mattharris75 Posted February 5, 2008 Report Share Posted February 5, 2008 Wow! Very striking, I love it! The fretboard with the inlay and the binding has a ton of visual impact, and it all contrasts very well with the body. Really impressive design and wood choices. Where did you get your wenge? I'm looking for some for a top for one of the two basses i'm working on. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jon Posted February 5, 2008 Author Report Share Posted February 5, 2008 From a local lumberyard about 2 years ago. Thanks again Matt. I have a few questions coming your way. Keep an eye out at local wood stores and resaw your own piece. I rarely see any nice Wenge for sale online at an affordable price ($30-60). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mattharris75 Posted February 5, 2008 Report Share Posted February 5, 2008 From a local lumberyard about 2 years ago. Thanks again Matt. I have a few questions coming your way. Keep an eye out at local wood stores and resaw your own piece. I rarely see any nice Wenge for sale online at an affordable price ($30-60). Questions answered. We've only got 1 decent wood store within an hour of my house and so far no luck on blocks of wenge long enough to be used as a guitar top. Oh well. Guess i'll keep looking! Thanks Jon. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
travismoore Posted February 9, 2008 Report Share Posted February 9, 2008 Superb work! Can't wait to see this one finished =D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Xanthus Posted February 9, 2008 Report Share Posted February 9, 2008 What a beast.... Man, what colors, everything flows so nicely. I can't wait to see what the neck attachment turns out to look like. Any word on pickups for this? By the routing, I assume that it was cheaper to get a straight pickup than a split one? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jon Posted February 10, 2008 Author Report Share Posted February 10, 2008 Thanks guys! I'll keep you up to date as I go, but I can't guarantee frequent updates due to work and all that. I'm trying to come up with some $$ for luthiery school this year. I'm excited. Phil Mailloux will be winding the pickups. I'm shooting for single coils since that's my preference on basses. It could just be a phase, but I really do love my single coil basses. I will also be using piezo pickups which I will be making and wiring myself and am incredibly excited about those. I still have a fair amount of wiring to figure out, but I am confident I can pull it off although it's going to take a lot of work. My goal to have this bass complete is March 16th. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jon Posted February 15, 2008 Author Report Share Posted February 15, 2008 The fingerboard is now fretted, and all the fretwork is complete. The neck, volute, and heel are 90% shaped. I'm just about set to final sand and start with the sealer coats. Next steps will be building the bridge and experimenting with my piezo design. Much appreciation goes to Mikro for showing me how to set my scraper up properly, this really sped up the last of the neck shaping process. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jon Posted February 18, 2008 Author Report Share Posted February 18, 2008 About to start the final sanding / epoxy coats. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
killemall8 Posted February 19, 2008 Report Share Posted February 19, 2008 looking great jon! how hard are those things to play? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jon Posted February 19, 2008 Author Report Share Posted February 19, 2008 Thanks. The same response you'll get from anyone who plays any other kind of instrument. As hard as you make it. Some stretches can be a pain in the ass, but my hands are the size of my girlfriends. Look up "Unexpect" to see some fun 9-string bass playing. I've been speaking to the bassist for a few years and finally got to meet him in person a couple weeks ago. One insane player! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jon Posted February 21, 2008 Author Report Share Posted February 21, 2008 The saddle adjustment part of the bridge is near complete, next step is figuring out the tail-piece. If I'm not able to locate any machinists locally, I'll be taking on the task myself. The piezo's are next, fun! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HuntinDoug Posted February 21, 2008 Report Share Posted February 21, 2008 Jon, I have a mill...what parts are you in need of? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mattharris75 Posted February 21, 2008 Report Share Posted February 21, 2008 Wow, the bridge is really looking great. I can't wait to see the whole thing finished. This has got to be one of my favorite builds in a long time. Great work. I can't imagine trying to play this behemoth, but I'm definitely fascinated by it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jon Posted February 21, 2008 Author Report Share Posted February 21, 2008 Doug - PM sent, thanks! Matt - Thanks again! The other day was my first day bringing my other 8-string bass to band practice. The vocalist mentioned "And over here, we've got Jon with a freakn orchestra strapped to his chest". I love my ERB's, they're a fun challenge to play! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MiKro Posted February 21, 2008 Report Share Posted February 21, 2008 First I must say this build looks AWESOME in person. Pictures do not do it justice. Jon's new shop is also looking GREAT!! Jon thanks for the kudos but that's what friends are for. I'm glad it helped. With a few more options I will tune you up on scrapers even more. I also want to say to anyone of you that gets a chance to come to the DFW area. It is a must for you to go see Jon and his Dad at Cousin's BBQ in Ft Worth. Now I have to say I smoke some Damn good ribs ( I use pecan wood) , but Jon's Dad makes some of the finest Hickory smoked Brisket and Ribs that I have eaten and I've tried BBQ all over the US. So If you get this way you MUST stop in and eat. YOU won't be sorry, trust me. note tp Jon: I have not been able to get with my machinists friend yet but hopefully before end of week. Mike Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Xanthus Posted February 21, 2008 Report Share Posted February 21, 2008 Looking good! That's quite a few more knobs than I was expecting. What other electronics are you going to have on this thing? Piezo and some sort of EQ setup? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
