Whole Body Transplant !

[B.Flat]

Hello all.

OK, no connection with Frankenstein but hear me out.

Firstly I do not know if this is the right forum, the build forum might be better. I might put it on both.

I have, after fifteen years of trying since my beloved '77 Stingray was stolen, found a bass that could be "the one". Nothing extra-special, just a 1980 Ibanez RS924 in natural finish.

The DiMarzio P & J pickups are fine  in passive mode and the two-band active tone mode allows useful tweaking. However I since added a Stellartone Bass 11 Tonestyler which operates independently from the passive & active tones............result PERFECT (for me at least).

Now comes 'the insect in the ointment', it weighs about 5kgs. I have a Damian Erskine DuoStrap, which a least spreads the load over both shoulders, but still not easy at my age. So now to the point of this topic. I have been considering having a new swamp ash body made. The current body weighs about 3.25kgs. My main concern is that I might loose the voice that the instrument has at present;

So, any advice, comments or is there anybody out there who has done this body transplant? If yes with what results ?

I look forward to replies..........I am agog. (Eric Clapton was thought to be agog in 1968 I understand)

 

[Grangur]

Changing the body is certainly going to change the voice. Apart from the inevitable discussion about tone form wood, the fit of the pocket will be different. As will pickup and bridge placement, even if it's only small.

Another thing to think of is the balance of the weight of the neck and body. If you get a lighter body, will the neck balance on the strap in the same way?

Edited October 14, 2018 by Grangur

[B.Flat]

Yes, interesting. The neck pocket should not be a problem because it is the Ibanez Quadralock system, a high-flown way of saying it is fastened on with four machine screws instead of wood screws. For some reason Ibanez decided that because of this the pocket could be .5mm larger than the tang, so easy to repeat. Likewise it will be easy to rout the pickup wells exactly the same as the original, no problem there, but tone wood and neck dive do present unknowns. Neck dive particularly, as the neck has the steel implants under the fingerboard which Ibanez used to take the resonant frequency of the neck out of the lower frequencies to avoid dead spots.

[Andyjr1515]

Hi

If you've followed any of my build diaries you will know that I've been doing quite a bit of experimenting in recent years making basses (and 6-string electrics) lighter - either by design or modification. 

My last bass build - built for @Len_derby is a full scale 34" and weighs 2.9kg:

@Len_derby is probably a better judge, but it sounds pretty much like a Fender Jazz to me!

 

I've also done a number of rebodies.  This Cort Curbow, originally very heavy and made of plastic, now in walnut and lighter, still sounds the same as it did:

 

This Fender Rascal of @scrumpymike 's at the bottom, became the Precision Lyte in English walnut at the top and, to my ear (but again, ask @scrumpymike ), sounded the same:

 

So, in terms of actual amplified sound, will it sound the same to most people - yes.  But there are some buts.

 

So - for what it's worth, these are some of the personal conclusions I've come to:

• However nice in all other respects, a bass that is too heavy eventually becomes unplayable
• What you are proposing sounds to be TOTALLY REVERSIBLE and therefore the risks are low
• If all else is equal - ie an exact copy, same hardware, strings, electrics - then the amplified sound is very unlikely to be perceptibly different
• It will, however, feel different.  And to some players, that will make then think it is sounding different.  And it certainly can make them play differently.  But if in doubt, do a blind test on recordings before and after, playing exactly the same thing the same way!
• Acoustically unplugged, it will sound different
• The strap button on the RS924 is in the 'goldilocks' zone of 12th/13th fret.  It is unlikely that, on the strap, neck dive will be an issue.  It might be a bit more when played over the knee.  You can always get lightweight tuners (and they make a BIG difference) but they wouldn't be in the 'heart' shape of the 924.

My view is, as long as you are careful to make it reversible, then go for it.

Let us know how you get on

Andy 

 

 

[B.Flat]

Thanks Andy.

That is exactly the kind of advice, from exactly the kind of source, that I hoped for ! Budget is a key factor for me, so it may be a lttle time before this work gets done but I will report back. Thanks again.

[TheGreek]

On 15/10/2018 at 09:30, Andyjr1515 said:

If all else is equal - ie an exact copy, same hardware, strings, electrics - then the amplified sound is very unlikely to be perceptibly different

There was a blind test at this years SE Bash and we found that very few people were able to tell the difference between a large range of basses.

Andy's point that all things being equal, the difference is imperceptible is spot on - those taking part in the test were bass players - if we can't tell the difference why would we expect the punters to??