Bridgehouse

Alder is really thirsty! It's drying off now, and I'll do another coat tomorrow..

On to the body whilst the neck is hardening off.. Built a makeshift body holding contraption and got ready for stage 1: Sanding Sealer. A bit of filler was used here and there first, then sanded back.

Just one more shot before the next stage - helps to show the contrast with the alder body..

This is the neck tint I was aiming for:

[quote name='gary mac' timestamp='1501866088' post='3347936'] Good job, I'm looking forward to seeing how this progresses. [/quote] Quite possibly slowly Tomorrow I'll get some sanding sealer on the body - but I don't have a colour for it yet!

It's now hardening off - once it's much harder I'll look at the lacquer checking stage!

And some outside shots:

Once dry to the touch (not long in the sun!!) - it's time to give it some relic treatment. I'm doing it straight after spraying to allow me to rub back (less of the belt sander look) and it means the relic'ing will harden as the lacquer does.. Here's pre relic: Then, it's on with the various sharp and blunt bits of metal, the 600 grit wet and dry, and some 0000 wire wool. Oh, and some shoe polish

I then rubbed back certain parts - some back to the wood, to give a patchy appearance, and then sprayed a second coat to give a deeper colour in some areas to others:

Started the first neck - for the gigging bass. Now for this build, as I'm going hardcore relic, I wanted to start with that in mind, so I've gone for a much darker tint and tried to give it an uneven coat so that there are some darker areas than others - hopefully looking like lacquer darkening over time. Anyway, masked up: First coat of tint:

The bodies and necks were sourced from a UK Luthier - but he doesn't advertise widely at all. My contact with him came via another popular UK online forum. I specified the nut width, and other specs - I'm sure 35" scale could be specified too. If you want some details then PM me. The Tele body and neck are also getting built up (as an Esquire) but I didn't think you lot would be as interested in these

Got a pair of bodies and necks on the way (due to be delivered tomorrow!) One is for a friend and the spec is agreed on for it (so it will be a surprise as I go through it ) The other, however, is going to be built up as a gigging bass - relatively low cost etc. So the specs? - Alder PJ body (x2) - Standard P neck, rosewood board, 1.75" nut & 7.5" radius For my gigging bass, I'm going to do a satin amber tint neck, and it will be a relic. The question is, what colour to go for? It's a gigging bass, so preference is bright, cheery, pastel or bling as I'd like it to stick out a bit....

Sorry - I've been rather busy! As pointed out, I've made a few comments in the other thread about the VK vs BF debate. However, WRT the VK specifically, it's the only cab I use live. It's exactly the sound I'm looking for, the EICH head is very well rounded and precise - best of all, I also use the setup to go straight into the power amp from my Helix - the bass amp models are superb and they sound very good indeed through the EICH and VK combo...

[quote name='gareth' timestamp='1501790918' post='3347429'] they do do reissue 70's guards with correct truss rod access or if you are lucky you sometimes see original ones on eBay [/quote] I shall have to have a closer look!

[quote name='gareth' timestamp='1501777622' post='3347318'] truss rod gap [/quote] Yeah I couldn't find one that matched!! It's close enough for a player tho

[quote name='gareth' timestamp='1501774071' post='3347283'] thought as much, cheers [/quote] Was it the truss rod gap that gave it away or is it too shiny?

Guard on the white one isn't original - I have the original and it's cracked, so I swapped it out

I have two P's that are similar: a 64 and a 74. The 74 is a year of birth, and so special for that reason. I lucked out on both to be honest. In fact, I've probably used up all of my bass buying karma on them! Differences as far as I am concerned: - Neck profiles are very different. 74 has a standard 70's nut width (1.65") and a rounder C, the 64 is wider at 1.75" and slimmer front to back. - The 74 is maple, the 64 Braz Rosewood, and the 64 feels slicker, smoother and easier to move around on - Weight difference is negligible - the 64 is a touch lighter, but like I said, I lucked out getting a light 70's P.. - Finish feels different, with the 64 being nitro and the 74 not.. - Sound wise, the tone pot is more usable on the 64 and gives a more pleasing rolled off tone, and I'd say the 64 is generally a bit more 'refined' - it's a woodier sound. The 74 is clearly a hotter pickup and has more heft, but they both sound like classic P basses (duh!) They are both all original. They both make me very happy, for slightly different reasons. And the crunch question - which do I prefer? Well, only one gets hauled to rehearsals, used for recording, writing new bass lines and practice.. and that's the 64.

