$100 Bass Challenge - 2groggy's Half Moon

[2groggy]

After a number of failed attempts at building an adjustable bridge from scrap, I gave up and modified a cheap guitar bridge by adding a couple of holes to spread 4 saddles evenly across.

I mounted the tuning machines, and now it seems a little neck heavy. I have long term plans to make this a headless bass, but I got to the point that I could string it up.

It has strings!

• 2groggy
• May 8, 2015

I also wired it up. The switches that I had in the spare parts bin couldn't handle the heat of soldering. I only ruined one in order to learn this. So I switched to crimp on connectors. I was following a wiring diagram from the Dimarzio website because I had originally been told that it wired the same. I was skeptical of how one switch could be used to make the HB behave in serial or parallel. When I plugged it in, the serial wiring worked, but the parallel wiring was dead. Given that I have two switched on the PG and am using crimp on clips, I can fool around with that later. The switch on the right in the picture was intended to be a kill switch. I may have to re-purpose it.

Inner side of pickguard

• 2groggy
• May 8, 2015

I'm about to head back into the shop and play with set-up and intonation.

 

[2groggy]

I'm going to call her done at the same $100 as in the first post. I'll count the parts and materials ruined in the process as mulligans (isn't that how most golfers count their score as under 100?)

Here's a couple of picture of her beside her older, but smaller sibling.

Siblings 1

• 2groggy
• May 11, 2015

Siblings 2

• 2groggy
• May 11, 2015

Their family traits are reclaimed wood, tung oil finish, purchased necks and cheapo made-in-asia components.

After a failed attempt at rewiring using crimp on connectors, I found a pair of solder on DPDT switches and came up with a scheme to have three possible settings - two coil in series, two coils in series out-of-phase and one coil only. All three settings work, but the difference in volume between each is dramatic. Single coil is half the volume of double coil (well that figures), and the out-of-phase is barely audible (in retrospect, that figures too). For now, I'll just use it in the loud position and eventually put in quality electronics and a less unsightly pickguard.

 

[aronnes71]

Nice bass, makes me taking up building again

Cheers
Tore

 

[2groggy]

Thanks,

It balances well sitting or standing. Now I have less excuses for my novice playing (in)ability.

 

[abarson]

I know this is resurrecting an old thread but I have a couple of questions.
1. Is the neck pocket in the plans correct for any Fender style neck, or did it require modification?
2. How does it sound? Are you happy with it?

 

[2groggy]

I know this is resurrecting an old thread but I have a couple of questions.
1. Is the neck pocket in the plans correct for any Fender style neck, or did it require modification?
2. How does it sound? Are you happy with it?

@abarson, I hadn't checked this thread in a while, so excuse the delayed response.

The G&L neck has an extra fret and a square butt, so I presume that it won't match a Fender template. I've never trusted a purchased neck to match a template, so I make a new template to match each neck, or even hand cut the neck pocket. I use a router to ensure that there is a flat bottom, but hand chisels to get the sides right.

I've got a P-bass pickup in it now so it sounds remarkably like a P-bass (being played by a hopeless hacker)