cocco

Lindy Fralin. I love mine!

[quote name='Reversebird' timestamp='1405587790' post='2503236'] Been thinking for a few years now about my ultimate bass. With sooo many artist basses around I wondered what I would build if Fender ever approached me to build a signature bass. So I had a think and wrote to Fender with my ideas, the reply is at the bottom from those very nice people at Fender UK. Dear Fender Leo Fender was a great innovator of guitars, especially basses and over the 65 years of Precision bass there have been a few changes but everybody is still looking for the holy grail of basses. A bass that does everything and is the bass for every man (women). I also love Jim Burns innovations, a man I really admire for his thinking outside the box in the early years of the guitar and bass. I would like to see if it was possible to build a bass that uses Leo's great bodies and Jim's electrical genius. I have been playing bass for around 25 years now and I have tried every bass going from big makers to small, expensive basses to some modern cheap basses. My problem is I haven't found a bass that well "covers all the bases" excuse the pun. I think these following basses are the basis for all others body shape wise and pickup arrangement wise. Fender Precision one split single coils middle passive Fender Jazz two single coils bridge and middle passive Musicman Stingray humbucker bridge active Gibson SG two humbuckers neck and bridge passive Gibson Thunderbird two humbuckers bridge and middle passive Rickenbacker 4000 series two single coils neck and bridge passive Burns Bison three single coils neck bridge middle Hofner Violin bass two humbuckers bridge and neck passive Ibanez/yamaha/warwick etc two soap bar humbuckers bridge and middle active I want a bass that does all of the above, I play in covers bands so although I get by one bass does not suit all (yes you can use pedals etc) I like really powerful passive pickups like the Seymour Duncan Quarterpounders in a Precision, the tone knob actually works but I love the boost and cut you get across the musical spectrum from an active bass like the three EQ Musicman Stingray. Is it possible to have a bass with: Three passive "super hot" soap bar humbuckers, bridge, middle and neck. Controlled Passively with three stacked volume and tone pots for total control over volume and tone and space saving. Each pickup having a micro coil tap switch so you can get the single coil sound as well. The middle pickup as well as having the coil tap has a second micro switch to allow the pickup to be split top and bottom like a Precision ( Burns did it on some of their basses but it was bridge and middle pickup split top and bottom) 6 way rotary tone control like the Gibson SG bass and Aria SB 1000 for even more Tone choices when in passive mode. I think it might also require two three way pickup selectors unless it's possible to wire a another 6 way rotary switch so you can get front / front and middle/ middle/ middle and bridge/ bridge/ bridge and front I was also thinking maybe 6 dip switches on the upper horn like a Fender Jaguar might work for this task. Forgot I also need all three pickups on at the same time. On top of all that an active switch that allows a three band EQ to be used so you can create the Musicman and modern bass sounds. Could be stacked into two knobs. Treble and Bass on one and mids with a frequency sweep on the second or just three knobs bass mid treble but I do like the mid frequency sweep option. The coil taps and Precision mode would still have to work in active mode although the 6 way rotary switch would be a bit overkill I think. The active switch would have an led light to confirm its in active mode. Not sure whether is needs to be 9 or 18 volt because I wanted to use "hot" pickups for when the bass is in passive mode 18 volts might give a bit more headroom. To achieve all of this it may require an active and separate passive circuit with two output jack sockets one passive and one active. All of this would be shoehorned into a Jazz bass style body as this shape is the most popular throughout the world or at least something similar, probably with scratch plate the size of a Marcus Miller to house all the electrics. The neck would be that "not quiet a Precision not quiet a Jazz neck" that everyone seems to like. I call it the "Everyman Bass" I am sure nobody has ever produced a bass that really could sound like a dozen other basses without the compromise of being active or passive, certainly not on a mass production scale. Maybe you might know of a bass but I don't and that's even if it's possible to build electronically The reply: Thanks for getting in touch! Sounds like you've got an interesting project on your hands. I'd recommend going to talk to one of our Custom Shop dealers if you'd like to get something along these lines speced up or just to find out if it's even possible. My knowledge of the electronics of a bass is somewhat limited. If you'd like to find your nearest Custom Shop dealer follow this link. Kind Regards Josh Franklin Sales Administrator Fender Great Britain & Ireland [/quote] It strikes me that the Musicman Big Al has a lot of the features you describe.

They're both fugly too :/

Seafoam green!

[quote name='discreet' timestamp='1405622820' post='2503826'] I thought that for decades until I got my Hayman 4040 (twin split-pickups) that roars like a beast, and then this drew me to the Jazz... Funny how things turn out, innit? [/quote] Your 4040 is pretty sweet mind. I can't see me ever taking to jazz basses though, I don't know why I've just never got on with them, I do have a slight soft spot for the stingrays though, not sure about the whole active thing mind.

An interesting concept all those controls would annoy me though, but I'm one of those who thinks a passive well built P-bass is the be all and end all of everything and that even the Jazz bass is a pointless invention and that Leo should have stopped after he put the split coil pickup in the P-bass.

That looks lovely! Not my bag but I do like it.

Actually I'd buy the schecter. Either of them

Yamaha BB? 1024 should be just about getable, awesome bass too

Been thinking about these all day. I've never seen or heard much less played one. Is there really that much of a difference between a slab and a contoured body tone wise? Obviously there is marginally more wood but I can't see that it would make a huge difference. Anyone got any experience? If it makes that much of a difference I'm tempted to build a bitsa as I don't think I'd miss the contours too much. *edit* also if I did build a bitsa would I be likey to capture the magic?

I don't think the truss rod cover is in keeping with a 1996 instrument. But either way this is a good bass in terms of quality, sound and playability. I wouldn't pay more than £500 roughly for it.

[quote name='Damonjames' timestamp='1404422647' post='2492594'] I think I have opened a can of worms! At least it is Nice to know that the majority are of the same mind set as me. I just look at the quality and variety in the sub 1k mark and can't imagine straying outside that. For those of you who have/do good luck and I hope you enjoy your basses as much as I enjoy mine. I also have a passion for old cars, particularly hot rods from the 50's, at a hot rod rally in Australia (my homeland up until 2 yrs ago) I was with my mate in his model A roadster pickup, which was flat black with flames or what is also known as a "rat rod", which didn't stop cruising the while long weekend. As we slowed to talk to some friends, we were passed by a guy in a 1955 Chevy that had easily had $200k spent on it, and the guys just looked envious and said "you've got one really fun ride there mate!" I think that really sums up everything in life, it doesn't matter what you have, if you enjoy it! [/quote] Agreed. I'd be scared to use something that valuable incase I broke it.

I don't think so, not on the second hand market anyway, both times I've spent a lot on a bass I've been disappointed. My current stable consists of a Lakland Skyline Bob glaub, 2 old peavey T-40s and an old Ibanez blazer, and all 4 are pretty spot on. The Lakland was the most expensive and that was £550 and it's the best P-bass and maybe even bass in general I've ever owned.

The king Fisher has an overwater look about it, and the kestrel reminds me of the Gibson victory

My first p bass looked exactly the same as this, it was a monster too. Can't beat a nice P

I almost garauntee it's amazing.

That's pretty cool. Not my bag at all but Iike it

Nah, it's an early Ibanez blazer, I don't do exotic lol, the pot still turns like it should, just doesn't affect the sound at all. If it was stuck full on fo sho I wouldn't bother replacing it because I dont really use it anyway. But now I have to

Does it get stuck full on or full off?

I really want one of these too! The price is ridiculous.