Budget has been very tight for the last 4 months, being the sole earner, in total red due to a number of stopping fines thanks to North Sydney council rangers in plain clothes hiding behind rubbish bins ( the lovely spirit they are) two major car breakdowns as well as other unexpected bills. The amp will be a project for when finances allow, not likely to be soon and will be done over a period of months. I also have a lot of good stuff that I am hanging onto from years past when times were good, when I had my own manufacturing biz and brand. If I cant afford something that is a $100 right now, why does it give offense if I think about saving a dollar a day for a hundred days?
I'm no feeling offended.
It's just a little bit confusing when you started this thread with mentioning the tight budget, and then you write about buying Hypex modules.
I know what these cost me because I have a pair of NC400 modules. Not very cheap at all.
A way cheaper 2x300W class D module is this one:
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/YJH...32740758452.html?spm=2114.13010608.0.0.K251Jw
I think the sound you get from one of these is hard to beat for the asking price.
I have a couple of these to be used in a three way active PA system for my homestudio.
I have tested these modules and they drive my JM Labs "Antea" speakers perfectly.
Those JM Labs are a really tough load for any amp.
Oh, I found the reggae song you mentioned.
Not my favorite music but the bass part is really fine.
It's just a little bit confusing when you started this thread with mentioning the tight budget, and then you write about buying Hypex modules.
I know what these cost me because I have a pair of NC400 modules. Not very cheap at all.
A way cheaper 2x300W class D module is this one:
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/YJH...32740758452.html?spm=2114.13010608.0.0.K251Jw
I think the sound you get from one of these is hard to beat for the asking price.
I have a couple of these to be used in a three way active PA system for my homestudio.
I have tested these modules and they drive my JM Labs "Antea" speakers perfectly.
Those JM Labs are a really tough load for any amp.
Oh, I found the reggae song you mentioned.
Not my favorite music but the bass part is really fine.
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Right now ranked up in front of Clovelly hotel and listening to "golden touch" by Shabba Ranks 🙂
Jasse, sorry for any confusion. l am 41 yrs old and only been a cabbie for 4yrs. Prior to that I had a fishing rod manufacturing concern for about 8yrs as well as a lot of dj and karaoke dj as well as sound system builds for PA, hi-fi and cars. My rods biz fall apart in 2010 after a bad divorce when I lost property and assets. A couple of years after I started from scratch and clawing my way back. A slow process now with the cab industry reeling from severe disruption and some recent misfortunes. But I do have some gear already in storage
So yeah for now will just be plugging this itsy bitsy bass into the cars aux input via a preamp and later build some better sounds
Jasse, sorry for any confusion. l am 41 yrs old and only been a cabbie for 4yrs. Prior to that I had a fishing rod manufacturing concern for about 8yrs as well as a lot of dj and karaoke dj as well as sound system builds for PA, hi-fi and cars. My rods biz fall apart in 2010 after a bad divorce when I lost property and assets. A couple of years after I started from scratch and clawing my way back. A slow process now with the cab industry reeling from severe disruption and some recent misfortunes. But I do have some gear already in storage
So yeah for now will just be plugging this itsy bitsy bass into the cars aux input via a preamp and later build some better sounds
Jonny,
As a bassist, I commend you for wanting to be dedicated...
I think the answer to your problem is the Ashbory Bass... They use silicone strings that allow a much shorter scale than traditional basses. Also nice because the humidity and oil on your fingers wont be as hard on them as metal strings IIRC. If budget is a concern and you really want to build your own, the strings could be a wise investment.
Fender : Ashbory Bass
In regards to a preamp, I've only made them for piezo pickups... have built a few simple cheap and fun amps like the Ruby which can be voiced like a Fender Bassman (see mod in linked page)... perhaps if modifying the output, it could provide basis for a nice cheap preamp that runs off 12V. Note that this puts out about 0.5w or something along those lines... its not loud, but with my 15" Eminence cabinet, I could get noise complaints from my neighbours. Great for 6 string guitar as well.
Ruby
Your skills seem to be up there... building some of this stuff will be a cinch and likely produce impressive results based on what you showed us. Talkbass is top notch for bass forums as is MIMF. Another cool guy is Carl Thompson who is perhaps one of the coolest people I've had the pleasure of speaking with.
