Primal

*Looks at Bootsy's bass again*

Thanks. And I forgot to mention, looks great so far! Thats a really wide neckthrough section. Is there any particular reason, or did you just like the way it looked?

Haha, yea, I had forgotten about Bootsy's bass. I wonder if all those pickups actually function...

Ah! YES! I love that bass! I remember seeing it on MIMF and drooling like crazy.

Keep in mind that this is all just speculation. If there were a cut-and-dry answer, you would never see debates like this one!

I still don't think you would notice a big change when looking at 3/8" of a difference. The key here, I think, is the wood stiffness associated with thickness, not the weight. For instance, if you take a guitar with, say, a 1" thick body, and compare it to a 2" thick body, the 2" thick body will have more sustain because the body isn't able to flex as much as the 1" body does, thus it won't dampen as much of the vibrations. So, will you see a difference between a 2" body and a 1 5/8" body? Maybe, but only if the wood is relatively soft. Think of it this way: the effect of the tension of the strings (which would affect how much flex the body is under) will only be countered so much as the thickness increases. Its the idea of diminishing returns in economics: for every 1/8" extra thickness added, you get less sustain than the previous 1/8" added. You can only increase the stiffness of the body to a certain point. Beyond that point, the returns are negligible.

Given that Jazz pickups are in the Middle/Bridge position (as opposed to what most people think, Neck/Bridge), you may not notice much of a difference in tone between the neck and middle or the bridge and middle. If you were able to space the pickups further apart, it may work. Otherwise, you may be better of to go with something like 2 Jazz pickups and 1 Precision pickup (there is a Fender signature bass, but I cant remember the bassist's name! He plays with Joe Satriani often, and does an awesome cover of the Charlie Brown Theme). You could also try other pickup combinations.

If it vibrates more freely, then it will absorb vibrations, which is what you DONT want if you are looking for sustain.

I don't agree with that at all, at least not within the realm of guitar body size. I.E., if you build a regular LP, and then another LP with twice as much wood, I HIGHLY doubt you would see an appreciable difference.

TONE VOODOO ALERT! I don't think there is a clear cut answer. But here is how I believe different aspects of a guitar affect tone: 1) Scale Length - IMO, the biggest factor. 2) Neck Wood - Close second. The stiffness of the wood affects how much of the string vibration is transmitted (or, imo, more precisely, what frequencies are absorbed by the neck wood). 3. Pickups - Humbuckers vs Single Coils, different pickups, etc 4. Body Wood - Body wood on an electric just doesn't seem like it has such a huge affect on sound when compared to the other factors. I don't understand how weight could itself change the tone.

These pics are waaaaay too big... not to mention you can only have one picture, then you must link the rest.

You can get tru-oil to a shine if you do it right.

I only play guitar for fun (bass is my main instrument), so I just play stuff thats not lead related. I mostly play Tool stuff, and their music is plenty challenging without real "solos" or shredding. The timing is what gets you, not technical ability.

Sarcasm won't get you anywhere. What have we done to *not* help you? We've told you which one of those bridges you need. As for the TOM bridge, you should know EXACTLY where the strings go... you even have a picture of one! Like I said, you need to do some reading. You can't expect us to be willing to answer every little question you have if it is evident that you haven't attempted to find the answer yourself... Just my $0.02.

Sounds like you need to do a lot more reading.

*slaps forehead* You said you wanted a string through body, and the auction says, "B3. This is strung through the body."

Did you not even read the auction at all? It tells you which one to specify...

27"-28" should be good.

Hipshot monorail bridges. They are expensive ($25/individual string bridge), but this is going to be an expensive job anyway!

I think its been discussed before, and the result was that relays eat too much power when in use. 9v batteries already have a short enough lifespan, no need to make it even shorter!

I don't like the body shape, but the wood choices remind me of Alembic basses.

You are brave for trusting Harmony Central reviews.

Please read the picture posting rules. I would think that a combination of sanding and wood filling (bondo if there are some REALLY nasty gouges) should do the trick. Hopefully someone can chime in on the subject. Also, this should have been posted in the Finishing section.

I can't listen to the file right now, but thumps like that can occur when the string frets out (usually when its fretting out on more than one fret, in my experience). Check your action, raising the bridge might help.

Simple answer that you should ALWAYS do: draw it out! If you draw it out, it should be painfully obvious.