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GrassRoots Bass-IV

#41
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#44
hypercarrots said:
Polished aluminum has such a nice substantial finished look and feel. Warmer and more functional in an industrial sense than chrome.
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I will eventually have it pro-polished to a mirror finish, but yes - it will stay warmer in appearance. Mirrored plastic has its place - but not in place of chromed nickel steel. (or mirror polished aluminum)
 
#45
JIO said:
I will eventually have it pro-polished to a mirror finish, but yes - it will stay warmer in appearance. Mirrored plastic has its place - but not in place of chromed nickel steel. (or mirror polished aluminum)
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Another reason aluminum is nice. It’s versatile. If one wants it to be shiny or dull, it will comply. The way you have it there is how i like my aluminum. Looking forward to seeing how it looks polished further though.
 
#46
hypercarrots said:
Another reason aluminum is nice. It’s versatile. If one wants it to be shiny or dull, it will comply. The way you have it there is how i like my aluminum. Looking forward to seeing how it looks polished further though.
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It still will look like aluminum compared to chromed steel - it will just eliminate all fine sanding marks. I have a current custom bass I'm working on with an aluminum pg & control plate so once I find someone, I'll do them all at the same time.
 
#47
Since Marcus (OP) hasn't been seen since Mar 26, 2012 (nearly 10 yrs ago!)... I guess I'll take the reins of this thread (started on Dec 3rd 08 - 14 yrs ago!) from here-on-in.... show your Bass IV here! :bassist: I want to see a 3TSB version, and the first version with an alder body. :)
 
#48
Jio! Looks fantastic mate, great job so far! But I was wondering, why the decal replacement? Not that it takes anything a way, I'm just wondering. Is one version rarer than the other? Or do you just like the Bass IV over the grassroots logo? or what?:D
 
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#49
H K said:
Jio! Looks fantastic mate, great job so far! But I was wondering, why the decal replacement? Not that it takes anything a way, I'm just wondering. Is one version rarer than the other? Or do you just like the Bass IV over the grassroots logo? or what?:D
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:) Thanks! Mostly I'm a design geek. I felt the Grass Roots decal didn't follow-thru the retro vibe referencing the Fender VI. If someone (a guitarist) who knew about the Fender VI saw it, they would 'get' the reference. I could have gotten fussy with the guy who makes custom decals but gave him a pic of the VI (this one) as a reference and let him do his thing. If it were me I would have sized it differently - but I like it a bit horsy. (design term for larger) As you can see I incorporated ESP/GRASS ROOTS/MIK to stay 'on-brand'.

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#52
hypercarrots said:
Perhaps it’s a bass vi sized control plate
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Everything for the Jaguar bass, but only pg's for the Fender/Squier VI. Maybe someday. And here I thought Leo was resourceful and used the same plate for a couple of guitars, just reversed. :)

So I saw this on an eBay listing which helps fill in some details about the bass I have. Perhaps the late '90s ESP G-T-64B IV of the L'Arc ~ en ~ Ciel TETSUYA model had metal plates. I've also read the body was alder and it was heavy. (10+ lbs) Mine is 9lbs/4oz and basswood. Basswood is underrated - it's a very good tone wood and generally lighter. It is softer, but I'll accept that for light weight and good tone.

Grass Roots by ESP G-T-64B. It is a cost performance model of the L'Arc ~ en ~ Ciel TETSUYA model released in the late 90's.
 
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#54
hypercarrots said:
both control plates look the same if not close

View attachment 4599520 View attachment 4599521
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yep... but the visual comparison you provided shows how design clever they were in their references - in my book a text-book example of referencing a classic design morphing into a different, but related product. (six string baritone bass into a 4-banger)

I have been playing my Bass IV non-stop - it plays and sounds great. And I have great playing/sounding basses to compare it to...
 
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#55
Cut an aluminum control-cavity plate (to the correct pg interfacing shape - see before pics already posted) and installed the Mustang (250k pots) harness. When I put it back together, everything worked as it should except the treble-boost (bass-cut being passive) switch. ??? Now, switching it doesn't do anything different. I thought I wired it exactly the same and even used the original harness's tone cap as I liked the way it sounded. I'll run it down - must be something I'm not seeing. The MIK Mustang pots have solid shafts and the knobs have a set-screw. (compared to split-shaft pots w/push on knobs) Details, details... but.., now it's been 'upgraded' in all the correct ways.

I will take it to my bands next rehearsal on Wednesday for a test-drive 'in the (live) mix' - I'm pretty sure it'll rock.
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#56
Just figured out the bass-cut switch issue - everything works as it should now and sounds great! Sometimes I feel like a detective...

So this is a cool, a simple effect that can be added to any passive bass - the 4th switch on the Bass IV is a treble-boost switch. How a passive bass does this is that that switch by-passes the circuit directly to the + tab of the jack. It disconnects the volume and tone control (but they still both operate correctly) which in turn makes it brighter and louder. I can see this simple mod being useful on most passive basses. It's not crazy different - just a bit of a definition goose when needed.

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#58
The last piece of the upgrade puzzle - Gotoh Res-O-Lite tuners. All specs put them in the right ballpark to work. If I'm lucky they will be a drop-in, and they are nickel! :thumbsup: Gotoh makes some of the best tuners out there.

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