As a bassist, I commend you for wanting to be dedicated...
I think the answer to your problem is the Ashbory Bass... They use silicone strings that allow a much shorter scale than traditional basses. Also nice because the humidity and oil on your fingers wont be as hard on them as metal strings IIRC. If budget is a concern and you really want to build your own, the strings could be a wise investment.
Fender : Ashbory Bass
In regards to a preamp, I've only made them for piezo pickups... have built a few simple cheap and fun amps like the Ruby which can be voiced like a Fender Bassman (see mod in linked page)... perhaps if modifying the output, it could provide basis for a nice cheap preamp that runs off 12V. Note that this puts out about 0.5w or something along those lines... its not loud, but with my 15" Eminence cabinet, I could get noise complaints from my neighbours. Great for 6 string guitar as well.
Ruby
Your skills seem to be up there... building some of this stuff will be a cinch and likely produce impressive results based on what you showed us. Talkbass is top notch for bass forums as is MIMF. Another cool guy is Carl Thompson who is perhaps one of the coolest people I've had the pleasure of speaking with.
Currently queued up on casino rank behind about 200 taxis listening to Aston Barret and the Wailers 🙂 with "wake up and live". It's 5am now and heading towards home time 🙂 My lil gyals 4th b'day lunch party today
Jasse thanks for the recos. I didn't know about the Ashbory, I'll give that and the Ruby a thorough read. I was looking at apexaudio ones here and the jfett ones but had then settled on getting a Korg Pandora during this build. If I am reading it right, it a eems to be preamp/ multi effects/ DSP/ riddim machine and a 3 channel mixer (stereo input plus guitar input) with most of the work done in DSP domain. Already sacrificing coffees to save up for one
With Korg branding, its price, mostly positive reviews and as long as the chips stay alive it appears to potentially make a great partner to bassito poquito
Hi all
Something I forgot to share earlier today, had a very pleasant surprise when I woke up. Mrs handed me a package in the mailbox today. One of the contributors to this thread has sent his spare bass peg tuners and a bridge for me to tinker with. Thanks heaps mate, really appreciate that. I hope you don't mind that if I mod them, will keep it tasteful and neat. With the strings coming off the righty, I now have enough bits to start serious experimenting. I'll take old righty down to Jaycar electronics nearby and get pots and things
In my readings on reggae bass most say that full bias to neck pickup. Can I take off the bridge pickup from the real bass and fit it near shorty's neck?
With the Korg Pandora Stomp as a dash mounted partner to shorty, do I really need any electronics fitted into the bass body?
Jasse thanks for the recos. I didn't know about the Ashbory, I'll give that and the Ruby a thorough read. I was looking at apexaudio ones here and the jfett ones but had then settled on getting a Korg Pandora during this build. If I am reading it right, it a eems to be preamp/ multi effects/ DSP/ riddim machine and a 3 channel mixer (stereo input plus guitar input) with most of the work done in DSP domain. Already sacrificing coffees to save up for one
With Korg branding, its price, mostly positive reviews and as long as the chips stay alive it appears to potentially make a great partner to bassito poquito
Hi all
Something I forgot to share earlier today, had a very pleasant surprise when I woke up. Mrs handed me a package in the mailbox today. One of the contributors to this thread has sent his spare bass peg tuners and a bridge for me to tinker with. Thanks heaps mate, really appreciate that. I hope you don't mind that if I mod them, will keep it tasteful and neat. With the strings coming off the righty, I now have enough bits to start serious experimenting. I'll take old righty down to Jaycar electronics nearby and get pots and things
In my readings on reggae bass most say that full bias to neck pickup. Can I take off the bridge pickup from the real bass and fit it near shorty's neck?
With the Korg Pandora Stomp as a dash mounted partner to shorty, do I really need any electronics fitted into the bass body?
So now your plan is to cannibalize the perfectly good bass you already own for parts for your project?? 😕 Since you can buy a pickup on eBay for $5 to $10 with free shipping does it really make sense to tear apart a perfectly good instrument to get one??
