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custom headless 5 string


Kiwi
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[quote name='Born 2B Mild' post='297410' date='Oct 2 2008, 11:38 AM']Another block lover. :) I have recently realised that I have a huge weakness for block pearl inlays. They are like the eyes of a beautiful woman, to me! I hope Kiwi's new builds don't have blocks, or I'll have to pawn my CD collection and buy one.[/quote]
LOL, with the wooden fingerboard versions inlays would be definitely possible.

BTW, I'm having to take a view on the timelines for this project at the moment with my work situation being so uncertain. There's only so much I can pump into this per month. Jon and Rob also tried to set up a 3d model of the body in 3D Studio but there have been problems with importing such a complicated model into ArtCAM and the CNC machine is only 3 axis. So it looks like they're having to build two models, one with the radius and one with the body outline with a third model for pickup routs, neck pocket, control cavity etc. Eventually I think I might have to take the first finished body and get it 3d scanned like Gibson and Warwick do.

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[quote name='Born 2B Mild' post='297410' date='Oct 2 2008, 11:38 AM']Another block lover. :huh: I have recently realised that I have a huge weakness for block pearl inlays. They are like the eyes of a beautiful woman, to me! I hope Kiwi's new builds don't have blocks, or I'll have to pawn my CD collection and buy one.[/quote]

I'll do you a nice deal on some lovely black block inlays ... I'll throw in the rest of the [url="http://basschat.co.uk/index.php?showtopic=28560&st=0&p=294769&#entry294769"]bargain bass[/url] too :)

Edited by OldGit
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[quote name='OldGit' post='298557' date='Oct 3 2008, 01:20 PM']I'll do you a nice deal on some lovely black block inlays ... I'll throw in the rest of the [url="http://basschat.co.uk/index.php?showtopic=28560&st=0&p=294769&#entry294769"]bargain bass[/url] too :)[/quote]
I am physiologically unable to like black blocks, just like I don't fancy blokes. Can't help that, sorry!

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  • 2 weeks later...

update from Jon last night, success at last! He and Rob managed to combine the two files (one for the radiussed curve, the other for the outline and routing) and hopefully the first prototype body will be milled very soon out of some cheap offcut just to check the fit tolerances and alignment. If I have time, I might try and sketch something to show what the instrument could look like.

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  • 2 weeks later...

[quote name='Crazykiwi' post='315193' date='Oct 26 2008, 04:58 PM']Here's a quick sketch I did this afternoon of what I hope the finished bass will look like:
[attachment=15198:supergro...to_5_web.jpg][/quote]

I absolutely love it! The shape looks great. Contempary and ergonomic. Add a C string for dan ;o)

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Perceptive comment Sir Robin :) I took a 6 string body and mated it to a 5 string neck as I find most modern basses are too cramped for me and people seem to get around on 70's jazz basses ok which are close enough...

...but in any case, the body shape can accommodate removing additional width pretty easily.

Dan, 6 strings aren't going to be possible for the first 10 unfortunately. They may be possible afterwards on a batch order basis.

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It's looking great I must say.

The pickup config looks interesting. I was wondering about a bass with something similar, but even more extreme. A triple coil at the neck (really, a noiseless single coil jazz, right before the MM humbucker, and a switch for Single Coil/MM Parallel/MM Series mode), and a more conventional humbucker (switch for SC/PR/SR) further. But that's just crazy talk :)

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  • 3 weeks later...

Jon was in Shepherds Bush to catch the Stranglers at the Empire tonight and dropped off a first run of the body using a cracked piece of mahogany waste he had lying around.

[attachment=16015:prototyp...irst_cut.jpg]

The edges haven't been radiussed, the two halves of the run are slightly out of register, the pickup routs are a mess (because of the CNC machine's own limits) and slightly too close to the neck and I'm not certain about the return for the headless tuners either. The neck pocket is also going to be done by hand to ensure a close fit ...

...however I'm quite pleased with how sexy the shape is and with the neck it should balance almost perfectly on the leg. The body is very wide but definitely feels good. There's support in the right place for the right forearm and I'm thinking about chambering where the wood is thickest. The rough cut is very thick still so I'm in two minds about whether to leave it like that and have two very deep but also quite comfortable chamfers, or to make the body thinner but less contoured.

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