My third build, an homage to the Danelectro DC '59

[joeLowB]

That's a wrap! A few things went sideways as I was crossing the finish line.

First, my preamp was cooked when I tried to wire it up. I put in a couple dummy pots to fill the extra holes and wired it up like a Jazz Bass. I thought it would be temporary but now I'm not so sure. It sounds really, really good. The rail pickups have a great Warwickesque growl and soloing the bridge pickup should cut through the mix like a chainsaw. I might swap out the dummy pots for a couple producer switches.

Then there's the setup... It's not perfect yet. My intonation is about 5-7 cents sharp at the twelfth fret and I don't have enough string left to get it right. It's serviceable as it is but I'll fix it right when I put new strings on it in a month or so. This headless arrangement is pretty merciless with starting short. In the future I'll be sure to set the bridge long.

I also want to move my rear strap lock higher so it hangs easier at the angle I like. This position still dives a little.

View attachment 7131033

I think this is my last neck-through. It's just a little bit of a pain all the way through compared to a bolt-on. It's absolutely not my last headless with @Passini hardware. The build quality is great and I'm really digging the look. I'll continue using cheap Guitar Madness pickups. After three builds, I've yet to be disappointed. The scale length difference was a pretty fast adjustment and the sound of higher higher tension is a real improvement over a 34. I love this big fat neck too. It's like sitting on a big squishy couch instead of a bike seat.

Just beautiful. Glad to hear it sounds so good!

.

 

[Matt Liebenau]

Looks great. I forgot it was 5 string until I saw the finished pictures.

 

[TheBloodyBarber]

I tried moving the strap lock but the balance stays the same. Oh well. It dives less than the Jackson I've been playing. My next build will have an upper horn that balances better.

 

[Reedt2000]

Might want to try adding a little weight to the body. Could easily test by rigging a little to the top (with masking tape?) See if it helps. If it does maybe hide something like fishing weights in the cavity?

 

[TheBloodyBarber]

I'd rather fight a little dive than deal with extra weight on my shoulders for hours.

 

[Reedt2000]

I get it, weight has become much more of a factor for me than it ever has been. My main working basses are all between 8 and 8.5 lbs.

 

[TheBloodyBarber]

This guy weighed in at 8lb 9oz set up. It's tolerable.

 

[Flying B]

Nice work, that came out great!

I hear you on the bolt-on vs neck-through thing. It's the finishing aspect for me that's such a pain with a neck through, especially if you like a shiny lacquer finish on the body and a smooth oil finish on the neck.

 

[TheBloodyBarber]

I put it through its first rehearsal tonight and it's a monster. I need to cut a little bass on my Rumble 500 else it farts and rumbles playing on the B string. Once I got the eq figured, it's absolutely the best sounding bass I've ever touched. After 90ish minutes, I could have stood with it for another hour or two, easy, so weight and balance aren't a real problem.

Despite the "noiseless" descriptor in the pickup listing, these pickups give off a single coil hum in the old, sketchily wired and lit rehearsal space at practice volume. I practice low enough at home that I hadn't heard it. I'm not complaining a bit after opening them up a little. The sound is huge.


Closing thoughts
So that's a final wrap on my third build. I was successful by all counts in my goal of building the most over-the-top homage to the lowly Danelectro DC59. It was a weird goal from a weird dude that turned into a weird instrument. Love it.

I think my next build will be a bolt-on rainbow but I need to do a bunch of sketching in the meantime. So far I've copied or riffed on established forms. It's about time to figure out my own vibe. I think I'm happiest with 36" scale. It strikes a good compromise between tension and comfort. Any longer and I think my left shoulder would be pretty smoked after a gig. Having heard what the extra scale length gives, I'm done with 34" scale. I'm done with headstocks too. I like being one of the headless weirdos. I guess I should wander over and join the headless club.

 

[T_Bone_TL]

I guess I should wander over and join the headless club.

Pretty sure you're supposed to ride over carrying your head with one arm.

 

[TheBloodyBarber]

I played my first gig ever with this bass last night. It played and sounded great.

 

[joeLowB]

I played my first gig ever with this bass last night. It played and sounded great.

Hooray! It's made its public debut!