Tales from my workbench

[specialk]

3 hours ago, kizanski said:

I don’t know which one I like more.  

Blackie!

[DaveH]

[slingblader]

14 hours ago, kizanski said:

I don’t know which one I like more.  

Yeah, I don't either. They're both beasts.

[slingblader]

11 hours ago, specialk said:

Blackie!

Yeah man, that finish on the black one turned out better, I think. I'm not sure that I would do the multi-ply binding again... looks cool on the fretboard, but I think solid black binding would look more stealth.  

Live and learn!

 

2 hours ago, DaveH said:

Thanks! I seriously cannot believe how well these play and how comfortable they are. I know these are unconventional and in that Firebird/Thunderbird/Explorer/RD shape realm and most folks are unsure about that. I'm just amazed at how natural they feel when sitting on the knee with my forearm laying along the top of the body... it just works!

Edited May 9, 2024 by slingblader

[DaveH]

On 5/7/2024 at 5:07 PM, slingblader said:

And a few shots from the sofa. 

 

 

 

This is definitely one of my favorite builds so far. I like the changes that I made to the body and it is still very light at 7lb 12oz. The 6 bolt neck joint with the inset brass bars is super solid and makes the fundamentals very strong, but to me it has more character than my neck through designs. Hard to put my finger on, but it sounds amazing and it rings like a Steinway.

Quoting you so I can pull up the pics and drool easier. 😃

I lean towards the black myself, but either would be a serious prize! Makes me want to take up bass.

[burningyen]

Beautiful work!

13 hours ago, slingblader said:

I'm just amazed at how natural they feel when sitting on the knee with my forearm laying along the top of the body... it just works!

I'm of the same mind as far as forearm support.  

I think it's also why after cycling through a few different Hamers I landed on Newports.

[Cboss]

On 5/7/2024 at 4:07 PM, slingblader said:

And a few shots from the sofa. 

 

 

 

This is definitely one of my favorite builds so far. I like the changes that I made to the body and it is still very light at 7lb 12oz. The 6 bolt neck joint with the inset brass bars is super solid and makes the fundamentals very strong, but to me it has more character than my neck through designs. Hard to put my finger on, but it sounds amazing and it rings like a Steinway.

The mounting system you used, the brass bars and the bolts, do you think this would translate into equal benefits in a regular guitar?

It's a really fascinating concept, all the bolt-ons I'm familiar with just seem like a production means to an end, where yours looks like it would transfer significant tone and resonance, more so than a set neck I'm thinking 

[JGale]

Some Yamaha Pacificas use a metal insert at the heel joint, specifically the 512/712 models. Out of the six PACs I own, my 512 is the most resonant of the group. 

Edited May 9, 2024 by JGale

[a.bandini]

Fantastic! What a work of art!  

Any of us would be proud to have either.  

I like the black one best, but both are spectacular.  

[Cboss]

6 hours ago, JGale said:

Some Yamaha Pacificas use a metal insert at the heel joint, specifically the 512/712 models. Out of the six PACs I own, my 512 is the most resonant of the group. 

Are those the vintage tone springs?

[JGale]

Yes. How you know?

[Cboss]

16 minutes ago, JGale said:

Yes. How you know?

I just discovered them (vintage tone springs) recently, tried them out on one guitar and was so incredibly impressed I bought them for all my tremolo guitars.. I've been meaning to do a write-up for the board on how amazing these things are! They took my Floyd guitars from barely tolerated to true love, everything they say on the package is true

 they ought to say fall in love with your tremolo for 25 bucks!

they have a certain shiny beautiful look and having just installed a bunch of these I recognized them right away on yours, brass Block Plus those equals greatness

apparently they make saddles too? Have you tried these and if so do they offer a real upgrade as well?

Edited May 10, 2024 by Cboss

[slingblader]

9 hours ago, Cboss said:

The mounting system you used, the brass bars and the bolts, do you think this would translate into equal benefits in a regular guitar?

It's a really fascinating concept, all the bolt-ons I'm familiar with just seem like a production means to an end, where yours looks like it would transfer significant tone and resonance, more so than a set neck I'm thinking 

I'm not really sure if it would have a benefit in a regular guitar or not, but it seems like there would be some difference. Whether the difference is better or not is completely subjective... and it is the same with basses I think. 

