Sean.Robinson Posted July 9, 2008 Share Posted July 9, 2008 (edited) Hi, after a few posts on the forums and heavily considering in my head I've decided on having a Shuker bass made for me. I've arranged for a meeting on monday and talked very briefly to Jon on the phone. While i haven't decided much yet as I'm still toying with ideas yet what has been decided is that it will be a custom shape. Im also debating what woods to use, for the neck I'm pretty much set on Wenge and Paduak like here: and for the fret board ebony, though I'm still debating the body wood, possibly pale moon ebony if he has or can get a piece. Other than this however I'm pretty much undecided on what i want and I'm sure a lot will be decided in the meeting with Jon. Still i want to have a couple of ideas before i go and would like to hear peoples suggestions. Im open to ideas for pickup placement and what pickups to use, along with preamps and anything else that can be though of as i want the bass to be very versatile. Id like an optional Rickenbacker like sound though i don't know how realistic this idea is. Also if anyone has any ideas for the shape it would be great to hear. I will keep this post up to date. Thanks Sean Edited May 31, 2009 by Sean.Robinson Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pkomor Posted July 9, 2008 Share Posted July 9, 2008 the neck looks lovely!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dood Posted July 10, 2008 Share Posted July 10, 2008 Welcome to the family! I can assure you now, that Jon will be able to answer a lot of your questions as he is a very experienced and knowledgeable luthier. When I went to see Jon with my first build, I took a long list of questions I had thought up that I wasn't sure about and we went through them so that we were bothe clear what it was I wanted from my bass. Interestingly this raised more questions that eventually meant the bass was very much geared up to the way I play. With reference to pickups/ positions etc, have a think about whether you prefer playing with a pic of fingers and where you like to anchor your hand when you play. Do you like the strap high or low and what tone you are hoping to achieve. There are so many options, but hopefully a few basic pointers will help to make things clear. I chose for my 7 string to be versatile in the styles I can play on it, but sound wise I went for two very distinct and great tones to use as a basisi for my playing. I use a very basic EQ on the bass and don't use a 'pan' option for the pickups. My new Shuker will be just the same, simply as I like to dial up a real killer tone and stick with it, using outboard to change the character instead. So, you have mentioned a riccy tone.. what other sounds are you after? Do you slap? Or use any styles that would require a particular tone/ set up? Bocy woods, you have lots of options. Don't forget you could have a great tone wood as a body, but face it with something pretty. For example, my fist Shuker (that is still on the Shuker website) was an Elite 6 with a Wenge body with wafter thin maple slices then toppped with Buck Eye Burl, which is just a beautiful piece of wood! infact here it is at the top of the page [url="http://www.shukerguitars.co.uk/tngal.htm"]http://www.shukerguitars.co.uk/tngal.htm[/url]. I chose a solid finish paint job on my 7 string.. a nice piece of white Ash.. Sounds like 'normal' ash but tends to be a bit lighter.. which is very helpful for those of us bass players with bad backs!! Awww I also recommend the Gotoh superlight weight hardware that Jon uses! Especially when you have 7 tuning keys. The weight difference is remarkable! Say HI to Jon from 'Dood' ;o) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
simon1964 Posted July 10, 2008 Share Posted July 10, 2008 For pickups, I would have a look at the Delano hybrids that Jon uses on some basses (which are going to be fitted on the singlecut he is making for me!). MM J configuration when active, J J when passive. Excellent sound. When I was last at Jon's he had a bass in stock with those fitted, so worth a try when you're there. The good thing is that Jon will talk through all the options with you, and you'll come up with a spec that really reflects what you want. I think I've seen that Wenge Paduak neck - its stunning! Enjoy your visit! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sean.Robinson Posted July 10, 2008 Author Share Posted July 10, 2008 Thanks for replies, with response to dood, i play with my fingers close to the bridge as i prefer the higher tension, however sometimes closer to the neck as i prefer the tone. For the strap i play with it higher up as its far more practical and easier though have to admit i get scared of looking a fool with it so do like to lower it to around waist height, trying to compromise as best i can. For the onboard electronics, i am looking for a really versatile EQ slightly parametric ideally, so selectable mids or a sweep-able mid, along with a couple of extra options such as a mono and stereo output. Im also thinking of a kahler tremolo and possibly midi pickup, though i also have to consider price a little so these may get dropped. For the tone of the bass, rick is just a sound id like as an option. I play with fingers primarily and am familiar with a plec for if the song desires it. I play a little slap though its not something I'm not really concerned about with the bass. Other sound of the bass its easier for me to refer to artists, so the sound of les claypool, black sabbath, the cure so they are sounds i would like to get from the bass. For the body wood i really like the idea of choosing a tone wood then facing it, though im not to sure of the characteristics of certain woods. For the neck i really like the wenge, paduak on the bass i mentioned before, but for the face