Well, the project begins. I've got the deposit on its way. Now if only I can pick a body shape...
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Big fan of his single cut shapes. Have a Dola, with a SCB on order. Big McNeely is a fun scroll design too.
The Dola is creeping closer and closer... Though I think with single cut, less than 24 frets won't look right, and I was steering the ship toward a vintage 21/22.
I'm also thinking and rethinking fretboard. After conversation with Cliff, I'm feeling best about Pao ferro for the versatility. I'm not sure if I'll need to worry about punch with the Finnish multicoil monsters and EAST Uni pre that that are coming together for this build. Runner up is wenge. Thoughts?
I'm also thinking and rethinking fretboard. After conversation with Cliff, I'm feeling best about Pao ferro for the versatility. I'm not sure if I'll need to worry about punch with the Finnish multicoil monsters and EAST Uni pre that that are coming together for this build. Runner up is wenge. Thoughts?
I'll be honest - the fretboard is like 1/4" max depth, I think it has pretty minimal tonal impact. Pick something that looks good to you that is stable.
As far as frets go, why not go for 24, unless you are an avid slapper? I like having the two octaves per string myself, I can slap away on my other fewer fret basses if I want more room occasionally. YMMV
It's a fair point. 22 might be strike right balance, though, as I need this bass to be my everything machine - slap, and fingerstyle.
Pao ferro or wenge are competing for the title here...
I like Pau Ferro tone wise, it's half way between maple and rosewood, which is pretty much perfect IMHO, but I just wish it would come up a little darker with more interesting figure, you can get some really stunning pieces but they're quite hard to come by.
Eude
I can concur on the "bland" factor in the aesthetics department. Wenge is quite uniform as well, so I suppose there's not much competition there. Cliff explained that in his opinion, the pao ferro will be less dominant and more malleable tone-wise. As I'm aiming for a versatile instrument, flexible sounds good. Luckily, I have some months to lock it all down.
The open grained feel of Wenge doesn't feel as good to me under the fingers as hard, smooth woods like Pau Ferro and ebony.
I prefer ebony for looks but I have a Warwick with a wenge fretboard and it seems fine. From a few feet away it doesn't look much different than ebony or really dark rosewood. Depending on your left hand technique you may never touch the fretboard with your fingers anyway so I guess feel of a fretboard is kind of subjective.
That is helpful. As much as I want to marvel in this bass' beauty - and I am sure I will with Cliff on the job - tone and playability will be top priorities.
I can report that I've settled on the Dola! Hello, single cut world. Still working on the pickups dilemma, Rautia v. Hot Wire aka Bassculture.
Very cool! I know Cliff has done a few 4-string singlecuts, but I've never seen a 4-string Dola!
I continue to explore pickup options. The current shortlist includes:
- Rautia Multicoils Link Removed
- Nordstrand BigRigs (with series/parallel switches)
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So I've had a few too many moments stuck indoors with Microsoft Word due to rain and COVID-19. Ignore the extra fifth strings on exhibits A and B... I'll still be going with a standard tuning, four string "Dola" for my build.
I've settled on the Nordstrand BigRig at the (N) position centered right on the Precision location, with toggle for series/parallel/single coil.
(B) options include the Nordstrand Dual Coil (in series), Big Split, or Big Splitman (with toggle for neck-side/parallel/bridge-side)
** these aren't REALLY to scale, but not too far off!
For the headstock cap, going to request the holly treatment as opposed to matching the body top:
I've settled on the Nordstrand BigRig at the (N) position centered right on the Precision location, with toggle for series/parallel/single coil.
(B) options include the Nordstrand Dual Coil (in series), Big Split, or Big Splitman (with toggle for neck-side/parallel/bridge-side)
** these aren't REALLY to scale, but not too far off!
For the headstock cap, going to request the holly treatment as opposed to matching the body top:
I'm enjoying my morning view while patiently awaiting my new CB basses coming later on this summer.
-ScottM
-ScottM
I think I have settled on the pickups for my specification sheet:
Neck - BigRig with series/parallel switch
Bridge - Big Splitman with middle/parallel/bridge switch
Going into the respective Neck and Bridge inputs on the EAST Uni 4K, a little input trim on the Big Splitman might be needed.
I imagine that should give tonal options for days, and let's me avoid selecting one narrow placement for the second BigRig
Neck - BigRig with series/parallel switch
Bridge - Big Splitman with middle/parallel/bridge switch
Going into the respective Neck and Bridge inputs on the EAST Uni 4K, a little input trim on the Big Splitman might be needed.
I imagine that should give tonal options for days, and let's me avoid selecting one narrow placement for the second BigRig
Tulipwood was an excellent choice for that SCB. Following his Instagram, getting excited!
Well, COVID-19 took my job away. So there goes the build. Hard to save for a second career in nursing when you don't have work... apologies for getting everyone excited. We should be grateful for our health, anyway, so that we may continue to play low (and low-mid) notes for many, many years to come.
Sorry for that. The time will be return again when you can buy something you love. Keep healthy, keep practicing.
