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Fretless Jazz Bass Type Thingy


Rumple
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Enjoyed my last built so much I'm embarking on a new one.

There's a bit of a story attached to this one, it's starting with a body I have had for over 20 years, my

Great Uncle who was a retired cabinet maker put a wafer thin veneer on the top of it from odds and

sods he had laying around, it has lots of patched in bits so isn't the best looking top, it went in the loft

and there it has stayed until now, the Great uncle is long since deceased but I'm finally going to use it,

details will follow once I have settled on a final design and talked it through with Lawrence (Henry Norton).


It will be a fretless maple necked Jazz Bass, I have accumulated Hipshot Ultralite Tuners and an ACG 02

Filter based eq so far.


Watch this space for more details!

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  • 3 weeks later...

[quote name='Andyjr1515' timestamp='1318618043' post='1404530']
I LOVE Teal on a guitar :) . Did one one on a (wash my mouth out) 6 string a couple of years ago and it's still one of my favourites - what will you use to stain it?
[/quote]

I'm not sure as the idea's are mine but all the hard work is being done by Basschats own Henry Norton, if Lawrence is following this thread he might chip in with the info.

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Thanks :)

The body I have had for decades sitting in the loft (see 1st post) and I decided it was time to do something with it and something I'd keep, I have a fretless 5 but never use the B string on it, infact I hardly touch the bass at all so the plan is to have this build as a 4 string fretless for messing about on at home and have frets put in the Overwater 5 that way it gets used more.

How are you getting on with the Warmoth?

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Aha, that would be a good reason for choosing 4 string, then! I ask as I am [struggling to find the time even to consider] planning on dusting off my Ibanez de-fretting project so I can have a fretless too and, I suppose, need the inspiration. Also, without [i]going there[/i], I didn't really understand going for 4 when you have 5-string basses.

The Warmoth is a joy to behold and is played every Wednesday at band practice. If I were a little heavier of pocket, I would do another one but with a fretless ebony fingerboard and be happier than one could reasonably expect!

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Here's a Friday update, I have ordered some 1/2" Hipshot Ultralites (3/8" one's are now for sale) from Alan (ACG), I also managed to secure a set of cheap PJ pups, these may be replaced at a later date but will be OK to start with, a set of Ernie Ball Regular Slinky are also on their way to.

Lawrence is drawing up a full scale plan so we can fine tune a few bits like pick-up position, shape of the scratchplate etc.

After some consideration I'm going to have a plain Maple neck no birdeye as I think it will be distracting, I'm not a very good fretless player at the best of times :)

Other decisions made this week are it's going to be 34" I did consider 35 but have decided against it, the neck will be attached via countersunk screws in washers not a standard Fender plate.

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  • 3 weeks later...

Here's the final drawing from Lawrence, it's basically a Jazz Bass with some nice little twists on the traditional look.

Apart from the headstock decal I think I have all the parts needed so we should be good to get started.






[attachment=92934:Final Design lr.jpg]

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Thanks, the scratchplate took the most tinkering as not only did it have to look nice and work with the body shape but it had to cover some dodgy patching in the top facing.


R.


Really like the fingerboard on the bass in your profile pic by the way, what is that?

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[quote name='nugget' timestamp='1320956733' post='1433821']
Fretboard is Rio Rosewood, half heartwood half sapwood - from the same stock as body

Lawrence is seriously good - it's gonna be a goodie for sure...

Dave
[/quote]


Have you got more pics?

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[quote name='LawrenceH' timestamp='1320963453' post='1433933']
That scratchplate is really elegant. I'd be seriously tempted to reuse that. Those crazy-looking oval Delano pickups that Ou7shined flagged up somewhere recently might match the aesthetic nicely.
[/quote]

That would look nice, I think Sandberg use those oval pick-ups on one of their basses.

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[quote name='Rumple' timestamp='1320999910' post='1434117']
Have you got more pics?
[/quote]

Dont wanna fill up your thread with pix of other basses... There are some here
[url="http://basschat.co.uk/topic/133877-firecreek-5-string/"]http://basschat.co.uk/topic/133877-firecreek-5-string/[/url]


Ta
Dave

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The parts have been shipped off to Lawrence and the final design signed off, I have ordered the headstock decal which will be similar to my 5 string one but contain the initials of my Great Uncle in the model name, there is only the matter of choosing what shade of teal I'd like before everything is in place... I think.

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[quote name='Rumple' timestamp='1321700595' post='1442071']
The parts have been shipped off to Lawrence and the final design signed off, I have ordered the headstock decal which will be similar to my 5 string one but contain the initials of my Great Uncle in the model name, there is only the matter of choosing what shade of teal I'd like before everything is in place... I think.
[/quote] I've ordered some new, spirit based wood stains that can be mixed and matched so post allowing, you should get some samples in the post very soon. I can't wait to try them out :)

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