Bridgehouse Posted November 13, 2017 Share Posted November 13, 2017 Had a load of really good suggestions for semi hollow or hollow basses to fill a hole (ha!) I've had for a while. Checked them all out, and was left feeling pretty meh. The main issues were: - Short scale (I want 34") - Silly slim nut width (I like 45mm) - Odd pickup combos (not sure I have use for a neck mudbucker) - Availability (as in I'd need to find one used and they are as rare as rocking horse droppin's) So, I dropped my fave secret squirrel parts maker a message on the off chance. And he does do semi-hollow. He sent me this teaser: So an order spec went in double quick, given my second PJ build is currently on hiatus whilst I get some lacquer checking on it! What are we looking at then? - 51 P style body (slab) chambered (as above) - f-hole - No pickguard - going with vol, tone and jack on the front and that's it - Trad 51 P style pickup rout - I will probably get a split coil pickup custom wound for it - vintage output to emphasise the semi-hollow body tone - Traditional bridge - Swamp ash body and cap - Maple neck, Rosewood board - 45mm nut, slim front to back - Tele style headstock - Ultralight tuners Should be with me in time for Christmas, so something to do over the hols Will update as I go, but in the meantime I need to gather parts and decide how to finish it. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bridgehouse Posted November 13, 2017 Author Share Posted November 13, 2017 First question/comment: I'm not going string through - I want to keep it all fairly simple, and I like the sound from the top loaders I have. Question is, do I go standard Fender bent-metal bridge, or go a bit experimental and try something like a Hipshot Kickass (https://hipshotproducts.com/collections/bass-bridges/products/kickass-bass-bridge) - I quite like the idea of custom fashioning some saddles for it out of some sort of random hard wood and see how it sounds (?!) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fftc Posted November 13, 2017 Share Posted November 13, 2017 Are you intending to relic it? Reason I ask is a hipshot will look pretty silly on a relic'd bass (IMHO obviously). ;-) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bridgehouse Posted November 13, 2017 Author Share Posted November 13, 2017 10 minutes ago, fftc said: Are you intending to relic it? Reason I ask is a hipshot will look pretty silly on a relic'd bass (IMHO obviously). ;-) No, not this one. A straight build - I'll let it naturally age Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andyjr1515 Posted November 16, 2017 Share Posted November 16, 2017 My ipad isn't picking up the picture for some odd reason so I'll have a proper look when I'm on the desktop, but the spec sounds great Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andyjr1515 Posted November 16, 2017 Share Posted November 16, 2017 I can see the picture now I'm back on the desktop - it looks great! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bridgehouse Posted November 16, 2017 Author Share Posted November 16, 2017 1 hour ago, Andyjr1515 said: I can see the picture now I'm back on the desktop - it looks great! Now imagine that as a 51P shape in ash with a f hole cut and a trad single coil slot and no guard.. that's where I'm heading Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andyjr1515 Posted November 16, 2017 Share Posted November 16, 2017 3 hours ago, Bridgehouse said: Now imagine that as a 51P shape in ash with a f hole cut and a trad single coil slot and no guard.. that's where I'm heading Yes - lovely Can't wait... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bridgehouse Posted November 16, 2017 Author Share Posted November 16, 2017 1 minute ago, Andyjr1515 said: Yes - lovely Can't wait... Nor me Going to be a slightly slower burn is this one Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RichardH Posted November 16, 2017 Share Posted November 16, 2017 (edited) 1 hour ago, Bridgehouse said: Nor me Going to be a slightly slower burn is this one Yes, they say ash is one of the best woods for burning... Edited November 16, 2017 by RichardH Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bridgehouse Posted November 16, 2017 Author Share Posted November 16, 2017 8 minutes ago, RichardH said: Yes, they say ash is one of the best woods for burning... Nobody has ever said my bass playing is smokin' 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnDaBass Posted November 16, 2017 Share Posted November 16, 2017 But I bet your 're Hot on the ole 12 bar blues thingy! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
discreet Posted November 16, 2017 Share Posted November 16, 2017 (edited) 1 hour ago, Bridgehouse said: Nobody has ever said my bass playing is smokin' Aye, there's the rub... ha, ha, ha! Ahem. That pic is very intriguing... presumably you could cap it so as to present a 'normal' bass to the world, but much lighter..? Edited November 16, 2017 by discreet Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bridgehouse Posted November 16, 2017 Author Share Posted November 16, 2017 1 minute ago, discreet said: Aye, there's the rub... ha, ha, ha! Ahem. That pic is very intriguing... presumably you could cap it so as to present a 'normal' bass to the world, but much lighter..? That's the idea. Just like a thinline Tele, but a P bass. It will be a swamp ash body with a swamp ash cap. There's two reasons I want to try this: - lighter weight - capture some of the hollow body tone (hopefully!) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
