It took considerably longer than I expected to get this build "completed" (okay, it still needs knobs, but I'm not going to keep this electronics setup; more on that later). And I'm completely underwhelmed by it!
We last left off in July with some finishing tests on a scrap from Warmoth.
I decided that 5:1:3 (white : pink : pure) was the right tone. So one night after work I slathered it on the body and was so disappointed that I shoved it in the closet while I waited for more parts to come.
The color just isn't remotely what I wanted.
It also didn't seem to take as well to some areas, possibly because
I didn't do enough sanding prep. Rubio suggests sanding only to 180, but I believe Warmoth takes their unfinished bodies up to 220. Some users of RMC online said that worked just fine for them so I said, "Why make more work for myself?" and this is what I achieved.
Eventually, I'll sand this all off and just do a completely different color (maybe a nice, warm brown or even plain clear).
Ugly color: strike 1.
Strike 2: underwhelming sound thanks to a set of
EMG GZR PJ pickups and EMG solderless VVT wiring harness. Not really able to capture a photo of the tone of the bass, obviously, but here's a closeup anyway.
Remember how I said I was going to install a Dingwall 4 way rotary switch in this bass because I
love them and
hate VVT and VBT setups? Well, it apparently only exists in photos and memory, but
this is the rotary pickup selector I was supposed to install in this bass (photo taken back in May, and none of my stuff has left my room so it's here
somewhere, just not in my dang bass).
Regardless of the selector switch, I just
really dislike the tone of the bass. The P pickup solo is
fine, but nothing special. The bridge pickup is
absolutely awful. Thin and quiet. Utterly pointless. It reminds me of the awful sound of EMG Selects. If I were to sink the P down a lot lower (which will alter the tone), maybe the J would be usable, but it sure wouldn't be good. I just got a SBMM Ray 4 in trade and that cheapo sounds so much better than this bass. I'll be replacing the electronics posthaste.
The last strike on this bass is the
ergonomics; more specifically the Strap Lock location. I originally mounted it like any other bass, on the tip of the upper horn, but the bottom flare stuck out over the relatively pointy tip of the horn and looked dumb, so I moved it to the back of the horn.
While the bass
balances beautifully, my strap has to twist 90 degrees to go over my shoulder and the twist of my wide Gruvgear Solostrap Neo pushes right between my
(nonexistent) pectoral muscle and the front of my shoulder such that it pushes the neck out away from my body. I don't know what I'll do to solve this: I could get a normal strap and another set of locks. Or I could move the button back to the tip of the horn, but instead of at 12 o'clock like a normal bass, mount it at either 9-10 o'clock or 1-2 o'clock.
Bonus strike: I haven't stripped the color off the headstock yet so it's still yellowish.
Good things about this build?
I dunno.... maybe that it's done?
In all seriousness,
- With a set of Hipshot Ultralite tuners, it has no neck dive (the Gotoh GB707s were too heavy for this little bass, so they'll be getting flipped).
- It's really light (sorry, can't find my luggage scale, must be in the same place as my rotary switch).
- The bridge, Hipshot A-style in Fender Mounting pattern is a great piece of hardware.
- The Rubio Monocoat finish was damned easy to apply and the body feels close to natural wood.
- It can be easily modified with new pickups and electronics.
