skibum5545 Posted May 26, 2004 Report Share Posted May 26, 2004 This is my first build, so tell me what you think! It's an original body design, based on the J-Bass and my G&L SB-1, but with a longer top horn. SPECS: -one-piece walnut body with sapwood inclusions, arm bevel, back bevel, and contoured heel -Warmoth satin finish Maple/Ebony neck -Gotoh GB-7 tuners -Tusq nut -Neck bolted on with 10-24 stainless bolts into tapped holes in the maple -Wenge backplate with stainless bolts into brass threaded inserts -Vol-Blend-Tone wiring w/ side output jack -Leo Quan Badass II bridge -EMG P-J set pickups -Dunlop Straplocks -DR Lo-Rider strings This thing has monster tone and sustain like you've NEVER heard, and the action can go incredibly low. It balances perfectly and plays like a dream. Overall, I couldn't be happier with my success. I just can't wait to build the next one... Eventually I'll construct a site detailing the building process, but for now all I have time for is the completed pics. PS for those of you who care about such things, these pics were taken on an Olympus 1.3 megapixel digital camera. PPS Feel free to be harsh on any flaws; I am, after all, here to learn. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
truerussian558 Posted May 26, 2004 Report Share Posted May 26, 2004 it probably just parts of acarpet or whatever, but what is that little piece of brown at the edge of the wood above the left top neck screw?( it seems to be between the neck and the body But otherwise it looks wonderfull, I hope mine would turn out that good (im planing to build a bass over the summer) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skibum5545 Posted May 26, 2004 Author Report Share Posted May 26, 2004 Well, Warmoth had the great idea of burning their logos into the back of the neck heels. Usually hidden in the neck joint of a J-bass, this isn't so bad; however, with my revised heel shape, this wasn't the case. What you see is a small corner of that wood-burned logo peeking out from underneath the neck joint. It does not, however, affect the playability one iota. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
loosetoe Posted May 26, 2004 Report Share Posted May 26, 2004 -Warmoth satin finish Maple/Ebony neck Well next month you and primal can compete for Bass Of The Month. Nice work. Walnut has a wonderful look and feel. Nice job, you should be proud, Wayne P.S. I'm pretty sure I can answer therussian's question about the brown mark. It's the burned in Warmoth logo (see quote above). --DANGIT YOU TYPE FASTER THAN ME-- Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spirit Posted May 26, 2004 Report Share Posted May 26, 2004 cool bass! like the contrast between light and dark woods. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GuitarMaestro Posted May 26, 2004 Report Share Posted May 26, 2004 The bass looks VERY nice. One thing I don't like at all though: The heel of the Neck. Why don't you shape it to match the shape of the body? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spirit Posted May 26, 2004 Report Share Posted May 26, 2004 it was bought from warmoth like that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
www Posted May 26, 2004 Report Share Posted May 26, 2004 Nice. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Primal Posted May 26, 2004 Report Share Posted May 26, 2004 The only thing I see wrong is that the bridge seems to be about 3-4mm to far to the bass side. Other than that, it looks terrific! What kind of finish on the body, tung oil? And next time make your own neck! Great bass. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Setch Posted May 26, 2004 Report Share Posted May 26, 2004 Super clean job, looks like a real worker. I like it Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GregP Posted May 26, 2004 Report Share Posted May 26, 2004 VERY nice! I agree with GuitarMaestro, though-- even though the neck was purchased that way doesn't mean you can't modify it. I would love to see the shape of the neck (ie. the heel area) match up with the neck pocket. Great work, though! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skibum5545 Posted May 27, 2004 Author Report Share Posted May 27, 2004 Why don't you shape it to match the shape of the body? Not a bad idea, to be honest. I never really though about that. It'll certainly be good practice for making my own neck for the next project. I also have the right laquer for covering the repair... that's what summer's for, right? The only thing I see wrong is that the bridge seems to be about 3-4mm to far to the bass side. Yep, it is. That was the result of not being quite careful enough with the bridge mounting. I have considered either modifying the neck pocket to slide the neck over, or repositioning the bridge, but both would take a lot of work, and to be honest, it plays perfectly well as is. Again, maybe over summer. What kind of finish on the body, tung oil? It's Warwick Surface Finisher Beeswax with two coats of tung oil as the sealant. Since I still have about 15 oz of a 16 oz bottle of tung oil left, anything else I do won't involve the Warwick wax. I can't tell, to be honest, if it actually made any difference in the finish. Thanks for all the comments!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
litchfield Posted May 27, 2004 Report Share Posted May 27, 2004 Nice choice of oickups. I have those on my Ice Paul 5 string bass Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
westhemann Posted May 27, 2004 Report Share Posted May 27, 2004 Nice choice of oickups nothing better than a nice set of oickups Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spirit Posted May 27, 2004 Report Share Posted May 27, 2004 ^ i thought that but i wasn't going to say anything oickups! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Simo Posted May 27, 2004 Report Share Posted May 27, 2004 A lot of people seem to use gold hardware with Walnut guitars but I think the chrome looks very cool Nice job Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jbkim Posted May 27, 2004 Report Share Posted May 27, 2004 Nice choice of oickups nothing better than a nice set of oickups Yes, I'm partial to Seymour Doicans but a lot of people here like OMG's... although Doimarzio's have a good following. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skibum5545 Posted May 27, 2004 Author Report Share Posted May 27, 2004 I actually got inspired to use the EMGs after hearing/seeing Victor Wooten use them in concert. Despite their distinct EMG tone, they are actually very versatile, from crystal-breaking newage tones, to good old P-bass rock. I am very pleased with them. Also, I didn't feel like spending all that money on gold hardware. Do you have any idea what a gold Badass II costs?!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Page_Master Posted May 27, 2004 Report Share Posted May 27, 2004 looks great dude! an excellent choice of woods, pickups and finish. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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