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my EBMM stingray begins its diet today

#121
well, i made the alternate HH pickguard, but i've been going back and forth about routing this new body for an additional neck pickup. if EB still made/offered white pickup covers without the pole piece holes, i'd probably do it (since it would look alot cleaner, but to me, the bass just looks too busy with the two giant pickups and 16 exposed magnet poles. i realize that i could just route it and still use it with the single pickup guard, but being kind of a purist, i don't like having extra, unused routes in an instrument, and actually like its simplicity, so i think i'm going to leave it as a single pickup bass. plus, the middle pickup is a little bit in the way for my slap technique, and i really don't like having a 'hollow' under the guard in the middle of the body.

i figure that i can still get more sounds out of it by running a 3 way rotary switch that would switch between running the stock dual coil (or the Duncan SMB-4A) pickup this way:

position 1: parallel (stock)
position 2: split (the coil closest to the neck)
position 3: series

the controls would be volume, 3-way sw., midrange, and stacked treble/bass controls. i haven't had a chance to compare the seymour duncan to the stock pickup yet, but i have heard nothing but good things about them.

here's a pic of the HH guard that i made from a blank that is an exact fit to he original single pickup one:

stingraypickguards.jpg
 
#122
Avezzano said:
I was going to say it myself but since you already showed the second pickup cover I did not want to bother you. But if it was me honestly I would definitely keep the originality of the design, not even routing the second cavity. It was born that way so leave it that way, that already is soooo much of a bass!!! A winning project from the beginning.

You can always toy around building "a second bass" when you have spare money using the original black body (don't sell it!) for a two pickup axe. Better: take the occasion to do a deep routing under the pickguard, I mean routing within the complete oval, even very very deep, so to take off a big chunk of wood (weight)!!!
:) V.
Click to expand...

actually, i'm leaving the original body alone. i'll probably sell it (i have had a few offers for it) , or keep it as a template to make another lightweight one as an HH. i'd just have to get another 'donor' bass to do it. and it could be a real 'beater' since i'd be lacquering the neck anyway.
 
#123
...thinking over it, actually you could unload more weight from this unused body adding a rear "dummy" deep routed control cavity (and pertinent cover), so you will have your two pickup... "almost light" Sting Ray!

Think about it... no need to hurry: if you just abandon it on a shelf in the garage or (worse) if you sell it, you'll surely regret having done it, sooner or later; while, instead, you can just take good care of this body as well, "cradle" a project in the back of your mind, while you are at work, while you go shopping with the wife etc. Ah: the tought of a second bass in progress (with two pickups)... select the neck... the parts... maybe this one maple/rw... or even a graphite one... Hipshot ultralites.... maybe two barts with no exposed polepieces... it's a good feeling, you know that, uh??? .....

:D
 
#126
got a little break in the rain today, so i shot some nitro sealer coats on it. the color of the wood darkened as expected, but the completely natural color doesn't look that great to me. so, i've decided to add a little bit of amber tint to the base gloss coats so i guess that it'll have a more vintage looking glow to it.
 
#127
johnk_10 said:
got a little break in the rain today, so i shot some nitro sealer coats on it. the color of the wood darkened as expected, but the completely natural color doesn't look that great to me. so, i've decided to add a little bit of amber tint to the base gloss coats so i guess that it'll have a more vintage looking glow to it.
Click to expand...

mongo2 said:
You are getting sleeeepyyyy...

[Invalid or Expired Link Removed]
Click to expand...


Whaddya know...it worked!!

:D
 
#132
Smallmouth_Bass said:
Very nice! What are the plans for the cavity shielding? Foil tape, paint?
Click to expand...

i usually use conductive paint, but the original didn't have any shielding and was extremely quiet so i might skip shielding it.

here's some more accurate pics of the body's color (and the neck placed above it for comparison). the first one was taken with a flash:

stingraybody-31.jpg


and this one was taken without a flash (so it's kinda blurry):

stingraybody-32.jpg
 
#134
thanks!

IMO, it looks like a stock musicman clear finish now.
it kinda cracks me up that i had to do all this work just to get a lightweight stingray. i guess i could have shopped around for one, but i have been looking for a used 8lb one for the last 5 years and never was able to find one, and the lightest i could find was 9 1/2 lbs.

BTW, i just weighed the body with paint ( since 90% of the paint is on it now) and it gained 2.4 oz so it now weighs 3 lbs 6.3 oz.
 
#139
johnk_10 said:
it going to be black, just like the original one.

it has a maple neck

i really do not think that it'll have any neck dive whatsoever. the stock body is a tank (and has 'reverse neck dive' or you might even say 'body dive'), but if the new one does, i'll put some lightweight (hipshot ultralites, gotoh or schaller lightweight) tuning heads on it.
Click to expand...

The natural finish looks great, so no black paint will be applied to this body, right?
 
#140
thanks guys!
my wife digs it too!


Stacatto said:
The natural finish looks great, so no black paint will be applied to this body, right?
Click to expand...

right. no black lacquer, it's staying clear. i just wet blocked it with 320 and it's super smooth, & ready for two more top coats tomorrow. then let i'll it cure for a week or two, and i can buff it out. i'm trying to keep the finish on the thin side for resonance, but put enough on it to protect it, since swamp ash is fairly soft.

i think that it's going to kinda be cool to have a 100% nitro lightweight stingray. i've owned a bunch of them over years, but never a nitro one. ;)
 

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