anzoid

Looks like they've dropped the 3+1 headstock:

2 hours ago, danbowskill said:

That headstock shape is fantastic 👌

It's their own headstock shape that is offered when you spec up the neck on the website. Believe it or not, prior to finding them, I had been working on designing my own bass and had come up with something quite similar for the headstock, and when I saw theirs just decided to go with it...

After finishing my first build based on parts from GuitarBuild.co.uk (https://www.basschat.co.uk/topic/478420-guitarbuildcouk-bass) I decided that I really wanted to do another one - and it's now done - with pictures below.

The Spec:
Body is lightweight White Limba - it's a softer wood than I had anticipated, it's going to dent quite easily, but I'm generally pretty careful... though have already managed to put one dink in it.
Neck is walnut with separate walnut fretboard and abalone dots (I had them do abalone dots on the side too and should have gone with white as they're not as visible as they probably need to be... oh well)
Tuners are Hipshot Licensed Ultralights and the bridge is a Hipshot Fender-fit A-style.
Pickups are EMG 40TWX (yeah, I know, they're supposed to go in a five string but thought slightly wider would look better and the price was the same - I checked with EMG that they'd be OK with a 4-string and since they're bar magnets in there rather than individual pole pieces it works out fine). The pickups are switchable single-coils/humbuckers with push/pull volume knobs (and active tone control). When the pickups are in single-coil mode, the coils are in the 70s jazz bass position. It's wired up so that you have to pull the volume knobs up to engage the humbuckers, so it's normally just a slightly souped up jazz bass, and then you can kick in some extra thickness. Sound is pretty much what I was looking for. It's not as mid-forward as the previous build but can get some growl going by dialing back the neck pickup a touch. With just the neck pickup on it does a passable P-bass impression, and with just the humbucker on at the bridge it sounds quite aggressive, though not as cutting as a proper Stingray pickup in the right position. Overall - very happy with how it's turned out.

Finish is about eight layers of Wudtone clear, it's come up somewhere between satin and gloss, and on the neck I ended up using a scouring pad to get it back towards more or a matte finish.

It weighs in at just 3.5kg and there's no neck dive - probably helped by the ultralights at one end and the brass A-style bridge at the other.

The Build:

As on the previous build, Jasmine and Phil at GuitarBuild.co.uk were wonderful. The routs for the pickups were custom and I sent in one pickup plus the wiring harness so that they could make everything fit - including making sure it was possible to get the rather thick cable through into the control cavity. Attention to detail is great on the bodies and necks they make - the pickup rout even had an indent to account for the connector on the bottom of the pickups - it's kinda chunky.

The Photos:

Bargain 5-string bass! You won't find this quality cheaper.

Ibanez Talman 34" scale active bass. PJ pickups give a pretty punchy sound.

45mm width nut and approx. 18mm spacing at the bridge.

Slim neck that is comfortable and easy to play.

Poplar body with Maple neck and Jatoba fretboard.

Collection only from Frome in Somerset.

Cash on collection.

Sorry, no case provided.

Discontinued model, Schecter Stiletto Session-4 fretless bass.

Aged satin finish on a swamp ash body, maple neck with offset ebony inlays.

Fitted with EMG pickups (35DC humbucker at the bridge and 35J at the neck) and 3-band active EQ.

18v active system.

There is a crack in the finish as seen in the pictures.

Collection only from Frome in Somerset.

Cash on collection.

Sorry, no case.

Mini stack bass rig with 200W amp and two 1 x 10" cabs.

Amp: Warwick Gnome Power: 200 W at 4 ohms / 130 W at 8 ohms

3-Band EQ with +/- 15 dB cut / boost per band

Balanced Post-EQ XLR DI output with switchable ground lift

Cabs: Warwick Gnome 10/8 1 x 10" cabs each with adjustable piezo tweeter.

Rated at 150W, 8 ohms.

Double SpeakOn sockets

Frequency range 90 Hz to 19 kHz

Dimensions (H x W x D) 385 x 305 x 350 mm

Weight 9.55 kg / 21.05 lbs

Some small scuffs on the sides of the cabs.

Cables included:

Jack to SpeakOn cable for the amp

Specially made SpeakOn to SpeakOn cable with right angle connectors for the cabs.

Visits to check out the rig welcome.

Collection from Frome in Somerset

Cash on Collection Only

Nemesis NSP210 (E) Bass Cab 2 x 10" speakers 4 ohm 300W RMS In good condition with some wear to the rat-fur covering.

