Andyjr1515

Hmmm...not sure. My first thought was 'wide range in the bridge??' Shades of mudbucker came to mind. And, compared with your other basses that may still be the case. But this video is actually quite interesting (SUPER irritating, but actually quite interesting): Skip to 8:12 and then direct to 9.02 for his demo of DI neck to bridge ('direct to' so as to miss all of the changes in tone position and introducing an amp emulator which just confuses everything). Then to his comments at 14.32. He is clearly unimpressed with the neck pickup so maybe it is a fairly objective review, but is clearly quite impressed with the bridge pickup. Now, regardless of the above, my guess is that it is always going to sound a bit like a mudbucker - but, before you shell out cash on it, try this: - try raising bridge pickup - and if you have enough gap, then raise the back of the bridge pickup more than the front of it..say 3-4mm at the back and 2mm at the front (and so tilting the pickup higher at the bridge side than the neck side) - if this helps but still a bit muddy, then raise the 4 poles on the bridge pickup a couple of mm above the casing - from the photo it looks like they are all screwed down below the casing If this doesn't get you there, then I reckon different pickup for at least the bridge is probably on the cards as a split coil, in my opinion, will not get you there. If you try the above, then let us know if it makes a difference.

They look beautiful!

See who?

Trouble is, modding the neck will make it sound different (not necessarily worse, but definitely different) and it will feel different... ...and as @fretmeister says above, this will be just a set up issue - easily fixed and something you would want to learn in any case if you were considering changing the neck So I agree with the others, best to: -set up your present bass which will mean you keep the stuff you like and get rid of the stuff you are not happy about - buy another bass for no better reason that you can never have too many basses

My bad. I scan read it and thought it was the drill that had broken based on the photo!! Yes - there are some timbers that are very resistant to letting the screws cut their threads. Wenge, ebony, even some types of rock maple. I try to find good quality screws (easier said than done...how do you know?), I put soap on the threads and do the 'two twists forward, one twist back'. But sometimes they still snap

Ouch! What drills are you using? I would recommend some decent quality Forstners. Are you using a pillar drill or hand drill?

I've been awakened from my slumber by @Jabba_the_gut. Yes - of course I'll be there. I'll try to sort the payment stuff tomorrow Hmmm...is that the time? Better nod off again, then.......zzzzzzzzzz

That neck is the absolute dog's whatsits! Can't see a dark patch even when you tell me where it is supposed to be

Looks good! And funnily enough, ref mashing up the pickup screw holes when originally fitting the pickups, I was going to ask whether there was enough depth to pop a hardwood block under there and screw into that - but you clearly beat me to it and popped one in there in any case! Looking forward to the next one. With that result, can't believe you haven't now fully got the bug

Well, as always with me I am probably may be wrong - but isn't it that the bridge earthing might be causing this effect? How I always understood it was: - that when touching the strings or bridge any potential current present at the strings or bridge basically grounds through your body - but if your bridge is already fully grounded, then there is no potential current because that potential is always being fully dissipated through the bridge to the earth of your jack - On the other hand, if your earthing of the bridge is weak then, when you touch the bridge or strings, that potential earths through you - stopping the mains buzz. **I am aware that the grounding of the bridge is not primarily a shielding action - it is very much a safety step to stop fatality in the event that a short somewhere renders the strings and anything metallic touching them becoming electrically live. But I think the above logic holds good even accepting that?

Sounds pretty good from here! And it looks utterly splendid. I'd missed the thread previously - stunning.

I would have said that is very marketable. The headstock and decals is a pro-job and, to a buyer, that is often what they look at first. I stand by what @Richard R quotes me as posting - it's splendid and beautiful job.

Stunning and awe-inspiring in equal measure.

I was going to suggest a curved fine Microplane rasp blade from their Snap-In range...but it looks like they've pulled out of the carpentry market altogether!!! That said, they are very active in the (probably more expensive lucrative) cooking utensil martket - and it's almost certainly the same blades...

I confess that every build I do ends up as 'one of my favourite builds' ...but, I loved the way this one came out in the end. For anyone bored enough to read through, here was the build/mod thread:

Absolutely flippin' gorgeous!

Goodness... Well - I 'spose no harm in asking

I'm delighted to see that doing what it was built for, @Kateplaysbass - playing Truly made my day

Yes - as @itu points out above, a CITES exemption came through at the end of 2019 in terms of most commonly used species of rosewood used in guitars, including parts and accessories. Also, there are plenty of dark wood alternatives that most luthiers can use. $400 for a neck made by the guy who designed it - grab it. It generally costs me well over $200 just for the wood! Oh - and two truss rods won't sort a 'naturally twisted' neck. The only thing worth trying would be planing the joining face flat and straight - but, as you can imagine, that has it's own challenges and consequences And the third option - £1000 to make a neck??? Really??? Did he/she have a royal 'By Appointment to...' crest?

Good news - good customer service all round. Nice to see

You should be covered if it was new. This is GAK's Warranty Statement off their website: "Warranty We want our customers to buy from us in confidence that their purchase is covered under warranty should anything go wrong. Some manufacturers may offer extended warranty periods if you choose to register the goods, so we always recommend checking the manufacturer’s website. All new items are covered by the manufacturer’s minimum 1-year warranty Second-Hand, B-stock and Ex-Display items have a 3-month warranty"

Nearly a year is less than a year and so it may well be still under warranty. And if it is still under warranty then it's definitely a warranty job - there is no 'misuse/abuse/lack of maintenance' that can cause that that wouldn't show signs of misuse elsewhere. If it is out of warranty and they start talking silly repair costs, shout - in terms of stabilising it rather than going for the 'invisible repair', there is a relatively simple and easy fix I can talk through with you that you would be able to do yourself. But only resort to that if a warranty claim is a complete no-no and they offer no other acceptable fix.

No harm at all in just creeping up on the target weight. Looking good from here!

7mm will certainly help - probably lose 0.8lbs if I have my calcs correct. One thing you could maybe consider is taking more thickness out of the middle area at the back - a bit like Warwick do with their Thumbs. I've done that on many (most) of my own builds over the past 4-5 years - it has the advantage of taking weight out without vastly reducing the depth of the chambers - this kind of thing: It doesn't have to be as deep as this to still make a big, big difference. This one was the 34" Jazz bass I built for @Len_derby where we were aiming for 'as light as we could get'. From memory it ended at around 6.5lbs

With all the AI shenanigan's going on, there is no guarantee that this is correct, but according to that great cloud in the sky "The difference between lacquer and varnish is the type of finish used. Lacquers are thin, fast-drying finishes, while varnishes are thick, slower drying finishes." But maybe the actual facts have been lost in English/Russian/Chinese/Many other World Languages translation...