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Laguna burger build

#665
RichterScale said:
Got everything soldered and control cavity buttoned up. Plugged it in before the strings were on and tapped the pups,.... They made noise, all the knobs worked, no loud buzzing and none of the magic smoke leaked out, so should be good to go. Got the strings on and the nut is way too high. I made the fingerboard thicker than the original so I put a piece of walnut veneer down to raise the nut. It was way too much. So, I'll get that worked out tomorrow and then try my hand at setup and fine tuning. I really just put the strings on to see what it looks like and make sure the truss rod wouldn't break or fingerboard didn't pop off.
I honestly didn't mean to make the pic blurry. I even hit the focus button and took 3 pics, but they're all a little blurry.
That's ok, you get the gist.
From 4' away, the shiny strings hiding the board and a little blurry, it actually doesn't look too bad.
(Kinda like dating back in the day).
View attachment 4341099
Click to expand...

Looks outstanding sir!

Although it's been so long since this thread started you could've just posted a pic of the original bass and nobody would've remembered...
 
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#667
Cool. This is a nice little score. I found it in the garage 6 yrs ago and stashed it in a drawer. Forgot all about it until I was looking for something and opened the drawer. Might come in handy at some point.
KIMG2086.JPG
 
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#672
RichterScale said:
It would sound like the inside of my head:
A chattering squirrel, after a pot of coffee, soloing on a banjo, while inside a spinning clothes dryer, with loose change and photos of everything that's ever happened tumbling around and Rush's YYZ and first side of Hemispheres blasting simultaneously.
Click to expand...
Squirrel-Banjo.jpg
 
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#673
Okay, I should have this train wreck cleaned up soon. But before I start a new project and a new thread, I just wanna dump some random thoughts here, regarding design for a new build.
There's really not a single bass that I think is the perfect bass. But, there are a lot of individual elements and features that I like about a lot of different basses. I kinda struggle a little with copying designs. I don't mean making a complete copy of a bass, like a Ric (which I wanna do some day), etc. I mean making a one-off original, but stealing things from other designs. Don't get me wrong, I'll look at pics online and say, "ooh! I love the horns on that one, I'm doing mine like that!" But, then I change my mind because I feel like I should make my own. But, then I realize that everything has pretty much been done already, so even if wiped the slate clean and just sat with nothing but a pencil and paper and drew one completely out of my head,... There's no way it's not going to resemble something that's already out there, in some way.
I was looking at the S. Martyn Blaze headless the other day and admiring the body shape and horn shapes. Then I saw a Marleaux Diva and thought, what the heck! Which one came first? Because one totally copied the other. Or, is it the same maker?
Not being an instrument maker/model/history buff (before joining, I couldn't tell you the difference between a jazz and a P), I'm now finding out how many builders/manufacturers are out there, big and small, that are basically just copying other people's designs, making a few very minor changes and slapping their name on it.
Is this something that's just the norm and not thought of as a bad thing? Is it one of those, imitation is flattery kinda things? Does this bother people but everyone is just polite about it?
I mean, I knew that most large scale production builders have a rip-off version of a P bass with a very mild alteration to the headstock shape. And I was aware that that there's hobbyist level builders that build copies of their favorite basses. I didn't realize there was a middle ground of medium scale builders that are basically all copying each other's designs.
So, I guess what I'm getting at is, for me, when it's time to sit down and design my own bass,.... Should I just riff on other people's stuff that I like and just put my own little twist on it.... because it's acceptable? Or do I really just try to start fresh? I mean, it's a bass. It's going to resemble something, no matter what.
also, this isn't a real dilemma, because I'm not starting a business and making a product to sell. And I'm not judging anyone. This is just something I've been thinking about for when I try to seriously design something.
Is this something that anyone else thinks about? How do other people look at this and approach it?
 
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#674
RichterScale said:
Okay, I should have this train wreck cleaned up soon. But before I start a new project and a new thread, I just wanna dump some random thoughts here, regarding design for a new build.
There's really not a single bass that I think is the perfect bass. But, there are a lot of individual elements and features that I like about a lot of different basses. I kinda struggle a little with copying designs. I don't mean making a complete copy of a bass, like a Ric (which I wanna do some day), etc. I mean making a one-off original, but stealing things from other designs. Don't get me wrong, I'll look at pics online and say, "ooh! I love the horns on that one, I'm doing mine like that!" But, then I change my mind because I feel like I should make my own. But, then I realize that everything has pretty much been done already, so even if wiped the slate clean and just sat with nothing but a pencil and paper and drew one completely out of my head,... There's no way it's not going to resemble something that's already out there, in some way.
I was looking at the S. Martyn Blaze headless the other day and admiring the body shape and horn shapes. Then I saw a Marleaux Diva and thought, what the heck! Which one came first? Because one totally copied the other. Or, is it the same maker?
Not being an instrument maker/model/history buff (before joining, I couldn't tell you the difference between a jazz and a P), I'm now finding out how many builders/manufacturers are out there, big and small, that are basically just copying other people's designs, making a few very minor changes and slapping their name on it.
Is this something that's just the norm and not thought of as a bad thing? Is it one of those, imitation is flattery kinda things? Does this bother people but everyone is just polite about it?
I mean, I knew that most large scale production builders have a rip-off version of a P bass with a very mild alteration to the headstock shape. And I was aware that that there's hobbyist level builders that build copies of their favorite basses. I didn't realize there was a middle ground of medium scale builders that are basically all copying each other's designs.
So, I guess what I'm getting at is, for me, when it's time to sit down and design my own bass,.... Should I just riff on other people's stuff that I like and just put my own little twist on it.... because it's acceptable? Or do I really just try to start fresh? I mean, it's a bass. It's going to resemble something, no matter what.
also, this isn't a real dilemma, because I'm not starting a business and making a product to sell. And I'm not judging anyone. This is just something I've been thinking about for when I try to seriously design something.
Is this something that anyone else thinks about? How do other people look at this and approach it?
Click to expand...
I don't think there's a wrong way to do this. I do think that some conventions and common design features are what they are because they've proven to be functional. When I was fooling around with designing an original body shape I took my Ken Smith which balances fantastically and marked the dimensions out for key points like the horns, waist, bout widths and bottom point of the body, then connected the dots (with rulers, curves, and circle templates). I came up with this (which I think is pretty cool :cool:)

Polish_20201103_094648080.jpg
 
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#675
RichterScale said:
Should I just riff on other people's stuff that I like and just put my own little twist on it.... because it's acceptable? Or do I really just try to start fresh? I mean, it's a bass. It's going to resemble something, no matter what.
Click to expand...
There are no "rules"...just take inspiration where you find it.
And ...build whatever yanks yer chain.
...
For instance...Here's a body design I based directly from a potential clients... wife's...backside.:smug:
(From a pic HE posted on FB).
He loves the idea. :drool:
Screenshot_20210724-200634_Gallery.jpg
 
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#680
As far as reusing classic designs, most instruments draw from a smaller design pool than electric guitars. The dreadnaught or classical guitars all look pretty darn similar. The whole viol family has just the one shape. Or a trumpet. So I feel comfortable working off a straight Fender tracing as a starting point.

People don't really like new designs for the most part. Something familiar but with a few new details will appeal to quite a few of us. Follow your heart. Or other internal organ of your choice.
 
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