NBD - well, kinda...

[Muzz]

So, it's finally finished, and I may well have completely jumped the shark with this one, but it's exactly what was in my head from the beginning, and it sounds glorious.

Korean Epi body and neckplate, Lakland neck with the best birdseye board I've ever seen (looks even better in the flesh), Hipshot Supertone bridge and Ultralites with Detuner, under the chrome covers are a pair of Dingwall pickups (neck one is a P-Tone), and an East U-Retro finishes it off. No neck dive, and it weighs under 8.5lbs.

Edit: I should give credit where it's due here to Steve Curtis (theguitarrepairworkshop.com) for a fantastic job on a very awkward neck pocket (a completely different sized neck, and 22 frets, so a lot of modification needed) - it's very tight indeed.

It's my rawk bass, and with the Dingwall, I've got all my live bases covered for now.

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Edited November 2, 2013 by Muzz

[bh2]

Cor... not normally a fan of the birds but that is amazing! Look at that board! Oh my!

Bloody good job Muzz.

[Telebass]

Luvverly Lakibird!

[Lozz196]

[quote name='Telebass' timestamp='1383415503' post='2264285']
Luvverly Lakibird!
[/quote]

Indeed, nice one Muzz.

[Highfox]

Like a piece of fine art.

[DarkHeart]

ooooooooooohhhhhhhhhhh

[Muzz]

Cheers guys, it's a nice feeling when other folk appreciate what you've done with a bass!

[rogerstodge]

Yuk that's bloody 'orrible, can you build me a left handed one?

[howdenspur]

Now that's very nice with the chrome and maple. Quite fancy building a bird...

[cocco]

That's awesome! Is the neck off a Bob Glaub?

[Dingus]

Wow! That looks amazing. I love the sunburst and chrome on the body against the maple neck in contrast . That looks like a USA Lakland neck , with the birdseye board and the clearly visable quartersawn grain ( it will be graphite- reinforced , too). Excellent job . Now you just have to learn the bassline to "Won't Get Fooled Again ".

[gafbass02]

Top, top job. Love that

[ezbass]

Thunderland! Looks stunning.

[Graham]

Interesting you've used Dingwall pickups, I'd have thought on paper that the string-to-string balance wouldn't be great on the output as the pole pieces would be lined up for an angled pickup so wouldn't line up with the strings when square. However, if it sounds good then that just proves how these on paper discussions can often be a load of baws.

[Billy Apple]

Bluddy Luvverly!

[LeftyJ]

[quote name='rogerstodge' timestamp='1383489857' post='2264942']
Yuk that's bloody 'orrible, can you build me a left handed one?
[/quote]

That
Would have to be a Bird-body made from scratch though, because lefty Epi T-birds are rarer than hen's teeth!

[Bassman Sam]

Lovely. I love the chrome covers and that neck is the business.

[Muzz]

It is indeed a quartersawn Lakland US neck which I was very fortunate to happen upon, and lovely it is too.

I talked to Sheldon Dingwall about the pickups, and as always he was very helpful indeed - his advice was similar to the above: "If it sounds OK, great..."

Given that I've got a 'proper' Dingwall with the same pups in, the sound is remarkably close, even before the U-Retro, which just takes it further. I'm having a crisis about drilling holes in my Dingwall to fit a U-Retro now...