Jabba_the_gut

Looking good. Be interested to see what you think of those Fishman pickups.

Cheers

After the bridge and machine heads were fitted this little bass found its way to me along with some nice Delano parts. The plan was to fit a 5 string Xtender pickup and a Sonar preamp. After a little bit of looking it become clear that this little bass was just too little for the pickup - there was no way to fit it (even if you angled it) and avoid the battery or control cavity. The bass is very small and the pickup very big!!

So a new plan was hatched and Owen opted to try a Delano P pickup as this could be fitted so the mounting lug ended up between the two cavities and one was available with a suitable string spacing (according to my measurements). With the bass being so small there isn't any option regarding placement - it just has to go where it fits!!

This is the back of the bass to show where the treble side pickup lug would end up. As I say, not too much room for choice!!

I made a test MDF template for this and then made a proper template after adjusting it slightly.

After measuring, measuring again and measuring yet again it was time to make some sawdust. First off, removing the bulk of the wood before getting the router out.

I used a couple of different sized router bits - a larger profiler first to do the bulk of the work, then a small profiler to get a small radius for the pickup corners. 

I used a few bits of string just to confirm the positioning is okay for the pole pieces. 

Still got a few things to do, but it's getting there!

I'll be looking forward to see how the finish on this turns out. I've modified a standard MM style 4 string scratchplate for Owen so it will fit this 5 string using the template I'd made when I did the same thing to my own bass.

Much cheaper than trying to source a 5 string one!

Had a chat with House of Tone today and they are going to sort this pickup so with a bit of luck it should be back mid next week to refit. And I'm looking forward to that!

Crikey, it's been a while since I did any work on this one. Better get on with it!!

Well, I sent the pickup off to House of Tone pickups to look at and apparently it has been assembled incorrectly so they are going to rectify that for me. I have to say, their response to emails and looking at the pickup has been very quick. Great service so far!

Very, very nice. Can’t take my eyes off the headstock and back of the neck- just lovely.

Interesting to see the breakdown of costs. I’m not sure how many people realise the costs involved. Even for a more standard bass, the cost of wood and decent quality parts can be as much as a decent off the shelf bass before you’ve done anything with them!

Really looking forward to your next project. 
Cheers,

Jez

On 24/04/2021 at 15:03, Grangur said:

Mix Superglue and fine saw dust from a dark coloured wood.

If you want some suitable, and not in a tearing rush let me know.

+1

Super glue and wood dust will sort this. You might want to build it up in a few layers because it will go very hard and you'll save yourself some sanding....

Cheers for all the comments. I've tried changing strings - made no difference, I tried changing the pole piece heights to extreme positions but made no difference.

I'll take the pickup out and have a look at the magnets to see if there is anything going on there if not then I'll replace it with something else.

Thanks again

1 minute ago, Jus Lukin said:

I haven't tried one, but the Dimarzio Model One seems to be the de-facto mudbucker problem solver. Shiny chrome aside, the only drawback appears to be that it sounds too good, if you're after that flubby, dusty old sound!

That's just from reading up on it and doing some online listening though- I hope to have a go on one eventually, but I'll definitely start with a repair of the current unit for my particular aims.

That's the limiting factor though isn't it - the shiny chrome bit!! That was something I was after as it suited this bass but I might have to change that. Cheers

23 minutes ago, Geek99 said:

I’d wind the pup up till the weak strings are where you want then screw the other pole screws down to suit the E and G

11 minutes ago, Jus Lukin said:

I have two Epiphones with mudbuckers- one is spot on balance-wise, but the 90's Rivoli has the same issue, although I was able to fix it with extreme pole-piece height differences. That pickup also hums like nobody's business, so I'll be looking to have it fixed up at some point.

Can't be much more help than that I'm afraid!

Cheers both. I've tried adjusting the pole piece screw but doesn't seem to have enough impact. I have the E and G screws wound out so the whole screw head is showing and the A and D wound in with the heads a mm or so below the cover and it sill isn't balanced!! 

I'll keep adjusting but I'm already looking for a replacement to this pickup only problem is that there isn't much choice of what fits into that shape hole!! Might drop Retrovibe a mail to see if this is a common issue.

I'm nearing the end of building a bass with a mudbucker pickup. I've just installed and wired everything to try it out prior to finishing a few other bits and bobs.

But.....I'm not entirely convinced by the pickup at the moment. I haven't used one before so don't have anything to compare it to as a benchmark. The pickup is a Retrovibe one and the pole pieces are pretty well aligned with the strings. 

The issue is that, to my ears, the A and D strings are louder and better defined than the E and G which sound quieter and a bit fluffy by comparison. This is the same no matter which coil combination I use (series, single coil or parallel).

I have tried adjusting the pole piece screws to make them closer/further away from the strings but that seemed to make little difference.

Anyone got much experience with these types of pickups that could point me in the right direction - any guidance would be much appreciated!!

Cheers

Jez

Still got a few things to do before but put this together to make sure everything lines up and works. I've wired the mudbucker to a 4 way tele switch that gives options of coil 1, coil 2, series and parallel. 

Quite pleased with how this looks (I still have to get a logo sorted for the headstock) and it plays nicely.

