Ou7shined

I've come up with a unique headstock design that is getting a far bit of attention and a lot suggestions to copyright it. Basically I took a standard design from a very well known licenced reproduction and converted it to my needs. I've had a look on copyrightservice.co.uk and my design seems to meet the criteria. The thing is, I'm not sure exactly what it is I need to copyright. I mean can you copyright holes? Am I constrained by the precise dimensions of my design or is it the concept (I'd much prefer this) that I need to protect?

[quote name='rjb' post='352920' date='Dec 12 2008, 05:25 PM']Copyright that headstock if you can. It looks brilliant. [/quote] I've been looking into it but I'm not entirely sure what I should be copyrighting. Think I need to start a thread over at General Bass about it.

I'd say it was owned by a bass player with a penchant for Japanese bikes. In the auction Q&A there's a Norwegian guy who seems to know a fair bit a bout it - seems to think it's German.

[quote name='Shockwave' post='352684' date='Dec 12 2008, 01:28 PM']Myself and an electronics expert had to puzzle out the electronics as the schematic was very confusing. It took us a whole afternoon to work out which bit was the input etc, The guy who did it is named Jessie hes an amp and electronics expert, He can look at a PCB, work out exactly which bit does what and doesant even know what its for! He charged me 20 quid for the whole job, hes a real nice bloke. One of the last of a dying breed unfortunetly hes been doing it for 40 years+ [/quote]Wow it sounds like you and this bass have been through a lot together. I know very little about it's story, you'll have to fill me with all the details some time. It would be interesting to know what was spent on it too. [quote name='Shockwave' post='352684' date='Dec 12 2008, 01:28 PM']The truss rod cover? Dont get me started it was waghorn guitars, a supposed luthier in bristol. He did all the routing on the bass and installation of the new truss rod. Charged me 200 quid for what frankly was not a great job. Although his wood working skills are good, his botching skills are terrible.[/quote]The routing is nice but for a luthier to do that to the trussrod... wa wa we woo! If I've got time, I might get the neck off today. If only to see what's under there. I'm curious to know what the wee bit of plastic bag sticking out the side turns out to be.

[quote name='robert43' post='352420' date='Dec 12 2008, 09:02 AM']Hi nice work I was wondering how did you do the 4 string head stock I presume it was a 4 hole head stock & the hole at the top is where the G string tunner would be ? Also you said the tunners were to high ie over lap at the top so how did you modify this plug the top then redrill them ? Thanks & nice work[/quote] That's right after running through a few alternative designs I set to the G hole with a fret saw and a scrap of sandpaper. I could easily have chopped the head right down to match the 3+1 but IMO the proportions would have been affected too much so I went with an optical illusion. The hardest part was creating the new hole for the the G post with only a drill and some sandpaper but I made it in the end and you'd never know that it wasn't factory done. The Wilkinson machine head plates are over sized for some reason and if you had all 4 in a row the last one stuck out over the end (I guess the position of the holes in the aftermarket headstock might have something to do with it too). The downside to the lack of space meant that I couldn't reverse the tuners action for being upside down but that doesn't really bother me all now I'm used to it.

[quote name='Shockwave' post='352589' date='Dec 12 2008, 11:54 AM']I think Chopthebass did the original finish, I admit i was not terrible enthused by it either! The reason of the sins underneath the truss rod cover was because the original truss rod was not man enough for the job, We had to retrofit a much stronger truss rod into her. It was managed without removing the fingerboard, But created the mess. I have to say though, One of the best sounding pre-amps i have ever owned. The bass has a great slap tone![/quote]Agreed the slap tone beats my SUB hands down. The finger tone is wkd too. It just sound lovely all over in fact. I have to say that whoever did the 'lectrics made a bonzer job of it, very tidy. Out of curiosity, what was the truss-rod cover made from, sticky-back-plastic? I'll be putting a wee bit of rosewood back into the cavity and tidying it up a smidge and I'll craft a new cover from wood veneer.

[quote name='waynepunkdude' post='352595' date='Dec 12 2008, 12:00 PM']Nice, very nice. My customs are to not let them know my name and book a cab for the morning in advance. [/quote]

Definitely fishy, especially when you go see each sellers other items.

[quote name='The Burpster' post='352125' date='Dec 11 2008, 08:31 PM']I :wub: that hol(e)y headstock...... effing class that mate! And must be an original idea..... I'd licence it if I were you![/quote]Do you know, I honestly held back publishing pics of the headstock after I 1st did it because I actually considerer that. But the [s]tasteless fools[/s] er... guys I showed it to thought it was kinda naff, so I never did. [quote name='The Burpster' post='352125' date='Dec 11 2008, 08:31 PM']Put a white LED in it to illuminate it and Whhhhhooooaah ![/quote]I like it. [quote name='The Burpster' post='352125' date='Dec 11 2008, 08:31 PM']Oh and keep the Tiger stripe top but stain it a wee bit darker and then black burst around the outside..... (ooooeeeeeh I'm getting a little excited!)[/quote]I'm warming to the idea. The thing is the back of the body is natural. Hmmm let me think.

Thanks guys. [quote name='benwhiteuk' post='351990' date='Dec 11 2008, 06:03 PM']Very nice. Where's the Fecker Jizz Bass?[/quote] Ha ha that is/was the Jizz bass. It has had many guises since it was first born. I still have the fretless Fecker neck that I can put back on at any time but it's just so kick-ass as a fretted bass that I haven't bothered.

