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Meteora Bass project - what do you think?

Hey, What 'Looks' Better To You?

  • Two Pickups? (location to be tweaked)

    Votes: 15 26.8%

  • Three pickups?

    Votes: 31 55.4%

  • FOUR pickups (not the crazy version...)

    Votes: 9 16.1%

  • Carrot Sticks instead of JB pups - use piezo bridge!

    Votes: 1 1.8%
  • Total voters
    56
mikewalker

mikewalker

Supporting Member
Jul 30, 2017
8,882
21,794
Canada, Eh!
#1
I have more than a dozen brand new really nice Jazz Bass pickups left over from my big Jazz Bass Side-by-side humbucker shootout. (The one that I still haven't got around to editing together for youtube) :oops:

And I have boxes and boxes of bass hardware laying around, and now a brand new Starcaster neck on the way. I can't really finalize a drawing until the neck gets here and I can verify the string spacing, but I have been working up some very rough concept sketches.

I'm just wondering what might be the most interesting layout for pickups ( I have lots of them here, mostly "short" neck size).

Two?

MeteoraBass_Concept00.png


Three?
MeteoraBass_Concept01.png


FOUR? :)
MeteoraBass_Concept02.png


Color probably won't be Fuchsia or Hot Pink, I'm actually leaning towards maybe a Lime Green Metalflake. Really have to wait until the neck gets here, and see what might be a complementary tone. Open to suggestions, of course!


PS: I did ponder the improbable - technically could do it, but this would doubtless sound VERY STRANGE: :whistle:

MeteoraBass_ConceptLoL.png

:rolleyes:
 
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#2
Well, this post has certainly flown under the radar :)

I think I have worked out a lot of the details, probably going to make it like this:
MeteoraBass_Concept03.png

I am a huge fan of oversized knobs ( 33mm shown, I might go even larger! ) and the two extra tailpieces would allow this 30 inch scale bass to use either short-scale, medium-scale, or long-scale strings...

Still pondering the angled pup possibility though ( have to check pole pieces, now that I know the string spacing...)
 
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#8
silky smoove said:
If you're going with three you should consider a Dingwall rotary switch type of setup like they use on their 3X basses. Their standard 3X rotary configuration is just about perfect for me, and their D-Bird rotary variety offers a different flavor. You'd have to roll your own rotary, but I imagine that's not too difficult.
Click to expand...
About twenty years ago I used a 4P3T toggle to do some interesting switching on a three pup bass. I forget the details, but I'm pretty sure one of the settings was all three in series :)
 
#9
lz4005 said:
Front strap button at the 16th fret, and positioning pickups based on look rather than sound.

No thanks.
Click to expand...
Actually, you'd be amazed at how well that judicious strap button placement can at least partially offset neck dive. And final pup placement will be guided by principles left to us by The Founding Fathers :) - but cosmetics is a factor too. I mean, it is a Meteora StarCaster, after all... :smug:


...and hmm, come to think of it, another viable option might be to use string anchors in place of Machine Heads - and use a headless bass tailpiece-tuner block / bridge set down the other end... Not sure if that would be in keeping with the spirit of Meteora though (would look more like a Kubicki I think!) :whistle:
 
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#12
mikewalker said:
Actually, you'd be amazed at how well that judicious strap button placement can at least partially offset neck dive.
Click to expand...

If you move the bridge to within a couple of inches of the rear of the body, as it is on most functional basses, sink the neck deeper, and alter the lower cutaway accordingly it will balance properly and you won't have to worry about it. If you're making the body yourself you have the opportunity to design it well, instead of prioritizing aesthetics over function.
 
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#13
lz4005 said:
If you move the bridge to within a couple of inches of the rear of the body, as it is on most functional basses, sink the neck deeper, and alter the lower cutaway accordingly it will balance properly and you won't have to worry about it. If you're making the body yourself you have the opportunity to design it well, instead of prioritizing aesthetics over function.
Click to expand...

Sure!! However, my whole idea here is to mate a standard Meteora body with a standard Starcaster bass neck...

But, without further adieu, here is the lz4005 Signature Meteora Starcaster!! :)
With the strap-button properly placed @ 12th fret for optimum balance, this special limited edition model features a single P-Bass split-coil pickup in the "sweet spot", and boasts unfettered access all the way to the fifteenth fret!

Special.png
 
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#17
mikewalker said:
Sure!! However, my whole idea here is to mate a standard Meteora body with a standard Starcaster bass neck...

But, without further adieu, here is the lz4005 Signature Meteora Starcaster!! :)
With the strap-button properly placed @ 12th fret for optimum balance, this special limited edition model features a single P-Bass split-coil pickup in the "sweet spot", and boasts unfettered access all the way to the fifteenth fret!
Click to expand...

You didn't read the part about "alter the lower cutaway" did you.

Plus it has at least 3 too many knobs for a single pickup bass I'd play.
 
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#18
lz4005 said:
You didn't read the part about "alter the lower cutaway" did you.

Plus it has at least 3 too many knobs for a single pickup bass I'd play.
Click to expand...
I did read that part, but as I mentioned, it kinda kills the "Meteora" concept if I hack the Meteora body shape! Will do my best to make a "spirit-of-Meteora' useful cutaway version for you later tonight after I get through applying today's out-of-band patches to all of our unfortunate (windows) servers.

** Incidentally, the lz4005 signature (Mk.I) has passive volume and tone controls only! (those two extra knobs are for the built in Bluetooth PONG controller set...) :)
 
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#19
mikewalker said:
I did read that part, but as I mentioned, it kinda kills the "Meteora" concept if I hack the Meteora body shape! Will do my best to make a "spirit-of-Meteora' useful cutaway version for you later tonight after I get through applying today's out-of-band patches to all of our unfortunate (windows) servers.

** Incidentally, the lz4005 signature (Mk.I) has passive volume and tone controls only! (those two extra knobs are for the built in Bluetooth PONG controller set...) :)
Click to expand...

1 Function before form.
2 Bass versions of guitars is why Gibson hasn't had a successful bass since the Thunderbird.
3 Tone and volume controls are for cowards. On/off switch only.
 
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