NBD but an older Ibanez

[ManyMountains]

This is one of my favorite mod/rebuild basses that I've ever seen on TB. Wow, just wow.
The pick guard appears to have some texture to it - what is it and where did you get it?

 

[Lowendchamp]

Seems to me the whole P/MM thing is the new P/ J and I love it! Congrats!

 

[Marko 1]

I like everything you did to it,

and it came out great!

 

[C Stone]

Killer bass! Love that look Dubious…
Liking the custom split pick guard and the treatment for that bridge as well. Custom deluxe, well done brother!!!

 

[Deleted member 365158]

This is one of my favorite mod/rebuild basses that I've ever seen on TB. Wow, just wow.
The pick guard appears to have some texture to it - what is it and where did you get it?

Thanks!
I made the pick guard out of some thin plywood and painted it matte black. I like the texture, i think one more coat and it would have filled in too much.

 

[Avezzano]

Good job. Me I would have left... only the MM pickup, since its strategic positioning! But it is a beautiful work, you did. Why did you put the frame around the bridge? Couldn't you just fill the possible holes before painting? Just asking, out of pure curiosity, since as the bass is now it's just so beautiful!

 

[Deleted member 365158]

Good job. Me I would have left... only the MM pickup, since its strategic positioning! But it is a beautiful work, you did. Why did you put the frame around the bridge? Couldn't you just fill the possible holes before painting? Just asking, out of pure curiosity, since as the bass is now it's just so beautiful!

I had mounted the bridge that ended up not working after it was painted. That particular hipshot bridge is much wider than any other bridge I could find and the mounting holes had to get covered up somehow. That was my mistake but i like what i ended up with in the end. I’ll probably do it again on future projects just for the look. As well, i wont paint again until i have everything else dialed in…. Learning curves
As for the mm pickup, i could probably get the sound I like with a pre amp but I really like a mm blended with other pickups and I don’t care for batteries in my basses. 2 pickups also give some tone versatility. I have a few other basses that I did with mm/other pickups (split coils, Single J and double Js) and having that blend is just awesome!

 

[bassclef112]

That's very nicely done! Same pu scheme as mine built in 2005 - reverse Lindy Fralin P and SD Custom Shop Alnico MM. It was the first MM available outside Ernie Ball. I love the tone pallette.
Rock that puppy!

 

[isaac42]

Challenge accepted!! I have that Harley Benton in pieces still. In fact, i just saw the guy I was going to build it for and asked what color he likes… he wants a green. Mopar has sassy grass green, im thinking that for the color. Now with this challenge I have a direction to go

Would have to be British Racing Green, wouldn't it? I mean, it is a Harley Benton!

 

[RGerhart]

Well done! That's a great looking refin job and new configuration. Love it!

 

[Deleted member 365158]

Cool ! Unique look along with massive tone(I guess...) . Must sound great with aggressive pick style.

Amazing work. Bass looks great. Sound clips please?

nothing special but here’s what it sounds like anyway.

 

[gary mitchell]

Very very nice

 

[Levent]

nothing special but here’s what it sounds like anyway.

That wood around bridge looks epic both at video and closeup. Hipshot transtone is solid af for real If you change your mind or for your other basses. Most underrated solid high mass model because of price range and stainless steel. People are like low end aluminium or high end brass or trash..

 

[HubbardsFate]

Red is generally one of my least favorite colors for a bass, but this one works for me. Not necessarily the red on its own, but in concert with the black hardware/pickup and pickguard, and the maple board...aesthetically, it all comes together - And just the overall coolness of the project...you are, as they say, "Da Man", OP...

 

[B-Mac]

A long going project of mine is finally done!
I bought an 82 Ibanez Raoadstar II a while ago with full intent to rebuild it but not keep it stock. It was a project someone else started but gave up on. This is it when I got it
View attachment 4886608
pretty ugly plus it was a slab body and I don’t care for slabs so i sanded
View attachment 4886609 View attachment 4886610
Then it went to paint. Fortunately my brothers hobby is rebuilding and painting old muscle cars so I sent it to him and he had some Boyd red and black left over from another project of his.
View attachment 4886612 View attachment 4886611
I got it back and life hit hard so it sat long enough that I forgot where I was going with it.
Life settled back down so it was time to get back at this bass. I decided to make the pick guard and figure out what pickups to do
View attachment 4886613
I had bought a hipshot bridge for it
View attachment 4886641 But it wouldn’t work for this bass but I really liked the look and stoopid me, I mounted it before I figured that out.
After a while I came up with this
View attachment 4886614
Time to assemble….. well, I still had to deal with the neck and frets. I was going to re fret and properly sand the fret board. The previous owner really hashed it by removing the finish but left some pretty bad gouges between the frets going against the grain. I ended up leaving the frets, painstakingly sanded between them and re finished the fretboard and neck and did a fret job.
Then assembled!!!
View attachment 4886601 View attachment 4886603 View attachment 4886605 View attachment 4886606 View attachment 4886607 View attachment 4886604

Sounds and plays great!
The humbucker is in parallel, the split coil has its own volume and the humbucker shares a stacked pot with the tone control. The switch is just on/off…. Pretty simple

Is that a wooden ‘frame’ around the sides and bottom of the bridge? Cool detail!

[edit] looks like @Levent beat me to it as I was typing this.

 

[B-Mac]

nothing special but here’s what it sounds like anyway.

That’s really sweet!

What’s it sound like when playing near the end of the neck?

 

[Kaa]

That is tres' sweet!!!

 

[JRA]

nothing special but here’s what it sounds like anyway.

killer! just killer!

 

[Deleted member 365158]

That wood around bridge looks epic both at video and closeup. Hipshot transtone is solid af for real If you change your mind or for your other basses. Most underrated solid high mass model because of price range and stainless steel. People are like low end aluminium or high end brass or trash..

Is that a wooden ‘frame’ around the sides and bottom of the bridge? Cool detail!

[edit] looks like @Levent beat me to it as I was typing this.

I really wanted to use that hipshot bridge but the string spacing was very tight and I couldn’t get the saddles high enough…. I made a shim for it out of the same material I made the pick guard out of and that got the hight perfect but the strings were still very narrow on the neck, definitely too much room between the fretboard edge and the E and G strings. The shim actually gave me the idea to make the surround for the bridge.
I had to make the surround from scratch but it is the same plywood as the pick guard

 

[Deleted member 365158]

That’s really sweet!

What’s it sound like when playing near the end of the neck?

Good question, I’ll work on a sound clip playing up there…. Not my typical place to pluck.