Decent sounding cab.

Weight is about 18kg but it has handles all over it that make it very manageable.

Collection from Frome in Somerset

Cash on Collection Only

10 hours ago, mrbacco said:

it is very nice for the eye, stylish and simple ... well done! One quick question if I may: was it hard to mount and solder the 2 knobs without carving out a cavity area? 

When you do the design of the body and go through all of the options, one of the options is a rear routed control cavity. You can order a separate cover in the wood of your choice. There is an option for them to drill holes for the pots but the standard is three... and I only wanted two so did it (carefully) myself. 

Well, I found the file and still have the software required to edit it, so time for an update!

I'll chuck in the Alembic. Any others I'm missing?

Will also do a version with the bottom strap buttons lined up, i.e. like they're all sitting on the floor.

In the originals, the Warwick Streamer and the Fender Precision are just normal 34" scale for comparison. As far as I know the only short scale Warwick do is the Corvette (also available as medium scale too I believe...).

I'll have a look and see if I still have the original files kicking around somewhere and do an update if I can.

You could try a Wudtone finishing kit if the underlying wood is quite pale:

https://www.wudtone.com/product/finishing-kit-emerald-isles/

Easy to apply - lint free cloth and some patience to do all the layers.

Today has been hardware fitting day.
Hipshot tuners - though not the Lollipops I wanted as it turns out... Hipshot didn't actually have any anywhere despite telling the supplier they were in stock - shout out to BTN Music for all their help with that and getting me the ordinary clover leaf ones very quickly.
Bridges... hmmm... yeah. Bought a Hipshot Vintage but it just didn't look right. Then found a Stingray style bridge on Aliexpress (one of these: https://www.aliexpress.com/item/32839427267.html). It arrived very quickly but, again just didn't look right for the more minimalist look I wanted. Ended up buying a Hipshot A Style Fender fit bridge from BTN Music because they were on sale. Got the aluminium version. String tree is also Hipshot. Knobs are John East.
The EMG MMCS with BTC Control 2-band EQ behind the scenes packs a punch 😮 Only issue at the moment is that something is funny with the jack socket so it keeps cutting out... job for the weekend.

Still some serious tweaking and setting up to do, but it's shaping up to be a very very nice bass.
Neck is old-skool jazz width 38.8mm with Graphtech nut that just dropped right in and doesn't look like it's going to need much work. Front to back it's quite chunky, but I like that, very similar to my Warwick Thumb bass in fact.
It's light too at just over 3.8kg, and that despite being all walnut with a bit of maple.

And to add - the fit of the neck to the body was perfect - quite tight, but once on everything lined up perfectly without needing to faff around. That was my biggest worry... having to adjust the fit of the neck. My worries were unwarranted!

Hi @Dov65, sorry only just seen your question. The Wudtone finish has been great - very easy to put on. You start with base coats wiped on with a clean lint free cloth, excess taken off with a different cloth. Left overnight. I did about four coats. Then it's top coat - which looks very similar to the base coat... same process. I then left the whole lot for nearly a month to cure. 

I don't think I got it perfect - it could use some polishing and a bit more attention to smooth down some... bits. But overall, very happy with it. I have also used one of the coloured finishes and that was easy enough - but it was dark colour onto already quite dark "wood" - one of those zebra wood kits off eBay that is made of some kind of composite wood stuff.

I use Mack's "Slim Fit" foam plugs - sleeping and concerts. They claim 29dB noise reduction and I like that at gigs they attenuate without ruining the balance of the sound. I find normal sized foam earplugs put too much pressure on my ears, the slim fit ones are way more comfortable, and may suit an 11-year old. You can get a pack of 50 pairs off Amazon for about £13 - keep you going for many gigs.

Edit to add, after actually reading @jimmyb625's comment properly - I've never had any problems with foam plugs getting stuck, falling apart or going too far in. The outside end should still stick out a few mm, when you squish them down to put them in, don't squish down the last quarter or so, then they will naturally not push in too far. But if you have any concerns... yeah, avoid foam. Maybe get him to try 'em out first.

5 hours ago, rwillett said:

This is why I shouldn't read Basschat when tidying my home office. I get distracted and start thinking stupid thoughts like "Mmm fancy a decent active p bass".

 

Must resist and keep on tidying, must not look on guitarbuild.co.uk.

 

.