woods im considering possible pale moon ebony to go with this, or possibly a darker body, maybe ebony, with a pale moon neck, though im not sure if pale moon would be a suitable neck wood, so maybe maple. Finally for the hardware like i say im thinking a kahler bass tremolo, though was lead to believe light hardware to be undesirable after the change a badass III had on a precision i had though im guessing its more a personal taste thing now. Thanks again for the help so far Sean Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sean.Robinson Posted July 17, 2008 Author Share Posted July 17, 2008 (edited) Hi, dont know if anyones interested in this topic, but after talking with Jon Shuker on monday now have a rough idea of the specs for the bass; 34" scale 26 frets 38.5mm nut width 21.5mm deep at first fret 26mm at 12th (possibly carved thinner) 19mm string spacing at bridge (std 4 string) 7 piece laminated neck, wenge / paduak? ebony board (african, macassar, asian striped) two way truss rod carbon fibre reinforcement brass nut head veneer matching top gotoh tuners white side dots jumbo frets no f/board face dots scroll body shape black walnut body kingwood / moon ebony drop top? Inlay in top above f/board 'area' - mop polyester basecoat satin topcoat kahler trem black hardware acg preamp (passive tone) neutrik locking jack flip top battery box stereo output EMG DC / TW The main things to still be decided are the areas marked with question marks and im also debating the roland built in midi pickup. Sean Edited July 17, 2008 by Sean.Robinson Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eude Posted July 17, 2008 Share Posted July 17, 2008 Nice looking spec there Sean! Intrigued by the scroll shape, you got any ideas or sketches yet? Also, are you just having the one pickup? Looking forward to this one developing... Cheers, Eude Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sean.Robinson Posted July 17, 2008 Author Share Posted July 17, 2008 (edited) Hi, thank, Jon says he'l be emailing me some sketches for the shape tonight, but im were basing it around carl thompson basses so itl be something along those lines however tweaked a little as to be a little more original. For the pickups we originally thought a EMG TW at the neck and a EMG DC at the bridge so thats why its says DC/TW though im now thinking of two TWs so both have the toggle between humbucking and single coil. Should also be recieving some pictures of the woods tops aswell tonigh fingures crossed Sean Edit; also theres to be a EMG phase invert switch to be installed [quote name='eude' post='241901' date='Jul 17 2008, 04:51 PM']Nice looking spec there Sean! Intrigued by the scroll shape, you got any ideas or sketches yet? Also, are you just having the one pickup? Looking forward to this one developing... Cheers, Eude[/quote] Edited July 17, 2008 by Sean.Robinson Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
simon1964 Posted July 17, 2008 Share Posted July 17, 2008 Fantastic spec. Looking forward to seeing pics this! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
7string Posted July 17, 2008 Share Posted July 17, 2008 Looks a good spec. Getting to that level of detail is always like pulling teeth, but it's worth it as both customer and luthier are both "singing from the same hymn sheet" as it were. To me, there seems to be a some Warwick influence in there as well. I remember seeing a pale moon ebony bass on Talkbass a while ago. Really unsual and very striking. The ACG pre you have there is one great piece of kit. You can get so many sounds from it, quite amazing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peted Posted July 18, 2008 Share Posted July 18, 2008 That is a very special spec. I thought Warwick when I saw the 26 frets Photos of the wood, and body sketches needed! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MacDaddy Posted July 28, 2008 Share Posted July 28, 2008 [quote name='Sean.Robinson' post='241826' date='Jul 17 2008, 03:40 PM']Hi, dont know if anyones interested in this topic,[/quote] It's what we're here for! I know there's a lot of people like me, who follow a lot of build threads, but don't necessarily post in them. Doesn't mean we're not interested! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tait Posted August 7, 2008 Share Posted August 7, 2008 [quote name='MacDaddy' post='249668' date='Jul 28 2008, 03:34 PM']It's what we're here for! I know there's a lot of people like me, who follow a lot of build threads, but don't necessarily post in them. Doesn't mean we're not interested![/quote] +1, i love reading build threads... never got anything to say though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sean.Robinson Posted May 31, 2009 Author Share Posted May 31, 2009 Right then, its been a while since this has been updated and a fair bit has happened, changes to spec etc but i thought id wait until i had something to show. After quite a while i now have some pictures to upload, ill try and get the revised spec up when i have a bit more time as i cant remember it all off the top of my head. [attachment=26294:Picture_225.jpg] [attachment=26295:Picture_226.jpg] [attachment=26296:Picture_227.jpg] [attachment=26297:Picture_229.jpg] Also following these photos ive emailed Jon to see if it would be to late to revise the choice of wood for fretboard. At present its going to be ebony but as i say seeing the photos has got me thinking and i wonder if a lighter wood wood look better, my first thought is birdseye maple, possibly with an ebony binding but i would love to hear anyone else's opinions Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eude Posted May 31, 2009 Share Posted May 31, 2009 Absolutely gorgeous mate! I think you're right, a lighter fingerboard would look awesome... Love that shape too! What's the