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Maurizio Über Bass Build

Acoustic356

Acoustic356

Jul 3, 2014
3,508
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Earth
#1
I am having an X3M built... so I thought I would talk about the process. A lot of people want to build but make some mistakes along the process.

First, a little about the MüB X3M. This is the ultimate "travel bass" It has a full size body, and an interchangeable neck. You can get these in 4, 5, or 6 strings, and 1 or more neck in the following lengths:

18" - tuned soprano - 1 octave able standard tuning
22.75" - tuned standard
25.5" - tuned standard
27" - tuned standard
30" - tuned standard
I have a Soprano bass, so I was looking for something a more full range.

I also decided to get a P bass, and not go for a fancy top... this is a work horse bass designed to go anywhere at any time.

Here is the tone of the 22.75"



Here is the tone of the 27"



After the deposit is made, it's a waiting game... about 4 months to deliver.

I decided to get a basic P bass with no extra frills. No fancy top, no active electronics... just a basic bass.

The first message I received was:

Hello Dwane, a quick note to let you know that we will start preparing the woods for your order in about 4 weeks. In the meantime, please feel free to ask questions and let us know which of the standard woods you would like us to use. For the body: Raintree, nyatoh, mahogany. Fretboard: ovangkol, ironwood, ipil. Thank you
Click to expand...

The first thing that I did was read up on each of the woods to try to understand if there are any inherent issues with the woods, what they look like, what the "tonal quality" is.

You will generally find the descriptions in terms of Acoustic guitar, but you can extrapolate.

Once I made my decision, I asked "what's the tonal difference between the combinations?"

His response was:


There is a small difference. Raintree will sound warmer and with a sweet, musical hi-mid/top end, big tight lows but clear. Mahogany will sound a bit darker. Nyatoh sound seven across the range, with ash-like clarity but warmer sounding. They also differ in weight and for a no-chambered body mahogany would be the heavier. Then the aesthetic factor. Nyato and Raintree are the most interesting ones. Mahogany is a wood I mostly use with a top as it isn't especially attractive when plain.
Ironwod and Ipil (or Kwila) are both hard woods. Harder than rosewood. They sound clear and full. Ironwood a bit similar to wenge but not as compressed sounding. Ipil sounds a bit brighter, Ovangkol brighter yet a deep full sounding bass with clarity and articulate: raintree/ipil; a bit tighter and slightly compressed: raintree/ironwood. More even sounding across the range: nyatoh/ipil. Slightly tighter/fuller sounding: nyatoh/ironwood.
Click to expand...


Since I am going with a no-frills P bass, I was torn between 2 options:

  • Raintree/Ipil - I am really fond of the tone of wenge - tight compressed tone
  • Nyatoh/ironwood - slightly tighter/fuller sounding
It's key to ask questions like this from the builder...The original pairing that I was thinking isn't even one that they recommend!

Once I told him: "Thanks. I think I'll go with nyatoh/ironwood for a P bass."

He responded:

Yes, It seems the better choice
Click to expand...

I ordered a bundle of 2 necks:

  • 22"
  • 27 1/2"
I did not order the 30" neck because it's a slightly larger neck that fits in a larger bag. My goal is to be compact so I can take this with me almost everywhere I go for practice.

The process starts with submitting a deposit.

I'm glad I did the order when I did... their prices are going up this year. I locked in at last years prices.

Their prices are for the cost of the bass and does not take into account shipping or customs. The basses are built and shipped from Malaysia.

The next big question is
  • Single cut
  • Double cut
More to come!
 
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#5
Next Question from the builder:


What pickup do you want to use?
Click to expand...

Although I have P preferences, this decision was based more on product availability. Nordstrand seems to be delivering to builders on time at the moment.

I opted for a P bass with a more vintage tone.

