ACG Recurve 5 custom build diary

Scoopbass · #1 02-16-2011, 06:10 AM

A build thread for my Australian Blackwood ACG Recurve single cut fiver which will be the seventh ACG in my stable.

This one will have Blackwood front and back with 4mm Sycamore accents and a Spanish Cedar core. I decided to go with a bolt-on neck for this singlecut on a whim and it's to be a five laminate wenge/maple/padauk arrangement with an acrylic impregnated Flame Sycamore board.

Pickups will be a SB at the bridge and an RFB at the neck. The biggest change to the specs of my other ACG full customs will be the pre-amp as I've decided to go with a custom East Retro. My decision is based solely upon the fact that I don't have a full custom build with anything other than the ACG EQ01 and I like a bit of variety.

I spent hardly anytime at all choosing the woods for this one. The billet of Blackwood was one of the first pieces I saw and I fell in love with it. It's visually very similar to Koa but it's figured so beautifully that it knocks pretty much every piece of koa I've ever seen into the proverbial cocked hat.

Piccies...

The billet.

Bookmatched for the top

And the top together with the spanish cedar body and sycamore accents.

BassMan4Him · #2 02-16-2011, 06:20 AM

Really nice looking! Love that top!

eude · #3 02-16-2011, 06:56 AM

Subscribed

BassGreaser · #4 02-16-2011, 07:01 AM

WOW the wood choices.. hell I'll take just the blank boards please!! looking forward to the build

tombowlus · #5 02-16-2011, 09:11 AM

That's going to be a great choice, I'm sure! Nice choice of Spanish cedar as a body wood, especially when you are going to be adding laminations.

Scoopbass · #6 02-16-2011, 09:23 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tombowlus

That's going to be a great choice, I'm sure! Nice choice of Spanish cedar as a body wood, especially when you are going to be adding laminations.

I already have an ACG with spanish cedar as the core. It's a fabulous tonewood and fairly lightweight which is the main reason why I went with it again for this build.

Hoover · #7 02-16-2011, 09:28 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Scoopbass

...which will be the seventh ACG in my stable.

I hate you!

(j/k)

Scoopbass · #8 02-16-2011, 10:20 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Hoover

I hate you!

Get to the back of the line!

eude · #9 02-16-2011, 10:22 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Scoopbass

Get to the back of the line!

Should I perhaps start a build thread for this "line"?...

mikezimmerman · #10 02-16-2011, 11:16 AM

Beautiful woods! I look forward to seeing how the sycamore accents look with other woods on the Recurve singlecut shape, especially as a bolt-on. I've been dreaming about (and trying to picture in a my head) a Recurve S-type fretless with similar woods for a while, though it's not something that will be in the budget for a good long time...

Scoopbass · #11 02-18-2011, 05:50 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mikezimmerman

Beautiful woods! I look forward to seeing how the sycamore accents look with other woods on the Recurve singlecut shape, especially as a bolt-on. I've been dreaming about (and trying to picture in a my head) a Recurve S-type fretless with similar woods for a while, though it's not something that will be in the budget for a good long time...

Budgets? What are budgets? Are they the things that none bass playing wives mention?

loopee · #12 02-18-2011, 06:02 AM

Blackwood .......nice.....what other tonewood is it similar to in tone?

Scoopbass · #13 02-18-2011, 06:13 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by loopee

Blackwood .......nice.....what other tonewood is it similar to in tone?

The Spanish cedar will be the dominant wood in terms of tone which I once heard described as "British Army officer tone" in so far as it's polite but authoratative. Not entirely sure what that means, in truth, but I liked the description.

Blackwood is, I expect, a little like a cross between walnut and mahoghony. TBH, tho, I'm not too sure that I actually hold with the notion that there are huge differences between various tonewoods. I'm yet to be convinced that the differences are anything other than "what you want to hear".

I think the differences between basses' tones has far more to do with pickups, preamps, your fingers, your strings, the age of your strings, your amp and your playing style. Woods add subtle colours, I reckon, not massive differences.

mikezimmerman · #14 02-18-2011, 07:29 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Scoopbass

Budgets? What are budgets? Are they the things that none bass playing wives mention?

In my case, the bank rather than the wife (or soon-to-be-wife), but only because she doesn't know about the Recurve I already have in the works!

Quote:

Originally Posted by Scoopbass

The Spanish cedar will be the dominant wood in terms of tone which I once heard described as "British Army officer tone" in so far as it's polite but authoratative. Not entirely sure what that means, in truth, but I liked the description.

I haven't see too many Spanish cedar basses, but the Roscoe I played with a Spanish cedar body was very light and resonant, and the tone was more "acoustic" and responsive than the swamp ash one next to it.

tombowlus · #15 02-18-2011, 07:46 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mikezimmerman

I haven't see too many Spanish cedar basses, but the Roscoe I played with a Spanish cedar body was very light and resonant, and the tone was more "acoustic" and responsive than the swamp ash one next to it.

This is why they work so well with fancy tops/backs, IME/IMHO. Spanish cedar can take all those glue lines and extra slabs of wood, and still sound resonant, open, and balanced. Many other woods begin to get a good bit more dark and compressed when you start adding laminations. I think I have four basses, now, with Spanish cedar body cores, and they all sound great!

Tom.

Scoopbass · #16 02-22-2011, 05:40 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tombowlus

This is why they work so well with fancy tops/backs, IME/IMHO. Spanish cedar can take all those glue lines and extra slabs of wood, and still sound resonant, open, and balanced. Many other woods begin to get a good bit more dark and compressed when you start adding laminations. I think I have four basses, now, with Spanish cedar body cores, and they all sound great!

Tom.

It's probably my favourite core wood. My old red Roscoe, which I sold on a few years ago, used to have a spanish cedar core too and that was a lovely bass also.

It strikes me that not many folk may know the Recurve SC body shape (rather than the Recurve S-Type which Tom, above, had a hand in shaping). It'll be the same as the one in this photo although mine will have a different pickup configuration and will be fretted.

(With apologies to Alan at ACG for stealing the photo from his site).

Scoopbass · #17 03-22-2011, 03:19 PM

I have updates!

and finally, a pic of the fretboard (far right) which I've had for ages but have never posted up.

It's all beginning to take shape and I'm really pleased with the progress Alan's made. It's going to be a beautiful bass!

Scoopbass · #18 05-06-2011, 04:41 AM

Another update pic showing the neck laminates of padouk, sycamore and wenge. This bass is really coming together nicely. The woods appear to compliment each other perfectly, which is what you hope for when you select them, but you never know for sure until you see them together like this. Very happy.

mikezimmerman · #19 08-27-2011, 08:33 AM

There are a few more updates on this one aren't there, Scoop?

Scoopbass · #20 08-28-2011, 01:58 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mikezimmerman

There are a few more updates on this one aren't there, Scoop?

Apparently so.

I've had a week away from the PC, and it's been heavenly.

I've only just spotted the updates from Alan - I'll update this page tomorrow or Tuesday.