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My take on a custom "P-Bass"

#41
Smallequestrian said:
Well Tom, I am on the bus too. Should have specs finalized tomorrow and will take pics of the body while I am at the shop (Might even snap some pics of your body as well). Should be real neat.
Click to expand...

Sweet! Take photos of everything you can, and remember, I have three basses in this batch! :smug:

Thanks, Tom.
 
#42
KJung said:
Hey Tom.... I'll break the ice. That Skjold switchable 'quad' pickup is an amazing idea. While a mahogany/ebony P will surely not give you the 'classic P' tone, neither will our hot rodded Celinder J's give us the 'classic J' tone... but it's still darn amazing.

I bet that will be an amazing instrument, and I look forward to following it on Pete's site. I would think that the Ebony/Mahogany P in the reverse P 'mode' will give you the fattest, most beautiful P tone ever.

Of course, the real 'P' guys would probably hate it, but who cares about them anyway.:D
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HA!

I KNEW IT!

When tom suggested having a pile of P-pickup placements (try saying that three times fast) I got a vision of some giant pickup with four coils located under a wood vener or something.

This is likely to be different than what Skjold comes up with - but I also think Chef provides some great examples of the formula being done before

Get a REAL P-bass Tom!

;)
 
#43
BassJunkie730 said:
Get a REAL P-bass Tom!

;)
Click to expand...

Well, I do have a Fender P-Bass (hot-rodded by Jack Read), an American Deluxe Precision 5, a Celinder P-Update 5, a Celinder Vintage Precision 4 (en route), and a Sadowsky P/J 5, so I kinda have the P-bass angle covered a couple times over. Though that '82 Walnut Precision Special is calling... :help:
 
#44
Hi Tom. Great thread. I am waiting to listen to the (sonic) results when the bass materializes.

I had discussed the exact idea you are describing with one of my favorite luthiers (Sheldon something was his name :smug: ) few years back. The idea was to have P, reverse P, front J, back J (side by side coils) from the 4 coil cluster and then on top of that parallel and series of the above combinations!!!! To make things even worse, I was talking about a 2 cluster bass with the usual 4 pos selector to control the neck/series/parallel/brigde clusters!!! Each cluster would look as a normal soapbar pickup. The problem was that it would be too complicated to achieve all of the above combinations in an easy and orderly fashion. So the idea went into hybernation (until I think of a hidden way to access all combinations :hiding: ).

I am really happy that you are making it come true. Let us all know how it goes
 
#45
fullrangebass said:
Hi Tom. Great thread. I am waiting to listen to the (sonic) results when the bass materializes.

I had discussed the exact idea you are describing with one of my favorite luthiers (Sheldon something was his name :smug: ) few years back. The idea was to have P, reverse P, front J, back J (side by side coils) from the 4 coil cluster and then on top of that parallel and series of the above combinations!!!! To make things even worse, I was talking about a 2 cluster bass with the usual 4 pos selector to control the neck/series/parallel/brigde clusters!!! Each cluster would look as a normal soapbar pickup. The problem was that it would be too complicated to achieve all of the above combinations in an easy and orderly fashion. So the idea went into hybernation (until I think of a hidden way to access all combinations :hiding: ).

I am really happy that you are making it come true. Let us all know how it goes
Click to expand...

Hmmm.... I wonder what you could do with two selector switches and maybe a couple of mini-toggles.... :ninja:

I thought of lots of different options, but I think that this approach will yield me something very close to what I am after with this bass. :cool:
 
#46
The best scenario (for a one cluster bass) I was able to come up with is:

1) A switch for the neck bass-side coil: first to choose neck coil (bass) and then the treble side coil
(neck/ brigde=neck J / P)

2) A switch for the bridge bass-side coil: first to choose bridge coil (bass) and then the treble side coil that was not used from the first switch
(neck / brigde= reverse P/ bridge J)

3) a 4 pos to choose the 1/1+2 parallel/1+2 series/2 output (1 and 2 refer to the combinations achieved from switches (1) and (2)

That was the best case scenario which is still complicated talking into account that I wanted 2 "pickups" (neck and bridge cluster) and 4 way interaction between them. Switches 1 and 2 could be on/on/on or on/off/on (to allow for muting too)
 
#47
Mr. Bowlus and I seem to think a bit alike. Couldn't find a P to my liking so I had one built. One-piece mahogany body, Nordstrand PU's, tilted headstock, 8.8 lbs. Tone & playability to die for. More pics in my photobucket album (blowinblue). :smug: :D

StambaughPagain6.jpg


M. M.
 
#48
blowinblue said:
Mr. Bowlus and I seem to think a bit alike. Couldn't find a P to my liking so I had one built. One-piece mahogany body, Nordstrand PU's, tilted headstock, 8.8 lbs. Tone & playability to die for. More pics in my photobucket album (blowinblue). :smug: :D

StambaughPagain6.jpg


M. M.
Click to expand...

Oooh! The Nordstrand pickup! If I was not having Pete build this (and he has his own pickups), I would definitely have gone with Carey's. Very nice! How do you like the tone?
 
