Myke Posted October 7, 2013 Share Posted October 7, 2013 That is fantastic!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sprocketflup Posted October 7, 2013 Share Posted October 7, 2013 Oh man, Im not a fan of Buckeye ( either lol) but that is just utterly w*nkworthy. Stunning , stunning bass mate, Ill bet you are itching to get your hands on it Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rumple Posted October 8, 2013 Author Share Posted October 8, 2013 [quote name='tonyf' timestamp='1381173820' post='2235445'] Fantastic work, it looks stunning. What's the dark wood under the buckeye top? [/quote] I had to ask Dave apparently it's black stained sycamore veneer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rumple Posted October 8, 2013 Author Share Posted October 8, 2013 Thanks for all the nice comments Dave is doing a fantastic job, I'm going to be up in Worcestershire next month so will get to see it it the flesh, there's a slim chance it might even be finished Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rumple Posted October 10, 2013 Author Share Posted October 10, 2013 Had a bit of a chat on e-mail with Dave today, I think we were both supposed to be hard at work not talking bass! he's going to hopefully be installing and wiring up the pick-ups at the weekend, he's came up with an alternative to my idea but using the same concept, each rotary pick-up switch will now be: 1.Off 2.Both Coils Parallel 3.Both Coils Series 4. Single coil We also talked about knobs but I'll keep that conversation private for now Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rumple Posted October 21, 2013 Author Share Posted October 21, 2013 Dave has made me some knobs, I thought it would be better looking then just using standard shop bought ones, I found some nice looking Buffalo horn ones on Ebay but they were way too expensive. I think these will look great, at the moment they haven't been finished off and are only sitting on the top of the body not attached to a pot, in the background you can see the wiring diagram. [attachment=146591:DSC00209 lr.jpg] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shizznit Posted October 21, 2013 Share Posted October 21, 2013 I was originally going to have matching knobs on my Shuker made from the same wood as the top, but then I thought nah. It would have looked nice if the pickup cover was also matched, but then the black bridge would stand out more. I kept everything black in the end. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rumple Posted October 21, 2013 Author Share Posted October 21, 2013 [quote name='shizznit' timestamp='1382350786' post='2250870'] I was originally going to have matching knobs on my Shuker made from the same wood as the top, but then I thought nah. It would have looked nice if the pickup cover was also matched, but then the black bridge would stand out more. I kept everything black in the end. [/quote] I'm with you on that, I'm normally not a fan of overly busy wood so for me I think having plain black pups, bridge and knobs kinda tones the overall look down a little. Your Shuker is very nice BTW Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrT-Bass Posted October 22, 2013 Share Posted October 22, 2013 I've been watching the progress on this and can't wait to see it all come together!! The rotary control is really interesting...Are you having one control switching from Off-parallel-Series-single coil that effects both pickups? I had wanted to put a switch in my build like this but went with the 'both pickups Parallel-both pickups Single Coil' switch in the end. Maybe I could get it rewired at some point... Sounds like a really versatile bass you've got coming there Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rumple Posted October 22, 2013 Author Share Posted October 22, 2013 There is going to be one rotary pot for each of the two pick-ups: 1.Off 2.Both Coils Parallel 3.Both Coils Series 4. Single coil I'm hoping this combination will give me enough variation in sound to cover most types of music without being too complicated. I'd imagine there would be a vast difference between say the back pick-up in single coil mode and the neck pup in series, Dave has made the bass so it's easy enough to drop in some active electronics if it needs it but I'm confident for my needs it won't come to that. If after using the bass for a while I find I only use a couple of settings then I may have it rewired to simplify the wiring options - only time will tell. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rumple Posted October 28, 2013 Author Share Posted October 28, 2013 I spoke with Dave on the e-mail yesterday and he has now played the bass through his amp! reports are very favourable indeed he said there is loads of variety in tone from the pick-up combinations some of them are quite subtle though, he described the over all sound as thick but with plenty of clarity even the tone pot brings something to the table (unlike on some passive basses) due to the NOS paper in oil capacitor Dave has fitted. I'll be up in the West Midlands for a few days from the middle of next week and there's a possibility the R5 will be finished and ready for me to bring back to London, which would be great as I can then use it the following weekend at a rehearsal, even if it isn't quite done I'll get to try it out for the 1st time so I'm very excited. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JimBobTTD Posted October 29, 2013 Share Posted October 29, 2013 Mine is done too! In the post as we speak. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rumple Posted October 31, 2013 Author Share Posted October 31, 2013 [quote name='JimBobTTD' timestamp='1383073554' post='2259934'] Mine is done too! In the post as we speak. [/quote] Excellent, can't wait to see final pics and thought of yours. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rubis Posted October 31, 2013 Share Posted October 31, 2013 Very nice indeed, this is like watching a very slow motion stripper.................so I'm told! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rumple Posted November 1, 2013 Author Share Posted November 1, 2013 [quote name='rubis' timestamp='1383252176' post='2262286'] Very nice indeed, this is like watching a very slow motion stripper.................so I'm told! [/quote] I'll be seeing all of the old slapper soon. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nugget Posted November 1, 2013 Share Posted November 1, 2013 you calling me an old slapper??? ha ha Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rumple Posted November 1, 2013 Author Share Posted November 1, 2013 Perish the thought Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rumple Posted November 8, 2013 Author Share Posted November 8, 2013 Dave is bringing the bass around to my Grandad's place in Worcestershire on Saturday afternoon so I'll probably be playing it this time tomorrow it might not be 100% finished so I may have to leave it with him but I'm still very excited though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JimBobTTD Posted November 8, 2013 Share Posted November 8, 2013 Hooray! Mine arrived the other day but I have been far too busy to do much with it. Enjoy the bass and say hi to Dave and your grandfather! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rumple Posted November 9, 2013 Author Share Posted November 9, 2013 Thanks Jim will do, look forward to pictures of yours when you have finished it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JimBobTTD Posted November 10, 2013 Share Posted November 10, 2013 How did it go yesterday afternoon? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rumple Posted November 10, 2013 Author Share Posted November 10, 2013 It went really well thanks, absolutely love the bass but it's not quite finished as Dave has a couple of bits still to do on the neck and I spotted a tweak or two plus I'd prefer a matte or satin finish to the back of the neck rather then the gloss it is now, Dave is going to sort for me, it will be another few weeks before it's finished. I wrote a bit of a review earlier then hit the wrong key on the keyboard and it all disappeared when I get a mo' I'll write it again. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JimBobTTD Posted November 10, 2013 Share Posted November 10, 2013 Nice. I would love to meet Dave. He did a cracking job on the body and neck I recently received. There are a few tweaks to do there too, and he and I are sorting it. I'm amazingly impressed with his work. Shame about the review, though. Something to look forward to, then! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rumple Posted November 11, 2013 Author Share Posted November 11, 2013 (edited) [font=arial,helvetica,sans-serif]Dave kindly brought the R5 (as it's become known) over on Saturday, it really is a piece of art, it looks amazing. Some great craftsmanship on his part, it looks just like the mock-up I made in Photoshop right at the beginning of the build, I didn't post that picture but I'll do so once I have pictures of the finished bass for comparison. I got to spend half an hour playing (noodling) the bass through Dave's Mark Bass F1 and Aguilar cab, over all it sounds warm but punchy especially when the bridge pick-up is soloed in either parallel or series, dial in some neck pick-up and it starts to beef up the tone as you would expect, including classic Jazz Bass. There are a variety of sounds available from the switching system some do sound similar to each other or very subtly different, all in all I'm very pleased with how it sounds so far and I'm sure it will be great when played in a band situation to. I could probably have not bothered with a tone pot or volume, the two rotary pots would have probably been enough. So a big thumbs up to the tone of the Catswhiskers pups, Dave did have to adjust the cases on the pick-ups as the pole pieces didn't quite line up which meant they didn't poke through the holes properly, I did notice that they were still a tad low in places. The neck feels great, just like a MM and with some super low action that I loved, I'm so at home on a SR5 that I've asked Dave to make the back of the neck matt or satin as it feels a bit alien to me when it's glossy as it is now. I spotted that the B string wasn't quite running between the pole pieces on the pups but luckily the Hipshot bridge just needs some adjusting to remedy that. The bass feels neat, compact, well balance and lighter then any 5er I've owned to date, not super light but at only 8.8lbs it's going to make 5 hour rehearsals a lot easier! Dave has a few bits he needs to do before he's happy to hand the bass over, unfortunately it will not be ready for Sundays last band session of the year so it will be 2014 before I get to really give it a try out. Pics, further info & thoughts once I have the finished bass and can spend some time with it. R.[/font] Edited November 11, 2013 by Rumple Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jazzybass Posted November 12, 2013 Share Posted November 12, 2013 Great review, I bet it was hard letting Dave take it back? The pickup switching sounds very interesting and unique. Really looking forward to seeing the photos of the finished bass Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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