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Zoot 'Wal-a-like' - FINISHED


Bass Culture

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As I have previously commissioned Mike to make me a ZB-1000 (a zootified version of an Aria SB-1000 - see previous build thread) I thought I'd continue with the 'basses I drooled over in my youth' theme and ask Mike to build me his take on a Wal Custom which - with all the imagination of a goldfish - we've christened the Zoot 'Wal-a-like'.  It's going to be a 32" scale, 4 stringer again and use MIke's scaled down Boudica body shape, which shares some similarities to a Wal Mk 3 shape.  Full specs:

 

Body: Mahogany

Facings: Padauk (front and back)

Neck: 5 piece - figured maple with wenge stringers, 32" scale length

Nut width: 38mm

Fingerboard: Ebony with 5mm MOP dots

Bridge: Individual gold ABM types (actually some no name ones I found in a box of bits)

String spacing: 17.5mm

Tuners: Hipshot Ultralites in back & gold

Pickups: 2 x Rautia muli coils

Preamp: Lusithand Double NFP Special filter preamp

Knobs: John East

 

Here's a picture of some wood for those of you who like that sort of things.  I'll update as the build progresses but I'd guess we're looking at a few months before completion.

 

 

MNwal1

 

Edited by Bass Culture
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2 hours ago, lemmywinks said:

The regular Zoot custom model and the Boudica are really cool body shapes IMO.

 

The scaled down Boudica had a very slightly less extended top horn and the bottom bout is slightly more 'square on'.  It looks tremendous.  I have a pdf of it but can't figure out how to post it as Flickr doesn't let you upload pdf's.

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6 hours ago, lemmywinks said:

The regular Zoot custom model and the Boudica are really cool body shapes IMO.

This was the very first design that Mark and I came up with for the downsized Zoot Boudica 32" with the "Wal-a-Like" pickups etc.   It has changed very slightly since then and now has four controls as a posed to the three shown on the original draft drawing.  Hope this helps. 

 

Mark Newman 32 Boudica Wal [Converted].jpg

Edited by Cosmicrain
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33 minutes ago, Cosmicrain said:

This was the very first design that Mark and I came up with for the downsized Zoot Boudica 32" with the "Wal-a-Like" pickups etc.   It has changed very slightly since then and now has four controls as a posed to the three shown on the original draft drawing.  Hope this helps. 

 

Mark Newman 32 Boudica Wal [Converted].jpg

 

I still have my old Zoot Deluxe Custom, kept hold of it although I don't gig 4 strings any more and the preamp (an OPB3) no longer works. Keep meaning to dig it out and get it sorted as it's my joint favourite bass shape!

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3 hours ago, lemmywinks said:

 

I still have my old Zoot Deluxe Custom, kept hold of it although I don't gig 4 strings any more and the preamp (an OPB3) no longer works. Keep meaning to dig it out and get it sorted as it's my joint favourite bass shape!

Good to hear your still have the Zoot.

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15 hours ago, Cosmicrain said:

This was the very first design that Mark and I came up with for the downsized Zoot Boudica 32" with the "Wal-a-Like" pickups etc.   It has changed very slightly since then and now has four controls as a posed to the three shown on the original draft drawing.  Hope this helps. 

 

Mark Newman 32 Boudica Wal [Converted].jpg

 

Mike did this mock-up for me as I was a little concerned about how congested the centre of the body might be as the pickups + surrounds, I thought, could take up too much space.  As it turned out, it actually looks pretty well balanced - to my eye.

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  • 1 month later...

We have activity!  Mike's been busy, busy, busy recently, so it was a nice surprise to get a message from him this week saying he's started proper on my build now, with some update photos of the work he's done on the neck: 

MNWB1 MNWB3 MNWB4 MNWB8

 

Screw holes on the headstock are the location of the tuners and the string retainer, I'd guess.  Not as showy as the neck on my Zoot ZB-1000 (which was a work of art - see build thread:

 

I'm heading down his way towards the end of February so it will be nice to pop in and see progress first hand, and have a good catch-up too.  I don't expect it to be finished by then but it will certainly be looking much more bass-like.

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  • 3 weeks later...

Nice surprise when I got back yesterday afternoon - some more updates from Mike.  More work on the neck and he's now starting on the body too.  Definitely shaping up now: 

 

MNN1 MNN2 MNN3 MNN4 (1)

 

The mahogany core is going to be faced up back and front with paduak - to give that authentic Wal vibe. :)

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