Neither are finished but I liked this pic of them together and thought I share. [u]The four stringer[/u] I built myself. Basically it's a BC mongrel - everything except the body and bridges came off Bass Chat bit by bit. Ash body - I filled the standard front control cavity with a bit of floorboard and routed (cheers Neepheid) for rear cavity option which I have covered with a 5mm clear acrylic. [url="http://i33.photobucket.com/albums/d67/ou7shined/bass/rear-cavity.jpg"]pic[/url] I finished the front with a maple tiger stripe veneer but I'm not sure if I'm keeping it. I fancy going a bit darker. I've partially lacquered it but the overall colour was heading a bit "Werther's Original" so I stopped. Beautiful burr maple P neck (Dr. Parts) with homebrew 3+1 conversion (the Wilkinson machine heads I got with it were too big for a standard configuration without sticking over the top a bit - being a MM fanboy the solution was obvious) I then created a "feature" out of the spare machine head hole - [url="http://i33.photobucket.com/albums/d67/ou7shined/unfinished-heads.jpg"]pic[/url]. Not sure what I'll do with it next, whether to fill it with a contrasting wood or other material or just leave it as a hole (hanger ) I suspect I'll be veneering the headstock too as there is a bit of damage to the face where the seller packed the machine heads loose in the box and "DUNK!". The pups were a very tired set of EMG JV's which I stripped and cleaned and lapped the poles back into super shiny condition. And the 'lectrics are Aggie OBP3 - vol vol bass mid (push/pull) treb. I've wired it up with 2 switches (for the moment) One is a bypass for the Aggie which is great for referencing how much the pre-amp is colouring the tone or just for going straight into slap mode in an instant. And the second switch goes between 9v - off - 18v. The 9v setting is wired for parallel to extend battery life. The off setting is handy for unplugging or changing voltage without a big old POP. Although this bass is far from finished, it has become my main gigging bass (sorry SUB) and I have gigged it 3 times now in this condition. It plays a dream and sounds the badgers vag with Slinkys. I find it very inspirational and I come up with new riffs in old song all the time on it. I'm considering installing a 3rd pup at the bridge if the right [b]passive[/b] one comes along. Mwhahahah! [u]The fiver[/u] is my new acquisition. I mainly bought it upon the strength of the fact that it looks similar to my 4 string custom, that, and the recommendations of a few guys on here that have played it and bummed it up. I'll not say it's a disappointment as I got it for a ve-heh-heh-ry reasonable price but it is not a finished project - which is weird as the all ingredients are there. It's Barts and Schack pre-amp are very tasty indeed and the neck is sweet. I'd describe her as the Cameron Diaz of the bass world - Great body and in the right light she's gorgeous but up close and you're like "hmmm". So I'm gonna strip her and treat her to a proper seeing to Ou7shined sty-lee. The dimply, drippy varnish job, the 2mm gap and shim job in the neck socket, the *ahem* "truss-rod cover" which hides a multitude of sins and the scratchy linear blend pot are first on my list. Watch this space folks.

[quote name='Beedster' post='351770' date='Dec 11 2008, 01:59 PM']Welcome to BC Shonks. Good to have another pre-EB Stingray owner here. Will you do us all a favour and leave the ebay seller negative feedback. It has been pretty much demonstrated above that he was not a naive guy who perhaps had a crap bass dumped on him without his knowledge, but a [size=4][b]cynic[/b][/size] who knew exactly what he was doing and that what he was selling was a fake. If buyers do not leave negative feedback, people like him get away with it and do it again and again. He cannot leave you neagtive as new ebay rules prohibit sellers leaving retaliatory negative feedback to buyers. Chris[/quote] I believe this is a typo. You did get 2 of the letters right though.

[quote name='Vasquez Rich' post='348207' date='Dec 7 2008, 10:53 PM']Saw a man last night with a bass clef tattoo'd on his neck, underneath his right ear! [b]Is that going a bit too far?[/b][/quote] Do you mean it should have been [b]on[/b] his ear not under it.

[b]"Sounds great played through an amplifier"[/b] That's handy.

[quote name='kennyrodg' post='349964' date='Dec 9 2008, 05:24 PM']Just tried D'addario nickels on the spunkster today.I'm afraid to say the DR Sunbeams went straight back on.Might give the prosteels a go tho' as i've been toying with the idea of Stainless strings again. Cool that you've found your string tho'. [/quote] PMed regarding a straight swap of my only used for 20 minute steels for your nickles.

Ahhh so when he had it customised he removed the awesome MM bridge and replaced it with a non mute assembly after market job. That makes sense.

100% genuine [b]String[/b] Ray!

[quote name='SJA' post='349584' date='Dec 9 2008, 12:09 PM']which name band uses double ball end Rotosound bass strings? Supergrass?[/quote] Sad git that I am, I've just been right through the list of Rotosound endorsees and can't find anyone especially known for Steinbergers, so who knows. Did you know that Nelly Furtado is a Rotosound endorsee? I just hope I'm there when she need a hand with her G string.

Over 3000 clams for charity and you have to pay for your own postage. That's not very charitable. Pah! I'm a tad cynical about the 0 feedback.

Link? Apologies if you've got one up - might be my phone's browser.

It's soooo not.