discreet Posted November 16, 2017 Share Posted November 16, 2017 1 minute ago, Bridgehouse said: That's the idea. Just like a thinline Tele, but a P bass. It will be a swamp ash body with a swamp ash cap That's what I thought, but with no f-hole or anything to show it's not a solid bass. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bridgehouse Posted November 16, 2017 Author Share Posted November 16, 2017 2 minutes ago, discreet said: That's what I thought, but with no f-hole or anything to show it's not a solid bass. I'm going to go with an f-hole on this one to keep the thinline tele vibe - but to be honest it's an aesthetic thing - it wouldn't sound much different if it didn't have the f-hole and just looked like a solid body I am aiming for 7lbs. Anything under that and I'll be very amazed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
discreet Posted November 16, 2017 Share Posted November 16, 2017 5 minutes ago, Bridgehouse said: I am aiming for 7lbs. Anything under that and I'll be very amazed. Having stumbled across paulownia and Ultralites and put together a 7lb Jazz more or less by accident, I'm not going back to 9lb basses! Never gave it much thought, but a light bass is just so much nicer, for many reasons. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bridgehouse Posted November 16, 2017 Author Share Posted November 16, 2017 5 minutes ago, discreet said: Having stumbled across paulownia and Ultralites and put together a 7lb Jazz more or less by accident, I'm not going back to 9lb basses! Never gave it much thought, but a light bass is just so much nicer, for many reasons. Obeche is another wood for lightness - I did a telecaster out of it which came out about 6lbs Just over 8lbs is about my limit for comfort.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
discreet Posted November 16, 2017 Share Posted November 16, 2017 25 minutes ago, Bridgehouse said: 10 minutes ago, Bridgehouse said: Obeche is another wood for lightness... Had a Hayman 4040 bass made from obeche. I'd use that wood for sure. I think it's less balsa-like than paulownia. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bridgehouse Posted November 16, 2017 Author Share Posted November 16, 2017 Yeah - it is - doesn't mark quite as easily! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SpondonBassed Posted November 17, 2017 Share Posted November 17, 2017 (edited) I was amazed years ago when I was taught that Balsa is in fact a hardwood. It's all about water content, not perceived hardness apparently. 'Balsa - is a pale white to gray. It has a distinct velvety feel. It has exceptional strength to weight properties. It is the lightest and softest wood on the market. A hardwood.' http://mr-dt.com/materials/hardwoods.htm Edited November 17, 2017 by SpondonBassed Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
honza992 Posted November 18, 2017 Share Posted November 18, 2017 (edited) On 16/11/2017 at 19:57, Bridgehouse said: I'm going to go with an f-hole on this one to keep the thinline tele vibe - but to be honest it's an aesthetic thing - it wouldn't sound much different if it didn't have the f-hole and just looked like a solid body I am aiming for 7lbs. Anything under that and I'll be very amazed. Sub 7lbs is definitely do-able (and I realise that is not your goal!), though I would say only with ultralites. My fretless build I'm doing here on Basschat is basically what you are suggesting, ie a P bass build with chambering and an f-hole. I haven't weighed it yet, but my guess is it will be 6lb6oz pounds, 2.9kg. Thats a maple top and mahogany body so probably fairly similar to swamp ash in terms of the overall weight of the wood. Overall thickness is 39mm. I've got a wooden bridge which will save a bit of weight and there's no magnetic pickup. The balance is perfect, though I've designed it so the strap pin is level with approx fret 10 and it's a 33" scale. The lightest 34" scale bass I've ever done was a 2.4kg (5lb5oz) chambered 'f-holed' P bass. That had a standard fender style metal bridge and P pickup. The body wood was horse chesnut though (or at least I think it was, my memory is atrocious, ditto my record keeping) which was very very light. Although the bass was ridiculously light it wasn't really a success. Even with the bridge close to the edge of the body and with Ultralite tuners the balance was still a touch neck heavy. That made it much less comfortable that the one I'm just finishing. In my book balance is more important that absolute weight. 7lb and perfect balance is ideal for me. Looking forward to seeing the build! Edited November 18, 2017 by honza992 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
discreet Posted November 18, 2017 Share Posted November 18, 2017 8 minutes ago, honza992 said: In my book balance is more important that absolute weight. 7lb and perfect balance is ideal... In my book, too. If a bass hangs well on the strap it's easier to play and a heavier bass becomes tolerable. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bridgehouse Posted November 18, 2017 Author Share Posted November 18, 2017 Yes, ultralight tuners and a slightly heavier bridge I think.. I will assess balance as I go. As it will be a gigging bass then balance on the strap is very important. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
discreet Posted November 18, 2017 Share Posted November 18, 2017 2 minutes ago, Bridgehouse said: Yes, ultralight tuners and a slightly heavier bridge I think.... That's what I'm doing, Ultralites and a Hipshot KickAss. Heavier overall, but much better balance on the strap. 7.5lbs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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