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New Project - Bubinga Fretless


Andyjr1515
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Hi All

The 'under-wraps' project is progressing well so I am starting to work out the what next. It's a few weeks away before any physical progress, probably, but I am planning to make a start on an 'essence of thumb' thru-neck fretless.

As I've discussed before, I built a thumb tribute for a band mate who idolises the late Jack Bruce and asked if I could build something like JD's own fabulous Warwick NT Thumb. The build went very well and it is fantastic to play. Construction method was quite different to the original, and it has my moniker inlaid 'swifts' on the headstock for all avoidance of doubt but is clearly a copy not only of the materials but also the shape.



I've had a few enquiries about building another, but building a bass to sell is quite different to building an at-cost tribute for a mate and I have no interest in encroaching on Warwick's products which, I think, are fabulous. I also use my mate's bass now and again and the green monster always gets to me 'want it...want it...keep it....keep it....steal it.....steal it....' because, regardless of the shape (which does polarise views a bit) it has a great (quite full-on) weight, great tone, great playability.

My answer is to design my own shape but with the same overall dimensions and timbers as the last one I did. May turn out to be a lemon, but worth a try :)

This is the shape I have in mind...



...and this is the bubinga I've got maturing like a good wine in the shed:




I won't know until I start slimming it down how good the figuring is going to be, but based on the grain, it should be nice:



As I say, it'll probably be a few weeks before I start on it in earnest but I'll let you know when I do for them's that might be interested...

Andy

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Thanks, folks :)

Committed myself now with an order in place at Thomann for a couple of SD SJB-2's, an SCT-2 Equaliser, Warwick bridge, tuners and 'just a nut' :rolleyes: .

Thomann don't seem to do the MEC's anymore and I wanted to try out the SBJs in any case...

What's the view on the body shape? It's trying to be 'familiar but different'...

Andy

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Aside from the upper horn, the silhouette is pretty close to a Warwick thumb bass - but with different contouring the finished body could look a lot different.

FWIW for a I'd suggest having a long upper horn (reaching to or beyond the 12th fret) for a standard 34" scale - to get a good balance, even if the bubinga is fairly light when shaped, or is so heavy you end up doing something like a chambering system.
As I'm sure you're aware - some people have found the thumb layout (especially the bolt on ones?) a little neck heavy.

If it comes to it, you can always shorten the horns if the bass sits too far to the right (or move the strap button).

EDIT: P.S. I agree with scojack, the upper horn no your body design, at least in outline / silhouette, is less "awkward" than the thumb one. Kinda like a cross between a status and a jazz upper horn. Tasty.



Edited by PlungerModerno
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[quote name='scojack' timestamp='1428911691' post='2745745']
Good start Andy, loving the Bubinga !
Think the body shape is an improvement ...was never keen on the top horn, giving it a bit more shape looks much better.
Looking forward to seeing this progress ...what's the neck spec?

IanM
[/quote]

Thanks, Ian

The neck is going to be Amazaque (Ovangkol) spliced with mahogany.

It will be a thru' neck, done my strange way (I don't glue the wings to the neck, I slot the body with a router, cut a notch out of the body section of the neck and slot it in. That way, I have a continuous (albeit 2 part in this case) body top rather than a third piece to cover the neck.) It's how I did my Tribute, pictured above:



Then in slotted the neck and eventually it came out like this at the back:




People think I'm bonkers but I find it a lot easier to accurately cut a routed slot than producing gap-free flat and square butt-joints :D

Andy

Edited by Andyjr1515
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[quote name='PlungerModerno' timestamp='1428929738' post='2746003']
Aside from the upper horn, the silhouette is pretty close to a Warwick thumb bass - but with different contouring the finished body could look a lot different.

FWIW for a I'd suggest having a long upper horn (reaching to or beyond the 12th fret) for a standard 34" scale - to get a good balance, even if the bubinga is fairly light when shaped, or is so heavy you end up doing something like a chambering system.
As I'm sure you're aware - some people have found the thumb layout (especially the bolt on ones?) a little neck heavy.

If it comes to it, you can always shorten the horns if the bass sits too far to the right (or move the strap button).

EDIT: P.S. I agree with scojack, the upper horn no your body design, at least in outline / silhouette, is less "awkward" than the thumb one. Kinda like a cross between a status and a jazz upper horn. Tasty.


[/quote]

Hi PlungerModerno

I know where you're coming from but the aim is to pretty much replicate my Thumb tribute but without it being shaped like a Thumb (apart from anything else, is it just me that thinks the Thumb is a little bit...er...suggestive? Oh, it is just me!...'nuff said... :blush: )

What I like about the original build was the weight, balance, compactness as well as the playability. Of course, there's no guarantee that ANY of that will be the same with a second build :lol:

Thanks for the feedback, folks...much appreciated

Andy

Edited by Andyjr1515
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Ahh right never seen it done this way before.
I have done neck throughs with a step where you glue neck and sides leaving the neck proud then fitted a cap over the top.

Aye ...[original] top horn looks a little ....erm .....odd (imo) ;)

:lol: Ian M

Edited by scojack
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[quote name='alittlebitrobot' timestamp='1429104123' post='2748034']
Another build! Woohoo! :D

I'm sorry if this is impertinent but I was just thinking about your shape. If it was me, I'd thin the lower horn a bit to match the change to the upper horn a bit. Something like this [url="http://i.imgur.com/B5brGLu.jpg"]http://i.imgur.com/B5brGLu.jpg[/url]
Just putting it out there...

[/quote]

Hi, alittlebitrobot

Hmmmm - yes quite like that. Might shamelessly steal that thought :)

Thanks
Andy

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[quote name='alittlebitrobot' timestamp='1429128596' post='2748398']
Great but, actually, I insist that I be given due credit in the form of my name, scorched into both the front and back of the bass.... and really big too.
[/quote]

That seems fair... :lol:

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[quote name='HowieBass' timestamp='1429134536' post='2748489']
Call it the Robot Bass?
[/quote]
Actually, if it's got to have 'alittlebitrobot' emblazoned in very big letters on it, maybe it should be called the Extraordinarily Large Bass :)

Edited by Andyjr1515
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Sort of committed now - got the p/ups, EQ and hardware:



Thomann seem to have stopped doing the MECs so I've gone for SD SJB-2s with a STC-2 EQ. The hardware is Warwick...still impresses me that their hardware is so relatively affordable :)

I've used the Just a Nut before and I think they are good. For the 'under-wraps' we've gone for the brass one...but for this one I've stuck with the composite but - having now seen the brass one - I'm really tempted...

Andy

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I used to own a lefty Thumb BO4 and found the neck would dive so be interesting to see if your body design tweaks will alleviate the issue whilst still keeping to a compact body shape.
Another small body shape you could consider blending into the mix could be that of a more symmetrical SG but with contouring or is that just impractical?

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