Wishbass Club Part 11 - 'When you Wish upon a Mwaaah!'

[BrianMarc]

All,

FYI, I have placed my recently refinished Wishbass Stude, #1308 up for sale on TB in the classifieds.

I am only selling this to help cover some expenses for my child: overnight camp and braces. I am extremely happy with the final refinished product. I will miss it.

Here are links to the amazing job that TR did on the project.

http://www.davesbassplace.com/DavesBassPlace/1308.html.
http://www.davesbassplace.com/DavesB...08_Photos.html

Thanks.

Brian

[loopee]

Brian
I can't find the thread.....when did you put it up?

How much $$? How much does it weigh?

[loopee]

Thanks for the reply

Yes, it would be my first WishBass

I understand why I should have it shipped to me first but that would add 3 shipments from US/Cda for $150-$200 and I'd rather put that $$ on the refinish (I'm kinda low on $$).....also, knowing how thick the necks are I'd never be able to play it anyway...I have very small hands and short fingers.....thirdly, from what I've seen of your (and TR's) work and abilities, I think you'd be able to come up with the goods with the input I'd be giving you.....I'll go over the thread one more time and check out which of your "works" that appeals to me the most.....if you can help me with picking the proper woods for a lightweight bass from the woods that Steve has (have no clue how heavy ambrosia or persimmon are...didn't even know they could be used for instrument making)....maybe we could do the same as you did not too long ago when you had Steve glue the woods together but leave the design to you...I quite liked that one.........I just need lightweight with a small enough neck (I know they don't have a trussrod) as possible.........I would let these 2 things make the bass happen, don't really care what wood is used, all those WishBasses are art and all my other basses are oneoff custom basses and I'm into "art"......

LP

Originally Posted by 49sfine

lopee: Thanks for your interest. Personally, if this is your first Wishbass, I would want it shipped to you first, prior to sending it out for a refin. I would want you to at least inspect it, play it, and just handle the bass for a couple of weeks before sending it off. My past experience with this (again, if you are a first time owner) is that too much can get lost in translation, so to speak, if you have not had a chance to get to know your Wishbass before work begins on it. (Also, as TR has stated, you might want to do some of the work yourself, or even all of it.) I realize that this will entail additional shipping charges, but it is worth it, especially when it comes to trying to figure out certain mods, changes or pre-existing issues on your Wishbass with the refinisher. Plus, it will really, really help you appreciate your finished bass more if you have personally experienced it in it's orginal state! If I can help further in any way, please feel free to let me know.

[loopee]

Thank you
I'm on the West Coast (Vancouver Canada) so I guess Texas would be closest, though it doesn't really matter much.....I'd be happy with either 49er or TR though 49er has contacted me already so he's the one I guess....lol

Originally Posted by Upstate SC Bass

I have Wishbasses reworked by both TR and 49s --- both are very detail oriented and take great pride in quality and do great work.

I can recommend them both from firsthand experience!!!

Tom

[Thunderitter]

The weight of wood can vary significantly depending on the tree even for the same species! However, of the woods Steve uses regularly, Poplar is most likely going to be the lightest. Down side there is that it tends to be fairly 'dull' when it comes to appearance. The lightest Wishbass (The Orange Thunder) I've come across was just over 6lbs in weight finished - I stained that Orange to liven the appearance up a little.

I'm currently refinishing a Scarab which is semi-hollow and I'd have thought that this type if construction would be the way to go if you're looking for lightness. It's currently just over 5lbs (as a 34") should should end up at about 6lbs. This bass has a Poplar core; downside with this bass is that the top and back are ply-wood - again this would be one for stain, although I'm prepping this one for paint.

Other lighter weight wood options would be Spanish Cedar or Cherry - they have a bit more character too!

[BrianMarc]

Loopee,

I answered your question on the classified..

FYI, it is 6.9 lbs and 34" scale.

Thanks!
Brian

[Thunderitter]

Originally Posted by BrianMarc

Loopee,

I answered your question on the classified..

FYI, it is 6.9 lbs and 34" scale.

Thanks!
Brian

I think we cut 1lb off!

[BrianMarc]

HAAAAAA!!!!!!

[loopee]

Thank you TR

Orange.....hmmmm.....my favorite color and 6 lbs ?
Yeah....that's what I'm talkin' about....!!!!!! Do you have pics?

Isn't that interesting......My first thought in regards to wood was a cherry core and cedar top or vice/verca....

I've been wanting a Candy Tangerine Bass for a while now so even if the woods were uninteresting, finishing it in Candy Tangerine would be cool though I was hoping to keep this bass looking like a wood bass, if you know what I mean.....

