Jabba_the_gut

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

+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

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

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

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.

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

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.

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

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

If you stick to a bolt on for your first build, if anything goes seriously wrong you only lose a neck or a body not both.

Nice purple! Looks great

Welcome to the the world of building! I’m sure you’ll really enjoy making this bass - it really is satisfying to play something that you made. I like the design - my only comment would be to ensure the neck pocket is long enough. It possibly looks a little short to me from the drawing by the time you curve the top horn to the lower horn (if that makes sense!) but it isn’t always easy to tell when you’re viewing it on a phone!! I stuck a passive Bartolini pickup in a bass recently with a switch for single / series / parallel and you can get a decent range of tones from that. EMG TW pickups are also pretty decent to switch between coils. Make sure you keep posting pictures - look forward to seeing this progress. Cheers

Yes, it was in the east wing which I only use in the summer months..... honest. It’s only a cheap copy that I was given a couple of years ago that has been at the back of a cupboard behind other stuff since we moved. If I’d remembered about it then I would have used it as a template for the short scale Tele bass I’m making rather than have hunted round the web for a plan!!! Doh! Should have the Telebass ready for this bash.