bassman

My experience with the ABM system is that the tuning ratio is so high- 40:1, that you only need access to the top portion of the tuning "roller" to be able to bring it up to tune. So you could really route out an angled slope into the body, and some extra routing so the tuners dont get caught on the wood underneath, and it should work fine. Test it out in somse scrap- full scale of course so that you try it under full string tension. Definitely dont angle it the opposite way that it is supposed to be angled.

Here is the link - by the way I have never been able to post my images onto my posts- what gives? The first 4 pics are the newest. My Webpage It still needs several more coats of poly/oil. I also need to find a lathe so that I can make the knob out of matching amboyna burl. The finger board needs to be oiled as well. Please give me some feedback (positive or critical) on this bass as I am already planning the next one- very similar but with some killer changes if possible so that the face will have an even cleaner look. Specs... Fishamn Matrix NAtural 1 transducer with active preamp Single control- volume MAple body with sound chambers Birdseye neck, cocobolo fingerboard,hot rod truss, 2 carbon fiber rods 1/4" Amboyna Burl Top Bone and Cocobolo bridge- "trimmed down" zero fret Quilted maple cavity cover ABM headless hardware- minus the bridge of course LaBella double ball tapewounds Sam Maloof's poly/oil finish- some killer stuff I tell yeah It will have a hidden strap lock system once I actually order the damn things 34" scale- with 30 "invisible frets"- you know what I mean

I was in denial the whole time, I knew deep down that maybe it was the lack of shielding (duh). However, I set it up and played it last week as a sort of test run to make sure everything was in proper order before i came closer to completion, there was absolutely no hum at that point and the tuners were not grounded. The difference is that it now has a single control- volume, that seems to be enough to require shielding. It seems rather silly that I just didn't sheild it- but I have never had problems with interference in the past, the past 21 electric basses I have built have had no sheilding ( all active preamps) and none of them have ever had hum/buzz problems on stage or in the studio. If you cant find the pencil, first check behind your ear.

Problem solved, please disregard previous post. I spent many hours trying to get it solved before I posted, naturally- shortly after I posted I got the hum completely eliminated. Damn I love the way this bass turned out tons of fretless mwah, I will post some pics in the appropriate area as time permits.

Oil will work, no you do not need a sanding sealer, yes it will darken the wood and give a warmer hue.. Those more familiar with finshing techniques will tell you that pure tung oil is not that good. I use Sam Maloof's (one of the world's best woodworkers) formula, it is a combination of tung oil, boiled linseed oil and polyeurathane. It works really well, it give the look and feel of oil and seals the wood with poly. You wipe it on, then wipe it off- let dry 24 hours- then repeat another four times (these simple steps will give you a VERY EVEN finish) It is available from highland hardware, you do not need the wax/oil stuff, only the poly/oil is needed.

I have just assembled my fretless,chambered, acoustic undersaddle transducer only bass. I have grounded the output, preamp and tuners (headless unit) (probably not neccessary or helpful since I am using tapewound strings) to the volume control. The humming goes away when I touch the volume pot or tuners- but not when I touch the strings since the tapewounds prevent electrical flow. The pickup is the Fishman Matrix Natural 1- with accompanying preamp. The 25 k vol pot is wired between the preamp and the pickup. Thank you all for the help. Oh, and besides the awfully loud humming, it sounds damn sweet.

I prefer the ABM headless unit over the musicyo units... these seem to be of a higher quality- you can get the abm unit from allparts.com for about $250.. or from this guy for about $150 his webpage. I would have bought from him in the past had I known about the great savings, he is an authorized allparts dealer.

No pics here cause I sold my early 80's stingray (active treble and bass) two years ago, the battery on that was in a different chamber. The pots on that were not directly connected to the board, having them mounted on the board is not a desirable trait IMO- repairs are much harder and a jolt to the pot could ruin the entire preamp.

Be careful! If you run both heads into the cab at the same time you may ruin both of your heads, I did something similar, by accident of course, I ended up ruining an SWR 4404 bass head and a powered mixer at once.

not to change the subject to much... but if you are tuning your bandsaw in 20 degree weather it sounds like you should should invest in some insulation and/or heat for you shop. I have recently done so and love the comforts I now have out there. Rigid foam insulation is a good way to go, pretty cheap and easy to install. Being comfortable when you are tyring to do precision work is very important IMO.

