Spoombung

Only these have significance for me which probably says something about my age: [b]Fender Precision[/b]: beer, fags, pub rock, crap nights out [b]Rickenbacker[/b]: Prog [b]Wal[/b]: New Romo, eye make up [b]Fodera[/b]: Americans, bad haircuts, trade shows, [b]Ritter[/b]: Fabergé eggs

Colin Hodgkinson was a big influence on me. Fantastic, underated bassist

Have you looked at Sanberg basses?

...or buy a Stingray, even? It seems to me you can get exactly what you want by making a few changes to the hardware of a standard Fender or Musicman (as Finbar suggests) or you could order the Shuker, pay three times as much and sit back and wait for a year and a half twiddling your fingers. I'd give it another think if I were you...

[quote name='Jobiebass' post='483633' date='May 9 2009, 11:43 AM']I dont like Fenders so yes![/quote] Well...that is a Fender... for all intents and purposes, isn't it? It's the same shape and basic design. It's only my opinion, but custom builds are especially useful for designs you can't buy in the shops and special requirements, ie, non-standard body shapes, non-standard necks and so on. What you have there appears to be something you could obtain instantly (not a year and a half later) from a shop like GAK at more or less a half/third of the price of a custom build. I'm not saying don't do it - of course, go ahead with it if you want. It's a free country afterall!

[quote name='Jobiebass' post='483558' date='May 9 2009, 08:54 AM']Made a mock up of how it'd roughly look like, my MS paint skills are less then desirable. thats a badass bridge and I tried to make the pickups look like the Delano's If anyone is good with paint, I wouldnt mind seeing what it looks like in red, or maybe silver? [/quote] That looks good. I wouldn't order yet, though, and I'd take FarOn's advice and do a bit more research first into your likes and dislikes. Plus there are numerous Fenders in shops. Do you really want a posh custom one?

Well I've been playing 30 years and still don't have a fecking clue what I'm doing.

I agree with whoever said the Wal sound was overwhelmingly due to the pickups and preamp. The woods and basic construction are commonplace in other basses and easily duplicated. The pickups and preamp are not, however. Check this [url="http://www.talkbass.com/forum/showthread.php?t=432803"]ongoing thread at TB[/url] for lengthy theory on the subject.

The Bass Cellar is BIG attraction for Warwick fans. Apart from a few Peaveys and Ibanezes that's about all they sell. Hell, they could start a riot there!

[quote name='aido43' post='472664' date='Apr 26 2009, 01:31 PM']Its looking better every time--I really like the headstock and I think black hardware will look very nice. Are the frets jumbo sized as they look very fat in that last picture?[/quote] Yes, they're quite big. I asked Mike to have a look at my Danelectro which has fat, low frets. I'm going to stick to chrome tuners but everything else will be black. I'm pleased with the headstock. Quite remarkable how close it is to my original sketch:

PM'd....

[quote name='Matte_black' post='470595' date='Apr 23 2009, 12:26 PM']But as you can see my instruments are pretty simple.[/quote] Simple is good. My goodness, you do work fast, though!

[quote name='Matte_black' post='470576' date='Apr 23 2009, 12:15 PM']It's coming out very nice! Congrats! Anyway I think it needs only minor work, should be ready soon.[/quote] Thanks Matt. I hear you build your basses in a month. Is that true?

[quote name='thedontcarebear' post='470468' date='Apr 23 2009, 10:51 AM']This has been a very quick build so far![/quote] You think so? It doesn't feel like it but then I suppose I have nothing to compare it to.

[quote name='wateroftyne' post='470457' date='Apr 23 2009, 10:36 AM']Here's a little vid I made a couple of weeks ago, where I switch between the three pup combinations on a Tony Franklin fretless. It should give you an idea of the tonal differences... [/quote] Nice. I must say it's VERY rare to hear a fretless player using anything but the bridge pickup.

Here are some mock-ups of the way the bass might look minus the bridge (the wrong model arrived). I don't know why the knobs and strat plate are silver because I did request black, but as Mike is incommunicado I don't know whether he's mocked it up from parts he has lying around his workshop or whether he thinks I wanted silver. Anyway... Still quite a long way from being finished.

[quote name='steve-soar' post='470186' date='Apr 22 2009, 11:17 PM']that is the most disturbing, Burroughsian, Lynchesque headstock, I've ever seen.[/quote]

Let's see what it looks like then: Very unusual and very elegant. The back looks lovely too. Well, I'm learning that having one of these custom builds is rather like a having a builder work on your house. There are numerous delays and setbacks, long waits for parts, and then the wrong parts arriving. Then you have to take into account personal schedules so people become unavailable for long periods or have to divert suddenly towards more pressing concerns. Anyway, for one reason or another there won't be any more progress on the instrument for the next few weeks... although he has said he'll aim for handing me the bass over on Friday the 15th of May...just in time for my birthday, hopefully. Can't wait, but I'm going to have to.

More pics from Mike: the tuning pegs have arrived so it's time to drill some holes.

[quote name='BigRedX' post='468916' date='Apr 21 2009, 06:47 PM']The blue fretless is (which I was lucky enough to have a chance to play at the 2007 Bass Day) is probably one of the nicest instruments I've ever played and it looks fantastic too![/quote] Erk, I'm coming over all funny...

That blue fretless bass attracts me like a magnet...

Chocolate delight.

In my experience people who say there's no good music anymore are no longer looking. They don't follow the leads, don't take the tips, don't go to gigs, don't listen to records and don't buy music mags anymore. They have tired ears, large mortgages and (usually) one or more children.

I heard Yes when I was thirteen and immediatley thought " I want to be a bass player...[i]and [/i]it's only got 4 strings to learn"

It went over my head too. Who the feck is Sterling Ball?