I'm at a loss to understand why on earth - if you're really as hot to start playing bass as you claim to be - that you don't simply flip the nut (or spend a couple of bucks on a new nut) and buy a new set of strings for the bass you already own. That's all it would take to convert the righty to lefty and then you would have a decent bass that you could actually play right now. Total cost: probably under $40, mostly for the strings, and an hour or so of your time. You are obviously on an extremely tight budget and this is, by far, the cheapest, easiest and fastest route to having a playable bass. I can't figure out why you seem to be so resistant to this. You claim to love the cheap bass you bought but you don't seem to actually want to put any effort into making it playable. If you have such extremely limited resources - to the point where it will take you a while to save up even $100, why not spend the much smaller amount necessary to put you in a position to start learning to play now on a real instrument? It makes me wonder if you might really be more interested in dreaming, scheming and tinkering than you are in actually playing bass.
I'm not saying you should give up the idea of having something short to practice with in your cab but dismantling the only real bass you have to build something whose functionality, tone and playability is purely speculative makes no sense.
If you make the bass you already have playable and start using it you can then take a little more time and learn more about different types of strings, pickups, wiring options, effects and instrument construction before you embark on your project. Again, the Talkbass site has separate forums for all these topics and numerous players who have experience playing reggae to get tips from. Yet, for some strange reason, you seem completely uninterested in using such a valuable resource. If you spend some time learning to play the bass you already have and reading about related topics on TB you will, in the end, be able to build a much better and functional instrument.
As a beginner, you obviously don't know much of anything about basses at this point, which is understandable. Yes, you could mount a bridge pickup closer to the neck but it would be better to use a pickup that's meant to be used in the neck position. Typically, bridge pickups are wound to a different resistance than neck pickups. They are each tailored for their positions. Strings produce different harmonics in different places along their length. They are brighter close to the bridge, so using a pickup that is designed to emphasize higher frequency harmonics in an area of the string that produces more of the lower, fundamental, tones will not be optimal.
I'm not into using effects so I don't know anything about the Korg Pandora's effectiveness as a preamp for a car stereo. Again, I would strongly suggest you check out the TB forums (Effects, Amps and Cabs - which would include preamps, Pickups and Electronics) for advice on what would be best for your specific application and for use in a reggae context. You might also consider using some type of headphone amp that's made specifically for practicing bass. It would likely be cheaper and you wouldn't have to worry about anyone around you complaining about your music or volume. https://www.talkbass.com/categories/general-forums-bg.246/
And, FYI, while reggae bass players do emphasize the neck pickup, most of the top players, including the famous ones you mentioned, use basses with two pickups so they have the option of blending in a little signal from the bridge pickup if they choose. They also seem to use fairly standard controls on their instruments (volume controls and tone controls in various configurations). There is also the option to use either passive or active electronics. Lots of detailed information over on the TB Pickups and Electronics forum - maybe even specific info on your favorite bassists' setup. My understanding is that they also use flatwound strings. There are big differences in tone between different strings, even those that have the same type of construction. For info on which brand is favored for reggae. . . well, you know where to look.
Shall I discard the old strings, you did point out they will need to come off? Seriously, what best use do you see for the strings coming off old "righty"? I am sure I can put the pickup back if needed
This medium of text is not adequate for conveying emotional content so please take this as a polite reply. I am not obligated to tell you why I cant buy a 10 dollar pickup from ebay but can walk into a store to buy one. Just be glad that you haven't had to know the difference yet and I hope you never do mate
Just about every issue you are raising has been something already accounted for earlier in this thread for the rational behind the direction. I wont go back and copy and paste or multi quote any further on this. Most items helping form my decisions were found on TB, only my question has been unanswered and so for a lot of noobs so I am not comfortable asking more there. Most of the info I have learned there was in topics between musicians. Quite a bit of positives on the Pandora stomp and its features for learners there too. My decision on it is pretty solid thanks for information on TB and like. Pandora Stomp has the headphone amp so I wont need another unless this one isn't any good
I love listening to those artists, hope is one day I might be able to create some of those sounds too but there is no rush mate. I am not really rushing to make something that I don't know anything about right now am I. I haven't even cut any wood yet. When I am ready to start working on more then the body you will see the pics. Until then mate how about I just keep reading up everywhere, keep working hard to get in the green again and be able to sort the righty out and the Pandora and in the meantime I can spend some idle time working on this lil wannabe bass built by the wannabe bassist (I am sure that txt medium didn't fail to convey the mood by the time I done writing)
On a brighter note, reason for not much progress.....