My feeling (I'm not an engineer, physicist, acoustician, or smartypants) is that overall stiffness/flex plays a fairly big part in the overall tone of a bass. In my experience, very rigidly built neck-through designs tend to have longer sustain and great clarity in the low end and perhaps crisper highs. At the other end of the spectrum, most bolt on basses tend to have a little fuller bottom, a little more harmonic content and less glassy highs. 

So, the stiffer neck-through design may be clearer sounding, but the less rigid bolt-on may have more thump. To me, this attachment method (along with the laminated neck) makes for an ultra solid and rigid joint, but still allows a little bit of flex in the body/neck pocket area. I have never measured this, but I'm betting once the strings are up to tension, you'd see a little flex in the body, just like an acoustic guitar loads up and changes shape when brought to pitch. This may be especially true in this design as the body is very thin; less than 1 3/8". 

The other thing that I feel contributes to the overall low end note clarity is the longer scale of the low strings. This may be the single biggest contributor, for sure. Remember, the B string scale is 37" on this bass, which is pretty long. 

By the way, I want to be clear that I am not the originator of the embedded brass bars, I very much borrowed that idea from a bass builder, Bruce Johnson. He makes his own version of the Ampeg scroll basses and he uses this method;  although I think he uses shorter pieces of brass to save weight (he is an engineer and not a dumbass like me), but his are a 4 bolt design and not 6 bolt like mine. 

Anyway, with all of that said, I think that all of these elements add up and each makes some difference. It is a rock solid neck joint and once snugged down, cannot be moved... unlike ANY Fender that I have ever owned.  And no hate toward Fender at all, I love my Fenders, but the neck joints never feel rock solid like this one. 

At some point in the near future, I'll try to make a recording of this bass. I'll make all the disclaimers about crappy playing at that time.

 

[slingblader]

7 hours ago, JGale said:

Some Yamaha Pacificas use a metal insert at the heel joint, specifically the 512/712 models. Out of the six PACs I own, my 512 is the most resonant of the group. 

Are those more or less like recessed plates, or are they thicker? That's a cool design!

[slingblader]

New tool day.... I've been saving for one of these for a while now and I put in the order back in February. 

A 16" Jointer/planer combo machine, all shiny and new. 

 

I had a planer, but sold it last summer. It was very loud and didn't handle figured woods very well. This unit has a helical segmented cutterhead which helps to reduce tear out on figured wood. 

I've always jointed with hand planes, but of course I always wanted a proper jointer. This machine will let me process full-width body blanks. I'm still tinkering with fine tuning and setup, but the build quality looks very good. Very excited to use this on future projects!

This is not an industrial grade unit, but it is aimed at the higher level hobbyist (not sure of the spelling)... anyway, it will probably be the nicest machine I'll ever own!

[DaveH]

4 hours ago, slingblader said:

... anyway, it will probably be the nicest machine I'll ever own!

I'm thinking those basses are the nicest machines you own. 😂

[hamerhead]

You know, a CNC machine would save you alotta trouble............ducks.........

[cmatthes]

That is a serious planer!! 🤘

[slingblader]

6 hours ago, DaveH said:

I'm thinking those basses are the nicest machines you own. 😂

LOL, thanks! Now I just need to sell some!

[slingblader]

1 hour ago, hamerhead said:

You know, a CNC machine would save you alotta trouble............ducks.........

I would love to have a CNC machine, and at some point I probably will, I just don't have enough space at the moment... although I could put it in the dining room.

But yeah, that's another tool to learn with a fairly steep learning curve, but I think I could do it, even it would be to just make templates, it would be a serious advantage for me. 

[slingblader]

1 hour ago, cmatthes said:

That is a serious planer!! 🤘

Man, so far it is just killer. I've made a few passes dialing things in. I cannot believe how much quieter this is than the little benchtop planer. Granted, the type of electric motor makes a big difference, but the cutting sound itself is very quiet, not to mention the quality of cut is super nice! This is going to make processing stock so much more enjoyable.

[cynic]

Funny....my garage also had very large Klipsch boxes following my divorce.  Must be a thing. 

[slingblader]

7 minutes ago, cynic said:

Funny....my garage also had very large Klipsch boxes following my divorce.  Must be a thing. 

Hey, there was a sale at Adorama... what can I say?

 

[JGale]

4 hours ago, cynic said:

Funny....my garage also had very large Klipsch boxes following my divorce.  Must be a thing. 

Cornwalls?