poptart

Thanks for the comments guys - these are not cheap basses, they are all hand made and are very high quality, using premium woods and components. We will try to be as competative as possible on price. Mark

With very kind permission from Ped I am announcing my new company called "Bass Direct". I will be the sole UK importer for Skjold, Roscoe and Nordstrand basses, which I consider to be three of the hottest manufacturers in the US today. I will be offering selected stock pieces throughout the year and will be able to take custom ordered from you too. Bass direct will be competitive on price and will offer you the chance to come and try the basses when they come in. I have a large rehearsal room where you can bring your on rig in and play at a good volume with no interference/background noise etc. I have a bass rig on site and PA equipment for reference. Bass direct will also be stocking the brilliant Nordstrand pickups and will be carrying Skjold string sets which are a premium string at a reasonable price. All basses prices will include shipping and a case or gig bag. We will offering special deals to basschat members. Please visit the site at [size=2][color="#FF0000"][url="http://www.bassdirect.co.uk"]www.bassdirect.co.uk[/url][/color][/size] and email me at [email protected] or call me if I can be of any assistance or offer any advice. I hope to be attending various basschat meetings to show the basses. Mark

Well A bit of progress here, body shaped and some holes drilled. Mark

Dave I am going for a transparent black finish, not too dark and hopefully with silver/white highlights. The idea is to use a black tint on the maple only, this is then worked back to create the right tint, then the whole body is clear coated and high polished. Yep - it is a cool piece of maple, it really took my eye. I am not going for wood pup covers on this bass, the idea is more stealth than flash. The top is very interesting so I want too make this the "focal point" and black pups should blend in well. I am having chrome knobs and bridge which will lift the silver/white from the maple. All of this is contrasted with a very plain maple board and chrome tuners. Sorta retro/funky/chic Regards Mark

Dave That is looking way too cool - I hope you are going to paint that top it looks redicolous Mark

Toasted - nice bass man, where is the rest of it??? Mark

Thanks Robbie - having spoken to Pete I am convinced that this should be a wicked bass. How's the bass building business treating you? Mark

Well after alot of deliberation and looking at J style basses including Sadowsky, Nordstrand, Celinder etc I have finally decided on something a bit different but still classic/retro F*****R style. To those unfamiliar with Pete Skjolds work, he is based in the US and has been building up his business for nearly fifteen years. He is best known for his Nordic influence basses that are both unusual in design and thoroughly well built and designed and sound very contemporary, using some cutting edge ideas and components. This bass is from a new pair of designs that Pete has been working on that comply to a more traditional/familiar style. The specs are as follows; Light Ash Body P shape - expected weight of the bass is 8 - 8.5lb Premium Quilted Top - with black tint on the quilt only, the rest of the body will be natural with a high gloss finish Three Piece Maple Neck Maple fretboard Chrome hardware 2 x SC1 Pickups - custom Skjold, Neodymium magnets 3 band East/Skjold Pre with internal adjustment for all three bands, plus an internally adjustable high pass filter/low cut Build time - within six months The Top And here is an artists impression of the J version of this bass