[url=https://flic.kr/p/UE5T72]
DSC04383 (2) by Jonny TooBad, on Flickr[/URL]
My lady made the cake after spending the leading up week watching online vids and things. I got her a mini dejembe. She never follows drum riddims I try to show her, instead she turns around and shows me the pattern she come up with 🙂
[url=https://flic.kr/p/UE5T72]
DSC04383 (2) by Jonny TooBad, on Flickr[/URL]My lady made the cake after spending the leading up week watching online vids and things. I got her a mini dejembe. She never follows drum riddims I try to show her, instead she turns around and shows me the pattern she come up with 🙂
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Beautiful kid - happy birthday to her! There is no better gift for kids than musical instruments. That's what I give my granddaughter, who will be 3 later this month.
To clarify my previous comments: First, I didn't make any regarding the used strings from your bass. By all means repurpose them for use on your experimental shorty. Also, if you buy pickups for the shorty it makes no difference where they come from. I'm all for supporting local businesses if you can get them locally for a reasonable price. Years ago, there were many sellers on eBay who would accept a money order for payment. I would regularly take cash to the Post Office or a bank and then drop the money order in the mail. Unfortunately, those days are gone since eBay now pressures sellers - especially commercial sellers - to use PayPal exclusively. That means you need a credit card. It sucks, I get it. My reference to eBay was only meant to show that pickups can be found for very little money. My point was that I think it's better to keep your existing bass intact and buy pickups for the shorty rather than to cannibalize your bass. And the bridge pickup from the bass will also be less than optimal in the neck position. So, do it right and use a pickup that is designed for the neck position since the cost minimal.
So, you see, I am in complete agreement that you should "sort the righty out", as you say. I'm just trying to encourage you to do it yourself rather than pay someone else to do it, especially since money is so tight for you at the moment. Believe me, I have been in that situation too - to the point where even the thought of spending $100 on something was completely out of the question. And, interestingly, I was just around your age when I was in that situation and due to similar personal circumstances. No traffic tickets, though. Switching the righty over to lefty is a much easier, and cheaper, project than building a shorty, so there's no reason not to DIY and have something to play.
The goal of my suggestions is to make it possible for you to start playing sooner and at a lower cost to you rather than creating a situation that delays your access to a playable instrument and will likely cost more.
To clarify my previous comments: First, I didn't make any regarding the used strings from your bass. By all means repurpose them for use on your experimental shorty. Also, if you buy pickups for the shorty it makes no difference where they come from. I'm all for supporting local businesses if you can get them locally for a reasonable price. Years ago, there were many sellers on eBay who would accept a money order for payment. I would regularly take cash to the Post Office or a bank and then drop the money order in the mail. Unfortunately, those days are gone since eBay now pressures sellers - especially commercial sellers - to use PayPal exclusively. That means you need a credit card. It sucks, I get it. My reference to eBay was only meant to show that pickups can be found for very little money. My point was that I think it's better to keep your existing bass intact and buy pickups for the shorty rather than to cannibalize your bass. And the bridge pickup from the bass will also be less than optimal in the neck position. So, do it right and use a pickup that is designed for the neck position since the cost minimal.
So, you see, I am in complete agreement that you should "sort the righty out", as you say. I'm just trying to encourage you to do it yourself rather than pay someone else to do it, especially since money is so tight for you at the moment. Believe me, I have been in that situation too - to the point where even the thought of spending $100 on something was completely out of the question. And, interestingly, I was just around your age when I was in that situation and due to similar personal circumstances. No traffic tickets, though. Switching the righty over to lefty is a much easier, and cheaper, project than building a shorty, so there's no reason not to DIY and have something to play.
The goal of my suggestions is to make it possible for you to start playing sooner and at a lower cost to you rather than creating a situation that delays your access to a playable instrument and will likely cost more.