No comment  But, just to remind you - https://guitarbuild.co.uk  

8 hours ago, PaulThePlug said:

Lookin good in the sun... likes the pale maple board, not as common... 

Mmm... Controls?

Maybe? When I ordered the build I hadn't decided quite what pickup or preamp I was going to put in - so decided not to get them to drill a bunch of holes  I've ended up with an EMG MMCS and EMB BTC Control (stacked treble and bass) plus volume, So, only two holes to drill, but haven't decided where. I'm going to start out just wiring it all up and leaving the pots in the control cavity at a pleasing setting... and then decide what to do. But, I might experiment with different pickups and quite fancy trying one of the Retrovibe Stinger preamps so... that would require more holes, from which there is no going back. 

On 16/05/2023 at 23:05, PaulThePlug said:

Nice... feels like i'm with you on your journey... and it has a casual air about it.

 

Love the 3 spots on the forearm contour... pre-worn smooth spots...

Those three spots were barely visible in the unfinished wood, but have really come out with the finish - I think they look great, but was a little surprised to see them

Feels like I'm getting more towards having a bass... though the learning curve with the finish has been steep. Wudtone finish goes on really easy, but what you do after that is up for grabs. Yesterday morning was a bit of al freso guitar finishing. This was a mistake. Up to now, after finishing a coat I've been hanging the neck and body on a (clothes) drying rack upstairs using pieces of wire through a tuner hole in the neck and neck screw hole in the body - no problems.

Yesterday, as it was nice and sunny, I thought I'd hang them on the washing line. Yeah, don't do that. The body feel off due to the line moving. It missed the dog (thankfully, getting all the hairs off would have been a nightmare) but did get somewhat covered in grass. Cleaned that up easily enough. A little later... a small fly landed on the neck and got stuck. It fell apart as I cleaned it off, but left no marks. All I needed was a pigeon to fly over and do its business and the day would have been complete - so I moved everything inside.

Photos taken just before doing a top coat this morning. And proof the dog was OK.

Been taking advantage of the decent weather to make a start on putting the Wudtone finish on the body and neck. I'm working outside on a garden table with an old towel on top to protect both the table and the bass. The finish has been very easy to apply (using an old sheet cut up into smaller pieces. Whole sheet in one go would be a bit much...). Done a coat each evening from Sunday - so third this evening. Wil now leave it all until at least the weekend, maybe give it a light sanding (is that sensible??), a couple more coats of the base coat and then a couple of coats of top coat for the satin finish.

Still waiting on hardware to arrive. Have decided to use Nectite inserts and screws for the neck, the control cavity screws and the pickups. Some shielding paint also on the way even though it's at least going to start life with an EMG pickup. 

I'm thoroughly enjoying the process and the fact you can't rush it and working with such a lovely piece of wood is so tactile and downright relaxing. Time to quit my job and become a luthier... if only.

Also here: https://www.theguardian.com/music/2023/may/14/musician-forced-london-flat-fiona-fey-mediaeval-babes-noise-abatement
With a few more details in about rehearsing with others that don't appear in the change.org petition.

Maybe the fact she's from the group Mediaeval Baebes will help bring attention to the issue...

12 hours ago, PaulThePlug said:

Very Nice... Enjoy!

My Bitsas were fun to do, but significantly cheaper i think...

Some nice basses there @PaulThePlug Inspiring to see what can be done with parts from different sources. The jazz bass mentioned above is from Twin--cam on eBay like the neck you bought. He swapped out a maple/rosewood neck for all maple to go with the zebrawood body. I should probably post that in a different thread - it's not quite ready for prime time and is never going to win any awards - mainly because it was more of a "learning experience" thing than a "this going to be an amazing (or even playable) bass" thing.

The Guitarbuild.co.uk bass is going to come in at about the same price as a new Fender MIM Jazz bass, and significantly less than a US Music Man Stingray. And I got to choose a slim neck for my Stingray-a-like.

After (mostly) putting together a cheap jazz bass kit from eBay the bug has bitten... I decided to put together something a bit custom that would hopefully get me the sound I'm looking for in a package that would be doable for a newbie. I have no real woodworking skills, no proper place to work and no tools (apart from a drill and a chisel...). Enter guitarbuild.co.uk - discovered whilst looking for kits that might get me heading in the right direction. So, then a question of whether to just buy "off the shelf" or go a bit wild. Went a bit wild.

