Members bassesofalessergod Posted December 26, 2007 Members Share Posted December 26, 2007 {censored} basslines and their printing their logo on the pickup cover! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators Kindness Posted December 26, 2007 Moderators Share Posted December 26, 2007 And it's not significant to worry over a 1-battery hole vs. a 2-battery hole? I wouldn't. That thing is routed like crazy already. It'll barely be a difference between 1 or 2. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Brother Mango Posted December 30, 2007 Author Members Share Posted December 30, 2007 ... routed the hole for the battery compartment.I opted not to go with a quick-change battery box for several reasons. One reason is that I get to design my own cover and the way it attaches to the compartment.The routing started last night and ended this afternoon. Very slow process with a dremel.No turning back!!!The batteries fit!! With enough room for the connectors and cushioning material.Paint the hole and come up with a plan for running the wires into the compartment ... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators Kindness Posted December 30, 2007 Moderators Share Posted December 30, 2007 Good times... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Brother Mango Posted December 31, 2007 Author Members Share Posted December 31, 2007 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Brother Mango Posted December 31, 2007 Author Members Share Posted December 31, 2007 Good times... Almost. Almost ...You learn the words to Good Times, and when this bass is done, you sing & I'll play that Bernard Edwards bass line!! Then we'll have good times. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Brother Mango Posted January 1, 2008 Author Members Share Posted January 1, 2008 More updatesHere is my state-of-the-art apartment-sized craftsman's shop. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Brother Mango Posted January 1, 2008 Author Members Share Posted January 1, 2008 As of this morning:Originally: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Brother Mango Posted January 1, 2008 Author Members Share Posted January 1, 2008 Still a lot of work to do. Here's an idea that didn't work. The battery cover is a clear piece of plastic with a plastic mirror underneath. The idea was to also make the control cavity the same way.Problems: + The plastic cracks easily. + The mirror effect is lost when it's behind the clear plastic.+ The battery compartment cover isn't flush with the surface of the bass. The bass is still comfortable, so I've got to decide whether or not to route a little deeper. As it is, routing isn't urgent. But a new cover needs to be crafted.Other problem:+ Getting this bass set up is a challenge. The Kahler bridge creates string-height issues. After the bridge was installed, the action was obscenely high even with the saddles at their lowest points.Kindness & I shimmed the neck, but the bass still has lots of fret buzz; with each string buzzing in different places. (Tuning: DGCF) The open D buzzes; the G buzzes on the low end; the C & F buzz up high.Anyone have suggestions on what might be happening here? Hopefully, within the next couple of days, I can get this over to Kindness' bass hospital for a once-over. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators Kindness Posted January 1, 2008 Moderators Share Posted January 1, 2008 Kindness & I shimmed the neck, but the bass still has lots of fret buzz; with each string buzzing in different places. (Tuning: DGCF) The open D buzzes; the G buzzes on the low end; the C & F buzz up high. We can fix that up no problem. Your fretwork is good, but we can make it perfect. We'll get the neck set at the proper angle for the new bridge. We can also make a nicer nut that'll fix the open position buzzing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Brother Mango Posted January 1, 2008 Author Members Share Posted January 1, 2008 We can fix that up no problem. Your fretwork is good, but we can make it perfect. We'll get the neck set at the proper angle for the new bridge. We can also make a nicer nut that'll fix the open position buzzing.Very cool!! I'm ready when you are. Thanks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Brother Mango Posted January 10, 2008 Author Members Share Posted January 10, 2008 Update:This update has no photos. String tension.After taking the new bass to the hospital, Dr. Kindness determined that the buzzing was due to low string tension.We'd shimmed the neck, adjusted the saddles ... everything was fine, but there was buzzing. Here's the deal:The bass is a shortscale: 30". I had taken regular strings and put them on the bass. Such a string is meant to be brought up to pitch at 34". But this bass had 2 problems:1. Bringing the string to pitch across 30" reduces the tension it was meant to have.2. I tune a full step down: DGCF. That reduces tension even more.What's the big deal? The big deal is that I needed to live with the buzzing or raise my action so that the floopy strings would have room to move.Solutions1. Go & buy shortscale strings. I went to a store & checked the tension ratiing on the stirngs. Seems that at least 1 manufacturer did the same thing I'd done: cut a 34" string down to 30". The tension on those strings was 1/2 to 3/4 of the tension on regular 34" strings.This wasn't good.2. Thicker strings. Knuckle_Head gave me advice that got me pointed in the right direction. He suggested: 125 95 75 55. Those weren't immediately available, but I did try 115 100 80 65. While bringing the 115 up to pitch I could see the windings coming away from each other as they wrapped around the post. Part of the problem was that the string didn't really fit in the tuning post. I was able to get the post to grab the string, but there was a sharp angle in it.While working to get the pitch and action right, the string unravelled.I found a 130 and figured it wouldn't hurt to give that one a try. I was able to get the thinnest part of the string into the tuning post. The 130 section would not fit at all. So, I had a billion wraps before the string even lifted off the fretboard. But that one popped & unravelled before it got even close to pitch.For