Merton

Black with black pickguard

Here you go 😁

Well, I’ve got gigs coming out of my ears and talent for days, so why not commission another bass... 🧐 I’ve fancied a black/maple Fender P for ages but just don’t get on with 34” scales anymore. So following some egging on from @eude I started talking to @Cosmicrain about a mad idea for a 32” P-alike and he didn’t tell me to bog off... 😄 The main inspiration for this is the 70s Fender P played by Rick Savage up to around the Pyromania-era tour but of course Roger Waters has his famous signature P which is very similar. No pictures yet because we only hit the go button a couple of weeks ago, but we’ll keep this thread updated as progress occurs Full specs: 32” Zoot Precision with 10% smaller body to suit the shorter scale Ash body Maple neck fitted with titanium rods, 40mm nut width, P-alike neck profile Maple board with black dots Lightly aged/roadworn black finish Neck and board finished with a vintage tint Black/white/black scratchplate Lindy Fralin 5% overwound P pickup Passive electronics Vol / Tone Chrome Hipshot hardware with their Vintage bridge Schaller straplock buttons Of course Mike is renowned for using some of the sexiest maple you can find for necks (see my Funkmeister for example) but I’ve specifically told him not to worry about that here because (in my head at least) 70s Fenders didn’t go for highly figured lumps of wood. He’s also known for his stunning finishes (see the recent Funky 5 he built for @MattW here https://www.basschat.co.uk/topic/429761-5-string-zoot-bass-build/?do=findComment&comment=4374720) but again, I’m making him deviate from that for the mildly aged look. It’s a wonder he still talks to me really 🤪

Nice! Watching with interest

Switch Mode Power Supply. It’s the main component in bringing weight down as you don’t use a big transformer for the voltage drop from 230VAC. Basically does what it says on the tin, switches at a very high frequency. This can lead to the artefacts you’re experiencing on the headphone output. @nilebodgers has raised a very good point - I suspect it is the same headphone amp design as it’s the same ICEPower module so I don’t know if there’s much flexibility on that. But yes the RM heads have a Line In...

I found the same, apparently the SMPS causes the interference and the suggestion is to use lesser headphones!

Not far from me then! (Right by Gatwick Airport, give or take)

Not sure where you’re based but there’s this in the classifieds here which could be a nice cost effective solution :

Another idea is perhaps the new One10T to get a bit more highs?

I wouldn't bother replacing the driver in the One10, it's designed for that box and other drivers may not work so well. If you want a more "FRFR" type cab you'll be wiser to sell that and buy something else. Note also the One10 is designed specifically to be a more coloured tone vs the 12" Barefaced cabs. I'd look out for a Super Midget or Big Baby II, or similar sorts of cabs from other manufacturers

#helping: 😎

Of course, I’ll get a diary going and let you know

I have just set @Cosmicrain the task of building a black/maple P-alike to resolve exactly that issue with my collection 😎

Black and maple - oh yeah 😎

If it sounds bad with the red light flashing, turn it down. If it doesn’t, then keep playing

That is a tidy little rig! Very nice

This is bloody marvellous, love it! If I tried to build a studio it would go about as well as trying to turn a cargo ship in the Suez Canal.

Odd. I'd have stuck wit the OR500 rather than OR300. But not my company so there we go

Think the Original 300 is discontinued too

Whilst knee deep in a spreadsheet earlier I listened to the debut album by The Virginmarys - forgot how great it is a straight ahead, loud rock’n’roll record. Produced by Toby Jepson of Little Angels fame I believe. Either way I think it’s a cracking one for cranking up.

Peter this bass looks awful, you should donate it to me.

Get @skelf to build you an awesome ACG 5. All his designs are super comfortable seated and on the strap and you can spec the woods and electronics to get that old school tone. I have three of his basses (soon to be 4 🤪😳) and they all occupy different sonic spaces - simple passive old school, modern super J, and gnarly Spector-esque rock machine. But all of them have way more versatility than those pigeon homes I’ve given them; they can all do all of them if I do desire