Short scale bass project

Dillon · Post by **Dillon** » Thu Jan 14, 2010 12:24 am

Though not the kind you're thinking of

My dad and I have been building this bass for the last couple years. Finally getting around to finishing it. He's the type that appreciates rare / atypical woods and strange body shapes, so this is what he came up with

It's a 29" scale bass. Body is walnut, top is maple, neck is ebony, fingerboard is rosewood.

I just realized I don't have any good pictures of it being made, it's actually almost done now...I'll have to ask him for some. But here it is all rigged up testing for pickup placement.

IMO, pickup placement on anything shortscale is vital...so we made a jig to allow us to move the pickups around. Basically it's just a block of wood shaped like a pickup, that we screwed the pickups into upside down, and stuck to some two-way tape.

You'd be amazed at the difference in tone between the end of the neck and the bridge. In the pictures, that's the position we decided on based on lots of testing. This weekend we'll route the pickup cavities and decide what to do from there...not sure about stains given the odd combination of woods, so it may just get a clearcoat. But I personally would like to see a black stain on the back (to match the neck) and a violin-style vintage burst on the top.

DGNR8 · Post by **DGNR8** » Thu Jan 14, 2010 2:33 am

What a cool project. I like the idea of moving the pickups around to test the positions. What's the head shape?

hotrodperlmutter · Post by **hotrodperlmutter** » Thu Jan 14, 2010 3:13 am

very awesome. looks like james' weird set neck deal. cool jig too.

Zack · Post by **Zack** » Thu Jan 14, 2010 3:15 am

The pickup jig is awesome, for a second I actually thought that you had the pickups mounted in front of the strings. I'm actually kinda into that, cause the p-bass pup looked like it was a pup w/ a battery compartment, but then again, would screw up playability if an active pickup was marketed like that. I'm into the just straight clearcoat idea. Is the neck bolt on? I don't think staining the back to match the neck is that necessary if it's bolt on. Though, if it's set my opinion changes.

filtercap · Post by **filtercap** » Thu Jan 14, 2010 5:16 am

Liking what I see so far. Maybe post straight-on shot of body shape?

Dillon · Post by **Dillon** » Thu Jan 14, 2010 8:54 pm

Thanks guys

We're not really sure about the headstock shape yet...currently it's some swirly thing that looks kind of like nekkid wemonz

It's a neck through, not a bolt on, so yeah...the ebony part extends into the walnut. I've been looking for some better pictures but haven't found any. I'll take some tomorrow.

Zack · Post by **Zack** » Fri Jan 15, 2010 12:58 am

just put a nekkid wimmin on headstock, is better than coke-bottleshaep.

You should totally stain the back to match the back of the neck, but it already looks pretty dark. It'd be cool to see some top binding to differentiate between the top slab & the body. But is already got sem curves, can you even do binding to a curve like that or would you have to do an top or german carve?

Dillon · Post by **Dillon** » Fri Jan 15, 2010 3:44 am

Haha it's not a coke bottle shape, actually. Hard to describe, but It's more like, the shape of a woman bent over carved into one side of it, while the top is flat

I'll post pics whenever I get some. It's a bit too out there for my liking personally, but I don't know what else could be done at this point

Binding might be an option, but neither of us have ever done binding...so it probably won't happen, especially since it has an arm contour on the top, that would be difficult

Zack · Post by **Zack** » Fri Jan 15, 2010 5:34 am

Sounds like it's already cut and shaped, but I refuse not to post my 4 minute photoshop work:

something liek dat wuld b sexXxiiii. Although it'd probably break under the tension, unless she an amazon.

coke bottle shape is like danelectro style, which may or may not fit this guitar. Like I said, binding would be cool but I think that's just another step you probably don't want to deal with, with that contour especially, maybe some other builders will give us some insight on it though.

johnniespring · Post by **johnniespring** » Sat Jan 16, 2010 1:17 am

the problem with your idea is that you can't actually properly play your bass with the pickups like that which means that you have no idea what they sound like in the position that you will end up with. With the pickups as they are in the photo you may be able to slightly touch the strings and make a sound, but you can't play the bass as you would normally play it in the place that you would normally play it so any sound you make with the pickups like that would not be a true representation of the final sound you will end up with.
In the past various people have made guitars with moveable pickups that slide along under the strings in a swimming pool so that the pickups can be placed in the perfect position for the player. That way works better cos the player can actually play.

hotrodperlmutter · Post by **hotrodperlmutter** » Sat Jan 16, 2010 1:28 am

johnniespring wrote:the problem with your idea is that you can't actually properly play your bass with the pickups like that which means that you have no idea what they sound like in the position that you will end up with. With the pickups as they are in the photo you may be able to slightly touch the strings and make a sound, but you can't play the bass as you would normally play it in the place that you would normally play it so any sound you make with the pickups like that would not be a true representation of the final sound you will end up with.
In the past various people have made guitars with moveable pickups that slide along under the strings in a swimming pool so that the pickups can be placed in the perfect position for the player. That way works better cos the player can actually play.

ffs? i'm pretty sure that was a jig to find the placement before routing. not to actually mount them like that.

the density is immense.