Sammybass

Thanks Japanaxe, but I’m way further down the line than that 😃

...which was tested for size in a dummy rout. As I've come to expect from Bruce, it's an exact fit. Woodscrews? Not today my good man - hex bolts into brass inserts. Nice!

Hardware and pickups arrive. All the metal stuff is Hipshot. Pickup is a Bartolini MM 'bucker.

So, Bruce is an incredible engineer with a background in precision manufacturing (think aerospace, not Leo) and he utilises CAD/CAM all the way through the process. The Tele headstock was tweaked for optimal string alignment. It's also slightly thicker than a Fender - the Hipshot tuners will be sunk into the surface.

I think he will chamber the body for weight loss if required.

Mine IS the MM4-T on his website! 😁

What follows is pretty much my conversation with the affable Bruce as The Mule takes shape....

Hello everyone! I won't bore you with my history of being a bass player, suffice to say I have noodled since my first Westone Concord 1 when I was 12, and owned most of the major brands over the years. When I hit my 50th birthday I decided to treat myself and put some feelers out to various local luthiers. A few responded and I instantly felt a connection with Bruce Hartley at Bassworks. https://www.facebook.com/bassworksluthiery/ http://www.bassworks.co.uk I had a clear concept for "The Mule". Precision body, Tele neck, MM 'bucker, one volume control, roasted flame maple neck, black hardware and the icing on the cake - silver metallic flake! The Mule is going to be a predominantly live bass so I wanted something to catch the lights and stand out on stage. Following an hour long FaceTime with Bruce - the spec was laid out in much more detail (more on this later) and Bruce went to work on a quote for the cost. When the quote came it was a big surprise! My handmade dream bass was going to cost far less than a new EBMM Stingray, and the quote even included a Hiscox case!! So I instructed Bruce to crack on!