I also sent the following information regarding tone pots:

I have a tone pot preference: 250K Pots with a .047 Orange Drop Capacitor
 
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#7
I think a lot of people want to do custom builds, but don't spend a lot of time thinking about how all the components will sound together. I think Fodera does a really good job of helping you decide what you would like. They ask the following questions (this is a subset of things that we usually don't think about):

  1. Neck profile
    • Standard
    • Thin/Fast
    • Other (My edit: Some people like chunky, some people prefer C, some people prefer D, others Asymmetrical)
  2. Fret size
    • Violin
    • Small
    • Large
    • Jumbo
  3. Bridge spacing
  4. Pickups
  5. Preamp (My edit: I like to determine my pre-amp based upon the tone woods. For example, Walnut bodies tend to be darker, so I will want a pre-amp with more control in the 2K range, and the ability to control the high mids and highs)
Okay Fodera use to ask what type tone you like - Darker, brighter, richer, etc. They swapped that out for the following:

  • What are some of your favorite bass players, and what qualities about your tone do you like?
  • What style music do you play
  • What is most important? Weight, tone, price, etc.)
I have been very deliberate in my choice of woods, pickups, and electronics. Since I will not have the chance to play this until I receive it, I want to make sure that every element meets my expectations.

Minimize the surprises.
 
#8
 
#12
Here is my wood choice:

I thought about what I was looking for in terms of what the body looks like.

The one on the left was too "matchy." Since I'm going with a single cut, depending on where the body is cut from, I could see myself really annoyed with the pattern in terms of symmetry.

The middle one has a dark streak on the top, so I was thinking about consistency in color. If you stain it and not paint, which is the direction I'm going in, I think I would be annoyed with the inconsistent coloring.

The one on the right seems to have the better pattern that would fit a single cut.

I gave him the 2 options with a preference. All builders choose woods based on certain characteristics. I gave my preference then asked him to use his discretion based upon my prescribed goals.

 
#14
Both necks have been cut. The fretboards have been cut as well. Mau is going to glue the fretboards on tonight. There is a 22" and 27" neck. It's designed to fit into a backpack sized case. 5 inches makes a huge difference in terms of where you can play this instrument and tone.

"Gonna make me an album, and fill it all up with bass" - Victor Wooten - My Life

My "full sized" basses are definitely in that Baritone range. These will fit into that tenor and alto range. With my Marleaux Consat Soprano I should be able to live a "guitar less" life and do it all on bass!

Once it is finished and sanded, the finish will deepen the color and increase the contrast.

If everything goes well, it will go to finishing next week!

uTPOWKEB_o.jpg
 
#16
Update time!

Guess what??? They are behind schedule... lol

Here are the progress pics and the update:

Quote
Woodwork is pretty much done. We'll do fine sanding before the weekend and next week apply finish. Our hardware supplier is being delayed by more supply delays on his end though. Anyway, we'll be ready to assemble in about 10 days. Hope you like the pictures.

Building can be stressful. After you pay your initial downpayment, it's a waiting game.

I have worked with some builders who promise dates knowing that they can't deliver.Last year I was working with a custom cabinet builder who promised an 6 week build after almost full payment. 3 months later, there were no progress pics or communication. I spoke with other people who had pending builds, and they had been waiting over a year! Crazy!!!

Mau is always delivering something. I get to see all of his updates on Facebook. He has very happy clientele.

Most of the basses that he delivers have soap bar pickups. The P pickups that I requested are definitely on back order.

On a positive note, I am a super fan of EMG pickups. This bass is already routed if I decide to swap out what he ordered with an active set of EMGs.

Staying patient!





OgkbSgUr_o.jpeg
 
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#17
My bass is ready for assembly!!!

I like the finish. You can really see the grain of the wood. It has character!



No pics of the fretboards, but I like the finish on the back of the necks.

The figuring on the back of each neck is so different!

 
#18
The build is almost done! They tried out the longer neck (27") today. Monday they will try the shorter neck (22.5") Monday. It should ship next week.

Here are the updated pictures and video.

SoohGMEV_o.jpg


27" scale demo


22.75" scale demo
 
#19
It's done! Just gave the shipping information, waiting to hear about the final cost + shipping.

To summarize the build, it's 1 body with 2 different necks. 22.75" and 27"

Mau offers necks for this body in the following sizes:

  • 18" (tuned an octave up)
  • 22.75"
  • 25.5"
  • 27"
  • 30"
I wanted a super short scale, but tuned standard that's the 22.75".

I also wanted something a little smaller than a short scale 32" or 30", so I went with 27".

Pretty exciting!















 
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