First mockup for 2nd build

Bardolph · #1 11-13-2006, 12:06 AM

I always really liked the look of Pedulla Raptures, so the body is pretty much a Rapture with slight modifications. And the pickguard is Lecompte-inspired (if Bud is ok with that).

I'm still not sure of exact specs, but here's what I'm thinking.

Swamp ash body
White pearloid pickguard
3 pc wenge/maple/wenge neck
Maple fretboard w/ black binding
Chrome hardware

The 12th inlay will be more than just a block, but I know I want something simple and black. If anybody has a cool idea, or maybe can draw a cool looking B (for Bardolph "custom" I guess).
As for pickups, I'm pretty sure I want to go with humbuckers. I was thinking about bartolini, but from what I read they sound like they may be a bit tame sounding. I'm looking for an agressive growl, but not EMG sparkly. Something like a Cirrus, or a less trebley Ken Smith.
So, any comments or suggestions?

Phil Mastro · #2 11-13-2006, 10:49 AM

Looks nice. You could look into Nordstrand pickups. I don't know if they'd be your cup of tea, but the service is great and the people are nice.

Bardolph · #3 11-13-2006, 11:46 PM

The inverted version, although I don't know if I'd keep the headstock white too. I'm not sure which I like better.
Would I be running into neck dive issues with a wenge neck on a swamp ash body? I have the horn going about to the 11th fret instead of the 12th. Should it be longer?

Bardolph · #4 11-15-2006, 03:40 AM

All right, I just had another idea.

I'm thinking of routing a normal size cavity for the bridge pickup and a lengthened cavity for the neck pickup. That way I can experiment with different neck positions to find what I like best and then route the pickup hole in the pickguard, and the pickguard will just cover the unoccupied area in the cavity. Does anybody see any drawbacks in this? Will the sound be affected by the amount of removed wood or having sort of a "floating" pickup?

Suburban · #5 11-15-2006, 04:54 AM

Yes and yes.
Less wood will have a small influence on the sound.
"Floating pup"...well, I suppose you intend to fix it with screws or something. I would definitely not recommend letting it just lie there, held only by the pickguard. It would then move in and out from the surface of the body, which would sound fishy, and be a high risk of pup failure. When fixed, the position of the pup has pretty musch influence on the sound, so the relative ease to try out different places may be a tangible benfit!

Bardolph · #6 11-15-2006, 05:00 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Suburban

Yes and yes.
Less wood will have a small influence on the sound.
"Floating pup"...well, I suppose you intend to fix it with screws or something. I would definitely not recommend letting it just lie there, held only by the pickguard. It would then move in and out from the surface of the body, which would sound fishy, and be a high risk of pup failure. When fixed, the position of the pup has pretty musch influence on the sound, so the relative ease to try out different places may be a tangible benfit!

Yeah I'd definitely have the pickup properly screwed into the wood. All I meant by "floating" was that two of the sides wouldn't have wood next to them. Soundwise, does a pickup benefit from being completely surrounded by wood? Maybe when I had the position decided on I could use scraps from the body wood to make little blocks to glue into the rest of the cavity?

fish man · #7 11-15-2006, 05:54 PM

No good reason that should be an issue.

Bardolph · #8 11-16-2006, 04:42 AM

All right, I think I'm gonna go for that large cavity idea. Got a few questions about the woods though.
I'm thinking about using a swamp ash body with a wenge/maple/wenge laminate neck. Now I know wenge is heavy and swamp ash is light. Will I be battling neck dive? Can a balanced bass be built from these woods with an extended horn and a higher strap button on the large end of the body?
I've also heard mixed things about swamp ash. I've heard it's got a nice growl to it, but I've also heard it has a scoop in the midrange. Now I've always associated growl with midrange, so I'm a bit confused. I'm thinking of using nordstrand fatstacks, so I'm wanting this to be a growl machine that can really cut through a mix but won't kill my back. Am I on the right route with swamp ash and wenge?

Suburban · #9 11-17-2006, 01:43 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bardolph

Yeah I'd definitely have the pickup properly screwed into the wood. All I meant by "floating" was that two of the sides wouldn't have wood next to them. Soundwise, does a pickup benefit from being completely surrounded by wood? Maybe when I had the position decided on I could use scraps from the body wood to make little blocks to glue into the rest of the cavity?

Minimal influence. So small I need an even smaller text to tell about it...