But.....I'm not entirely convinced by the mudbucker at the moment. I haven't used one before so don't have anything to compare it to as a benchmark. The pickup is a Retrovibe one and the pole pieces are pretty well aligned with the strings. 

The issue is that, to my ears, the A and D strings are louder and better defined than the E and G which sound quieter and a bit fluffy by comparison. This is the same no matter which coil combination I use.

Anyone got much experience with these types of pickups that could point me in the right direction - any guidance would be much appreciated!!

Cheers

7 minutes ago, benh said:

Quick question - what do you guys use for demarcation veneers? I've got a roll of dyed black poplar 0.6mm veneer, I'm wondering if it will be thick enough for a decent line.

That will be absolutely fine. Most veneers come as 0.6mm thick (you can get constructional veneers that tend to be more like 1.5 to 3mm thick). I think I've only ever used 0.6mm veneers and I've always been happy with the result. These were done with 0.6mm veneers:

Don't forget that when you round the corner you will be cutting across the veneer at an angle and the line will be more than 0.6mm thck.

5 minutes ago, mhoss32 said:

This build diaries thread is a goldmine at the moment!! Cant wait to see this

Absolutely - lots of fantastic and varied builds going on.

I do like it when the postie delivers parcels containing stuff like this:

I'm going to leave it in the house for a month or so before I do anything with it but I have a plan.....

I'm sure they'll be plenty of raffle prizes as everyone has had plenty of time to sort through their stuff during lockdown!

• @Richard R - Brawley Artemis 4, Brawley Artemis 5,  EBS Session60 amp, something to weigh basses with.
• @Frank Blank - Rob Allen Mouse Fretless, Rob Allen Mouse Fretted, Ibanez SRC6, QSC K12.2, HX Stomp.
• @Stub Mandrel - Frender Performer, Hohner Jack Custom V, Deathburger (HB kit build), TE 1110 combo?
• @petecarlton - Mayones Cali4 "Puzzle" Bass: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pYAvWZGwc4s&t=13s&ab_channel=BassTheWorld.com
• @Teebs - Erm...dunno  What!  Isn't my mere presence enough for you peoples!?
• @SpondonBassed - Jack.  (That's not short for Jack all, it's just that I can't decide until nearer the time.)
• @Machines - Sire M5 / Yamaha RBXJM2 / GenzBenz Neo Pak / EICH112XS
• @bassmansam - Rickenbacker 4003s, Eppy Thunderbird Vintage Pro and Ashdown ABM 500 2x10 combo
• @jebroad - Not-fender jazz (maybe), squire silver series jazz, old Kay SC, Dingwall combustion, Ashdown 8x10 (Maybe)
• @Jabba_the_gut - 27" mini basses, Short scale telebass, whatever else I build by then, TC RS210 combo. Cakes

I’ll be there. Looking forward to it

10 hours ago, benh said:

Question for the luthiers among us - does this look substantial enough for the neck pocket? 

Just for reference, a Fender type bass neck pocket for a 4 string is typically around 95mm x 64mm (give or take a couple of mm) so using that as a benchmark, you are a fair bit shorter than that at 68mm. Consider also how you are going to bolt the neck on (neck plate of individual ferrules) and how are you going to finish the edges. By that I mean are you going to round over the edges a little or a lot? If you were going for quite round edges (say a 12mm radius) then the line up to where you can put the ferrules or neck plate moves back into the body by that amount so they don't overhang the curve. Then have a look at where the mounting holes would be as you might find them to be quite close together. Hope this makes sense!

If it was me, I would extend the pocket into the body by another 20mm or so. This would give more contact between the two, give you more room for mounting screws and also give a bit more fretboard on the body side of the 24th fret - there's a risk at the moment that the bottom left hand corner of the fretboard on your drawing might chip off when you press the fret in (I've done that before!).

Cheers

Jez

As you say, nice piece of wood but sometimes it works better with a more limited number of colours.
A more plain pattern might also work well as there’s a lot happening with the spalted top.

Having said that, sometimes it’s hard to tell until you put them next to each other as to whether it will work or not.

A new, unused 4 string set in chrome of Wilkinson WJBL200 tuners. Bought them for a project but the base plate was a little too large - they've been out the bag they came in but not fitted or used. Come with the ferrules and screws.

£25 posted in the UK

Lovely grain on that top. I presume that's walnut?

1 minute ago, SpondonBassed said:

Oh wow.  You really aren't shy of getting your hands dirty then...?

Bloody fat fingers and small computer keys....!!!

Nice and warm today and time off from work means into the garage!! Got some jobs to do around the house but found time to round over the edges of the Telebass and to drill the recess for the jack socket.  I used a Forstner bit to get a nice sharp edge around the socket and a flat bit to shift the bulk. After a quick sand I put a light coat of sealer on the bass and it is starting to look quite nice.

I'm pleased I re-did the binding as It has turned out nicely in the end. I've not done binding before so lots of lessons from that  - I completely agree with the old saying of learning from your mistakes.

All the big stuff is drilled, cut and sanded so should be at a point to do the final sanding and get the finish done. 

Cheers