Hi guys, apologies for dropping out. Personal circumstances became tougher and I had to drop all distractions to focus on getting control of the situation
I have been studying the subject further in that time. Studied the headless concept in further detail and its limitations. It appears to me that the cheapo ebay items are made from poor metals resulting in stripped threads and such. The only reliable ones appear to be Hipshot and Abmc or something and they are serious dollars!
I am taking a good look at the two brands ranges and can't help but think that it can be simpler, stronger and more reliable if given some KISS and thought. I have come up with two concepts that I can easily make at home over a couple of days
In that time have also been tuning up the franken-drumset and sorting my music library to pull out all the types of riddims that I want to setup for. Turns out that just about all of those are either performed by Sly & Robbie or music based on Kirtan beat. To the point where Sly & Robbie style dub reggae is starting to sound like Kirtan with bass guitar replacing the song of the sitar, duitar, santoor, harmonium and even vocals. I am starting to hear aurall equivalent of hallucination and Sly's hi hats and rim clicks sounding just like classic Kirtan manjeera, kartal and dhantal beat of 123 & 123
Anyway where I am going with all this? I have been thinking about what direction my meddling with bass and music is going to take. I also getting rid of the Jonny TooBad nick. While updating this thread I'll also introduce a concept that I would like to call E-Jam. I hope it will be of use to anyone with the ability and resources to exploit it commercially or just for personal achievement
Sorry for leaving the thread for so long
I have been studying the subject further in that time. Studied the headless concept in further detail and its limitations. It appears to me that the cheapo ebay items are made from poor metals resulting in stripped threads and such. The only reliable ones appear to be Hipshot and Abmc or something and they are serious dollars!
I am taking a good look at the two brands ranges and can't help but think that it can be simpler, stronger and more reliable if given some KISS and thought. I have come up with two concepts that I can easily make at home over a couple of days
In that time have also been tuning up the franken-drumset and sorting my music library to pull out all the types of riddims that I want to setup for. Turns out that just about all of those are either performed by Sly & Robbie or music based on Kirtan beat. To the point where Sly & Robbie style dub reggae is starting to sound like Kirtan with bass guitar replacing the song of the sitar, duitar, santoor, harmonium and even vocals. I am starting to hear aurall equivalent of hallucination and Sly's hi hats and rim clicks sounding just like classic Kirtan manjeera, kartal and dhantal beat of 123 & 123
Anyway where I am going with all this? I have been thinking about what direction my meddling with bass and music is going to take. I also getting rid of the Jonny TooBad nick. While updating this thread I'll also introduce a concept that I would like to call E-Jam. I hope it will be of use to anyone with the ability and resources to exploit it commercially or just for personal achievement
Sorry for leaving the thread for so long
Good to hear you're getting things sorted out and are able to focus on being creative again.
Life does have a way of distracting us from our hobbies and interests sometimes. I had a bit of a health issue last month and now we've got this major hurricane (Irma) bearing down us here in Florida. At this point it looks like it'll pass about 50 miles west of me overnight tonight and tomorrow morning. So we'll be in the strongest part of the storm. My house is surrounded by large trees so I'm just hoping I don't get crushed. That would definitely be a distraction. Yikes!
Back to your bass . . . that's one of the downsides of a headless design - the tuners are not very common and therefore aren't cheap. And I believe they also use a much different bridge design which is sometimes integrated with the tuner assembly. So, if you want to able to set the intonation accurately, you can't ignore that either. I've rebuilt a couple of old beat-up basses and used the cheapest of the regular style replacement tuners and they work fine. Probably not as smooth mechanically as the fancy replacement brands that cost 8 or 10 times as much but perfectly serviceable and they stay in tune. Going with a more mainstream design does have its benefits - cheap, decent quality, off-the-shelf, parts being a major one.
I would still suggest that you convert your full size bass to lefty. You may not be able to play it while seated in your cab but at least you could be playing and learning while at home and it would very cheap to convert it.
Thanks for the update. I was hoping you hadn't just given up.
Life does have a way of distracting us from our hobbies and interests sometimes. I had a bit of a health issue last month and now we've got this major hurricane (Irma) bearing down us here in Florida. At this point it looks like it'll pass about 50 miles west of me overnight tonight and tomorrow morning. So we'll be in the strongest part of the storm. My house is surrounded by large trees so I'm just hoping I don't get crushed. That would definitely be a distraction. Yikes!
