Custom Performer/Supersonic bass

[JIO]

Hey, I have an idea. Why don't you do one of your custom finishes under a clear acrylic pickguard?

You could match or contrast your colors to a controlled degree.

And it would be fun.

My $0.02

a distant consideration. It would offer a certain degree of visual balance control and as you point out it is very cheap, and I do like the way it finishes... let me reconsider/sleep on it.

 

[daveman50]

Thumbs down on the chicken heads. Work clean, man! Keep it simple and classy. The body design and paint job are so wicked, you want to avoid visual distractions.

 

[charlie monroe]

these are pickguards chopped from some of your earlier work:

 

[ColonelZulu]

these are pickguards chopped from some of your earlier work:

That gold one is...(squeaky voice) awesome!

 

[JIO]

Thumbs down on the chicken heads. Work clean, man! Keep it simple and classy. The body design and paint job are so wicked, you want to avoid visual distractions.

I have to reel it in a bit here... My goal here is to land the Supersonic is style. Words like classy, simple, elegant, and futuristic are what I'm after. The finish is awesome and the pg will serve a supporting role. I commend CM for his enthusiasm, but what I heard related to his suggestion of using clear acrylic was not using gilding as his examples show, but instead using a solid colour (white or ?) like I used on my Steinbacker. What I like about the acrylic is that it is a touch-friendly matte on top, is opaque but has depth, and I can spray any colour for a base. It also is easy to work and I can align the pu routes and screw holes exactly as seen through when clear. It is also a very classy final look. The plain white pg works but is visually very flat and well, white. Still experimenting/developing ideas here, but the more I think about the clear lucite/painted base idea the more I like it. So off to Tap Plastic "the fantastic plastic place" in search of a scrap that is big enough.

 

[charlie monroe]

TBF the clear p/g is not my idea. I gleaned it from another thread going on right now called Wacky Pickguards in the Basses sub forum.There are some good examples of creativity there.

I admit that my head went right to JIO's talents, but he's right about the depth that the thickness of the acrylic will give. A solid color would really pop through it.

This is a fantastic bass. You have made all the right decisions so far, I trust you to continue doing so.

 

[JIO]

I've always been an instincts kind of person. I try to remain open to what's available in the world related to whatever I focus on. I have a sense, a minds-eye sort of "vision" that sends and pulls me off in one direction or another, and trust that it's true. So far, so good. In the process, you gotta risk hitting a few dead-ends and knowing that it's all part of the deal. Gotta lose to win sometimes!

Anyway, this relates to getting and cutting the acrylic. I got 2 sheets, one of that milky white sort-of translucent plastic that Ric guards have, and the other what I went there for - clear shiny/matte. ($7.05!) Traced the pg contour from my botched one and cut one of each out. Then I realized I had traced on the wrong side of the clear. After exclaiming a few words that start with s and f, I keep working. "let's see what I now have since I don't have any more right now" While working, I realized the Steinbacker pg was cut on the incorrect side as well! For that one I wanted shiny side up and once I realized it was the opposite I seriously looked at it and ended up liking it just the way it was!

So, long story short, the Supersonic is cruising at a steady speed circling the airport. It's nose/wing/tail lights blinking in the full moon-lit night. If you follow the sound, nearly motionless above you is a small streamlined stealthy glistening gold tone-missle. Word has it that it that once landed, it will be sporting a shiny-side-up clear acrylic pg w/a soft white base colour underneath. At the airport, the press is there as is a small mob of supporters all standing behind the barrier which is needed because of the increasing buzz surrounding it's arrival. The fretless bass refrain from "A Remark You Made" is faintly distinguishable in the still air and time seems to have stood still for the moment.

 

[daveman50]

.... shiny-side-up clear acrylic pg w/a soft white base colour underneath.

Can't wait to see it. Sounds like an excellent decision.

 

[JIO]

Have gotten a certain amount done w/the little time I've had post-holiday, out-of-town friend visiting etc... Here's my acrylic guard w/screw holes/knob-skirt recesses drilled and pu position marked. I'm testing out whites to find the one that works best w/the EMG's and will try and route the pu openings soon.

 

[suraj]

Hi Jio, I don't know how I missed this thread, some really good work..!!

I'm sorry for asking a question after everything is done, but how did you drill the holes for the bridges so perfectly ? Your bridges seem very well aligned and spaced.

 

[JIO]

Hi Jio, I don't know how I missed this thread, some really good work..!!

I'm sorry for asking a question after everything is done, but how did you drill the holes for the bridges so perfectly ? Your bridges seem very well aligned and spaced.

Thanks man - never feel hesitant to ask questions here, that's what it's all about. This is the first single-string bridge I've installed from scratch. I based my positioning on the 34" scale/24 fret neck set-up that is on my Parker Hornet bass. I've seen these types of bridges sometimes set level and sometimes staggered on various basses. My Hornet was set level and I had limited space below the E string on the SS body to drop it lower so I set them all level. I still have plenty of slot/track on the bridge units for 3-point tuning so it really is a mute point. I think the staggered setup comes into focus more on 5 or 6 string basses.