Regarding 15's vs. 10's. My 2x10 xst eden will put out lower bass than most any 15's. Any My ampeg pro 410 hlf puts out lows like a 15" subwoofer in a PA- yet it retains its tightness and also has the punch of 10's. Bigger does not always mean lower, at least when you cross into different series or performance levels of cabinets. Meaning a 15 peavey is going to go lower than a comparable priced 2x10 peavey cab.

I suppose this requires the use of a longer blade and different tension settings. Thanks for the info, what I am really looking for is a picture of one is use, before/after pics.

I have no idea how they are setup on a bandsaw and have not been able to find a photo of them in use on the net. I am curious because I have an old Dayton 14" bandsaw, and while I am sure there are not risers available for it (being at least 25 years old and all) I am wondering if it might be possible to build such a system. Having the ability to resaw wide lumber if very inviting. Thanks

2x10 is much easier to transport and handle than a 4x10, two 2x10's is the way to go, although it is more expensive. I really think that you need much more power than 100 watts, you will soon be unimpressed with the volume you gain by adding a second cabinet to your rig if you simply are not putting enough volume into your cabs. While I have way to many cabinets I have found that out of the variety I do I have I can get a fair amount of volume and some killer tone with my aguilar GS112 (sound of a 15 in a smaller package) and Eden 210 XST powered by an Ampeg SVT Pro. This 2x10 and 1x12 package does not break your back and can even be cut down to one cab for small/quiet jams. Again, use a powerful amp- I push about 1000 watts (RMS) through the 2x10, 1x12 setup, 100 watts through such a setup would not cover much ground in any situation. Gear- AMps QSC 2400? Ampeg SVT 4 Pro (1600 watt amp) Cabs Ampeg HLF 410 Pro (sweet but a back and car breaker for a 4x10- size like a 6x10) Eden 210 XST SWR workingmans 410T (a terd compared to the others) Peavey Black widow 15" Aguilar GS112 Crate 60 combo- currently disassembled (a real piece of junk) got it for free though

bluesp... thanks for the kind words I really impressed myself with the design of this one. asm... you must believe it- just check woodcraft as often as possible- occasionally you will stumble across a sweet ass piece, and it does cost any more than the rest- as it would if you bid for it on ebay. I will probably not gett much done on it for the next week or so.

Body assembled with bridge and strung up. My Webpage This bass is well on its way, it still needs the undersaddle transducer installed, major body cotnouring for a binding effect, preamp cavity.....

I would like to add that birdseye maple actually shows more figure when it is flatsawn. I have always been hesitant about using flatsawn wood, I now have done just that, however it has been cured very well and reinforced with carbon fiber rods and a pretty thick cocobolo finger board. I specifically used it just to let the birdseye/quilting show more.

Those pedulla glossy black fingerboards have some sort of synthetic finish on them, I dont even think there is any ebony in there. My neighbor has one that I did a repair on for a while, it was a nice flame maple 4 string fretless. Call pedulla or send them an email, do not tell them you are trying to copy their fboards just let them know your are "interested" in their product and are very curious about their fretboard materials/methods.

The only craftsman tool that I have been happy with is my craftsmen table saw, it is one of their best models though. I have had bad luck with their drills and sanders. Of course craftsmen does seem to have tiers of price/quality within their own product line. When it comes to a router though I woudl definitely get something you know has helpful features and is reliable and accurate. Check out the Dewalt router combos models 618 and 616, I have the 618 pack. I have never seen another router that has an integrated through the column dust collection chute, man is that ice the have for cavities and such.

If yu want to make the ultimate throw in bag and take with yor guitar, then make it headless to minimize the length and weight, and make the body just large enough to accomodate all of the parts, amp and speaker. of course some fold out extensions mad of medal will help with strap issues and playing on your leg and suuch. I bet you could make an amp, guitar, speaker (most of the cost would be for th headless hardware- but well worth it)

Today I shaped the neck for the most part, after routing the neck pocket into the body, and shaped the bone saddle and nut (although I am thinking of using a zero fret even though it is fretless) There was absolutely no ear out of the burled top when routing the pocket. wew! a weight off my shoulders there. I will post some more pics as soon as I get some contours on the body. After that i only need to route the control cavity, turn a wooden know or two, build the bridge, finish and voila.

Less than 40 hours- I might finish my current bass in about 30- I am getting faster and better.

Pics are updated.... the top rough shaped and neck to the body, and the top being glued onto the body blank. enjoy

This picture is taken of the dry wood, no water finish yet......enjoy......................... My Webpage

running the grain as you suggest will add strength to the neck. having the grain run perfectly perpindicular to the finger board is ideal.