Chopthebass

Test fitting the XLR and locking jack.

I’m replicating the plastic truss hole trim piece from ebony. I epoxied a block into the body and made a trim piece for the top. I’ll need to try rout a round bottom slot for access

Neck pocket complete. On to the headstock now

Back view. 

I did some body radii and started contouring. I’m definitely thinking natural finish is the way to go!

I’ve been busy with other builds, but finally got round to glueing up the body. 
I may keep a natural finish rather than colour. But as usual, I change my mind many times during a build! 

On 14/10/2022 at 18:21, Richard R said:

More pics!  🤗 Do we get to see both tops?

I’ve not decided on the tops yet. But I’ll add more pics later

Now your just being greedy Nick! I’m hoping my Wal tribute will be as good as the real thing! I’m not sure how close to the real thing it’ll sound. But I don’t care! It’s all an experiment, albeit an expensive one. 

Just finished laser cutting the Wal templates. 

Laser time! I’m making a set of templates. It was going to be a one-off build but ended up getting two orders. 

I made one!

Preparing the neck laminates for glueing. Maple and blood wood. 

2 hours ago, TheGreek said:

That salted timber looks amazing. 

 

Hard decision...

If had a matching piece for the back, then I’d be using it! It’s an amazing top

I have a couple of 5A tops that I’m considering using. I know Wal have matching front and backs so I may go with the flame as I have two sets. 

I’m not sure what body woods to use yet, but I do want Birdseye maple with ellipse inlays!

6 hours ago, Richard R said:

Genuine question- what is is about Wals that is so appealing?  There are at least three threads on building basses to sound like a Wal, and the real things sell new for £££.

Clearly I need to play one.

I’ve never owned one, but I’m super curious about multi coil picks and filter preamps. It’s an experiment. The mk3 is the best shape in my opinion.

I was going to buy a Wal, until I saw the wait time (and price haha). So I’m going to have a go at building one. I’m going down the Walbucker/Lusithand route, so it’s probably the best shot at getting something similar, sound wise. 
The bridge is the only thing I can’t replicate, so I’m using a Schaller 3D. 
It’ll have locking jack and balanced DI XLR outputs. 
Watch this space! 

I asked John the exact same question. No need to change pots. He said it’ll be fine. Just no passive mode

I bought one a couple months back. It’s the sunburst one in the pic. I bought this after I sold my Fender Elite Jazz, and I much prefer the tone. The mid switch is pretty cool, but you are restricted to the dip switches frequencies, so I found the one I like, set the gain, and usually leave it on most of the time. The build quality is as good or better than NYC. I think the IFT fretting technique is a big plus over NYC basses. 
I really can’t fault the bass in any way. 

If there is enough travel in the saddle to get the correct intonation, there is no need, in my opinion, to stagger the units.

Just took delivery of a Sadowsky Masterbuilt. It’s an amazing looking thing and I hope it sounds as good as it looks! That’ll be a job for this evening. 

I have an HP, running through an HDN410 and HDN210. I am sure it will be great through BF cabs, but in order to satisfy my OCD I had to have matching gear! No regrets. As mentioned above this amp had a lot of heft/body. I leave the 'punch' (mid boost) turned on all the time. The HP and LP filters are great for live use, and taming the sub frequencies or rumble. The parallel compressor works seamlessly but I prefer the control I get from my Empress compressor. Never use the Drive circuit, although some say it adds a little something if you engage it, but keep the drive level at its minimum. 

4 hours ago, krispn said:

A Bill Lawrence P-46 will fit a 5 string, sounds clean and clear and yes it’s THAT Bill Lawrence! A quick check it’s $72 before shipping and taxes which is ridiculous value!

 

https://www.wildepickups.com/products/p-46

I can vouch for the P46. It’s a thumping pickup. It’s designed for either 4 or 5 string basses. 

Sometimes it surprises you what sounds good. I have Fbass, Vigier, Mayones, Fender, Elrick, Spector and Yamaha basses. All super nice in their own way, but what really surprised me was how good a recently acquired German Warwick Corvette sounds. It’s a heavy bass but not only is the bubinga figure really stunning, but the sound is really amazing. 

7 hours ago, Doddy said:

I think I've found the perfect bass for me. 

I was looking to buy a bass for a birthday present for myself. I'd already got a few nice instruments, and I've played a lot more but after I visited F Bass, I knew that I needed to buy one.  My BN5 is seriously the best instrument I've played. It plays and sounds amazing.

 

 

I just picked up an identical BN5. Super nice to play and surprisingly light for quite a large bodied bass