SBO 23 - The Long Black

[Alex Xander]

I hot a snag this morning.

Garry Goodman (Octave4plus strings) told me that the machine that makes his flatwounds needs a new motor and it will be 90 days before the motor arrives. He has made my B string, and offerered to refund 4 of the strings and send me the B string. Including shipping, that woukd be $100 USD string, and I am not building a 1 string bass.

The alternative he offered is that I wait an unknown period of time (at least 90 days) for the strings to be made once his machine is fixed.

This is pretty disappointing news, given that I was told a 2-3 week turnaround when I placed the order for the flatwounds.

At $250 delivered, we're not talking chicken feed here, so I'm not sure how to proceed.

If I were able to gets a refund, some Steinberger upright strings would probably fill my needs.

 

[Why Nautilus‽]

Have you heard of Newtone Strings (I’m sure you have)?

they have custom gauges and such

 

[Alex Xander]

Have you heard of Newtone Strings (I’m sure you have)?

they have custom gauges and such

Yep, I'm a huge fan of Newtone and have them on at least half a dozen basses. Unfortunately they don't offer a flatwound option, which was part of the sound I was chasing initially.

Have you heard of Newtone Strings (I’m sure you have)?

they have custom gauges and such

 

[ctmullins]

I like the GHS Crossovers on my EUV.

 

[Alex Xander]

I like the [Invalid or Expired Link Removed] on my EUV.

Thanks for the lead. My only problem now is to work out how to accommodate the surplus string length, given their 46.5" winding.

 

[Alex Xander]

I picked up my ebony this afternoon. There is enough for at least 10 solid neck through necks, maybe more. It will probably take a while to get through this pile. Now to select the nicest piece for the Long Black's neck.

This particular piece is 2 inches thick, 9 inches wide and more than 6 feet long.

And I also have this nice piece of New Guinea ebony. This will probably end up as a couple of tops and backs with matching fretboards. I'll lose a lot of its inch and a bit thickness once it's been dressed.

 

[41Hz To Go]

10?
You should be able to make some fantastic necks out of those pcs.

 

[Alex Xander]

10?

And that's being conservative!

 

[Why Nautilus‽]

Wow what a lovely piece!

 

[Alex Xander]

This was never going to get an ebony board, but this full length has me kind of excited.

 

[Crawforde]

That looks great.

 

[Alex Xander]

The bass side wing for the fretted bass is out of clamps and has been rough cut.

It's certainly, ummm, stripey.

 

[Crawforde]

The stripes accentuate the stretched out form.

 

[Alex Xander]

The stripes accentuate the stretched out form.

I guess it's like the old adage that horizontal stripes make you look fat and vertical ones make you look thin.

 

[BAG]

A couple of extra cross stripes and Eddie Van Halen would approve.

 

[Alex Xander]

Both wings for the fretted bass are now done, save for the chamfer they'll get.

I'm not sure what the next task will be. I'm running low on motivation and my shed is a mess. Time for clean up, then I'll plan my next move

 

[Alex Xander]

What are people's thoughts on this for a fingerboard?

I'm not sure if the very organic line where the heartwood and sapwood meet conflicts too much with the straight lines of the body, or whether it needs something like this to break up all the lines.

 

[ardgedee]

I really love that wood, but it doesn't strike me as playing well with the rest of the wood. You have a really bold pattern of stripes, and adding a second bold pattern that's unrelated to it is kind of like wearing a hat on a hat.

 

[Alex Xander]

I really love that wood, but it doesn't strike me as playing well with the rest of the wood. You have a really bold pattern of stripes, and adding a second bold pattern that's unrelated to it is kind of like wearing a hat on a hat.

I was leaning in the same direction. I think that fingerboard may be best saved for a gloss white body with gold hardware or something like that.

 

[Alex Xander]

Something about the bloodwood laminate neck and body wasn't gelling with me, so I did what any man with more ebony than he knows what to do with does and cut another ebony neck.

The bloodwood laminate neck will now sit in the shed waiting for a body. Hot damn this game is addictive.