black_labb Posted February 21, 2008 Report Share Posted February 21, 2008 looks great, and like others say, an interesting challenge. is that bridge made from wenge? id be a bit worried about those bits sticking up as wenge isnt particularly strong along the grain as it is very coarse grained, but you would know that and i know you have more experience with it than i. i just want to see the bridge finished and strung up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jon Posted February 21, 2008 Author Report Share Posted February 21, 2008 Thanks Mike! I look forward to learning more shop tricks from the pro. As of now I have most of my hand tools down fairly well and it's a lot of fun to do any kind of carve work. It's exciting encorporating more of what I enjoy in each of these builds. By the time I have everything figured out with my tools and jigs with everything I enjoy (should be next build) my builds will be much more fun and a whole lot less stressful. The constant experimenting and jig building takes up all of my spare time, so that alone is likely doubling my overall build time. Xanthus - I'll be using an Audere 4-band pre-amp system on this build. A few days ago was my first day getting a chance to play my 6-string and 8-string basses through my rig and I realized I have absolutely no need for all of the EQ's I am running through my pedal and amp. So now I run a completely flat setup, and keep the EQ's at my fingertips. I'll have to record the sound through my rig, it is quite awesome. On this bass, I'll have a volume and blend for the piezo and magnetic pickups, along with 4 EQ's. Here is a crappy 'chop of the wiring setup on the body I did a few weeks ago, I'm at my girlfriends place right now so I don't have access to an image editing program other than mspaint. black_labb - Yep, Wenge. Think of the bridge as a prototype design, I wasn't expecting it to turn out so well. I will definitely be experimenting with different grain directions and different woods for bridges. If all goes well, it'll cut the cost of an ERB bridge down about $100-150. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phil Mailloux Posted February 21, 2008 Report Share Posted February 21, 2008 Hipshot has a 9 string A -style bridge with 16.5mm spacing off the shelf. Shouldn't be more than $150. It's not on the website but if you e-mail Jason you should be able to get it if you're interested in that for a future build. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bassisgreat Posted February 21, 2008 Report Share Posted February 21, 2008 (edited) This is coming along very nicely! Can't wait to see it done, I'm sure you can't either! With 8 strings and 6 tone knobs, it's like you've morphed 2 standard range basses together! I live in Dallas, as well, so I'd love to A) check out that BBQ Mikro was talking about, I'm craving that like crazy now. and B ) check out this bass and both Jon and Mikros instruments and shops! Will there be sound clips/vids when it's done? I'm curious as to how that pickup placement will sound. I imagine somewhat bright and punchy. Good stuff! Edited February 21, 2008 by Bassisgreat Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jon Posted February 21, 2008 Author Report Share Posted February 21, 2008 I can guarantee the punchy part of the pickup placement. My other 8-string has two singles placed in nearly the same position and they sound amazing. And you're more than welcome to come out when you have time. Just contact me and I'll let you know what works best for me. I'll be contacting one of my friends for borrowing his camera equipment, so I plan on having a video clip of this bass by late March. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bassisgreat Posted February 21, 2008 Report Share Posted February 21, 2008 Thanks for the invite, I'd definitely like to make it that way sometime soon, maybe once you've gotten this bad boy finished. By that time, there's a slim chance I'll have my first bass done to bring out there, but it's doubtful. I head out to Arlington quite a bit as that's where my guitar player and drummer live, thus, where we practice... 2/3 majority means I get to drive... so maybe some weekend I can stop by before practice. Won't be long till you're crossing the finish line with this one! What kind of music are you going to be playing with it? and hey, since you're in the area, know any good metal singers??? Keep up the good work! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jon Posted February 24, 2008 Author Report Share Posted February 24, 2008 Sounds good. I'm also in Arlington once or twice a week for album mixing. I'll be playing all kinds of music with this bass, typically classical, rock, and metal. And no, I don't know any free metal singers. I've got the first sealer coat on the back of the body. I'll be doing a coat a day over the next 8-12 days then spraying this bass with KTM or Polyurathane. Depends which is compatible and how fast they cure. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jmrentis Posted February 24, 2008 Report Share Posted February 24, 2008 Wheew, thats looking sweet! Can't wait to see what it looks like with some clear on it. Killer work Jon, keep the pics rollin in. That carve at the neck/body joint is awesome, easier to see the shape and design of the carve now with some sealer on it. Nice stuff man. J Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phil Mailloux Posted February 27, 2008 Report Share Posted February 27, 2008 Hey Jon, I just finished your pickups. They only need to be potted and wrapped then they'll be on the way. Hope you like them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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