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Anybody recognise this bass
- Thread starter BassVibes
- Start date
It Debbie Googe from My Bloody Valentine. On that pic she's playing with Thurston Moore (ex Sonic Youth)
Synthpunk
Commercial User
- Apr 30, 2017
- 8
- 21
- Disclosures
- Im a roadie and i also run a small business in the UK that makes stuff for people- synthpunk industries.
Hehehe!
Thanks!
I made it. Im one of mbv's techs (i look after kevins amp and effects, and make one off pedals and amps), and trained as a luthier many years ago, so i was asked to make debbie this bass for the 2013 tour.
Shes a 34" scale length semi with brazillian mahogany back and sides and sitka spruce top. The centre is solid flamed mahogany. I wound the pickups myself, they are my special 'secret sauce' bass soapbars. Custom wound and voiced by kevin and myself. They roar. Gotoh hardware, and a maple and rosewood bolt-on neck. There were two necks made, i still have the original. It has a different headstock outline, looks like a potsmokin' pixies hat. Which gave rise to her name, which is Pixie.
Ill post some pics in a bit to prove this isnt all bull, obviously...
Synthpunk
Commercial User
- Apr 30, 2017
- 8
- 21
- Disclosures
- Im a roadie and i also run a small business in the UK that makes stuff for people- synthpunk industries.
I still have all the patterns for the wooden bits, id like to make some more at some point. I quite fancy a guitar version. As you can see from the pics, Pixie has actually been 3 different colours (two different blues, and metalflake silver) and once almost had a scratchplate.
Synthpunk
Commercial User
- Apr 30, 2017
- 8
- 21
- Disclosures
- Im a roadie and i also run a small business in the UK that makes stuff for people- synthpunk industries.
The design inspiration is mosrite meets thunderbird with a dash of rickenbacker and a few drops of hofner. Or at least, thats what kev asked for... shes also very light in weight, which is what Debbie asked for
Soundwise, shes enormous. Really really hot in level, with lots of midrange available, as well as a solid low end and a nice ricky like clank at the top. The switching circuitry is all rather involved, but basically involves various series/parallel permutations of different coils and tone circuits in a sort of loud/Louder/LOUDEST sort of scheme.
I did originally build her with Bartolinis and an EBS bass preamp, but the passive pickups mopped the floor with the actives when at battle volume with the band.
Cheers!
Rich
Soundwise, shes enormous. Really really hot in level, with lots of midrange available, as well as a solid low end and a nice ricky like clank at the top. The switching circuitry is all rather involved, but basically involves various series/parallel permutations of different coils and tone circuits in a sort of loud/Louder/LOUDEST sort of scheme.
I did originally build her with Bartolinis and an EBS bass preamp, but the passive pickups mopped the floor with the actives when at battle volume with the band.
Cheers!
Rich
Synthpunk
Commercial User
- Apr 30, 2017
- 8
- 21
- Disclosures
- Im a roadie and i also run a small business in the UK that makes stuff for people- synthpunk industries.
We did try her with a maple neck but she didnt sound as huge- it was like we'd filtered all the LOUD out of the signal. The rosewood fretboard makes a BIG difference.
Congrats on building a fantastic looking and sounding bass. I heard her on it playing with Thurston Moore. Spent quite a while trying to find one on t'internet after getting the gas for it. But looks like I'm not gonna get lucky here. If ever you decide to build any more I'm in. What a bass!!
[QUOTE="SynthpunkWe did try her with a maple neck but she didnt sound as huge- it was like we'd filtered all the LOUD out of the signal. The rosewood fretboard makes a BIG difference.
I will have to trust you on that and my compliments on a fine looking bass. Perhaps you have found a higher calling?
I will have to trust you on that and my compliments on a fine looking bass. Perhaps you have found a higher calling?
Synthpunk
Commercial User
- Apr 30, 2017
- 8
- 21
- Disclosures
- Im a roadie and i also run a small business in the UK that makes stuff for people- synthpunk industries.
Im just heading out for the summer season so i wont be in my workshop till end august, but like i say- ive still got the patterns and jigs!
I need to sort throu the whole CITES thing first as well... Rosewood fretboard. Damn.
I made myself this SG at the same time as i was working on Pixie-
Semi solid, 100% indian rosewood neck/body/fretboard, all from the same huge plank. Wont be making any more like this ever again...
I need to sort throu the whole CITES thing first as well... Rosewood fretboard. Damn.
I made myself this SG at the same time as i was working on Pixie-
Semi solid, 100% indian rosewood neck/body/fretboard, all from the same huge plank. Wont be making any more like this ever again...
Synthpunk
Commercial User
- Apr 30, 2017
- 8
- 21
- Disclosures
- Im a roadie and i also run a small business in the UK that makes stuff for people- synthpunk industries.
Cool! 
I do have a large piece of flamed english boxwood thats about the size of a fretboard. Its really heavy and dense, like creamy ebony. And very definitely not rosewood... ;c)
No idea what it would sound like, but at a guess, smilar to ebony maybe. Its not as oily as rosewood so the tone will probably be more top and bottom, and less complex in the mids.
I have various homegrown theories about why different woods sound different. Personally I like the sound of naturally oily resinous wood. Like rosewood. Oops. Id love to try some australian woods sometime.
I do have a large piece of flamed english boxwood thats about the size of a fretboard. Its really heavy and dense, like creamy ebony. And very definitely not rosewood... ;c)
No idea what it would sound like, but at a guess, smilar to ebony maybe. Its not as oily as rosewood so the tone will probably be more top and bottom, and less complex in the mids.
I have various homegrown theories about why different woods sound different. Personally I like the sound of naturally oily resinous wood. Like rosewood. Oops. Id love to try some australian woods sometime.
Synthpunk
Commercial User
- Apr 30, 2017
- 8
- 21
- Disclosures
- Im a roadie and i also run a small business in the UK that makes stuff for people- synthpunk industries.
Just to clarify- the maple neck didnt sound bad. It was more breathy and open, and a little more acoustic sounding. But kevin had specific ideas about where the frequencies had to be, and the rosewood board necks had it.
Kevin has specific ideas about the frequencies of everything. He can hear stuff even the bats miss. Amazing ears. We prototyped a lot of stuff over that tour, making sure everything was spot on. Fuzzes, tremoloes, guitar bridges, speaker cabs, this bass, various pickups and signal conditioners and special black boxes.. all kinds of mad science. Working with mbv is the Most Fun.
We also developed a bass fuzz on the same tour, that completely nails the mbv earthquakin bass tone. I wired the prototype during soundcheck at the hammersmith apollo. Very lemmy.
Kevin has specific ideas about the frequencies of everything. He can hear stuff even the bats miss. Amazing ears. We prototyped a lot of stuff over that tour, making sure everything was spot on. Fuzzes, tremoloes, guitar bridges, speaker cabs, this bass, various pickups and signal conditioners and special black boxes.. all kinds of mad science. Working with mbv is the Most Fun.
We also developed a bass fuzz on the same tour, that completely nails the mbv earthquakin bass tone. I wired the prototype during soundcheck at the hammersmith apollo. Very lemmy.
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Do you
Really interested in the Debbie gouge Rig
Do you still make pickups and pedals?
Really interested in the Debbie gouge Rig
