Skywalker83

The guy who is building my bass is not a full time luthier, he just does it most of the time at weekends. So i dont think he can get better deals and waiting time on parts (i will check with him) all of the parts i'm getting apart from the bridge i was going to order from bestbassgear.com in America, the only problem is that as im in Finland i'll have to pay customs on top of the purchasing price. 2 x Bartolini G6 pickups (6 string version) Aguilar OBP-3 preamp (4 knob/switch) (Stacked Basic kit, includes pots, jack, battery clips, switch etc) 3 x black gotoh tuners (bass side) 3 x gold gotoh tuners (treble side) gold pickup screws black pickup screws All in this comes to around $375 (265€ or £227) with shipping plus custom tax which is around 20% then in it comes to just over 300€ Am i likely to get these cheaper from the UK?

[quote]why are you sourcing your own hardware if you having the bass built with a Luthier?[/quote] It's just the way he rolls. i buy the hardware i want and send it to him, he builds the bass and puts the hardware on.

My question is more aimed at the tuning pegs, i'm definitely going for a Schaller bridge, i would want a really good quality bridge, it's something i wouldn't want to cut costs on. but the tuning pegs is there such a huge difference in quality that is noticeable? between an import and a branded part?

Ok, so by the end of this year i will have my first custom bass built. At the moment im sourcing hardware to send to the luthier. I'm going to be having a two-tone black and gold hardware set up. 3 black tuner, 3 gold tuners, black and gold bridge and possibly black and gold knobs or wooden knobs. Ok, so im really keen on getting this schaller bridge [url="http://gitarrenwissen.de/hp193253/Bass-Bridge-2000.htm?ITServ=C5006682bX1221dfedc79XYbe5"]Schaller bridge[/url] and also the kind of Warwick styled tuning pegs. The thing is with the tuning pegs is it really worth spending around £100+ for the two sets of coloured tuning pegs form Schaller or Gotoh when the likes of places like bassguitarpartsuk do import parts for a fraction of the price? [url="http://stores.shop.ebay.co.uk/bassguitarpartsdirectuk_Import-Bass-Machine-Heads_W0QQ_fsubZ170485013QQ_sidZ795398863QQ_trksidZp4634Q2ec0Q2em322"]bassguitarpartsuk[/url] I have a westfield 5 string that probably uses jap/chinese/tawain made parts and the tuners on it are solid enough. So are you paying for a name, or are you actually paying for a product that is much better quality???? ALSO Does anyone know anywhere that stocks the Schaller bridge that im looking for??

Yeah , here is a couple of pics with sound clips as well of 2 basses that Marko built for a guy i know in Northern Finland. [url="http://www.talkbass.com/forum/showthread.php?t=547355&referrerid=128975"]5 string single cut[/url] [url="http://www.talkbass.com/forum/showthread.php?t=487862&referrerid=128975"]6 string single cut[/url] theres a couple of changes(again ) to my spec after Marko had a look at it. im not getting the wenge block inlays, or the pick up covers. Also im going to go tfor a cheaper preamp than the John East (sorry John). i will probably upgrade the preamp later. The quote he gave me for the bass is around 1600€

Thanks for all the input! I'm definitely going for a 33" scale! The luthier says its not a problem for him to build, and also he has found a supplier for the birdseye maple fretboard! So here is my bass specs: [b]Strings:[/b] 6 [b]Design: [/b]Single cut Neckthru (body shape like a Fodera Imerial elite) Birdseye Maple pickup covers with Walnut Ramp [b]Frets:[/b] 24 [b]Scale:[/b]33" [b]Woods:[/b] Crotch or Figured Walnut Top and Ash or Alder Body [b]Neck:[/b] Wenge Neck with walnut topped headstock [b]Fretboard:[/b] Birdseye Maple with Wenge block inlays [b]Hardware:[/b] [b]Colour:[/b] Gold [b]Tuners:[/b] Warwick or Gotoh Tuners [b]Bridge:[/b] 17.5mm spacing , not sure which make yet. [b]Nut: [/b]Brass Nut [b]Strap Locks:[/b] Flush mount [b]Electrics:[/b] [b]Pickups:[/b] 2 x Bartolini G6 narrow Soapbars [b]Preamp:[/b] John East U-retro Deluxe

Well the luthier has said that the only problem with the spec at the moment is the birseye maple, because he's not sure if he can get a big enough piece to use for a fingerboard. This was something else i wanted to ask, does anyoe know of any sources for bidseye in Europe? Yeah i guess 17mm might be better, i think it also means that i can use the bartolini G6 soapbars (have a look here see what you think) [url="http://www.bartolini.net/information/bass/6st_bass_pu_s.htm"]Bartolini pickups[/url] [quote]Sounds like a fine choice of woods! I like walnut over ash, but thats just me.[/quote] Its taken me quite a while to decide on the body woods, i went through a whole array of really fancy woods before settling for two very simple woods, which look great together! and will give a nice sort of MTD tone.

