Rexel Matador

In other news, I've started oiling the body and neck. That they will pretty much exactly match my kitchen table is a happy accident. As I rather suspected all along but didn't want to admit to myself, cherry isn't really robust enough for a bass neck, but I've come this far so I'll see how it goes. It's not all sappy and knotty like the body, at least. In any case, it's a bolt-on so I can make another one somewhere down the line, maybe with a nice dark fretboard. I could even swap them out depending on my mood 😂

Thanks - I figured it would be a negligible effect or I would have found more online about it. It did find a close up image of a Dingwall where the nut is sort of rounded over, which might be an idea. The lowest string will be a .130, so I might try something for that one, at least. If I mess it up it's an easy enough part to replace.

This just occurred to me last night and I can't believe I didn't think of it before. Below is a diagram of a string passing the nut on a multiscale bass (headstock on the right). The red arrow is where the string technically "ends" according to it's trajectory along the scale length, but the green arrow is the last point where it touches the nut. It seems to me that this in theory would produce either intonation problems, a poorly defined open string note, or both. What is normally done in this situation? Does the nut placement have to be compensated back slightly towards the headstock to account for it? Or are the slots shaped in such away to allow the strings to exit the nut at the correct point? Or does it not matter? Looking at pictures of other multiscale basses, I can't see anything obvious, but I'm thinking now that maybe I need to move my nut slot - not impossible, but it won't be pretty! Any input would be much appreciated.

I'm currently working on number 5

I've never taken a class (unless you count watching endless hours of youtube videos on the subject) but I can certainly recommend building your own bass. It's highly addictive though! I think the things I would check are: - The luthier's work. Do they have a website where you can check out the basses they build? Maybe a youtube channel where you can see them at work and take a look at their workshop? - What is provided in the cost of the course. Do they provide the wood, hardware, pickups etc, or are you expected to bring your own? If you need to pay for all that stuff on top of the cost of the course, it would be good to know beforehand, because it can add up. If they look like they know what they're doing and the price is right, I say do it!

I was reading about Motown and The Funk Brothers and apparently one of their bassists was called Tweed Beard. There is literally no information online about this person except for that they were a Motown bass player at some point. It's really bothering me because the name is weirdly fascinating. Was it a real name or a pseudonym. Does anyone know? If not I'm going to write a novel about an obnoxious 2010s hipster who finds a time machine and goes to 1960s Detroit to play bass on Motown recording sessions.

Absolutely. There are many hugely popular design choices out there that I find bewildering. Horses for courses.

It was once stolen and left in a ditch. Also he supposedly had unusually acidic sweat. Both probably contributed. Incidentally the worst relic job, if you can even call it that, I've ever seen, is the Rory Gallagher custom shop strat where it looks like they've just masked off and applied finish in the appropriate areas, rather than finishing the whole thing and then sanding it off. Only three grand to you sir.

Noted. It should be interesting if I can pull it off.

I've made a scratchplate from some nice matt black perspex and and everything seems to fit. I think it goes with the modern style of the thing. I was going to use a regular Tele/Precision-stlye knob, but I'm going to experiment with a bigger one and see which I like best. Have to wait for it to arrive first though. I'm going to wait until the neck is screwed on before attaching the bridge pieces because I want to get it right first time. The metal band tunes to B flat on the lowest string and on my 34" scale basses, the saddle has to go way way back. These single string ones have a bit less travel so I need to make sure it's in a position where it can go back far enough. It seems to me that having the foreward-most point of travel placed exactly at the scale length is pointless because it's always going to end up further back. What would the effect of the longer (35.5") scale be. Would it intonate closer to the actual scale length? Further back? About the same? Started sanding the body today. It's far from perfect but I have to keep reminding myself that four and a half basses ago I'd barely used a drill, so I'm definitely going in the right direction. I just can't wait until the day when my plans to move to a bigger place can be resurrected and I no longer have to do all this with out a bandsaw, table saw, jointer, spindle sander and god knows what other free-standing tools are generally considered essential in this game! I guess I'm currently a reluctant member of the Brian May school. Still undecided on the colour. I originally wanted to stain it dark red, but I think for that to work it would need a matching headstock and I'm not confident enough that I can mask and scrape my way to clean enough lines. So I might leave it natural. One of the guitarists in my band has asked me to build him a guitar so I must be doing something right. It's quite a ridiculous project - too bad I won't be able to write about it here! 😂

Long day... I really hate doing neck pockets. I'm definitely going back to neck-through for the next one!

I cut a (thankfully reasonably modest) belly cut, stood back to admire my handiwork and realised I'd cut it in on the front of the body. So now the upper body is "contoured". Sometimes I wonder if it's safe for me to be around sharp tools.

I took the writing off with nail polish remover! It doesn't bother me so much these days but it did at the time. As an aside - while looking into a guitar build for a friend, I discovered that the EMG81 has a choice of 10 different covers! Guitarists don't know they're born.

EMG GZR is a great pickup - solderless too! They only come in black though and you can't change the covers

Re pickup covers: check the "ears"! I bought some white ones from ebay and didn't realise until I got them that the semicurcular protrusions where the screws go stuck out way too far to fit in the scratchplate. Then I found another set that were fine. I love cream/white pickups on a p bass just because they're a bit more unusual but still kind of classic looking. I also found that a standard sized set of covers was too small for a Seymour Duncan Quarter Pounder (I'm not just talking about the pole pieces - the whole thing was a bit too small, but it might not be the case for other models. Re colour combinations, you can always use this to visualise things: https://www.yajimastringworks.com/kisekae/CNV_PB/Kis90105_w1300.asp

I really wanted my current mutliscale build to be headless but was put off by the lack of decent affordable hardware out there. It seemed like the choices were either ABM - super pricey despite mixed reviews - or the ones from ebay that are so cheap I daren't even try. What are you thinking bridge/headpiece-wise? I have also wondered about the possibility of a multiscale fretless. Would it not be particularly hard to play? Re the depth of the pieces for the neck - could you stick another shorter piece on at the body end to up the thickness? Maybe a darker/lighter veneer in between?

Is the grain going to be perpendicular to the strings as well? In theory a good joint is as strong as the wood right? None of my amateur scarf-jointed headstocks have failed yet, so I wouldn't be too worried about it. You could always put some kind of rod through the length of it, just to be on the safe side.

Cut out the body shape today - the holes are from where I attached the template, but they will be obliterated/obscured but the forearm contour, scratchplate and neck pocket respectively.

The neck is starting to take shape. My last couple of builds have had very thin necks, so I thought I'd leave this one a bit chunkier and see how I get on with it. It's hard to tell as it's only roughly carved and has no strings on, but I think it'll be pretty comfortable.

Having never actually played a multiscale instrument before, I had no idea what my preference would be! I saw that Dingwall do it at the seventh and figured they seem to know their stuff when it comes to fanned frets, so why not. Secondly I liked the idea of mitigating the slant at the nut and lower frets - I play mostly (though certainly not exclusively) down there and figured it might make it easier to get used to. It all remains to be seen.

Frets are in - so much easier on an unshaped neck! The first few on the low string feel very far apart - it'll take some getting used to.

It depends on the tuners - usually 18mm for Fender style ones I think, but they can vary. Best to measure the bushings and drill accordingly.

This - everything felt easier when I switched from regular flat picks to stubbies - never looked back. Also, re Rancid, maybe give Time Bomb a go - it's nice and slow and a lot of fun to play. Plenty of tabs out there - just start slow.

Damn your right - I can hear it now! Still great though.

Agreed! Todd the Rod made them. Their original bassist's tone was truly horrible: