Parts bin build - "SuperStratbird"

[JIO]

I'm late to the party, but cool build. My vote is that it's an ESP/LTD of some sort, possible the Horizon series, possibly something else. But those carves look like ESP/LTD to me.

Thanks, that what I thought as well - possibly they were the first to do those carves as similar versions showed up on a few Super-Strat style guitars then.

 

[JIO]

I added aluminum side dots and sanded down the neck - very smooth now. I didn't stain it - it looked like that when I removed the satin black. Also worked on the bridge units to dial-in the correct intonation, which was a trick to say the least. I stuck to my original goal which was to make it work as a kick-ass rock machine whatever hurtles I had to clear and I wasn't going to worry about 'perfection'. That goal has been achieved - low action, light-weight, good balance, and a great playing/sounding bass. I'll take it to my bands rehearsal tomorrow night and expect it will kill. It reminds me a lot of my Teiscobird which I leave at our rehearsal space - I'll take a group pic of them then.

 

[JIO]

An obvious choice and the price is right! Nothing sez' R&R like leopard print!

 

[JIO]

I just checked the bridge position against a J, a P, a T-bird and others I own. It's 12-7/8" from 12th fret to pu pole-center.and 4-1/4" from center of poles to bridge saddles. Generally located between a two pu bass and lower (toward the bridge) than a P. I've never owned a Music Man Stingray so I don't know how it compares position-wise but maybe it's close. But still, a single-coil compared to a bucker, so different even in a similar location. Whatever it compares to - its location is a sweet-spot to my ears. The other thing I noticed is related to palm-muting & playing with a pick, which is a big part of my playing style/sound. My palm rests comfortably at the bridge placing my pick right over the bridge pu - perfect.

I'm very curious to how it compares to my Teiscobird (1 Darkstar) and will compare tonight at rehearsal.

 

[JIO]

Sooo... I put the SSbird through its paces tonight at rehearsal. Gotta say - it has a lot going for it so far. I mostly solo'd the bridge pu which sounded crisp & clear 'in the mix' and when pushed, crunchy/nasty. A real R&R machine! But surprisingly, it can also sound like a double bass! Right-hand playing near the heal took on a woody/wooly tone and the combination of woolliness against the crispness gave it a hollow-body vibe. And all 3 setting (N/N&B/B) offered something cool. We played a couple of Beatles songs "I'm So Tired" and "Hey Bulldog" in N pu position (with a pick of course) and it sounded pretty close to a Hoftner/hollow-body. So yah - pretty cool bass. Our drummer even noticed it! ... actually, at one time he worked in a music store so he's pretty versed in all instruments. He noted how it sounds different than the Teiscobird - he dug it.

Speaking of which, the pu positions are not exactly the same. I spaced and didn't write down the Darkstar #'s - but it had a longer distance from the 12th fret to pu poles, but had more-or-less the same distance from pu poles to saddles! Go figure.

"oh.., you're new around here... nice meeting you, we're sorta' related (Epi Goth neck) yah, you got it goin'...but ah... just remember - I'm #1 with Geo... so, as long as that's clear - I guess I don't mind you sittin' in now & then."

"Dr Frankengeo really likes us '60s (related products) 'children'... he grew up with us!"

"so... you do the Hipshot Drop D thing... yah, cool... I'll have to get Geo to look into that for me..."

 

[JIO]

 

[JIO]

Pulled out this bass from the corner and gave it some quality time. What a fantastic bass! It plays and sounds so good! There's a number of threads on tb now covering '60s Japanese (usually) short-scale basses.., which is a good thing. At one time, not that long ago they were very discounted here. On these more appreciative threads there are still tbr's dissing them. Their loss. What makes this bass sound great is those Teisco pu's. It's wired like any bass so it isn't the electronics. The Epi Goth T-bird neck, subjective for me is in like Flint. The rest was "fun with an '80s guitar body" - a design I'd not normally gravitate to, but as always a challenge. I went '80s spandex leopard-patten as part of that - visually, it's a fun bass. A bass that was primarily assembled from my parts bin. A bit of recycling iddn't it?

I ordered these knobs for it to replace the white/cream Teisco knobs. More visually in-line with the gestalt.