NBD Carlo Custom Dual-P by Carl Pedigo

[JEDI BASS]

Bass arrived Wednesday 8/28/19. But, a friend reminded me earlier that I needed to do a thread on it, cause I’m loving it!

So, here is how the build started, about a year ago. I saw this clip about a Stingray prototype that had a reversed P pickup in the Stingray pickup location:
This got me thinking! I’m a Stingray fan! But, I already have one. In fact I have way too many basses! But, I do not have anything like the Stingray prototype, and (at the time) zero basses with a reversed P pickup. If you do some research, the reversed P has a lot of fans that claim it’s the best way to orient a P pickup. That’s a debate I don’t care to start!

 

[JEDI BASS]

So, I call up Carl Pedigo. He’s a patient man! I’ve been picking his brain about various bass build ideas for years! I told him this time I would follow through and actually have him build one. I sent him this picture, captured from the video.

Carl didn’t have any desire to make a bass that someone else had already built. So, cloning the prototype was out of the question. I know that you should not to tell a master how to build a bass, so we started brainstorming together.

I wanted Carl to be as excited as I was. So, we talked, he asked questions... I asked questions... and I realized that a passive dual P would give me something new, something that would sound different from anything else in my collection.

 

[JEDI BASS]

Carl told me that if we placed the bridge pickup in the Stingray location, there wouldn’t be much room for the neck P. He did not want them right on top of each other... something about magnetic something-or-another that would not be good. I already wanted the pickups as far apart as possible. So, the final design has the bridge pickup about where a Lakland 44-94 humbucker is, which is a bit closer to the bridge than a Stingray pickup.

The neck pickup ended up not being reversed. Carl was not a fan of routing that close to the neck pocket. And, I quickly realized that I didn’t want a pickup half in the way of the occasional slap n pop.

 

[JEDI BASS]

Carl had a great piece of lightweight swamp ash, with fantastic grain. I said, that’ll work!! So, here’s an early pic of the body.

 

[JEDI BASS]

I’m a huge birdseye maple fan! So, I originally wanted a birdseye fretboard. Well, being a collaborative effort... Carl suggested we use a neck he had already started assembling, because it had a gorgeous Madagascar rosewood fretboard. The neck itself was BEAUTIFUL birdseye maple.

Again, I enthusiastically said “Okay!!!”

 

[JEDI BASS]

I went from originally wanting an opaque sparkly Marty Bell finish to a transparent finish, due to the grain. I’m glad I changed my mind! Check out how the body looked during paint prep.

 

[JEDI BASS]

For the color, I decided to go with Markus Orange. Lakland now calls it transparent orange.

I had the first Markus Orange Lakland which was a Joe Osborn model. It was nicknamed MOJO and was once called the prettiest bass on Talkbass. Markus, the original owner, is like a brother to me and had sold me the bass. I kept it for years and finally sold it. I can’t seem to bond with jazz style basses.

Here is MOJO:

 

[JEDI BASS]

MOJO became the inspiration for the look of my Carlo. I told Carl I wanted the headstock to be Markus Orange, and he said “are you sure?” and sent me this pic.

Again, I said “Okay!!!” and we left it alone.

 

[MaxSpinrun]

Ok JJ , more Pics!

 

[JEDI BASS]

Carl had added some tint to the tru oil finish to give the neck that vintage tint that I love about my older Laklands.

 

[MaxSpinrun]

For the color, I decided to go with Markus Orange. Lakland now calls it transparent orange.

I had the first Markus Orange Lakland which was a Joe Osborn model. It was nicknamed MOJO and was once called the prettiest bass on Talkbass. Markus, the original owner, is like a brother to me and had sold me the bass. I kept it for years and finally sold it. I can’t seem to bond with jazz style basses.

Here is MOJO:View attachment 3528781

I can no imagine letting that beauty go!

 

[JEDI BASS]

As for pickups, Carl and I had actually had the same idea... Lakland Neo Punch in the bridge position, and Lakland Vintage for the neck. Passive V/V/T was what we settled on, after several discussions. And I wanted chrome hardware.

Markus designed the pickguard shape for me, and helped me decide the knob placement.

 

[JEDI BASS]

Here’s a couple pics. More will follow.

 

[JEDI BASS]

As for sound, all I can say is that I played her 2 days after she arrived, for 3.5 hours, and my face was sore from smiling so much!! I was dancing with that bass, it sounded and played so well!!

My main gig basses get FretFX LEDs. I had a set waiting on the Carlo.

 

[JEDI BASS]

I can no imagine letting that beauty go!

It was time. She was probably the most beautiful bass I’d ever owned. But, I honestly cannot get into a jazz bass sound. I also can’t play a standard P bass. I can do a P/J, but not a straight up P or J.

 

[JEDI BASS]

The sun made the grain disappear in the pics. But, here’s some from earlier today.

 

[JEDI BASS]

Oh.... and she weighs 7 pounds 7 ounces, and balances perfectly! Everyone that picks her up goes “WHAT THE?!!!! Is it hollow?”

 

[MCF]

Oh.... and she weighs 7 pounds 7 ounces, and balances perfectly! Everyone that picks her up goes “WHAT THE?!!!! Is it hollow?”

Answered my one question. Sure looks light. Congrats!

 

[JEDI BASS]

Answered my one question. Sure looks light. Congrats!

Thanks! Carl said there’s helium in the control cavity. But, I opened it up and let room air in... bass still weighs the same.

;-)

 

[PawleeP]

The sun made the grain disappear in the pics. But, here’s some from earlier today.View attachment 3528803View attachment 3528804

killer lookin bass!