ACG Finished Work.

[Skelf]

Two stock basses ready for UK Bassday.

First up a Chambered piezo only Skelf fretless.

Prototype chambered body with piezo bridge.
Swamp Ash body with Myrtle back and front extra depth body.
3 piece Wenge/Ash neck with Indian Ebony board with fret lines no radius 33" scale strung E to C with TI flats.
Hipshot/Graphtech bridge and ACG EQ02 3K/S pre-amp.
Oil lubricated steel wool satin which is now the standard finish on ACG basses

Next a Recurve 6 single cut.

Swamp Ash body with 7 piece Wenge/Maple neck. Pao Ferro finger board with no radius.
ACG SB in bridge and RFB in neck ACG EQ01 pre-amp.
Hipshot Type A 17mm spacing
Schaller strap locks.
Oil lubricated steel wool satin finish.

 

[mikezimmerman]

These turned out great, Alan! I love the more "acoustic guitar" look that the dark headstock gives the chambered fretless, especially with the Skelf shape and lighter colored myrtle facings. As with several of your other basses, the whole thing comes off as very understatedly elegant.

What's your verdict on the impact that the thicker chambered body has on the sound?

I'm not sure how I feel about the look of the Recurve singlecut shape as a bolt-on--there are other shapes I like more--but I do like the simplicity of the solid ash body combined with the beautiful laminated neck.

What's the story behind the new standard "oil lubricated steel wool satin" finish?

Mike

 

[Skelf]

To be honest I am not sure. It started of as a proper experiment to find out what difference it makes. However over the course of the build I added more things like the bolt on neck and the ash neck the TI strings so to many things different to make any meaningful comparison. It does however sound very fretless if that makes sense. I had it at the Moffat Bass Bash and it went down very well.

The bolt on neck was done in order to get the bass finished on time as a set neck involves more work. The heel is not as atheistically pleasing as the set neck but there is plenty of room for upper fret access so it does work well. I intend to make some more Ash basses as I like the look of them and the sound. I have a fair amount of Swamp Ash some light some not so light but also some really nice white Northern Ash which is heavier but I think will look good.

I have been trying to get a satin finish that I was happy with. I have tried spraying it but never manged to get the finish I was looking for so always had to wet sand it back and then you are polishing and you lose the satin. I am happy with this finish,the oil stops the steel wool from cutting as much and while it is still a lot of small scratches I think it is a nice looking finish. I am using 0000 steel wool but have found some 00000 wool that I will be getting for this finish. This is now my standard finish and I ill be re working my pricing to possibly charge more for a gloss finish which requires more work in line with quiet a few other builders.

Alan

 

[richnota]

Im excited to see the Piezo Skelf!

Folks here who know me know I'm a big fan of piezo basses (I ordered the second version of the Skelf Piezo) and I've found that more than not they sound like....well....a bass.

A bit more responsive to hand positions. A quicker attack. A touch more dynamics. But ultimately pure piezo doesn't radically alter the electric bass premise. Though they tend to be very quiet.

In my experience light, resonant bodies sound best. Chambering and some more chambering is also a plus.

I'll be curious to hear if you're interested in making changes now the prototype is done.

 

[mikezimmerman]

Thanks, Alan. I've heard from builders before that getting a good glossy spray finish ends up requiring a great deal of time and effort, so I'm glad you've found something easier! Is this new finish more like an oil finish, or is is something different?

Mike

 

[Skelf]

HI
I will be changing to a set neck as I think it works better from an access point of view and it looks better. The access on the bolt on is good but I think it could be improved.
With regard to the rest of the construction I think every thing worked out pretty well.

The finish has the same type of feel as an oil finish or at least as close as you can get and still use lacquer.

 

[Skelf]

Another fretless.
Flame Sycamore top with a Butternut body. Black Ebony board with partial fretlines. 5 piece Maple/Mac Ebony neck.
RFB and piezo bridge into ACG EQ01.
Extender on the E string.
Oil lubricated steel wool satin finish.

Thanks to Martin for allowing me to take this bass to the Moffat Bass Bash,very much appreciated.

 

[mikezimmerman]

I remember noticing this one "in progress" under the Gallery for a while (I have my eye on all the Harlots! ) and thought I saw it in the Moffatt Bass Bash pics, but am really excited to finally see completed photos. Did this one start out with a ziracote board? How is the butternut as a body wood?

