicity of one. Anyway, two have been ordered from Aaron Kent, a MM at the bridge and a single coil wound to sound like a P at the neck (but not to look like one, in a Jazz case for neatness). So, I thought 3 way pup selector, simplicity etc, but in the end it will be five way like this which will give me MM at the back, Jazz, all of them, outer coils for a scooped slap sound (you never know!) and forward for the neck P sound: [URL=http://s1341.photobucket.com/user/4Strings1/media/Ruach%20Utility%20Bass/5Way_zpsb8b562d6.jpg.html][IMG]http://i1341.photobucket.com/albums/o760/4Strings1/Ruach%20Utility%20Bass/5Way_zpsb8b562d6.jpg[/IMG][/URL] P sound pup won't really be neck, more in the middle, but you know what I mean.

[quote name='Norm' timestamp='1379626794' post='2215127'] :-) PS I do maths for a living, probably why I cant count properly any more! [/quote] How about composing in your mind a short 8 bar piece that has a bar of 8, then a bar of 7, ...then 6.......then 5.............then...................zzzz

[quote name='itsmedunc' timestamp='1379545686' post='2214173'] Well, I have a really bad sleeping pattern. Insomnia? Is 5am bedtime normal when I get up at 8am? I'm 47 fekin seven! What time should a bass player go to bed? I'm really tired all the time and I am thinking of taking up the 6 string to get a few more hours sleep. Help... [/quote] Just listen to some 6 string playing....

'Honest piece of wood' - perfect for this bass! No pretensions, it's nice it's because it really is nice, as opposed to something stuck on. The body is a one piece lump of English sycamore. Chosen for it's common use as a tonewood for classical instruments (although the effect this will have on an electric bass has yet to convince this sceptic!) and - mainly - for its lightness. I asked Heath to get the very best bits of wood he could find for this, we'd scrimp elsewhere if need be, especially for the neck. I wanted a one piece body and he found this nice piece of sycamore. I think it's great for function, ok for being a nice looking thing, but nice enough to not need a top (not that it would get one anyway, a coat of black paint would have been preferred). However, I'd like to see it in the flesh again, sanded and bass shaped before I decide about finish and its opacity. Thanks for the encouragement about it, I will definitely be keeping that in mind.

[quote name='owen' timestamp='1379528183' post='2213794'] It would be a crime to cover that wood in anything but a light tint. [/quote] Yeah, know what you mean, Owen, I'm hoping to get to see the wood this w/e, to see if it's nice enough for a natural, or tinted finish. This sort of thing doesn't look too anaemic with a maple neck, but the top on this is better than the body of mine: [url="http://s1341.photobucket.com/user/4Strings1/media/gll2000ambermp-xl-02_zps53c155be.jpg.html"][/url] I'm trying to avoid the coffee table thing really, though. Utility Bass.

Great, huh? filling me with confidence! Just had a mail back from Z-Tuner, apparently the UK regulations were too costly to overcome to allow their sale here, so that's that decision made. The N-Tuner is looking likely again, John East has said he can make the preamp with a switchable volume control but its a little deeper and so the dims need a check. The corners of the body will be rounded, but like a Tele to keep that slab look. Still thinking about the stand.

Things are moving fast! While I'm still umming and aaring about the colour, and hmming over what type of pearly material to use for the 12th fret inlay Heath has been merrily getting on with the job: Front. The horn looks a bit big, I'm thinking (hoping?)this is due to being close with a wide lens! The design was to sit the strap button over the 12th fret for balance: [URL=http://s1341.photobucket.com/user/4Strings1/media/Ruach%20Utility%20Bass/2013-09-30100838_zps7bb598a8.jpg.html][IMG]http://i1341.photobucket.com/albums/o760/4Strings1/Ruach%20Utility%20Bass/2013-09-30100838_zps7bb598a8.jpg[/IMG][/URL] Back: [URL=http://s1341.photobucket.com/user/4Strings1/media/Ruach%20Utility%20Bass/2013-09-30100850_zps2018b790.jpg.html][IMG]http://i1341.photobucket.com/albums/o760/4Strings1/Ruach%20Utility%20Bass/2013-09-30100850_zps2018b790.jpg[/IMG][/URL] Neck socket: [URL=http://s1341.photobucket.com/user/4Strings1/media/Ruach%20Utility%20Bass/IMG_3511_zps6e16b04a.jpg.html][IMG]http://i1341.photobucket.com/albums/o760/4Strings1/Ruach%20Utility%20Bass/IMG_3511_zps6e16b04a.jpg[/IMG][/URL] TIghter than a tight thing. The neck will be a set joint, I'm hoping this means the profile underneath can be smoothed like a neck through: [URL=http://s1341.photobucket.com/user/4Strings1/media/Ruach%20Utility%20Bass/IMG_3510_zps3d130f35.jpg.html][IMG]http://i1341.photobucket.com/albums/o760/4Strings1/Ruach%20Utility%20Bass/IMG_3510_zps3d130f35.jpg[/IMG][/URL] The set joint will feature a groove cut in the walls of the socket and similarly in the end of the neck and a fillet placed in the grooves so the neck slides into place. This will be amazingly strong and, with the glue etc, will integrate the two pieces as one. The Z-Tuner, the preferred really simple one looks like it might add £100 or so, with duties etc so may have another look at the N-Tuner (the one with the ring around the pup selector or vol control). The 12 fret inlay is going to be New Zealand Paula (whatever that is!) [URL=http://s1341.photobucket.com/user/4Strings1/media/Ruach%20Utility%20Bass/NZPaula_zpsab98a325.jpg.html][IMG]http://i1341.photobucket.com/albums/o760/4Strings1/Ruach%20Utility%20Bass/NZPaula_zpsab98a325.jpg[/IMG][/URL]

