Independent Hill Guitars
Proto Bass
This is my first scratch build
Original(ish) body design
Birdseye Maple and Curly Walnut body
Inlays of African Black Wood, Red Oak and Padauk.
The pickups are active pickups from the Gibson 20/20 Bass
Pickup rings hand-made from Padauk.
Carvin Neck Ebony fretboard
34" Scale
Gold Gotoh bridge
Gold Gotoh Compact Bass Tuners
Gold football jack plate
Bridge and Neck pickup volume controls
Onboard active EQ based on the RD Artist Bass, Bass and Treble controls, Push-Pull switch on Bridge volume control activates 'Lead EQ'
Wood control cover
Tru-Oil finish
This bass was inspired by scoring the first pickup off of e-bay; the seller didn't really describe it beyond "Gibson Bass Pickup"; when I got it I discovered it was an active pickup -- too good for my old EB-0 clone. So I got another and decided to build a bass around these pickups. The body design is sort of a fusion of the RD and Non-Reverse Firebird, I put the pickups in the same locations as the RD bass. The odd three point mounts on the pickups required a pair of custom rings that I made out of Padauk. I decided to complete the RD theme by replicating the EQ section of the RD Artist bass. I managed to build that on perf-board and fit it into the control cavity. Next time I'll get brave and build my own neck!