#49
fullrangebass said:
The best scenario (for a one cluster bass) I was able to come up with is:

1) A switch for the neck bass-side coil: first to choose neck coil (bass) and then the treble side coil
(neck/ brigde=neck J / P)

2) A switch for the bridge bass-side coil: first to choose bridge coil (bass) and then the treble side coil that was not used from the first switch
(neck / brigde= reverse P/ bridge J)

3) a 4 pos to choose the 1/1+2 parallel/1+2 series/2 output (1 and 2 refer to the combinations achieved from switches (1) and (2)

That was the best case scenario which is still complicated talking into account that I wanted 2 "pickups" (neck and bridge cluster) and 4 way interaction between them. Switches 1 and 2 could be on/on/on or on/off/on (to allow for muting too)
Click to expand...

Good idea! That seems highly doable. So, will we see this fanned fret P-bass anytime soon? :smug:
 
#53
Thanks the comments Tom. I was sure you'd spot the luthier (as you have correctly identified him).

It will not be a P Bass :o but an Ultra studio bass that will provide me with many (if all) possible pickup combinations. I really need to thank you for getting me back into that train of thought. And to be honest I think I have just come up with a viable solution for that wiring scheme :hiding: . I will keep you posted. I need to contact Sheldon too; I think he will loose some sleep over my ideas :eek:
 
#55
tombowlus said:
Well, I do have a Fender P-Bass (hot-rodded by Jack Read), an American Deluxe Precision 5, a Celinder P-Update 5, a Celinder Vintage Precision 4 (en route), and a Sadowsky P/J 5, so I kinda have the P-bass angle covered a couple times over. Though that '82 Walnut Precision Special is calling... :help:
Click to expand...

Tom,

I had a beautiful Walnut "P/J with a Walnut headstock cap, Ebony board and a black pickguard made for me by Wayne Charvel back in '75. It was a great bass but the tone was not deep enough for me. I only used it for one concert and it was subsequently purchased by John Entwistle. I sometimes wonder if it made it into his collection book but I have yet to see a copy.

George
 
#56
tombowlus wrote:
Oooh! The Nordstrand pickup! If I was not having Pete build this (and he has his own pickups), I would definitely have gone with Carey's. Very nice! How do you like the tone?
Click to expand...
I love it! Big, warm sound that still cuts through the mix well. Plenty of punch, too. Volume and bloom of individual notes commendably even up and down board. A keeper. Built by Chris Stambaugh. Thanks for asking, Tom.

M. M.
 
#57
natselection said:
shwing! i'm starting to look into custom P-basses so i can't wait to see how this will turn out...and its coming out of Pete's shop! is this his first custom P-bass?
Click to expand...

Yes, but since he and I first dreamt this baby up, I think he has two more orders already. :D
 
#58
fullrangebass said:
Thanks the comments Tom. I was sure you'd spot the luthier (as you have correctly identified him).

It will not be a P Bass :o but an Ultra studio bass that will provide me with many (if all) possible pickup combinations. I really need to thank you for getting me back into that train of thought. And to be honest I think I have just come up with a viable solution for that wiring scheme :hiding: . I will keep you posted. I need to contact Sheldon too; I think he will loose some sleep over my ideas :eek:
Click to expand...

I can't wait to see how yours turns out! Be sure to point us in the right direction if you get a thread going. I am definitely a big fan of Sheldon's work (and have two of his basses). :)
 
#60
blowinblue said:
tombowlus wrote:I love it! Big, warm sound that still cuts through the mix well. Plenty of punch, too. Volume and bloom of individual notes commendably even up and down board. A keeper. Built by Chris Stambaugh. Thanks for asking, Tom.

M. M.
Click to expand...

Man, with that combination of components and contruction by Chris (whom I greatly respect), I am sure that bass is a monster! Very nice! :)
 

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