Back to your bass . . . that's one of the downsides of a headless design - the tuners are not very common and therefore aren't cheap. And I believe they also use a much different bridge design which is sometimes integrated with the tuner assembly. So, if you want to able to set the intonation accurately, you can't ignore that either. I've rebuilt a couple of old beat-up basses and used the cheapest of the regular style replacement tuners and they work fine. Probably not as smooth mechanically as the fancy replacement brands that cost 8 or 10 times as much but perfectly serviceable and they stay in tune. Going with a more mainstream design does have its benefits - cheap, decent quality, off-the-shelf, parts being a major one.
I would still suggest that you convert your full size bass to lefty. You may not be able to play it while seated in your cab but at least you could be playing and learning while at home and it would very cheap to convert it.
Thanks for the update. I was hoping you hadn't just given up.
Take care with the cyclone mate, I think you know the drill. I recently spent 4 years honeymooning on a lil tropical island and experienced some
I dunno if you are still reading or thumping.
I just ran across this strange booklet: Ukulele Bass Manual
Attachments
Way back in March 2017, PeteMck suggested a ukulele bass might be a good solution, in post #2 of this thread.
The OP (who went by a different handle at that time, JonnyTooBad or something like that) kicked the u-bass idea around for a number of posts, but it seems to have disappeared somewhere along the way, before he too disappeared.
I hope all still goes well with him.
-Gnobuddy
The OP (who went by a different handle at that time, JonnyTooBad or something like that) kicked the u-bass idea around for a number of posts, but it seems to have disappeared somewhere along the way, before he too disappeared.
I hope all still goes well with him.
-Gnobuddy
U-Basses do seem strange but it's hard to imagine that they would sound like a bass . . . until you hear one. They sound very much like an upright. Check out some videos on YouTube.
I also suggested a U-Bass and still think it's the easiest solution. They can be bought, new, for under $150 and are even available in left-handed versions. If he could have saved $5 a week he could have gotten one by now. But the OP seems to be fixated on building something himself that incorporates a non-standard design. He does have fabrication experience and skills but apparently little to no budget and limited time. Ironically, a DIY project will probably cost more than an off-the-shelf instrument.
Hopefully he will make an appearance and report on his progress. Maybe he has built something. If not, it's a shame because it's been 8 months and he still may not have anything to use in his cab.
I also suggested that he modify his full sized right handed bass to lefty, a modification that would cost only a few dollars (a new nut and a set of strings is all it would take) so he could at least have something that would work at home. He didn't seem to want to go that route either.
I maybe did not understand the reference to U-Bass. That Selling-It! booklet made me understand the promise.
Whether he spends a hundred+ bucks, or two years carving, or gets a wider cab, is not our choice or problem.
I am mildly concerned because his last post mentioned someone else's cyclone, then ended mid-sentence. But he's weathered various storms before.
Whether he spends a hundred+ bucks, or two years carving, or gets a wider cab, is not our choice or problem.
I am mildly concerned because his last post mentioned someone else's cyclone, then ended mid-sentence. But he's weathered various storms before.