Funnily enough, we were lucky with the PA. My point was that unless you are playing a gig where you supply your own backline and it's small enough to stand alone, you're often at the mercy of what's there when you turn up, and the quality of the PA (and of course the soundman!) As someone who gigs all sorts of places, I've developed a multi- use solution - I have a good amp and cab combo when I'm in control, and then I use a DI box/preamp if I'm at the mercy of others so I have some semblance of control! Band is called Chris Moody & The Underground Kings - there's videos on the web if you search - some are with the VK and EICH head - however, as above, sometimes you are hearing a recorded output from the PA rather than the amp and cab!!

You're not actually disagreeing with me.... Sure, it might seem like a generalised answer, but actually it's not. Us bass players are very lucky - we have a lot of kit to choose from, and manufacturers are always pushing the boundary. On a basic level, some kit will be better than others - build quality, reliability, ability to cut through a mix and achieve a certain volume, and of course the base ability to amplify a tone well and in a pleasing way. What I was trying to say was that once you get past a certain level of quality, gear tends to be around personal preference rather than a "top trumps" style "what is the best?" Chart. I love precision basses - I have a 64 P with the widest neck you could imagine with a silky smooth braz rw board and a thumpy tone that _for me_ gives me the most pleasure I have ever had playing a bass. I've played a 64 Jazz - and it was horrid - I hated it. Thin neck, honky tone and it left me cold. I listened to someone else play it and it sounded wonderful. When I bought the EICH head, I tried the VK cab, and also tried a Bergantino - I personally didn't like the berg at all - just didn't like the tone. Others love them, and they help to capture their own preference of tone. Does that mean that the VK is better? No. For me - yes, for someone else? No. And herein lies what I was saying. If I were to generalise, we could end up with a "top ten cabs" list by consensus and recommend people only buy the top one. I mean, why would you not? And the fact is, I'd love to gig with an Ampeg 8x10 and a big fat valve head - but it wouldn't fit in the car, it's impractical to get up stairs, and it's huge and wouldn't fit on some of the stages I play on. Here's an interesting thought to leave you with - I played at the YNOT festival on Friday - it was cancelled yesterday due to the weather - when I arrived I had to wade through mud and rain to get to the venue we were playing in. I am very glad I didn't have to take my VK cab, or my BF cab - it would have been wrecked by the mud and rain. I took a partscaster bass and a tuner. That was it. The house bass amp was a carlsbro combo DI'd to the PA. It was one of the best gigs I've played all year - the crowd were absolutely epic, and how did the bass sound? Flipping epic. It was a huge thumping sound and chugged along brilliantly. Just goes to show huh?

I agree - P bass with flats. I use Chromes, as they can add a bit of clang with some nail used fingerstyle.

I have one of the new Vanderkley 2x10's, and I also have a BF compact. For me, it's totally horses for courses. I personally prefer the Vanderkley, but that's mostly because the sound suits what I personally like. The VK is more 'Hifi' as some have said, and for me it's a bit more articulate, clearer, and cuts through the mix a bit more. However, I really think it depends on the amp and bass choice as much as anything else. I have an EICH 1000w head - it loves the VK, but just sounds a bit non-descript through the BF. The Markbass amps I have though, they love the BF but through the VK sound a bit too heavy. Similarly, I'm a P bass guy - it's my sound, and it's the sound I like - the P sounds great through the EICH and VK cab, but I'm sure a different bass would sound better through a different combo. And if we go down this route further - 90% of my playing is daddario chromes and fingerstyle - again, suits the EICH and VK really nicely, but if I was a picker or a slapper? I suspect a different combo would suit better. No amp cab combo is necessarily better than another - it's about what you are after tonally that counts.