mcnach Posted February 24, 2013 Author Share Posted February 24, 2013 [quote name='rednose200' timestamp='1361745133' post='1990303'] Hi. Thanks for your thoughtful reply to my comments. Understanding the situation more fully now, I can really see where you are coming from. Go ahead and do it. I think I would if I felt the way you do. He is obviously very well thought of as he has done much work for you before. Yeah, just do it. Seems good to me. All best. [/quote] no, thanks to YOU for taking the time to contribute and give good advice, really appreciated Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr. Foxen Posted February 24, 2013 Share Posted February 24, 2013 Put the band logo in a rectangular inlay, then you can gouge it out and put a new thing in if necessary. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cocco Posted February 25, 2013 Share Posted February 25, 2013 Do it! Sounds good to me. I'd also be tempted to go reverse P/MM. I'd want a good passive option too though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cocco Posted February 25, 2013 Share Posted February 25, 2013 Oh and shape wise, I'd go and play all the fender ish shaped basses you can find and make notes on what you like about each shape, then come up with a sort of hybrid. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
leftyhook Posted February 25, 2013 Share Posted February 25, 2013 Band logo?? That's as insane as having your girlfriend of 6 months' name tatoo'd on your face!!! :OP Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LukeFRC Posted February 25, 2013 Share Posted February 25, 2013 [quote name='mcnach' timestamp='1361567187' post='1987839'] Pickups? Undecided. But it will be reasonably simple. I'm thinking mostly one of a) single P pickup, reverse configuration (DG coil on top), placed at the Stingray's pickup position. or two Jazz pickups, quite close together, at around the Stingray's pickup position... and in this case, I would probably hard wire both pickups in series and that's it... but I will try it for sound and if I found that having a pickup selector and/or a parallel/series switch was a good idea... then I would do that, but it has to be worth it, I don't care for lots of different tones from this bass, I just want a basic one that is good, and then use the preamp to modify it slightly if/when needed. [/quote] the jazz option sounds in my mind like thumb bass positioning. Could be interesting on a more traditional looking bass. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nugget Posted February 25, 2013 Share Posted February 25, 2013 (edited) +1 for Cherry Its a great wood, much underestimated This is my tele, Cherry body and neck. Note - English cherry is different from American cherry. American seems to be more common at most timber merchants but I think English has better colour to it Edited February 25, 2013 by nugget Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mcnach Posted February 25, 2013 Author Share Posted February 25, 2013 [quote name='leftyhook' timestamp='1361751890' post='1990463'] Band logo?? That's as insane as having your girlfriend of 6 months' name tatoo'd on your face!!! :OP [/quote] yeah, there is an element of that, isn't it? It's just a fish thing, without lettering... so that makes it a bit less "explicit". But I'm getting less and less interested in that and more for a plain look entirely. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mcnach Posted February 25, 2013 Author Share Posted February 25, 2013 [quote name='nugget' timestamp='1361783570' post='1990595'] +1 for Cherry Its a great wood, much underestimated This is my tele, Cherry body and neck. Note - English cherry is different from American cherry. American seems to be more common at most timber merchants but I think English has better colour to it [/quote] That's a very lovely grain. Very nice! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mcnach Posted February 25, 2013 Author Share Posted February 25, 2013 [quote name='LukeFRC' timestamp='1361778620' post='1990544'] the jazz option sounds in my mind like thumb bass positioning. Could be interesting on a more traditional looking bass. [/quote] very much like that, indeed! I did like the Thumb I played a while ago, sound-wise. I thought the two Jazz pickups at that position worked very well. I think the MM position is a little higher, isn't it? I have an OLP I loaned to someone and I should get it back next week. I want to use it to explore putting the P and double J pickups on it to see what it sounds like. The routing is pretty bit on those basses so I bet they fit... and if not, I'll enlarge it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jazzmanb Posted February 28, 2013 Share Posted February 28, 2013 (edited) [s]Check out Prometeus guitars on facebook he made my bass on my avatar,if nothing else there's some great pics showing various wood combo's...[/s] [s]no idea what lines about???[/s] Edited February 28, 2013 by jazzmanb Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MiltyG565 Posted March 2, 2013 Share Posted March 2, 2013 How have i missed this? Never mind, Milty is here to throw a couple of spanners into the works. What about a semi-hollow stingray shaped bass with a piezo and humbucker pickup system? It's something different, and kind of plays to his strengths, being a "Pure breed" luthier. (i gather that a lot of luthiers don't consider solid-bodied guitar/bass making luthering.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MiltyG565 Posted March 2, 2013 Share Posted March 2, 2013 Just found this. The piezo sound is really punchy and warm. I think it sounds great! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qa9RgzpEtMg Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mcnach Posted March 2, 2013 Author Share Posted March 2, 2013 [quote name='MiltyG565' timestamp='1362186900' post='1997066'] How have i missed this? Never mind, Milty is here to throw a couple of spanners into the works. What about a semi-hollow stingray shaped bass with a piezo and humbucker pickup system? It's something different, and kind of plays to his strengths, being a "Pure breed" luthier. (i gather that a lot of luthiers don't consider solid-bodied guitar/bass making luthering.) [/quote] I did PM you about it, I guess you were just ignoring me, as if you had more important things to think about! Erm... interesting idea. But I doubt that would be one of my main basses. I'm really not after acoustic qualities... and remember, I am trying to hook him into making electrics!!! But I am very curious about piezo, and I wonder about having a piezo bridge in one of my fretlessessesses... but not on this. I am leaning very much towards the single P at the MM position, and selling the Westone and the BC Rich... that neck pickup is not going to get much attention from me. I have a couple of other ideas to try: 1) My black OLP. I should pick it up one of these days, and use that to test the P and the double J idea. The routing is so big, that I would have no problem fitting them temporarily, without pickguard. The OLP has a 2-band preamp already in it so it'll be a good test. That will help me decide teh final configuration. But I am leaning strongly towards a single P, just closer to the brodge than normal. It's mighty! 2) I also have a Sue Ryder in bits, partly stripped. I should not turn it into a standard P, but I should route it for a single reverse P or double J, closer to the bridge than normal, and just get a blank P pickguard make that I'll cut as required with my little fretsaw. That's the sort of different I feel I can work with. Piezo can be very nice, but not the sound I'm likely to use most of all. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigRedX Posted March 2, 2013 Share Posted March 2, 2013 (edited) Don't get too hung up on the wood choices. For an acoustic instrument the woods used are incredibly important. For a solid electric one not so much. Also just because your favourite US-made bass uses particular woods doesn't mean that the same species of wood sourced by your luthier in the UK, most likely coming from a completely different source and the tree(s) having grown under very different environmental conditions, is going to have that much in common for either looks or sound. In the past when I've had solid electric instruments made where the woods used were going to be visible, I've left the choice mostly to the luthier. I told them how I wanted the finished instrument to sound and what colours and grain patterns I liked. They picked out some boards based on these criteria, I then chose the ones that I found visually most pleasing to use for my instrument. Edited March 2, 2013 by BigRedX Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beer of the Bass Posted March 2, 2013 Share Posted March 2, 2013 Rory's acoustics certainly look nice. I've not met the guy myself, but my brother (another luthier) knows him and rates his work. I'll be interested to see how the bass turns out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mcnach Posted March 2, 2013 Author Share Posted March 2, 2013 [quote name='Beer of the Bass' timestamp='1362248558' post='1997590'] Rory's acoustics certainly look nice. I've not met the guy myself, but my brother (another luthier) knows him and rates his work. I'll be interested to see how the bass turns out. [/quote] I'll go up to meet with him probably early in April. I should have a better idea of what I want by then. I'll start a fresh thread just for the bass build once it starts. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mcnach Posted March 2, 2013 Author Share Posted March 2, 2013 [quote name='BigRedX' timestamp='1362226488' post='1997195'] Don't get too hung up on the wood choices. For an acoustic instrument the woods used are incredibly important. For a solid electric one not so much. Also just because your favourite US-made bass uses particular woods doesn't mean that the same species of wood sourced by your luthier in the UK, most likely coming from a completely different source and the tree(s) having grown under very different environmental conditions, is going to have that much in common for either looks or sound. In the past when I've had solid electric instruments made where the woods used were going to be visible, I've left the choice mostly to the luthier. I told them how I wanted the finished instrument to sound and what colours and grain patterns I liked. They picked out some boards based on these criteria, I then chose the ones that I found visually most pleasing to use for my instrument. [/quote] Oh, I agree entirely! When I mention a specific wood (maple, ash) is because I like the look of it, nothing else. One of my favourite basses is made of plywood (my red Squier). I'm not precious about "tonewoods" in electric instruments. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JTUK Posted March 2, 2013 Share Posted March 2, 2013 I wouldn't be a guinea pig... I'd get someone who has made all the design moves already. A custom bass is a lottery at the best of times as you never know exactly how it will sound until you plug it in.. so you don't want to add to that if the wood cominations and joints are not a well-trodden route fo the builder. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MiltyG565 Posted March 5, 2013 Share Posted March 5, 2013 [quote name='mcnach' timestamp='1362265182' post='1997852'] Oh, I agree entirely! When I mention a specific wood (maple, ash) is because I like the look of it, nothing else. One of my favourite basses is made of plywood (my red Squier). I'm not precious about "tonewoods" in electric instruments. [/quote] I've come to think that the wood choice makes very little difference in electric instruments. Rosewood doesn't sound warmer than maple on a fretboard, they sound the same. The most important parts of an electric instrument are the pickups, the bridge and the nut. Tonewoods are a bunch of flim-flam i think. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MiltyG565 Posted March 5, 2013 Share Posted March 5, 2013 [quote name='JTUK' timestamp='1362265733' post='1997860'] I wouldn't be a guinea pig... I'd get someone who has made all the design moves already. A custom bass is a lottery at the best of times as you never know exactly how it will sound until you plug it in.. so you don't want to add to that if the wood cominations and joints are not a well-trodden route fo the builder. [/quote] I would imagine building an acoustic is infinitely harder than building an electric, and this guy builds acoustics for a living. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mcnach Posted March 5, 2013 Author Share Posted March 5, 2013 [quote name='MiltyG565' timestamp='1362501211' post='2000275'] I've come to think that the wood choice makes very little difference in electric instruments. Rosewood doesn't sound warmer than maple on a fretboard, they sound the same. The most important parts of an electric instrument are the pickups, the bridge and the nut. Tonewoods are a bunch of flim-flam i think. [/quote] You should start a separate thread with that... and stand back with a bowl of popcorn to watch the fireworks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MiltyG565 Posted March 5, 2013 Share Posted March 5, 2013 [quote name='mcnach' timestamp='1362508233' post='2000461'] You should start a separate thread with that... and stand back with a bowl of popcorn to watch the fireworks [/quote] haha! Maybe i will. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MiltyG565 Posted March 7, 2013 Share Posted March 7, 2013 Have you seen this, José? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YG88o8DPZhw Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paul_5 Posted March 7, 2013 Share Posted March 7, 2013 Choose whatever wood you like, just don't let them put those horrible 'speed bumps' on the long thin bit! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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