Hi all. Massive appologies for the lack of updates, been catching up with family since last post. Still only working five nights a week. Been nice after working seven nights over those 6 odd months. Here check out this pic. This is my lil gyals ukelele that I pinched ages ago and modded to bassish. Caught her impersonating daddy 🙂 Looks a lot like the one in that pic above :
DSC04779 by Jonny TooBad, on Flickr
Its sounds suprisingly good with that early Robbie Shakespere type midrange errm errp voice with a nice wooded thump, just not very loud, putting the bridge on the original location would have wasted the strings. Am able to thumb something that sounds a lot like "eden dub" and sounds nice to me. I just tried to find the sounds on the strings x lenght of reverb/thumb dampning. I havent started any lessons yet. Frankenuke isnt even tuned. Also been spending a some time setting up our drums
Last weekend I cut out the through body neck and wings. The curves and cutaways on the wings sit correctly on my thigh and my torso fits the upper curves, while seated in the vehicle or on the sofa. Design is fixed to 26" Scale Left Handed Headless Bass (optimistic about the bass part)
DSC04813
Pondering, whether to lower the wings by 6mm and plane down the body area of the through neck flush down to the wings. Benefit will be a one piece neck not requiring a saperate fingerboard layer. I am currently inclined this way
Mostly using hand planer, spoke shave and sanding boards from here on. Only electric tools so far are sunday markets large circular saw and grinder which were used to cut the neck and wings
Strings are the ones off the gumtree special "Erternity P-Jazz" which are currently on that uke fitted for the longest that body can accomodate from the nut to where I mounted the bridge (26"). I am going to put a pickup on that just for the hell of it sometime 🙂
Thank you for showing an interest in my project guys. Hey by the way re name change, sometimes common interests comes up in conversations with passengers and some have expressed interest in keeping up with the build in my hand by the cab so I can ask them to search on here using my biz card with has my name on it. Explaining "jonny toobad or short neck bass" is bit of mission
DSC04779 by Jonny TooBad, on FlickrIts sounds suprisingly good with that early Robbie Shakespere type midrange errm errp voice with a nice wooded thump, just not very loud, putting the bridge on the original location would have wasted the strings. Am able to thumb something that sounds a lot like "eden dub" and sounds nice to me. I just tried to find the sounds on the strings x lenght of reverb/thumb dampning. I havent started any lessons yet. Frankenuke isnt even tuned. Also been spending a some time setting up our drums
Last weekend I cut out the through body neck and wings. The curves and cutaways on the wings sit correctly on my thigh and my torso fits the upper curves, while seated in the vehicle or on the sofa. Design is fixed to 26" Scale Left Handed Headless Bass (optimistic about the bass part)
DSC04813Pondering, whether to lower the wings by 6mm and plane down the body area of the through neck flush down to the wings. Benefit will be a one piece neck not requiring a saperate fingerboard layer. I am currently inclined this way
Mostly using hand planer, spoke shave and sanding boards from here on. Only electric tools so far are sunday markets large circular saw and grinder which were used to cut the neck and wings
Strings are the ones off the gumtree special "Erternity P-Jazz" which are currently on that uke fitted for the longest that body can accomodate from the nut to where I mounted the bridge (26"). I am going to put a pickup on that just for the hell of it sometime 🙂
Thank you for showing an interest in my project guys. Hey by the way re name change, sometimes common interests comes up in conversations with passengers and some have expressed interest in keeping up with the build in my hand by the cab so I can ask them to search on here using my biz card with has my name on it. Explaining "jonny toobad or short neck bass" is bit of mission
I keep reading your last name as "Bass Singa", which in some parts of the USA is how you pronounce "Bass Singer".
With a last name like that, the universe must have intended you to be a bass player. Man who makes the bass sing, you know. 😀
Glad to hear you're okay, and your project is still proceeding. And that your daughter is still, obviously, foremost in your mind and your life. She is lucky to have a father who loves her so much.
-Gnobuddy
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Spent a bit of time this weekend on it. Sawed off and planed the back to remove excess wood from the 40mm blank, bringing the back flush to the 20mm thick wings. Flipped and about 4mm of the body area of the thru-neck to start the step down, hoping to avoid requiring a fingerboard layer
DSC04827 by Jonny TooBad, on Flickr
DSC04835 by Jonny TooBad, on Flickr
DSC04838 by Jonny TooBad, on Flickr
After doing all this work with a lil bent metal block plane, I finally found my old No. 5 Stanly. Should make things a lots easier finishing off the basic body shape next time
DSC04827 by Jonny TooBad, on FlickrDSC04835 by Jonny TooBad, on FlickrDSC04838 by Jonny TooBad, on FlickrAfter doing all this work with a lil bent metal block plane, I finally found my old No. 5 Stanly. Should make things a lots easier finishing off the basic body shape next time
Hi all, as I mentioned previously, I think this thread has run its course. What's getting built now is not a short neck but a sub-scale. We now have a direction to take with this instrument and we also been working on some of our existing gear. I'll start a new thread with the things we have been working on as there are a number of electronic issues to tackle. Massive thanks to all who have shared their knowledge
Randy
Randy
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