Originally Posted by Thunderitter

The weight of wood can vary significantly depending on the tree even for the same species! However, of the woods Steve uses regularly, Poplar is most likely going to be the lightest. Down side there is that it tends to be fairly 'dull' when it comes to appearance. The lightest Wishbass (The Orange Thunder) I've come across was just over 6lbs in weight finished - I stained that Orange to liven the appearance up a little.

I'm currently refinishing a Scarab which is semi-hollow and I'd have thought that this type if construction would be the way to go if you're looking for lightness. It's currently just over 5lbs (as a 34") should should end up at about 6lbs. This bass has a Poplar core; downside with this bass is that the top and back are ply-wood - again this would be one for stain, although I'm prepping this one for paint.

Other lighter weight wood options would be Spanish Cedar or Cherry - they have a bit more character too!

[loopee]

Thanks Brian

It's a great looking bass.....but I think I'm going to stay with 30" cause that's what I'm used to with my "old" arthritic hands......

Originally Posted by BrianMarc

Loopee,

I answered your question on the classified..

FYI, it is 6.9 lbs and 34" scale.

Thanks!
Brian

[Thunderitter]

Originally Posted by loopee

Thank you TR

Orange.....hmmmm.....my favorite color and 6 lbs ?
Yeah....that's what I'm talkin' about....!!!!!! Do you have pics?
.........

You'll gets pics on my refin section at my web page in my sig

[jandscotten]

Okay the G and D string are absolutely unplayable to about the 5th fret. E and A were okay.
so found a real unevenness to the fretboard. Hand sanded that to pretty flat and the result the G/D stayed the same and the A got a worse. Sanded a bit more but more specifically right behind where it clears up, around the 6th fret, toward the nut, very little improvement but a fraction better.
So I thought I'd take a break, glue the head and let it sit overnight and check in with you guys for wisdom on the fret board.

thanks,
J

[MARCOvdBoogert]

very long strokes, patience, low grid sandingpaper, long sturdy sandingblock, steel ruler.....all you need to level your FB.
Besides the FB, check the height of the nut. Maybe there's a problem also.

[MARCOvdBoogert]

Originally Posted by MARCOvdBoogert

While changing the headstock (making it a bit slimmer)....
would there be someone interested to own this bass?
The sound is awesome and a absolutely sick sustain.

[jbybj]

Originally Posted by jandscotten

Okay the G and D string are absolutely unplayable to about the 5th fret. E and A were okay.
so found a real unevenness to the fretboard. Hand sanded that to pretty flat and the result the G/D stayed the same and the A got a worse. Sanded a bit more but more specifically right behind where it clears up, around the 6th fret, toward the nut, very little improvement but a fraction better.
So I thought I'd take a break, glue the head and let it sit overnight and check in with you guys for wisdom on the fret board.

thanks,
J

Originally Posted by MARCOvdBoogert

very long strokes, patience, low grid sandingpaper, long sturdy sandingblock, steel ruler.....all you need to level your FB.
Besides the FB, check the height of the nut. Maybe there's a problem also.

I have worked on many of my Wishbasses, and consider myself pretty handy with tools. Still, fingerboard leveling is something that I only ever seem to get 90 -95% "there".

First you don't mention if you removed the nut. The nut needs to come off so you can make nice even, complete strokes across the both ends of the board. As Marco says, you need a good metal flat edge to check your progress frequently.

In this area of fingerboard inconsistencies, a very small variation can leave you with buzz. The end result will have to be very precise, and flat. The long sanding block will help with applying even pressure over large areas. Patience. It will take a long time, and you need to check and recheck your progress, as you will need to favor the humps with more pressure.

I consider fingerboard leveling and cutting of nuts to be an art form. For all but a couple of my efforts, I have had to rely on the skill of artisans to get the needed results. I wish you the best, but don't give up too soon.

When you finally do get it leveled, playing it will be very rewarding.

JBY

[Thunderitter]

Echoing the previous posts I'd check the nut. The geometry without a truss rod is such that it's more likely to be the nut than the board. In my experience Steve never set's his basses as low as they'll go and if he did you'd be buzzing in the around the 12th fret.

To troubleshoot this you can use a piece of card under the string at the nut to raise it a little and see what happens. If it's still buzzing then use a little more card. If the buzzing stops then that's the problem. A ready reckoned is that you should be able to slide a credit card under the strings at the nut.

[loopee]

30 or 34 ?

Originally Posted by MARCOvdBoogert

While changing the headstock (making it a bit slimmer)....
would there be someone interested to own this bass?
The sound is awesome and a absolutely sick sustain.

[Thunderitter]

Pretty sure that's a 34". Here's what a 30" looks like: before and after

[MARCOvdBoogert]

34" Still love that hipper TR!

[loopee]

yes, definitely one heck of a bass