[quote name='Kiwi' timestamp='1379487144' post='2213145'] Deadspots are caused by neck density and mass regardless of the material. I had a Moses graphite Jazz neck which had a deadspot at the 5th fret on the G string. They happen in wooden bass necks when resonance q of the wood shares a sympathetic frequency with a note on the fingerboard and dampens it. Both John K and Ned S solved that problem by changing the mass of the neck in order to shift the resonance q either up or down. Alembic used necks laminated to increase stiffness and lower the q below any fundamentals. Ken Smith mainly relies on a very thick piece of ebony for the fingerboard to create stiffness. [/quote] This is the whole reason for laminated necks. There are several, smaller resonances which has much less effect than a single large resonance.

[quote name='BassTractor' timestamp='1379437047' post='2212722'] What's the best tonegranite for metal? [/quote] Rock

GB Streamliner 900 with Barefaced Compact or Midget T.

[quote name='Roland Rock' timestamp='1379156404' post='2209188'] Here's a really good quote from a very respected luthier. I thought it would be good for this thread: [/quote] Yes, agreed. Whether you actually hear the difference or not is another matter. This puts in place the nonsense about maple necks sounding 'bright' compared to a similar neck with a darker coloured but harder fingerboard, such as rosewood or ebony. Also it puts to bed those who say a louder unplugged body will be 'better'. Quite the reverse for exactly this argument. Ideal body being a granite cliff. I would also concede the flat spots in solid necks (5th fret, G string on almost every Fender) is wood affecting the tone (albeit more the string sustain due to the sympathetic resonance).

Thanks, all, although it's hardly my work! Heath's a talented chap; like you RK I've taken the advice of the builder on a number of things, for example the compound radius fingerboard. Not easy to create but Heath really likes them and was happy to do the work. (Actually, same for the Hipshot bridge, awkward to install as there's the hole to line up etc but he's happy to do it as he says the tone will be better).

More work on the neck. Compound radius fretboard being formed: [url="http://s1341.photobucket.com/user/4Strings1/media/Ruach%20Utility%20Bass/IMG_3483_zpsdc45ccbe.jpg.html"][URL=http://s1341.photobucket.com/user/4Strings1/media/Ruach%20Utility%20Bass/IMG_3484_zps7dee8510.jpg.html][IMG]http://i1341.photobucket.com/albums/o760/4Strings1/Ruach%20Utility%20Bass/IMG_3484_zps7dee8510.jpg[/IMG][/URL][/url] End view of tighter radius at nut end: [url="http://s1341.photobucket.com/user/4Strings1/media/Ruach%20Utility%20Bass/IMG_3486_zps82ec96d9.jpg.html"][/url] Frets positions cut in: [url="http://s1341.photobucket.com/user/4Strings1/media/Ruach%20Utility%20Bass/IMG_3503_zps571bd97d.jpg.html"][URL=http://s1341.photobucket.com/user/4Strings1/media/Ruach%20Utility%20Bass/IMG_3510_zps3d130f35.jpg.html][IMG]http://i1341.photobucket.com/albums/o760/4Strings1/Ruach%20Utility%20Bass/IMG_3510_zps3d130f35.jpg[/IMG][/URL][/url] Nut blank: [url="http://s1341.photobucket.com/user/4Strings1/media/Ruach%20Utility%20Bass/IMG_3498_zpsd4807c5d.jpg.html"][/url] Nut in the making: [url="http://s1341.photobucket.com/user/4Strings1/media/Ruach%20Utility%20Bass/IMG_3500_zps4c578950.jpg.html"][/url] A thing of beauty: [url="http://s1341.photobucket.com/user/4Strings1/media/Ruach%20Utility%20Bass/IMG_3503_zps571bd97d.jpg.html"][/url] SS frets to come, along with the next shipment from Hipshot

[quote name='BigRedX' timestamp='1379242330' post='2210117'] Bass Surgery basses had a built-in tuner similar to the Wittman ProTuner. Unfortunately the instruments were extremely expensive as they are no longer being made. I think the problem with built-in tuners is that unless they are fully featured and can cope with down tuning and unconventional intervals they might not be that much use. Also it probably means yet another battery (or faster drain on existing on-board batteries) which many would find unacceptable. [/quote] They do. But even if you don't use unconventional tunings they still seem to be a boon to me. Certainly with you on the battery thing, the current favourite for my new bass needs a 3V supply. Bit awkward.

