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Resurrecting a '60's short-scale bass

#103
Completed all the wiring. I like this pic - it visually describes order in chaos.

fullsizeoutput_f3d.jpeg

I have a feeling the body and neck were from 2 different 60's vintage basses. The only way I could get correct two-point intonation was by buying longer bolts and parking the saddles at the very edge of the upper bridge-plate. Once I did that, it actually intones perfectly now which is a lucky happenstance.
fullsizeoutput_f3e.jpeg

I'm debating about flats - the output of the pu's is on the low side and the test set (rounds) sound good. Maybe if Roto flats come in short-scale. I've always heard they have more output than average flats.
fullsizeoutput_f3f.jpeg
 
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#105
Nice!! That is amazingly 60’s Japanese sheik, but with some real fine care and attention to detail! Beauty!

It has so many of the cliches from the time but I’ve never seen them mashed together in that formation... really, really great job! Also, sometimes things are meant to be, and the fact you found the intonation point on the last hairs width of possible reach you had with the saddles, says it was meant to be!
I love the double lipstick p/u’s too!

Thank for sharing, now go make some awesome noise with it!! (If you get a chance I’d a sound clip would be great - I’d love to hear how those p/us sound!)
:bassist:
 
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#106
RobTheRiot said:
Nice!! That is amazingly 60’s Japanese sheik, but with some real fine care and attention to detail! Beauty!

It has so many of the cliches from the time but I’ve never seen them mashed together in that formation... really, really great job! Also, sometimes things are meant to be, and the fact you found the intonation point on the last hairs width of possible reach you had with the saddles, says it was meant to be!
I love the double lipstick p/u’s too!

Thank for sharing, now go make some awesome noise with it!! (If you get a chance I’d a sound clip would be great - I’d love to hear how those p/us sound!)
:bassist:
Click to expand...

:) Thanks Rob! Like you I feel things that are meant to happen, happen and when something fights you repeatively from making something happen - then it probably wasn't meant to be. Of course any attempt at doing anything (even failing) is a learning experience and one must risk failure starting any project in hopes for success.

So many guitars and basses came out of the 60's explosion of R&R driven product and most were pretty 'generic', but there were gems among them that are now icons of kitschy but pure attempts at being "different". I would love to watch a reenactment of that period in Japan ala Madmen - it was a heady time in world history for manufacturing of "leisure" (pre "lifestyle") goods. Many of these short-scale wonders make me smile not only because they were geared to "me" and those of my age-group, but for their shear audaciousness of "futuristic"/"space-age"/"modern" designs/technologies.

The lip-stick pu's (new- MIC) sound good (I won't say great) and they do have a certain character. If I spent more money there are higher-end versions made - but for the cost they sound good. Will have a better idea once I get a new set of strings and play it in a live mix. Short scale basses are very fun to play and it's nice that they are getting renewed interest with players now. They're not "beginner/student instruments" or "toys" - they are a fun, lighter, punchy-toned alternative in our bass-world.
 
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#107
"Deccasuki" needs to be on headstock. :)

Another cool, quirky, JIO bass! :thumbsup:

FWIW I recall encountering a page a while back where the author compared MIC, Artec (GFS) and Seymour Duncan lipsticks and found that they sounded pretty close to one another. His conclusion was that the design is so simple that as long as the coil is wound to that 3.7k-4.9k range, it's gonna sound like a lipstick.
 
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#110
Jon Clegg said:
"Deccasuki" needs to be on headstock. :)

Another cool, quirky, JIO bass! :thumbsup:

FWIW I recall encountering a page a while back where the author compared MIC, Artec (GFS) and Seymour Duncan lipsticks and found that they sounded pretty close to one another. His conclusion was that the design is so simple that as long as the coil is wound to that 3.7k-4.9k range, it's gonna sound like a lipstick.
Click to expand...

:) Thanks! Should it be Deccasuki or Deccazuki? Yah, the bass actually has a similar output as my '66 P so it's about average I guess. I shouldn't compare it to hot singles like in my '65 Teisco Del Rey or buckers like in my '64 T-bird which are in-you-face huge sounding - can't compare lipsticks to those beasts.
 
#111
Capt O Flaherty said:
This is great to see! I do like old resurrected things, so much now is "throw away" . You've made a unique little instrument there, fascinating step by step account too!
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:) Thank you! And welcome to tb! :thumbsup: If you visit the Luthiers Corner regularly you'll see all sorts of cool bass projects of every variety - a lot of busy bees here! :bassist:
 
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#112
Gilmourisgod said:
Really nice job! Nice save on the bridge saddles, and the ashtray cover looks great!
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:) Thanks! I've been doing it long enough now that I have a nice stock of bits-n-bats to sift through. The bridge cover was a lucky fit both functionally and aesthetically. :thumbsup:
 
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#113
JIO said:
I'm debating about flats - the output of the pu's is on the low side and the test set (rounds) sound good. Maybe if Roto flats come in short-scale. I've always heard they have more output than average flats.
Click to expand...

As your resident proselytizer for nylon tapewounds, I'll just have to put an oar in here for ... Nylon Tapewounds. The smooth feel, the sound of the roundwound under the tape, the lifetime of decades...
 
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#114
T_Bone_TL said:
As your resident proselytizer for nylon tapewounds, I'll just have to put an oar in here for ... Nylon Tapewounds. The smooth feel, the sound of the roundwound under the tape, the lifetime of decades...
Click to expand...

Too late! I ordered a set of Fender ss flats ($16!) At that price they're in line with my initial goal to keep this an inexpensive project. Will update once they arrive.

I have a set of Roto black tape-wounds on one of my J's - they do feel/sound nice. They present that grounding problem though as metal doesn't touch metal (bridge saddles) Do you experience that issue? I've also tried the "white" (clear coating) - La Bella I think. Again, they sounded good.
 
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#118
The following google search:

"capt o flaherty" site:talkbass.com​

didn't turn up anything crazy, so whatever it was must have been deleted. Sometimes people just forget to replace their filter and get swept up. Certainly didn't seem like a serial troublemaker, so maybe it's a warning temp ban? All I know is I bolted down my filter years ago, so I have to see a specialist to get it changed.
 
#119
cdlynch said:
The following google search:

"capt o flaherty" site:talkbass.com​

didn't turn up anything crazy, so whatever it was must have been deleted. Sometimes people just forget to replace their filter and get swept up. Certainly didn't seem like a serial troublemaker, so maybe it's a warning temp ban? All I know is I bolted down my filter years ago, so I have to see a specialist to get it changed.
Click to expand...

Filter? Not being that tech savvy Im not familiar with this. I mean, I understand what 'filter' means but have never installed one or am aware of having one. So it filters certain words? certain topics? certain images?
 

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