Ou7shined

[quote name='MB1' timestamp='1380568880' post='2227288'] MB1. Link not working? [/quote] works fine for me

how to wear your frets out in 2 minutes

[quote name='Gust0o' timestamp='1380491091' post='2226207'] Worth aiming for a Pro over the standard Epiphone Thunderbird? I'll admit, mine was cute... but didn't really cut it; and some of the fitting was suspect. All the feedback has been that the neckthrough Pro versions are a real cut above. [/quote] +1 I have a natural Pro IV and it really is very good for the dosh. The pups (and preamp) sound well above budget... especially the bridge pup, the overall construction is top-notch, the neck is sublime and it doesn't have that silly bridge the other t-birds have. The only issue I've had with mine is that it came with the earth wire not making full contact with the bridge - 5 minute job to rectify.

To follow the curved profile of the board and the strings.

[quote name='discreet' timestamp='1380445706' post='2225207'] It's in Holloway Road, N7. A good gig. [url="http://nambuccalondon.com/"]http://nambuccalondon.com/[/url] [/quote] Ah. Cheers. Should be a good one.

Something I forgot to mention a couple of days ago when I got it on the strap. The rear horn is an amazingly comfy place to rest your forearm when the strap is a couple of inches higher than I normally have it. Your arm falls into a fixed position reminiscent of Entwistle with his Explorer basses. I will be visiting this exact shape/angle in future builds fo shizzle.

[quote name='discreet' timestamp='1380445008' post='2225192'] Do the bronze thing. Then it would definitely be good for metal. [/quote] Haha. I hear ya.

[quote name='andydye' timestamp='1380438979' post='2225124'] Are there any links to youtube vids of them? I'm v curious!! [/quote] We're in the middle of shooting our first proper vid right now but there are a few live ones and a couple of pic compilations on yt. Search for Deadfire.

[quote name='eude' timestamp='1380438810' post='2225123'] Will try and catch you in London if I can! [/quote] Were playing in Nambucca. Don't know the place myself. Would be braw to catch up min.

[quote name='neepheid' timestamp='1380418580' post='2225082'] Oh well, never mind about the black walnut Looking badass. [/quote] Haha. Its still there Matt, only its just visilbe as a texture through the black now.

Ok. I found out what was at the cause of the quiet E and A strings. For some strange reason the Status pup simply didn't like being in a series configuration with the Bart - parallel was fine though. So seeing as running the pups in series was a major point of this bass I had to scrap the idea of using these spares pups and break out a whole matched set. By this time I'm really starting to fall for this bass so I'm pretty excited by the idea of putting in some nice pups. I have a few sets to choose from and even tried my lovely Lindy Fralins in it for a moment... then woke up again... even[b] I'm[/b] not mad enough to put custom LF's in a crazy bass like this - also for some reason the shiny exposed pole-pieces didn't suit the concept. In the end I went for.... Excellent choice even if I do say so myself. Powerful and dark enough to suit the bass. The only thing is that with the Model J's you have split coils with the option for series and parallel in each pup and for a consummate modder like myself this was too much of a temptation to pass up. So now I had to redesign the 'tronics. I'm still of a mind not to have any volume or tone controls but love the idea of using switching controls only. With the pups being in such close proximity to each other I see no real need (at the moment) to have a pup selector. So go for straight series/parallel options on each pup with the option to select to run both pups in series/parallel with each other. In theory with the different switchable permutations you could go from parallel/parallel (quiet/thin) up to series/series (loud/booming). I had never tried this before and indeed didn't even know if it was doable. Turns out it was. The smaller switch is for the LEDs. So now this obviously means an array of visible switches on the front. I hope I have pulled it off in keeping with the design. (oh aye I gave it a quick lick of paint today too) As a general rule I don't really do black basses... but I think this one suits it. So much so I may not go for the aged bronze look at all. As you can see I'm still using the temporary earth wire for now. Once the paint is finished it's copper tape all the way.

[quote name='Annoying Twit' timestamp='1380359332' post='2224181'] This is brilliant. I wish I'd been following this thread from the start! [/quote] You've not missed much. I only started building it last Saturday.

[quote name='AttitudeCastle' timestamp='1380308943' post='2223728'] That's brilliant Rich! Where are the 10 dates by the way? Need to see you guys live ASAP! [/quote] Cheers bud. We make the official announcement this week... but it kicks off in the Deen on the 18th then we make our way down to London stopping off on a few venues in between.

It looks like plague.

[quote name='KiOgon' timestamp='1380288008' post='2223315']What's this little plugged hole we can't see then? Don't tell me he went right through with the hammer & chisel when he was [s]'installing'[/s] hacking out the cavity for the Hotrail [/quote] Oh my god you could be right. I'd thought he was on about the rear of the headstock but there's only screw holes there. But yes there does seem to be a strategically placed anomalous reflection right where the pup rout would be. !!

Ah yes that would have been catastrophic

... and the smaller winding capstan seems to suit the thin G string better. [url="http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/P-Bass-Korean-quite-old-and-unbranded-hotrail-jazz-bass-pickup-/190902052351"]http://www.ebay.co.u...p-/190902052351[/url] As soon as I saw the first pic I knew it had to be him. Interesting read as usual.

Caps : Tonally..... none. Different values however offer different shelving options for the frequency point at which the highs are rolled off. 250k vs 500k pot : slightly different response out of the sweep. Worth experimenting with pertinent to your own needs.

[quote name='nottswarwick' timestamp='1380186450' post='2221907'] Take it back. [/quote] This. But don't be annoyed at them. Some necks are a pain in the butt to set right the first time. As you say it was ok when you collected it last time. They should look into the possibility that it isn't purely a tr issue - could be a slightly rogue fret for example.

If the fret buzz is on the first few frets then you loosen it, after the 12th you tighten it. No need to loosen the strings, otherwise you'd be at it all day.

In most cases it's the old "righty tighty, lefty loosey" (looking down from the adjusting side of the tr. If you're unsure as it's a non standard make or model, then look down the neck and take a mental note of the curve then tweak a little and check again you'll be able to see which way it's gone. Obviously if the strings are still on you will know straight away whether or not you are going in the desired direction.

Oh and as for neck-dive? As expected, there is none... in fact it sits bang on how I like it (more luck than judgement). I'll get a pic up tomorrow showing the balance.

The new bridge I ordered arrived this afternoon..... and I couldn't help myself Obviously the camera flash totally kills the [s]comedy[/s] eerie effect of the LEDs but you kinda get to see what's going on. As you can see just got a wee quick earth wire rigged up for now but when I've got it painted I'll go back to plan A. I thought it would play like a dog considering how fast it has taken to build up and how little time the woods have had to settle but it plays surprisingly well... and has a loud acoustic sound too - I thought that the "isolated" bridge would deaden the sound but obviously not. I need to drop the bridge (as in remove some wood out from underneath it) a little to achieve the setup I like. The only grind so far is that I'm experiencing a strange phenomenon where the D and G are slightly louder than the E and A while the pups are wired in series like this but when I tried them in parallel it disappeared. Tried all the possible permutations of reversing the pups but still couldn't get to the bottom of it. Need to investigate this more when I'm not so tired. The Status pup is noticeably louder than the Bart - maybe this has something to do with it.

^

[quote name='The Bass Doc' timestamp='1380026971' post='2219688'] Great work Rich. Puzzled - how will the earth from the bridge travel to where it should go? [/quote] Cheers man This had me for a while too H. Been through a few different ideas... but on grounds of practicality I have decided on copper tape. I should have sussed it right away as that's what I did on my own last bass - copper strip from cavity to bridge.