New Moonshine Guitars custom bass!

[chadhargis]

I took this build on with Chad knowing full well that I had a heavy build schedule as well as being in the middle of expanding my shop.


Moonshine

100% true.

I told Rick to enjoy this build as much as I will. He’s got a full slate of builds as well as launching a very innovative and unique bass of his own invention.

Rick and I have a lot in common. We love motorcycles, fast cars, great music, both love our Lord, and of course we’re both bass players. I’m very fortunate to have a friend hand crafting an heirloom quality instrument that will be passed down to my child and possibly her children. The bass won’t be a parts build made by a CNC machine. It’s all hand cut and crafted with attention paid to the most minute detail.

There is no rushing this.

 

[BigAlBass69]

Sistine Chapel of Basses

 

[chadhargis]

Sistine Chapel of Basses

The Grand Canyon wasn’t formed overnight.

 

[chadhargis]

Exciting news!

Just got a text from Rick and KSM Guitars (as in KSM bridges) wants to feature my bass on their website and social media.

Parts are being ordered and things are starting to come together.

Getting super excited to see this build come together.

 

[chadhargis]

Since I have a bass that I traded for a few months back that I've been modding, I decided it was time to fix the fact that the strings didn't align with the pickup poles. The bridge was 3/64" off to the treble side. I ordered up a KSM bridge like the one going on the build. Figured I'd pop in and do a quick review.


KSM Foundation Bridge
The bridge is very well made. Mounts with five screws and can be used through bridge or through body stringing. This particular bass is not through body and it's 35" scale, so I didn't want to drill holes and put in ferrules. I just mounted the bridge up after measuring and determining the correct location. Tossed on some GHS Balanced Nickels (never used them before...I'm a string junkie!), and did a full setup.

First off, the fact that the bridge has no adjustment screws that stick out the top of the saddle is AWESOME. I hate bridges that poke my hand when I'm palm muting. The saddle height is adjusted by a ramp that uses a single screw. It's a full contact bridge, so the bottom of the saddle is always flush with the bridge plate. The intonation adjustment was awesome too. No springs in the bridge. You adjust the screws, and lock them down with a plate and six hex screws. The saddles also lock horizontally with a pinch plate. It locks down tight! The other awesome thing is how light the bridge is. I replaced a Hipshot bridge and the KSM is a quarter the weight.

A bridge is not (or shouldn't be) a complicated thing. The KSM is actually pretty simple and works like a charm. Sadly, I put on new strings at the same time as the bridge, so I didn't get a chance to see how it effected the tone. So what problems does it fix over a standard bridge? First off, I don't put much stock in the whole "full contact" thing and transferring vibration to the body and such. I'm sure it works as advertised, but I dare anyone to notice in a mix. For me the attraction is how easy it is to adjust, it doesn't have screws that stick out and poke me, and it looks good (IMHO).

Speaking of looks...here's some pics:

 

[moonshinegtrs]

Since I have a bass that I traded for a few months back that I've been modding, I decided it was time to fix the fact that the strings didn't align with the pickup poles. The bridge was 3/64" off to the treble side. I ordered up a KSM bridge like the one going on the build. Figured I'd pop in and do a quick review.


KSM Foundation Bridge
The bridge is very well made. Mounts with five screws and can be used through bridge or through body stringing. This particular bass is not through body and it's 35" scale, so I didn't want to drill holes and put in ferrules. I just mounted the bridge up after measuring and determining the correct location. Tossed on some GHS Balanced Nickels (never used them before...I'm a string junkie!), and did a full setup.

First off, the fact that the bridge has no adjustment screws that stick out the top of the saddle is AWESOME. I hate bridges that poke my hand when I'm palm muting. The saddle height is adjusted by a ramp that uses a single screw. It's a full contact bridge, so the bottom of the saddle is always flush with the bridge plate. The intonation adjustment was awesome too. No springs in the bridge. You adjust the screws, and lock them down with a plate and six hex screws. The saddles also lock horizontally with a pinch plate. It locks down tight! The other awesome thing is how light the bridge is. I replaced a Hipshot bridge and the KSM is a quarter the weight.

A bridge is not (or shouldn't be) a complicated thing. The KSM is actually pretty simple and works like a charm. Sadly, I put on new strings at the same time as the bridge, so I didn't get a chance to see how it effected the tone. So what problems does it fix over a standard bridge? First off, I don't put much stock in the whole "full contact" thing and transferring vibration to the body and such. I'm sure it works as advertised, but I dare anyone to notice in a mix. For me the attraction is how easy it is to adjust, it doesn't have screws that stick out and poke me, and it looks good (IMHO).

Speaking of looks...here's some pics:

View attachment 3355919
View attachment 3355920 View attachment 3355921 View attachment 3355922

The late Tom Richards turned me on to these bridges. I love them; they do what they claim (full contact) and look great while doing so. Functionality is job one but doing so while looking good is pretty Badass.

IMHO, KSM pulls this off on all levels.


Moonshine

 

[chadhargis]

Time for an update!!

If you're following this thread, you know it's been a few months since I had an update. Rick has been cranking out basses as fast as he can and has been putting them in the hands of colossal talent like Andy Irvine.

So my build is moving forward and starting to look like a bass. Rick has been posting up some pics and I wanted to share them with those of you watching this thread.

The Body
Going to be mahogany with a wenge and birdseye maple top. After it's carved, the tops will have some awesome lines.

The Neck
We all know the neck is what separates good basses from GREAT basses. It has to be shaped right, feel right, and be sturdy. A single piece of wood can be solid, but when you mate 7 pieces of wood together, using different types of wood, you get a very sturdy and stable neck.

The neck is birdseye maple, wenge, and purpleheart. The fingerboard will be wenge. Frets will be small...banjo or mandolin frets like Dingwall uses. I found that I love the way the smaller frets feel.

This bass is going to be something very special to me. More than just an instrument, but a piece of playable art. A family heirloom handed down to my daughter and to her kids long after I'm gone. Or maybe it will be sold to someone at my estate sale and they'll use it to drive tent spikes.....who knows. LOL!

 

[chadhargis]

The Pickups Are In!

Looks like Rick got a delivery from Carey Nordstrand today. The sweet Zenblade sidewinder pickups have arrived!

The other pickups pictured are for other basses Rick is building. There are lots of pickup manufacturers out there, but in my experience, Nordstrand always delivers the tone I want.

 

[chadhargis]

It's been a LONG time since I updated this build thread. After 3.5 years of waiting...it's finally finished. It's a beauty!

 

[BassToGoGo]

Finally!

Congrats... It's a beauty.