mcourter
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New Bass Build
I built a new bass from a CArvin kit. My brother in Michigan is out of work, a longtime guitarist like myself. I know he'd love to have a bass, so I built him one, and here it is.
post edited by mcourter - 2009/04/10 17:19:05
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A few guitars, a couple of basses, a MIDI controller, a mandolin, a banjo, a mic, PodFarm2 Unbridled Enthusiasm My music: www.Soundclick.com/markcourter
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mcourter
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RE: New Bass Build
2009/04/10 17:13:51
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It appears I can only do one pic per post, so here's another one, of the three instruments I've built so far:
post edited by mcourter - 2009/04/10 17:21:29
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Roflcopter
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RE: New Bass Build
2009/04/10 17:15:17
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That looks nice - I thought the attachment was a bigger picture  Would love to see it a bit closer up. Have to do much custom adjustments/fixes to the kit?
I'm a perfectionist, and perfect is a skinned knee.
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mcourter
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RE: New Bass Build
2009/04/10 17:19:49
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WEll, I was happy because I soldered the electronics properly on the first try, for a change. Otherwise, I only had to set up the action and intonation, which wasn't that far off to begin with. With the price of Korean made guitars, it might actually be cheaper to buy than to build, but I get an immense sense of satisfaction from playing guitars I built myself 
A few guitars, a couple of basses, a MIDI controller, a mandolin, a banjo, a mic, PodFarm2 Unbridled Enthusiasm My music: www.Soundclick.com/markcourter
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mcourter
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RE: New Bass Build
2009/04/10 17:21:59
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here's one a little closer
post edited by mcourter - 2009/04/10 17:30:09
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mcourter
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RE: New Bass Build
2009/04/10 17:25:09
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and the backside
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Roflcopter
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RE: New Bass Build
2009/04/10 17:27:43
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Hilarious picture, with that remark. Dogs and sniffing backsides... Hadn't considered a kit earlier, but maybe that's actually a pretty good compromise between off-the-rack and instant upgrade.... hmmm.
I'm a perfectionist, and perfect is a skinned knee.
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mcourter
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RE: New Bass Build
2009/04/10 17:53:37
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The only drawback to a kit is that you're stuck with the material THEY pick. So far that hasn't been a problem because i'm still just learning, but I can see, especially with a cheaper kit, that the electronics and hardware may be less than what I want. Again, no problem for those of us that like to tinker. I'd like to just buy parts and do it that way, but it's actually more expensive that way. Or get a cheap Korean guitar and replace parts as needed
A few guitars, a couple of basses, a MIDI controller, a mandolin, a banjo, a mic, PodFarm2 Unbridled Enthusiasm My music: www.Soundclick.com/markcourter
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Roflcopter
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RE: New Bass Build
2009/04/10 18:02:07
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The only drawback to a kit is that you're stuck with the material THEY pick. Yeah, and as far as the electronics etc that's not such a big deal, if money allows. But I've been doing some woodworking of late, and have become a pretty demanding customer as to quality. Never knew how invaluable a good piece of wood can be. Come to think of it, all I need is one extra saw for doing curved stuff, and I could start looking around for applicable chunks. Hmm. Even better. Maybe just go the Skullsession way, and select it all by hand. Can only blame yourself, then 
I'm a perfectionist, and perfect is a skinned knee.
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The Maillard Reaction
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RE: New Bass Build
2009/04/10 19:24:12
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They look nice... and immensely satisfying.
You're a nice brother.
best regards,
mike
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rstollen
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RE: New Bass Build
2009/04/10 23:09:01
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Hey mcourter - my weakness on building guitars is the paint. Do you mind describing your process?
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mcourter
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RE: New Bass Build
2009/04/11 01:01:39
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I still consider the finish to be my weak area too. With this one I made a lot of mistakes. Initially I dyed the alder, but was unhappy with the results. That's why I ended up painting the neck, which I will not do again subsequently. I used spray paint, I believe it was Krylon Royal Blue. The black burst was the hard part. I cut a template from construction type paper; I would recommend something heavier, more durable, as it was too flexible and bent down too readily. I did it five times to get it right, overspray being a problem. Go to www.projectguitar.com for an illustrated tutorial on the process. I used a clear acrylic lacquer over the paint. There are a LOT of online references for guitar building, and I;ve made considerable use of some of them.