Thanks for the replies! The luthier i'm having my bass built by is a finnish luthier named Marko Ursin, i've seen a couple of basses that a friend of mine has had built and they're pretty nice basses. The current spec of the bass is: Fodera Imperial elite shaped sigle cut 6 string thru neck 33" scale Ash or Alder body with a crotch or Figured Walnut top Wenge Neck Birdseye maple fingerboard with abalone block inlays 18mm spaced Gotoh bridge Gotoh tuners flush mount strap locks birdseye maple pickup covers Walnut Ramp I'm having a bit of trouble trying to decide on pickups and preamp for the bass, i'd really like a set or Bartolini G6's but i'm not sure if they will work with the 18mm string spacing. Does anybody know? or recommend other pickups and a pre? I think the 33" would be good for me because all the basses i've had have been 35" and i've sometimes found them a little uncomfortable to play for long periods. I'm 5 ft 6 and my arms are quite short.

Getting my bass build started in the Autumn and just finalising the design and specs to give my luthier. Its going to be a string single cut. I was thinking about a 33" scale for my 6 string. Is this do-able? whats the pros and cons? What's the availability of strings like for a 6 string of this scale? Are there any makers of 33" 6 stringers. i once heard that Fodera commonly make 33" 6 stringers. Any input would be appreciated.

Preamp reffers to anything that happens to the signal before it gets amplified, so yes EQ is a Preamp. There are different configurations for preamp set ups. The most common are 2 and 3 band EQ's. Typically a 2 Band would consist of controls for Bass and controls For Treble. Your bass has a 3 Band EQ, controls for Bass , Mid and Treble. It's hard to tell you what to do to get a good sound out of the preamp, it really depends on several factors,and there is no right or wrong way to set the controls. Factors that you will have to take into consideration are , what kind of music are you playing? how are you playing (light touch? heavy touch? with a pick? slapping?) these are all very different ways of hitting the string and each produce their own natural tone, so you would have to set the preamp accordingly to your playing. All i can suggest is just play around with the knobs and get to know your way around the controls and how to get different kinds of sounds from your bass.

Thanks for the crits, will make some ammendments tomorrow if i get time. I'm not sure about which luthier to have build it yet, i really like the work of the french luthier Laurent Kah. But it will mostly come down to which good luthier will offer me the best price. I'm really thinking of changing the buckeye to flamed maple, i think the wenge nech/fingerboard looks better (IMO) with the flamed maple. Buckeye looks better with a maple fingerboard.

So, i'm wanting my own custom made singlecut bass made this year. So today i sat down and scanned my drawing into photoshop and started the process of making a render to get a better idea of what the beast might look like once made. The spec so far: 5 string E-C (although this may go up to a 6 string, aint decided yet!) 33" scale, 24 frets Buckeye burl top and headstock and pick up covers (this may change to Flamed maple) Alder and walnut body (pos. chambered) Bolt-On wenge neck and fingerboard Custom M.O.P bass clef Inlays @ 12th and 5th frets Ebony Ramp with M.O.P Bass Clef inlay. Aguilar OPB 3 preamp Hipshot single string bridges (Gold) Hipshout tuners (gold) Pickups - not sure yet pos. Bartolini or Nortstrands [url="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3639/3410060732_e888c9b699_b.jpg"]W.I.P render[/url] Let me know what you think! Suggestions , comments and crit all welcome!

Eh, i just wonder , i presume your talking about the 1000W version of the Superfly in this comparison?

Thanks for all the ideas guys n gals. I'm really liking the look of this one from Laurent Kah [url="http://www.basses-lkah.fr/basses.php?no=42"]Singlecut 5 string[/url] It's almost what i'm looking for, but with a slightly different combination of woods,although i do want a bookmatched flamed maple top. The price i stated is just a rough guide, i'd stretch to maybe 1500-1600€, But once i have my design finalised i'll shop around for the best quote. I'm really going for a sort of Micheal Tobias approach to the bass and that is to have the electronics of the bass quite transparent and allot the natural sound of the woods of the bass to give me my tone. More suggestions and ideas are more than welcome!

Ok, so i'm selling off some other gear in the process of getting the cash together for my first custom bass. I really want a single cut 5 string, not sure about wood combinations yet. I'm planing on spending around 1000 - 1200€ Can anyone recommend any good luthiers?

Ok i'm downsizing my amp, and really fancy going for a Superfly (500w @ 4 Ohms). Cab wise im using a PJB 4B cab (8 ohms) , and i plan on buying another one of these cabs soon. I've noticed that the Superfly has 2 speakon outputs, one for each internal power amp. what i'm wondering is, if i run each cab from each output will i get the the full 500W capability of the amp? or will it be less, as each output is going into an 8 Ohm cab? Also if i use only one 8 ohm cab (not all gigs will require the 2 cabs) from one output, how much power will i get? Any help appreciated.

Heres my rig Warwick Profet 3.2 Phil Jones 4B cab The current set up there gives around 180W, if i add another 4B cab it goes up to 300W The best thing about it is that its tiny, it comes up to just above my knee. And it's easily transported.

[quote name='ped' post='394798' date='Jan 29 2009, 08:38 PM']Cool, how is it? I have always been keen on them myself... ped[/quote] I like them, very punchy. I tried the briefcase and the suitcase at a music store last year and was just amazed an the sound you get from the five inch drivers. I more like the fact that they are tiny little things and pretty light (18Kg) compared to other cabs, i've never been a fan of lugging around huge cabs. I'll post up a review of the 4B once i try it with my Warwick head.