Grainger guitars Posted March 30 Posted March 30 Around October last year our friend Nick Smith came to see us about having another bass made but to his design of shape which he called the “Midas” We lost Nick in January in a tragic accident before we got past the design stage of his new bass. However he had selected all of the woods and we’d gone through the detail on the spec that he wanted. Following Nicks funeral at the end of February Gav and I felt it was only right that we finish Nicks bass, and after seeking approval from Nicks family we decided that it would be fitting that once complete we would hold a raffle or auction with all proceeds going to a charity close to Nick and his families hearts. Over the last few weeks we’ve been progressing through the manufacture of Midas number 1. And over the next week or so we’ll share the photos and videos of its progress so far. This video shows the design of the bass, technical specs follow “Greenie” the Kratos he had from us a few years back which had become Nicks main gigging bass for Genesis Connected. It features a one piece ribbon sapele body with a beautiful book matched flame maple top, flamed maple one piece neck with ebony fret board, Aguilar HJ pickup and 18v preamp, led fret board side dots, Grainger bridge, hipshot tuners and Evo Gold frets! Once the details of the charity raffle are tied down we’ll post on how it’ll all work, but we should have Nicks Midas done within the next 6 weeks! Stay tuned for more updates! SOLIDWORKS Premium 2023 SP1.0 - Midas Full Assembly 2025-03-29 09-46-28.mp4 31 Quote
TrevorR Posted March 31 Posted March 31 What a great idea and a fitting tribute! ❤️ RIP Nick. 1 Quote
Grainger guitars Posted March 31 Author Posted March 31 (edited) Here’s the first installment of the making of the Nick Smith Midas, these photos cover the making of the body from raw planks of wood to finish machined body. Nick picked a stunning flamed maple for the top which has stained insanely well (you’ll see that in a separate video…) Let us know what you think 😁 Edited March 31 by Grainger guitars 4 Quote
Grainger guitars Posted March 31 Author Posted March 31 3 hours ago, Killerfridge said: The carving on that bass is stunning Thank you Quote
Grainger guitars Posted March 31 Author Posted March 31 2 hours ago, TrevorR said: Absolutely beautiful! Thanks Quote
Geek99 Posted March 31 Posted March 31 (edited) What sort of money would it cost to make one of those ? With less exotic hardware Edited March 31 by Geek99 Quote
Grainger guitars Posted March 31 Author Posted March 31 21 minutes ago, Geek99 said: What sort of money would it cost to make one of those ? With less exotic hardware A very rough ball park would be £2000-£2500 depending on spec Quote
Geek99 Posted April 1 Posted April 1 6 hours ago, Grainger guitars said: A very rough ball park would be £2000-£2500 depending on spec Thanks but way out of my league (just like the instrument is) Quote
police squad Posted April 1 Posted April 1 Absolutely stunning Nice one guys I'll be buying several tickets 1 Quote
Matt P Posted April 1 Posted April 1 I'm loving this, the design is superb, the craftsmanship looks top notch and the motivation to keep going is admirable. I'm not sure I'd ever be in the position to commission an instrument of this level so my only chance would be a raffle ticket (or a few). looking forward to seeing this progress. Matt 1 Quote
Grainger guitars Posted April 1 Author Posted April 1 6 hours ago, Burns-bass said: Stunning work and a wonderful gesture. Thank you Quote
Grainger guitars Posted April 1 Author Posted April 1 1 hour ago, Matt P said: I'm loving this, the design is superb, the craftsmanship looks top notch and the motivation to keep going is admirable. I'm not sure I'd ever be in the position to commission an instrument of this level so my only chance would be a raffle ticket (or a few). looking forward to seeing this progress. Matt Thanks Matt…..someone has to win it! Quote
Grainger guitars Posted April 1 Author Posted April 1 2 hours ago, SICbass said: An excellent tribute to Nick. Well done. Thank you Quote
Grainger guitars Posted April 1 Author Posted April 1 3 hours ago, police squad said: Absolutely stunning Nice one guys I'll be buying several tickets Thanks 😊 Quote
pete.young Posted April 1 Posted April 1 Beautiful work. Looking forward to the next installment. 1 Quote
Grooverjr Posted Tuesday at 16:49 Posted Tuesday at 16:49 Woof! That's all types of wonderful. Hopefully it will raise plenty of cash. Quote
Grainger guitars Posted Tuesday at 21:55 Author Posted Tuesday at 21:55 (edited) NS Midas….neck manufacture. Nick picked a beautiful piece of curly/flamed maple. We missed taking photos of the fretboard side which was the first operation, truss rod and carbon fibre slots and fret board location holes were machined on the front side, the carbon fibre rods glued in and the face skimmed to ensure it was flat. These photos show the second operation, the neck is located on the fretboard pin holes from the first operation, machined to thickness, holes drilled for the brass threaded inserts, profile cut, tuner holes machined and then the carve was completed. Machining time on the second side is around 40 minutes. Once the fret board is made the front of the head and fretboard will be contoured to thickness together before being glued Edited Tuesday at 21:56 by Grainger guitars 5 Quote
Grainger guitars Posted Friday at 17:01 Author Posted Friday at 17:01 Here’s the staining of that beautiful flamed maple top, Nick wanted the same burst as he had on “Greenie” his Kratos bass. We’ve now sent the body off to T Dog customs to be finished in a high gloss IMG_3051.mov 5 Quote
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