Aside from that, before I drilled my 1st hole I used a nut to body bottom center string and used the same (type of) twine/string from each nut slot (E/A/D/G) aligned along the fingerboard for spacing. (see page three of this thread for a visual) I have yet to string it up and may need fine adjustments once I do, but hopefully it will all work out. I guess in general it's always the same rule-of-thumb to measure twice (or more) and cut (or drill) once. Take as much time as you need to measure and reconfirm positioning before drilling- especially on a string-thru set-up. Hope that helps!

 

[JIO]

Found this on the "Show your basses" thread (gruuv) - an example of firemist gold metallic-esk colour & brown tort (w/black pu's) ... looks pretty darn nice but I think it would look even nicer w/an ebony boarded neck.

 

[charlie monroe]

^^That's a Candy Apple Orange Valenti. Sweet.

 

[JIO]

^^That's a Candy Apple Orange Valenti. Sweet.

Sounds fattening! The only all maple necks I have (which I love) are on my modified Tele/P's. (fretless and fretted) Otherwise mostly an ebony/rosewood board guy.

 

[JIO]

Did the final routing on the pg. Pics tomorrow, but I just wanted to say cutting 2 (n & b) J-pu's in a pg is about the hardest thing you can do sometimes. I've routed for soapbars (easy), MM buckers (mostly easy), and P's (~) but the 4 screw-hump J's are the worst. Yes, there are templates (for the wood/body-not for pg's) and there are old J pg's (at least for the neck!) but I dread this stage of making a custom pg w/J's. After a few shop hrs of measure 10 times focus, I think it's good - I'll see tomorrow in the light of day. After more detail filing focus I will step yet closer to finishing. It would be great if I owned a CNC machine and cut both openings at once... but I don't.

 

[JIO]

- mission accomplished - everything fits nicely and the gaps are reasonable and clean. I painted the pu cavities w/a couple of coats of shielding paint and will polish & flame-burnish the edges tonight. Still doing tests of which white I will use, but should narrow it down soon. I considered doing pearl but it's a very hard spray to control evenly. Perhaps a dusting for a subtle effect, but we'll see after some tests. Next pic will be of an assembled body, ready to rock (after I get the neck back that is...)

 

[JIO]

After playing w/test pieces and a torch, I decided against the flame-burnishing of the edges as it is tricky business - I've spent a lot of time on the guard and really don't want to mess it up at this point. 600 wet sanding and polishing looks good enough (...for jazz ) Backed it w/white contact paper, both for opacity and also so the paint is separated from the body. It looks like clear glass tile - very subtle and elegant. Coincidentally, it also looks like vintage green/white Fender pg's! (bonus!) The pic doesn't really capture how great it looks against the FGM. ~ Phsshhuuwww! ~

Thinking about pickguards, most all of the contemporary basses out there don't have them. (unless going for a retro-look, like me in this case) I'm not inviting a debate of pro's/con's likes/dislikes - just smiling at myself for getting so fussy about something most bass player would take off if their bass came w/one! Also considering that you can buy a stamped out J or P pg in any number of visual options for very little, mine would be worth a fortune in labor alone! I like basses both w/and w/o pg's, as much as I like basses painted and not painted/natural wood. At days end, I like all things bass!

The Supersonic "look" was designed to serve both aesthetic and stylistic considerations - and I'll know more about it's "feel" and "tone" soon!

 

[Beej]

Sounds fattening! The only all maple necks I have (which I love) are on my modified Tele/P's. (fretless and fretted) Otherwise mostly an ebony/rosewood board guy.

Hey JIO, not to derail the thread, but can you tell a little more about this bass? What's the story? I like it...

 

[daveman50]

JIO: great job with the pickguard. Just right. Can't wait to see it with the neck on, strung up and ready to rock.

 

[Hopkins]

After playing w/test pieces and a torch, I decided against the flame-burnishing of the edges as it is tricky business - I've spent a lot of time on the guard and really don't want to mess it up at this point. 600 wet sanding and polishing looks good enough (...for jazz ) Backed it w/white contact paper, both for opacity and also so the paint is separated from the body. It looks like clear glass tile - very subtle and elegant. Coincidentally, it also looks like vintage green/white Fender pg's! (bonus!) The pic doesn't really capture how great it looks against the FGM. ~ Phsshhuuwww! ~

Thinking about pickguards, most all of the contemporary basses out there don't have them. (unless going for a retro-look, like me in this case) I'm not inviting a debate of pro's/con's likes/dislikes - just smiling at myself for getting so fussy about something most bass player would take off if their bass came w/one! Also considering that you can buy a stamped out J or P pg in any number of visual options for very little, mine would be worth a fortune in labor alone! I like basses both w/and w/o pg's, as much as I like basses painted and not painted/natural wood. At days end, I like all things bass!

The Supersonic "look" was designed to serve both aesthetic and stylistic considerations - and I'll know more about it's "feel" and "tone" soon!

Man dude, that looks great. I would still like to see it in black, but that white looks amazing.