A few guitars, a couple of basses, a MIDI controller, a mandolin, a banjo, a mic, PodFarm2 Unbridled Enthusiasm My music: www.Soundclick.com/markcourter
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rstollen
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RE: New Bass Build
2009/04/11 01:54:11
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ORIGINAL: mcourter
I still consider the finish to be my weak area too. With this one I made a lot of mistakes. Initially I dyed the alder, but was unhappy with the results. That's why I ended up painting the neck, which I will not do again subsequently. I used spray paint, I believe it was Krylon Royal Blue. The black burst was the hard part. I cut a template from construction type paper; I would recommend something heavier, more durable, as it was too flexible and bent down too readily. I did it five times to get it right, overspray being a problem. Go to www.projectguitar.com for an illustrated tutorial on the process. I used a clear acrylic lacquer over the paint. There are a LOT of online references for guitar building, and I;ve made considerable use of some of them.
Thanks for the response. I thought that maybe you used an HPLV spray gun. It looks like you have a nice gloss finish, which shows up nicely in the reflection of the chrome knobs. That was ambitious of you to do the burst. Nice work. It probably all comes down to practice and trial-and-error. Here is the extreme that I went through a couple of years ago just to avoid paint!
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mcourter
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RE: New Bass Build
2009/04/11 19:22:30
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Cool looking guitar. How does it sound?
A few guitars, a couple of basses, a MIDI controller, a mandolin, a banjo, a mic, PodFarm2 Unbridled Enthusiasm My music: www.Soundclick.com/markcourter
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Dave Modisette
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RE: New Bass Build
2009/04/11 20:55:22
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Thanks for the response. I thought that maybe you used an HPLV spray gun. It looks like you have a nice gloss finish, which shows up nicely in the reflection of the chrome knobs. That was ambitious of you to do the burst. Nice work. It probably all comes down to practice and trial-and-error.
Here is the extreme that I went through a couple of years ago just to avoid paint! I'm an acrylic fabricator by trade so I appreciate the sanding and buffing involved on that job. That's the tedious part of that build.
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rstollen
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RE: New Bass Build
2009/04/13 02:09:14
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ORIGINAL: mcourter
Cool looking guitar. How does it sound?
Thanks - I was concerned about the sound because of the acrylic. But the EMG Hz pickups (passive) sound good in this build. I used push/pull pots to split the pickups, and it seems to have a nice range of sounds.
8.5.1 PE, i7 920, GA-EX58-UD4P, 6gb Corsair DDR3, 2 x Barracuda 500gb, HIS Radeon GS-4670 Fanless 1gb DDR3, XP Pro SP3, dual 24" monitors, Axiom 61, Korg Triton Pro, Focusrite Saffire Pro 40, VG-99, Yamaha MSP5, Fostex PM0.5
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rstollen
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RE: New Bass Build
2009/04/13 02:26:31
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ORIGINAL: Mod Bod
Thanks for the response. I thought that maybe you used an HPLV spray gun. It looks like you have a nice gloss finish, which shows up nicely in the reflection of the chrome knobs. That was ambitious of you to do the burst. Nice work. It probably all comes down to practice and trial-and-error.
Here is the extreme that I went through a couple of years ago just to avoid paint!
I'm an acrylic fabricator by trade so I appreciate the sanding and buffing involved on that job. That's the tedious part of that build.
You are absolutely right. So on my next build, a 5-string bass, I ended painting inside the routs because my fingers were still recovering from all of the filing, sanding, and polishing on the guitar project. The back view gives a better idea of the polishing involved. There is only one screw-on piece, which is behind the tremolo springs.
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Guitarhacker
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RE: New Bass Build
2009/04/13 08:29:27
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Beware of the dog..... they have a nasty habit of jacking a leg to "mark their turf". I saw it happen to a brand new Gibson SG..... White with Gold hardware.... setting on a stand at a pig picking.... dog walks up.... sniffs...and marks....all before the owner or anyone else could do anything....
Boy was he ......mad.
Dog was like..."what did I do?"
My website & music: www.herbhartley.com MC4/5/6/X1e.c, on a Custom DAW Focusrite Firewire Saffire Interface BMI/NSAI "Just as the blade chooses the warrior, so too, the song chooses the writer "
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mcourter
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RE: New Bass Build
2009/04/13 11:43:33
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Herb, ol' Dudley knows his Master pretty well. He knows there are certain things that are strictly out of bounds, my guitars being foremost on the list. Sniffing is okay, but that's the limit. Actually he used to be frightened by my guitars, but he's gotten over that.
A few guitars, a couple of basses, a MIDI controller, a mandolin, a banjo, a mic, PodFarm2 Unbridled Enthusiasm My music: www.Soundclick.com/markcourter
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