Ruach Utility Bass

[ras52]

Very nice. You might even say I'm . . . green!

[Myke]

It really, really brings out the grain! I'm actually seriously jealous now

[allighatt0r]

That's a really nice green, I like the way it shows off the figuring in the wood. It's going to grow on you. Like moss. The drummer I play with has drums that colour! Are the pickups going to be green too or are they staying "au naturel"? I want a green bass.

[scojack]

Looking good, 'snot my favourite colour to be honest but it has brought out the ripple really well ...fantastic work all round.

Edited October 22, 2013 by scojack

[4 Strings]

Thanks, all, I know I'm not choosing the colour for everyone else, but I'm feeling better!

The pups are flame maple (from the neck - unfortunately the pieces were not large enough to get the flame going in the same direction as that on the neck. Yes, they could go green too. I think I might see what they look like 'au naturel' first as it's kind of a one way ticket. (There's less than 2mm thickness on the top of them - scary routing! - which may not allow too much sanding back)
[URL=http://s1341.photobucket.com/user/4Strings1/media/Ruach%20Utility%20Bass/GreenPups_zps774591fd.jpg.html][IMG]http://i1341.photobucket.com/albums/o760/4Strings1/Ruach%20Utility%20Bass/GreenPups_zps774591fd.jpg[/IMG][/URL]

[4 Strings]

Frets are in, body now polished with several coatings of wax and oil, controls and bridge all in, neck profile carved to a heavyish asymmetric (so that I can have a play and hone - can only take wood off from this point!) and neck wax and oiled and the strings are on!!!!

Just waiting for pups and dots.

In the meantime Heath is looking a the standy-uppy ideas.

[BigRedX]

That green colour looks fantastic. Why did you decide to leave the neck un-coloured?

[4 Strings]

Thanks! I suppose I hadn't gone down the line of thinking about colouring the neck!

Mainly because, originally I wanted it to look like the stripey wood you see on many upright bass necks. Once Heath had found the piece of wood, this area was satisfied. A trans green neck is going through my mind now....

[4 Strings]

The waiting game. So close and yet so far.

Others seem to wait patiently for months for pickups, everyday seems like a month for me. I think it's only been a week. Thing is, they were ready once, but, as I understand it, the P sounding J shaped pup was made for the bridge size J pup, not the neck end, but the covers made by Heath were both the same (neck) size. The J pup is being altered to fit. I think dims were sent back and forth and the cover made accordingly, but there we are, all is being fixed.

As a side issue, there's a sort of race with my drummer going on, he's ordered a special finish Mapex kit with maple shells. This has been delivered but with a broken and wrong sized bass drum and toms an inch short and so has gone back. Was looking like I was going to win after all! (He ordered his way back in April). He hasn't gone green, I think I'm pleased, the guitarist has a green Eggle - would all be getting a little weird!)

[4 Strings]

Pups will be ready next week. Apart from these, the bass is now virtually complete.

The dots have arrived from Japan - 60mm this time!

Just a couple of decisions still to be made. The pups, upon the suggestion of Allighat0r, may go green. We'll have a look with them natural and make a decision. This has a nice look though (note they couldn't get the ripples gong the same way as the neck either):
[url="http://s1341.photobucket.com/user/4Strings1/media/Ruach%20Utility%20Bass/BlueandMaple_zpsd7bfd92a-1.jpg.html"][/url]

Now, here's a thing, I play with my thumb on the top of the pup on my MM. The length of the Jazz pups (and the equally long cover made for the bridge MM pup) is greater meaning my thumb will be quite a distance from the top string. Something to get used to?

The standy-uppy idea is faltering. Heath made some little feet to my instruction, tbh they didn't enhance the look of the bass enough to make them a good compromise of function over form! Also, an honest talk from the expert's experiences of repairing necks and headstocks of basses which have fallen over (and his own, similar disaster many years ago with a Jaydee!) means our luthier would never put a bass anywhere other than a proper stand, and never leaning on it's neck. I'm thinking on. I'd be disappointed not to have some sort of easy stand without lugging a stand around with me, but maybe it wasn't a good idea in the first place. Not giving up yet.

Lastly, the darker infill over the fret tangs. These would normally be the same colour as the wood, I wondered about using a darker (walnut) coloured filler for the top edge of the neck to make the frets easier to see. Utility bass, crap bass player, no dots on the front etc. Upon playing my current bass I found I could see the frets anyway so opted to ditch this idea. Heath hasn't done the filling of the top just yet, in case I change my mind (change my mind?!) - bless him. He actually liked the idea and has made the cuts in the top edge specifically even etc to make them look nice. He's going to send me a pic of a fretless he made which has something similar to mark the frets for a decision to be made.

Is it next week yet?