A full 150W into a Hartke 410 will be plenty loud enough to mask any Heralds, Triumphant or otherwise!

Reggae I love to hear it (done well) but sounds stiff and sunburnt when I try to play it. The timing, notes, I can get them to sound LIKE reggae but not the real thing.

My Streamliner doesn't wander, although anything else does if its turned up a bit. Used to have a flightcased amp and the case locks rattled so I put it on its side on the floor. Did that for years.

Erm... I'm thinking of green now. [URL=http://s1341.photobucket.com/user/4Strings1/media/GreenBassside_zpsadf8c5d9.jpg.html][IMG]http://i1341.photobucket.com/albums/o760/4Strings1/GreenBassside_zpsadf8c5d9.jpg[/IMG][/URL]

Tuners on board, built into the guitar. Those I mentioned involve nothing more than simply swapping the volume pot, totally reversible and so no no need to worry about modifying a bass guitar. I wondered how useful/accurate etc they were in the long term I'm having a bass built so I can do anything I want without having to compromise what I get in case it might take a little longer to sell it later. I've used the clip on ones and they worked fine, I have a plug in one which can sit almost permanently plugged into the tuner output on my amp. However, these are still a bit of a faff compared to an on-board and more things to remember to take/pack away etc. Someone suggested this one which seems the perfect build-in: [url="http://www.aqdi.com/ztuner.htm"]http://www.aqdi.com/ztuner.htm[/url] In actual fact I don't really like using them, I can quickly tune from, for example, a keyboard note and can also quickly hear anything going remotely sour and tune accordingly. However there's been the odd occasion when a tuner has been useful, or would have been if it wasn't in my case. I was looking for something always available with no effort from me. Any experiences?

[quote name='owen' timestamp='1379163131' post='2209318'] I had a Sei made once and came up with the idea too late. I had LEDs and Martin said he would have loved to do it if I had thought about it in time. Other than in music, timing is not one of my strong points! [/quote] Interesting, I think it would need to be something already in production for this one. great idae thought, surely one easily taken up by people who know how

[quote name='owen' timestamp='1379160043' post='2209262'] Multicolour/function LEDs in the neck for side dots. White for normal, but cbanging colour for using as tuner info. Red either side of the octave and green at the octave to denote in tune. It would be super cool but can you imagine the extra cost!?! [/quote] REALLY cool! Great idea. It would be a one off and I think I might be still waiting for my bass into 2014! I have thought of the dots though, there will be none on the front (can't see them when I'm playing and thought the simplicity of the neck without them attractive - there will be an inlay on the 12 fret though, just coz..!) However the useful dots, the ones on the top of the neck, will be luminous: http://www.touchstonetonewoods.co.uk/products/inlays-30/position-dot-plastic-rod-luminous-3mm-200mm-length-1679.aspx or http://www.luminlay.com/galleryjp.html

[quote name='rk7' timestamp='1379154640' post='2209170'] Just spotted an acoustic bass with onboard tuner. Might be worth a look? And this: [url="http://www.aqdi.com/ztuner.htm"]http://www.aqdi.com/ztuner.htm[/url] RK [/quote] There are loads available for acoustics, I don't know enough to know if they'd work for an electric. Those specifically for an electric require a connection to the signal (both at the Vol pot). However, that Z-Tuner looks perfect, thanks for that link! I've enquired about the connections etc. John East has been really helpful in making the preamp with slim pots so we can recess the tone controls as I'd like, he's also responded positively with the switchable volume pot (although we'll need to check the dims) so the other tuners look like being a goer. If we go for the N-Tuner I'm thinking of using the one built around a Les Paul style pup switch. The Z-Tuner looks the best option though as it's so discrete and needs no vol pot change. Could just sit on the top horn. I'll let you know how we get on!

Anyone using an onboard tuner? I've only found two: http://www.wittman-spins.com/tuners.html and [url="http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/N-Tune-Onboard-Guitar-Chromatic-tuner-500K-Toggle-switch-for-Gibson-Guitars-/370862551883"]http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/N-Tune-Onboard-Guitar-Chromatic-tuner-500K-Toggle-switch-for-Gibson-Guitars-/370862551883[/url] Both require the replacement of the volume pot. Will this work on an active bass? Anyone using one? Are there any others? Could I let a clip on type into the back of the body? Seems a great idea, not sure why they're not more popular.