Lorne Posted July 8, 2013 Share Posted July 8, 2013 Looking great Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BassBus Posted July 13, 2013 Author Share Posted July 13, 2013 Been doing more sanding today. started at 180 grit, then 280 grit and finished at 400 grit. The wood on the back and sides is nice and smooth now but I'm going to do more with 800 and probably 1000 grit to finish it. I'm going to sand the fingerboard with finer papers too. I've been doing some measuring for pickup placement. The front pickup (neck) is being placed in the same position as those on my Status S2 and ESP. I never solo the front pickup as I don't like the sound from a front pickup on it's own. Back pickup (bridge) is much more critical. This is a pickup I do solo from time to time. I have placed the back edge of it 45mm from the centre of the G saddle. The back pickup on the Status is very much closer to the bridge and gives quite a brittle tone on it's own. My Tokai Jazz has it's bridge pickup back edge 55mm from the G saddle and has a much warmer tone to it but still keeping that tighter feel of a back pickup. Do any of you have any words of wisdom on this subject? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mornats Posted July 13, 2013 Share Posted July 13, 2013 Shame you can't wire it up and put strings on and move the back pickup around to find the sweet spot. I'd probably got for one of the more forward positions you're going for to get rid of some of the weakness of a soloed bridge pickup. Good call I think. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BassBus Posted July 14, 2013 Author Share Posted July 14, 2013 Oh if only I had another three bodies... [size=4] [/size] [size=4]Unfortunately there's only one shot at this so just have to take pot luck and hope for the best.[/size] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mornats Posted July 14, 2013 Share Posted July 14, 2013 Moveable pickups on rails? Just a thought I had late last night! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Truckstop Posted July 14, 2013 Share Posted July 14, 2013 This is a tremendous project! If you don't mind my asking, how much did you spend on the walnut facing? Truckstop Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BassBus Posted July 14, 2013 Author Share Posted July 14, 2013 (edited) [quote name='Mornats' timestamp='1373799097' post='2141649'] Moveable pickups on rails? Just a thought I had late last night! [/quote] Westone tried that in the 80s with "the Rail". Someone else had one of these built into a signature bass more recently too. Just a big empty hole. Not quite to my taste. [quote name='Truckstop' timestamp='1373799569' post='2141658'] If you don't mind my asking, how much did you spend on the walnut facing? Truckstop [/quote] I think I got an absolute bargain with the face. Sanding down 2mm off the old face,old routings filled, this lovely book matched Walnut and all stuck on for £70. Mark's eye for perfection is up there with the big names. Edited July 14, 2013 by BassBus Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BassBus Posted July 14, 2013 Author Share Posted July 14, 2013 Just remembered it was Guy Pratt with his new signature Warwick. [url="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MS02YaLw1uM"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MS02YaLw1uM[/url] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lorne Posted July 14, 2013 Share Posted July 14, 2013 [quote name='BassBus' timestamp='1373737095' post='2141147'] Been doing more sanding today. started at 180 grit, then 280 grit and finished at 400 grit. The wood on the back and sides is nice and smooth now but I'm going to do more with 800 and probably 1000 grit to finish it. I'm going to sand the fingerboard with finer papers too. I've been doing some measuring for pickup placement. The front pickup (neck) is being placed in the same position as those on my Status S2 and ESP. I never solo the front pickup as I don't like the sound from a front pickup on it's own. Back pickup (bridge) is much more critical. This is a pickup I do solo from time to time. I have placed the back edge of it 45mm from the centre of the G saddle. The back pickup on the Status is very much closer to the bridge and gives quite a brittle tone on it's own. My Tokai Jazz has it's bridge pickup back edge 55mm from the G saddle and has a much warmer tone to it but still keeping that tighter feel of a back pickup. Do any of you have any words of wisdom on this subject? [/quote] I would move the neck pick up slightly towards the bridge, increase the distance between the 2 pick ups so the bridge pick up is nearer the bridge too, as It just doesn't look right to me, as you have it pictured, not meaning to be rude, however it's your bass, keep up the good work :-) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BassBus Posted July 14, 2013 Author Share Posted July 14, 2013 Well I'm going for more of a Gary Willis tone, even Scott Devine. Both their basses have the back pickup a good way away from the bridge. A back pickup to close to the bridge gives to thin a tone. If it was just about looks I wouldn't put any pickups on it at all. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BassBus Posted July 14, 2013 Author Share Posted July 14, 2013 Here's a recording from the three basses I'm looking at for back pickup tones. Status S2 - 25mm from G saddle (humbucker) ESP B204 - 30mm from G saddle (humbucker) Tokai Jazz - 55mm from G saddle (single coil) [url="https://soundcloud.com/bassbus/status-esp-jazz-back-pickups"]https://soundcloud.com/bassbus/status-esp-jazz-back-pickups[/url] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pete.young Posted July 16, 2013 Share Posted July 16, 2013 Wonder what the spacing is on the 330, that has soapbars. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BassBus Posted July 16, 2013 Author Share Posted July 16, 2013 Couldn't give you an answer on that one as this is a 301. Judging by the scale length on this bass there might be variations in that too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BassBus Posted July 29, 2013 Author Share Posted July 29, 2013 Had a chance today to get outside and finish the sanding of the body. Took it down to 1000 grit and it is nice and smooth now. Ready for finishing. Had another go at sanding the finger board as well. Took that to 400, 600, and 800 grit. Difficult to get the whole neck in focus with a point and shoot camera but who needs to coat a board. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pete.young Posted October 27, 2013 Share Posted October 27, 2013 Hopeful is-there-any-news type bump? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BassBus Posted October 28, 2013 Author Share Posted October 28, 2013 Will be this week hopefully. The body has been at Mark's having pickup routing done and a mat finish put on it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BassBus Posted November 5, 2013 Author Share Posted November 5, 2013 After a long break the bass has been with Mark for the last three weeks waiting in the q[size=4]ueue behind his other work. Pickup routings have been done and a satin finish applied.[/size] What I find interesting now is the pickup positions. In the photo below you can see more clearly the fills of the old P and J routings. The J coincides with the back coil of the new bridge pickup and the neck routing sits exactly where the P was. Mark made comment about the bridge pup positioning as Lorne did earlier. I think this will give me just the tone I'm looking for. Only problem now is the bridge is one or two millimetres off centre. Not a huge problem but it will always annoy me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BassBus Posted November 9, 2013 Author Share Posted November 9, 2013 Nothing to show this weekend but the bass went into Chris McIntyre's workshop in Edinburgh yesterday to have the electronics sorted out. All being well there should be sound from it within a week or two. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BassBus Posted November 18, 2013 Author Share Posted November 18, 2013 Well boys and girls, here she is in all her glory. Just picked her up from Chris McIntyre and he has weaved his spell once again. He has done a bit of snagging and finished off all the little details and fitted an East U-Retro. I am just stunned by it. It sounds like no other bass I have. The East preamp is just monstrous and all from 9v. I'm going to see if I can get some more detailed pictures up at the weekend so this will have to do for now. I might try and do some sound clips too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mornats Posted November 18, 2013 Share Posted November 18, 2013 That looks rather special. Can't wait to hear some sounds clips! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BassBus Posted November 24, 2013 Author Share Posted November 24, 2013 Here's some sound clips, just some noodling around. Straight into the recorder via Zoom B2.1u. Strings are an very old set of TI Jazz Flats. [url="https://soundcloud.com/bassbus/sgc-nanyo-bass-collection"]https://soundcloud.com/bassbus/sgc-nanyo-bass-collection[/url] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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