ETA? Eude Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sean.Robinson Posted May 31, 2009 Author Share Posted May 31, 2009 Actually i thought id take a quick go at revising the spec, thing highlited in bold are changes and those underlined may still change, ill edit this post as i remember things as i dont think it is yet complete 34" scale 26 frets 38.5mm nut width [b]neck depth same all the way down, i cant remember the exact depth but its measured to my rickenbacker [/b] 19mm string spacing at bridge (std 4 string) [b]5 piece laminated neck, zebrano, ebony and maple[/b] [u]ebony board? may now change[/u] two way truss rod carbon fibre reinforcement brass nut head veneer matching top gotoh tuners white side dots jumbo frets no f/board face dots scroll body shape black walnut body [b]kingwood[/b] Inlay in top above f/board 'area' - mop polyester basecoat [u]satin topcoat? may change to high gloss[/u] kahler trem [b]Either internal roland midi pickup system, or ghost midi setup depending on whether or not the kahler trem will take the ghost system[/b] black hardware acg preamp (passive tone) neutrik locking jack flip top battery box stereo output [b]2 EMG Pickups, Both TW EMG Phase Inverter Switch[/b] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sean.Robinson Posted May 31, 2009 Author Share Posted May 31, 2009 [quote name='eude' post='502433' date='May 31 2009, 06:19 PM']Absolutely gorgeous mate! I think you're right, a lighter fingerboard would look awesome... Love that shape too! What's the ETA? Eude[/quote] Hi thanks Eude. Thanks for the kind words, im more than happy with how the shape has turned out. I originally went to Jon asking about a carl thompson look but a little different and this was the first thing he came back with which i thought was brilliant and he described as a more modern take on the CT which i certainly think it is. As for the eta it was originally august but finalizing the spec took quite a while as i kept revising things along with different ideas which were talked over with Jon for what would give the best result so im guessing that has thrown it out a bit. To be honest im trying to keep my mind off it as since jon mentioned he had the top on (about a month ago) i havnt been able to think of anything else, though this should put me on Fingers crossed ill have it either around or before christmas. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bassmonster Posted May 31, 2009 Share Posted May 31, 2009 very nice indeed, loving that bodyshape Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kiwi Posted May 31, 2009 Share Posted May 31, 2009 [quote name='Bassmonster' post='502482' date='May 31 2009, 07:07 PM']very nice indeed, loving that bodyshape[/quote] +1 that body shape has some nice lines. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rich Posted June 1, 2009 Share Posted June 1, 2009 I have two TWs on my Shuke, they're nice pickups BUT be aware that the single coil output is quite a bit lower than the full humbucker output. I'm actually thinking of getting mine changed for Delanos when I've got the necessary luncheon vouchers. EDIT: [i]love[/i] that body shape. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skelf Posted June 1, 2009 Share Posted June 1, 2009 If you are still thinking on using the ACG pre-amp the relative outputs of the pickups can be changed with the internal trim pots on the pre-amp. This would allow you to balance the outputs of two different types of pickup. Alan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sean.Robinson Posted June 1, 2009 Author Share Posted June 1, 2009 (edited) [quote name='skelf' post='503092' date='Jun 1 2009, 05:30 PM']If you are still thinking on using the ACG pre-amp the relative outputs of the pickups can be changed with the internal trim pots on the pre-amp. This would allow you to balance the outputs of two different types of pickup. Alan[/quote] Hi Alan, Thanks for the advice, the ACG pre amp is a must for me so ill make sure to pass the info onto Jon. Thanks again, and a thank you to Rich for pointing out the issue Edited June 1, 2009 by Sean.Robinson Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clarky Posted June 1, 2009 Share Posted June 1, 2009 [quote]Thanks for the advice, the ACG pre amp is a must for me so ill make sure to pass the info onto Jon.[/quote] If I were you I would wait until mid June to do so ...because then Jon can finish my JJ Burnel first Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sean.Robinson Posted June 1, 2009 Author Share Posted June 1, 2009 [quote name='Clarky' post='503360' date='Jun 1 2009, 10:23 PM']If I were you I would wait until mid June to do so ...because then Jon can finish my JJ Burnel first [/quote] Haha i may not mention it to him straight away and instead put it on a note on the mac dashboard, i think the shock of wanting to change fretboards after how long we spent finalizing the spec may be enough for him Also i have to admit those JJ Burnels do look awfully tasty ill be having a spy at the pictures if you upload any when its done Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clarky Posted June 1, 2009 Share Posted June 1, 2009 [quote name='Sean.Robinson' post='503370' date='Jun 1 2009, 10:33 PM']Haha i may not mention it to him straight away and instead put it on a note on the mac dashboard, i think the shock of wanting to change fretboards after how long we spent finalizing the spec may be enough for him Also i have to admit those JJ Burnels do look awfully tasty ill be having a spy at the pictures if you upload any when its done [/quote] I promise a pic-fest when I get it - completion apparently still on track for "mid June at the latest" so I am getting very excited Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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