The Model B Bass

Well, I have finally finished my bass. The finish is cured and this weekend I put it all together. These pictures are not the best, seeing as how my camera is not meant for artistic photos. But that is okay, you get the idea. It plays great. The action is maybe a little high if anything, but no higher than my previous bass. I think it is because there is no angle in the neck pocket. The intonation is not quite perfect (I will need to move the bridge when I restring it). The piezo pickup is louder than the magnetics, but it has a great sound and I can get a range from warm and mellow to really bright and punchy. The controls are P/J pickup blend, magnetic/piezo blend, master volume and master tone. I have a ton of pictures, but here are just a few to try to get the whole idea across.










Well, there she be. Let me know what you think.

More Guitar Building

So building this bass has gotten me back in the guitar building mode. I am currently refinishing and modifying the two guitars I built in high school. One is an original design with single coils and the other is a PRS copy with EMG 81/85 pickups. With the guitar with single coils, I free hand routed the cavities when I built it, so needless to say they are ugly. Well, I decided I wanted to use pickup rings. Turns out the only ones for single coils are really expensive (like 10 bucks a piece, and with a three pickup guitar...). So I have some leftover walnut from my bass and I fashioned some rings out of that. I drew the dimensions in a CAD program and I am quite pleased. I will put some pictures up after I have finish on them.

Another thing I am going to do with that guitar is put a sustainer system in it. It is the same system that is perpetually under development at the project guitar forum. It should be a lot of fun and will give me more options (since I have four electric guitars anyway, may as well make one that is not the best into something unique). I am excited and it will help my electronics skills get better. Speaking of which, I have a nice new xytronics 379 soldering station coming today. I'll let you know what I think of it when it comes.

I really enjoy this whole guitar building thing, too bad I don't have my own shop yet. But that is okay, someday I will. The next project on my list after the guitars is to build a tube amplifier. I will be buying a kit, but that is just because it is cheaper than buying the parts separately. I still have to put it all together and tweak it myself an all. Should be a lot of fun. Of course, that may be several months away.

I guess all I can really say is stay tuned for more woodworking and musical project adventures to come.