a few days, I played the bass with 100 100 80 65 and it actually felt ok. Problem was that the lowest 100 was a little too loose, and the 65 was a little too tight. Currently, the bass has 110 100 80 65 and feels really close to what I like. It feels "spongy" like my 34" scale feels when it's tuned down a whole step. The 80 and 65 can come down a little, and I'll try the 75 55 as Knuckle_Head suggested. I don't know what that does to the math ... maybe Knuckle-Head can offer insight into how he determines appropriate string tension.Would 110 100 75 55 be bizarre??? I don't know.Further Update:I ordered Sperzel tuners yesterday. When they'll arrive is unknown. But once I have additional photographable updates, I'll post them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members L-1329 Posted January 10, 2008 Members Share Posted January 10, 2008 Further Update:I ordered Sperzel tuners yesterday. When they'll arrive is unknown. But once I have additional photographable updates, I'll post them. Sweet! You won't be sorry once you get those on and start doing Robear quality divebombs on the whammy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Brother Mango Posted January 10, 2008 Author Members Share Posted January 10, 2008 Sweet! You won't be sorry once you get those on and start doing Robear quality divebombs on the whammy. Those tuners are going to be a serious project. They won't fit in my tuner holes. Gonna have to pull out the dremel, some dowels & glue and make this happen. But that's what this project is about. It'd almost be anti-climactic to pop the tuners in, tune up and start playing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Brother Mango Posted January 13, 2008 Author Members Share Posted January 13, 2008 Ok. It's 4:22am and I've been dremelling since about 11pm yesterday. Here's an update:Right now, the bass has books sitting on top of the dragonfly so that the glue can take hold.Now I can go to bed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Brother Mango Posted January 13, 2008 Author Members Share Posted January 13, 2008 The next major effort is going to be the Sperzel tuners. Sperzel said the tuners left last Wednesday. So ... maybe delivery tomorrow?????? One thing I find fascinating is this bass that's on eBay. It's a re-post because the 1st time around it didn't meet the seller's reserve price. It's a Carvin bass w/Kahler whammy bar & Sperzel tuners. Seems that there are just 5 people in the whole wide world who are interested in such a bass.http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1&item=170183632033&ssPageName=STRK:MEWA:IT&ih=007 Right now, the bass is super cheap if you consider the parts & labor that went into this instrument. But as an instrument in & of itself, there ain't a whole lot of jazz bassists aching to dive bomb on Satin Doll. I'd be interested in this bass, but Carvin disgusts me. (I've already told that story several times.) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators Kindness Posted January 13, 2008 Moderators Share Posted January 13, 2008 Good use of the dragonfly inlay! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Auchenorrhyncha Posted January 13, 2008 Members Share Posted January 13, 2008 I hope your stripping that candy apple red off the body and putting something nice in place. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Brother Mango Posted January 13, 2008 Author Members Share Posted January 13, 2008 I hope your stripping that candy apple red off the body and putting something nice in place. I like the red color. The bass is following a black & red scheme. The chrome tuners are decent, but they're going away mainly because they're neither black, nor red. Purchased black screws today to replace silver screws. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Brother Mango Posted January 13, 2008 Author Members Share Posted January 13, 2008 Good use of the dragonfly inlay! Thanks!!! The edge is jagged, but that's part of the education, and I've got ideas for correcting it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Super Bass Posted January 13, 2008 Members Share Posted January 13, 2008 That dragonfly inlay looks cool there, almost like a really expensive sticker. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Brother Mango Posted January 14, 2008 Author Members Share Posted January 14, 2008 That dragonfly inlay looks cool there, almost like a really expensive sticker. Good Lord!!! I never thought about it that way. Well ... it came from a custom made pickguard. Took a long time to find a place that would sell me small sheets of nice wood. Couldn't just toss the pickguard, and wasn't going to sell it along with the bass body (BTW, the eBay buyer is in CT and should receive the bass body tomorrow).Expensive sticker ... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members 82Daion Posted January 14, 2008 Members Share Posted January 14, 2008 I love the way this is turning out-the dragonfly inlay is a really cool custom touch. Can't wait to play it the next time I'm in Chi-town. Keep up the good work, Oz! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Brother Mango Posted January 16, 2008 Author Members Share Posted January 16, 2008 Last night brought the first feeling of, "what the {censored} have I gotten myself into???"The Sperzels arrived and they're delicious! But the problem is that the holes on the Ibanez are 1/8" too big. Gotta close the gap. So many people gave so much advice. Everything from friction tape to permanently gluing the tuners into the headstock with Gorilla Glue.I ended up using a dowel and wood glue and wood filler. (Long Story) Plugged the holes completely. After drying for a half-day I routed holes at the required diameter and popped a tuner in to see how it fits. Fits ok. Gonna have to paint afterward to cover over the glue. Any way... here's where I'm at (it may be premature to show these pictures, but I can't bear this agony alone): Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members basste Posted January 16, 2008 Members Share Posted January 16, 2008 Pics ? it does really interest me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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