The spec I put together: 

Body: 2-piece walnut P-bass with rear-routed control cavity. Battery box routing. And custom routing for a Stingray pickup. Quite a lot of research, including some very useful posts on this very site led to deciding to put the pickup as near as possible to the proper Stingray spot.
Neck: walnut with 38.8mm nut, maple fretboard, medium jumbo frets and abalone dot markers front and side. Headstock shape was going to be my own design, but ended up going for the "house" style as it was pretty much what I had ended up with anyway with my own design and I figured they had already got it right.

Jasmine from Guitarbuild looked after the process from beginning to end with some very helpful advice about what would actually work and what was possible. For basses the choice is between p-bass and j-bass bodies in a variety of woods and for the necks you can choose one-piece or two-piece, woods and dots. Then it's just a case of communicating what you want in the way of custom routs. I found an outline of a p-bass body in a usable format for the graphic design program I often use for work. Adding the Stingray pickup outline was easy enough and putting writing on the picture to explain exactly what I wanted did the job.

Only thing you can't change on the neck is that it has to be a four in-line headstock, which suited me fine anyway. I went for the option whereby they put together three body blanks and I got to choose one (though would have happily bought at least two of them... just couldn't afford to). One body was a definite "no" - just wasn't what I was looking for but it was a hard choice between the other two. Neck blanks was also choice of three and, again, it was hard to choose between them.

From first email to the boxes arriving was just over two months and that included me faffing around some... Quality is excellent - the neck in particularly is very nicely made. The neck is made for the body and is a tight fit with holes pre-drilled.

All that remains is finishing it, possibly a bit of light sanding on the body in a couple of places. The plan is to finish it using a Wudtone transparent finishing kit. I recently used a "Dark Tease" to finish the "zebrawood" composite body of the cheap jazz in order to dull down the stripes - was very easy to apply and gave a very nice result. I used Danish Oil on the jazz bass neck and didn't like so much how it yellowed the maple a bit much.

Hardware is going to be EMG MMCS pup, with volume and EMG BTC Control for treble and bass, Hipshot Vintage bass bridge in black - all bought second hand. Machineheads will be Hipshot Licensed Lollipop Ultralites in black - special order from the US via BTN Music and a Hipshot 3-way string tree. Other bits and pieces will be from the parts bin. 
 

So far the whole process has been a lot of fun. Guitarbuild were (are) fantastic to work with - quick replies to emails and seemed to be happy to answer all my "I don't really know what I'm doing" type questions. 

Photos are below. And I'll add more as things progress. As browsing this particular part of BC was what got me thinking I might be able to do this, you all get to see the results  

I think I would want to see that one in person before buying even at that price as it looks a little on the tired side to me. Particularly would want to run my hand over the back of the headstock to see whether what looks like the joint coming apart is really the case. Otherwise - if you want a Warwick Thumb you want a Warwick Thumb and a Streamer isn't a Thumb, not even close. If it's a 2003 model then it's not a Pro Series but a "proper" German Warwick. 

I've recently sold on a Korean Pro Series Thumb bass that had an ovangkol body with a maple neck and wenge fretboard - the sound really isn't down to just the neck. You wouldn't have been able to tell it apart from my German-built Thumb with ovangkol neck and body and wenge fretboard.

And totally with @snorkie635 on the Marmite aspect. You've really got to play one to see if they work for you. I got my first Thumb bass after 15 years of playing a Hohner B2A "cricket bat" Steinberger style thing, so the reach on the Thumb was nothing too difficult, but a wide strap is a must. The Thumb I have now came from @CookPassBabtridge, bought it just over a year ago (I think...) and it's all I've played since (which has been amusing to those who know me because I had a reputation for "new week, new bass" for quite a while). Nothing else comes close and I've been slowly selling off everything else. GAS cured. 

I've used Jack's Instrument Services in Manchester after I spent a good while removing the finish myself - heat gun and paint scraper. Cost about £200 but that was nearly ten years ago. The re-finish was nitro, really nicely done and was very happy with the result (just turned out that I had the wrong bass re-finished as I sold it a few months later... oh well...). Jack was great on comms and although the whole process took a while it was worth it. If you send the body away this time of year - you can expect two to three months (or more) for it to all dry out and cure and stuff. Again, was worth the wait.

Just bought an EMG MMCS pickup from Gerry. Pickup arrived less than 24 hours after payment was made. Condition exactly as described and nicely packaged.

Thank you!!