Edited October 25, 2013 by 4 Strings

[allighatt0r]

I was just being nosey rather than saying the pick ups should be green as well! Reading my post back, it does look like I'm urging you for an all green bass, sorry about that. "I want a green bass" should really be "I want a green bass of my own!"

[andydye]

[quote name='4 Strings' timestamp='1382691349' post='2255403']
Pups will be ready next week. Apart from these, the bass is now virtually complete.

The dots have arrived from Japan - 60mm this time!

Just a couple of decisions still to be made. The pups, upon the suggestion of Allighat0r, may go green. We'll have a look with them natural and make a decision. This has a nice look though (note they couldn't get the ripples gong the same way as the neck either):
[url="http://s1341.photobucket.com/user/4Strings1/media/Ruach%20Utility%20Bass/BlueandMaple_zpsd7bfd92a-1.jpg.html"][/url]
[/quote]

Aesthetically pleasing to have the neck colour continue into the body area, tying the two together. Neither green or natural would be functinally different either so no utility issues there.

[4 Strings]

[quote name='allighatt0r' timestamp='1382695950' post='2255485']
I was just being nosey rather than saying the pick ups should be green as well! Reading my post back, it does look like I'm urging you for an all green bass, sorry about that. "I want a green bass" should really be "I want a green bass of my own!"
[/quote]

Haha, don't worry, that's how I read it!

I thought the green pups was a good suggestion. It's in the pot, one of the few remaining decisions (unless I keep adding things like that to the pot!)

Is it next week now?

[4 Strings]

How about now? No?

Oh well, while I wait I've been subdued by a couple of photos.

Neck joint - one of the little decisions was whether to go for a hard line or a blend with the green. Think I made the right choice:
[url="http://s1341.photobucket.com/user/4Strings1/media/Ruach%20Utility%20Bass/GreenNeckJoint_zps9a7ffa3c.jpg.html"][/url]

Green Utility Bass awaiting pups:
[url="http://s1341.photobucket.com/user/4Strings1/media/Ruach%20Utility%20Bass/AwaitingPups_zps37351ab1.jpg.html"][/url]

I am now really happy with the green!

Edited October 26, 2013 by 4 Strings

[rk7]

Ohhhhhh yes! Now it's starting to come together, 'tis a thing of beauty! (and Utility of course!!)

Looking good, very good.

RK

[4 Strings]

Thanks!

Rolling chassis, waiting for the engine and wheels.

[sprocket123]

Wow , looks so cool !

[AntLockyer]

Looks smart.

[Monarch]

Looking great mate, can't wait to see the finished article!

Andy

[4 Strings]

[quote name='AndyCleaver' timestamp='1382909703' post='2257999']
Looking great mate, can't wait to see the finished article!

Andy
[/quote]

Thanks, Andy, me neither, especially as its now next week and I hadn't noticed! Trouble is, I'm away for most of it, but hopefully the promised pups will arrive before Friday and Heath will be able to bring it down on Saturday.

Next gig, 9th Nov in Manchester, will give me a week to 'bed it in' or 'shake it down' or even 'try it out'.

[4 Strings]

I received a text today; "Houston - we have pickups!".

A parcel had arrived in Corby.

Here they are, resting in place, but to be fitted properly tomorrow;
[url="http://s1341.photobucket.com/user/4Strings1/media/Ruach%20Utility%20Bass/NewPups_zps3ab7bb7b.jpg.html"][/url]

This picture was sent to release one of the last decisions, to go with allighatt0r and green on the pickups or not?

They are here merely sanded wood, the finished pickups will look like the neck. If they go green they will look like the body. I'm sleeping on it.

Tomorrow I will go to see Leyton Orient (hopefully) beat Peterborough and then to Heath to try out the neck and maybe have the last shavings made to suit and pick the bass up. I have to advise the pickup finish in the morning to allow the two pack lacquer time to dry if we go natural.

Sleeping on it. Won't be getting too much sleep.

Edited November 1, 2013 by 4 Strings

[Myke]

Hmmm.. That's a tough one!

[Si600]

Stay natural. I think it complements the neck and having them green would lose the contrast on the body.

Nice bass though which ever colour you decide

[rk7]

Natural. As Si600 says, they will compliment the neck.

Errrr, no, green would be nice too. (Hope you slept well, ha ha).

Nearly there now 4 Strings! Woo hoo!

RK

(Green, really.)

[4 Strings]

Thanks all, (very helpful RK!)

Heath said that when he sees the picture he thinks 'green' but in the flesh he thinks natural.

With just over a mm of wood on the top there's not much room to change minds. And, tbh, it's not important enough for me to give it back to him with the instruction to change them so this is it.

Fancy wood pickups wasn't really the image I was after, but then they are there for the purely practical reason that Heath could make them quicker than the plastic people could make theirs. And it would be a shame to mask that amazing ripple.

This is why I'm an engineer and not an artist.