Hi everyone
It,s been a while since my last post. I've been lurking your amazing builds here now and then, but been occupied with scratchies I've built for my friends. Not so much building kits anymore but if anyone has asked about the best route to start building, I've guided them to this amazing forum and best supplier of kits.
Anyways, since my main instrument is a bass, I finally got to designing my own. Always have wondered what the offspring of a Jazz bass and a Rick 4003 would look like. Then I started to draw free hand with help of just jazz bass measurements.
Made the upper horn 2cm longer since the jazz feels a bit neck heavy. Also chose the tuner configuration of a Rick to balance it even more.
Since almost everyone said that pine and birch are bad choices for tonewood - I stubborn as I am chose to prove them wrong. Made these for myself and my cousin who supplied the pine from his own yard. All domestic wood and two most common firewoods here. Wanted to make something that would look good hanging in an old log cabin. Would love to try out some Aussie woods for builds but can't get them to Europe.
Specs:
* 34" scale and 12" radius on fretboard, 6 degree angle on headstock (plenty enough for string tension)
* Bodyine dead while standing (hence the natural gray color in the middle)
* Neck : birch from a carpenter wood supplier
* Fretboard: flamed arctic birch found from back of my father-in-law's garage
* 3mm x 7mm Carbon fiber rods to support the neck
* Two way truss rod
* Wilkinson tuners
* Abalone dots and black plastic side dots
* Jescar stainless steel frets
* Bone nut
* Schaller 3D4 bridge
* EMG MMTW active pickup with coil split and tone+volume positioned on the calculated "sweet spot"
* Black pearl scratch plates
* Strap locks
* Body water based mild gray stain sanded off topped with Tru Oil
* Neck treated with Tru Oil
* D'Addario stainless steel strings
* Weight only 3,7 kg's and very well balanced
* the neck is a hybrid between a jazz and P neck. 40mm nut width and P profile from 5:th fret up. 21-23mm thickness.
* Action on 12:th fret is 1,5-2mm with no buzz unless you start digging
These I made to my liking and no one else. Nothing fancy, very simple config but they play like a charm.
Keep up the good work and hope you like these ones. More pics in comments