I hope my myrtle 5 comes out as beautifully as this one did!

Mike

 

[Skelf]

It did start with the Ziracote but I had a bit of a problem and had to bin it and replace the board. I think the Butter nut being a good bit lighter and softer than the usual Black Walnut works very well for a fretless.

 

[bassplace]

Looks amazing like the rest. Love the partial fret lines. You must be getting a lot of experience on matching woods for tone and balance.

dunc

 

[loopee]

what is the best body wood for a Myrtle top?

 

[Skelf]

Hi
The balance I think is more to do with the placement of the strap button on the upper horn. Anything round and below the 12th fret and the bass will balance. With regard to tone I don't think you can work in anything beyond generalisations for specific woods and to be honest I shy away from any pronouncements on which wood will give you which tone.

Not sure what you mean by best body if you could give me a bit more info I can maybe help.

 

[loopee]

What I meant by body wood is that I will be using Myrtle as a top on my next bass but I'm not sure whether i should use Swamp Ash or Mahogany for the body. I'm not sure which body wood's properties would best match with the Myrtle.......any thoughts on that?

 

[Skelf]

To be honest not really with regard to tone as I mentioned in the post above it is very subjective.
Either of the two body woods will result in a good sounding bass as both are excellent woods for the purpose. Not much help I know but I don't think there is a right or best answer with the choices.

 

[loopee]

OK, thanks. I understand it's all in the piece of wood you have and not just type. I was just trying to make my choice easier to make, lol

So I've picked Mahogany.....

 

[eldani77]

Very nice bass...I dont like four string at this moment...but this is really a beauty.....Could you tell me how did you decide the pickups location ????
seems to be very interesting....and what kind of sound do you look for with this???
awesome basses.....

 

[Skelf]

HI
The bridge pickup is in my normal position pretty close to a Jazz bass. The neck pickup is further back than normal as per the customers request. This is pretty close to the pickup layout on a Vigier bass which the customer has. It was also moved back to give more room for slapping. Normally I like the two pickups to be as far apart as possible in order to give as wide a range of tones as possible but I am quiet happy to place them where ever the customer likes.

 

[eldani77]

HI
The bridge pickup is in my normal position pretty close to a Jazz bass. The neck pickup is further back than normal as per the customers request. This is pretty close to the pickup layout on a Vigier bass which the customer has. It was also moved back to give more room for slapping. Normally I like the two pickups to be as far apart as possible in order to give as wide a range of tones as possible but I am quiet happy to place them where ever the customer likes.

Thanks for taking time to answer....but do you use some formula to calculate the position or is simply a matter of likes???
very nice basses......best

 

[Skelf]

Left to my own devices I put them pretty much in a Jazz bass position which gives me the difference in tone between the bridge and neck pickup that I am looking for. Also bear in mind I use humbuckers more than single coils so the aperture the string is sensed over is wider than a single coil. I also use different magnets in each pickup to further enhance that difference. A ceramic magnet in the bridge and alnico in the neck. However on single pickup basses or mag/piezo setups I position the pickup centreline 330 mm from the 12th fret. Having now moved various pickups in position I have not found one that I would say was bad only different from the norm. In the bass you mentioned the difference in tone between the two pickups was less than usual much as you would expect. The bridge pickup was what I expected to hear the neck less rounded and warm from being moved back nearer the bridge.

 

[eldani77]

Left to my own devices I put them pretty much in a Jazz bass position which gives me the difference in tone between the bridge and neck pickup that I am looking for. Also bear in mind I use humbuckers more than single coils so the aperture the string is sensed over is wider than a single coil. I also use different magnets in each pickup to further enhance that difference. A ceramic magnet in the bridge and alnico in the neck. However on single pickup basses or mag/piezo setups I position the pickup centreline 330 mm from the 12th fret. Having now moved various pickups in position I have not found one that I would say was bad only different from the norm. In the bass you mentioned the difference in tone between the two pickups was less than usual much as you would expect. The bridge pickup was what I expected to her the neck less rounded and warm from being moved back nearer the bridge.

Thanks...very nice to have information from a good source...
happy new year....