Show us your 3 pickup basses!

[Flux Jetson]

.....
31 kΩ... that'll be a kicker.

HOLY SHAT!!!!! 31k? Dayum Gomer! Woof woof! .... wooly booly ..... wooly booly ..... uh wooly booly.



Throw a fuzz pedal on it and all I keep hearing in my head is the opening bass riff of "The Barbarian" by ELP. (I nicknamed my very first Hammond as The Barbarian ... haahaa!)

That's gonna be a woofy one.

 

[Stealth]

Yup. That's how fat those Gibson EB-0 mudbuckers were wound.
Soon I'll have the schematic done and then it's off to the luthier's.

 

[Doner Designs]

Is that Artec, Gotoh or Curtis Novak? Those are the only three I'm aware of.

The Artec is a monster and is accessable if you want to switch it to 4 wire. The Gotoh is more mild mannered and can't be rewired. Never tried the Novak because of the price, but one of these days I'd like to.

I really want to try his Darkstar clone, but can't afford two fo them for hum cancelling which for me is a must.

Do you have a picture of what it's going into??

Soon to be part of a Super-Sheehan bass.

31 kΩ... that'll be a kicker.

 

[christw]

Three pickup J Worrell bass I had made to some fun specs. Nordstrand 3B3 with 3 on/offs

This old girl is soon to have three.

 

[Doner Designs]

Wow, she's a beauty!!

What are the egonomics like?

Three pickup J Worrell bass I had made to some fun specs. Nordstrand 3B3 with 3 on/offs

This old girl is soon to have three.

 

[M.R. Ogle]

Okay, here's my parts-box bass. I just noted one day that I had a LOT of spare parts (particularly bass pickups) laying around, so I decided to put them all together.

Actually, I have had at least two different pickups in each position, I use this bass as my test-bench.

Early Gibson EBO humbucker in the front position, an odd BBE Precision bass pickup in the middle, and a single fat-pole Jazz bass pickup at the back. Five-way strat switch to select single or center/front and center/back pickups.

About the holes in the forearm cut: I bought this body off the 'Bay because I liked the color of the wood. I had no idea it would be so heavy, but the original builder probably knew, as he swiss-cheese-chambered the body to reduce the weight. Of course, I didn't know that until I added a deeper forearm contour... and suddenly those holes appeared. I didn't know what to do, so I finally decided to stain the holes black and let them be.

 

[Flux Jetson]

What's up with that bridge? Solid brass pretty much everything .. saddles, plate, the works.

 

[M.R. Ogle]

It's ( I believe) an old 1980's "Starz Guitars" piece. Also weighs a ton, solid brass.

 

[gregmon79]

Okay, here's my parts-box bass. I just noted one day that I had a LOT of spare parts (particularly bass pickups) laying around, so I decided to put them all together.

Actually, I have had at least two different pickups in each position, I use this bass as my test-bench.

Early Gibson EBO humbucker in the front position, an odd BBE Precision bass pickup in the middle, and a single fat-pole Jazz bass pickup at the back. Five-way strat switch to select single or center/front and center/back pickups.

About the holes in the forearm cut: I bought this body off the 'Bay because I liked the color of the wood. I had no idea it would be so heavy, but the original builder probably knew, as he swiss-cheese-chambered the body to reduce the weight. Of course, I didn't know that until I added a deeper forearm contour... and suddenly those holes appeared. I didn't know what to do, so I finally decided to stain the holes black and let them be.

I checked out some of your photobucket stuff, pretty cool stuff. I really like you "bench" bass. I've never seen a bass with a pup in the bridge like that. It's cool and interesting. Bet it has miles of tone.

 

[christw]

Wow, she's a beauty!!

What are the egonomics like?

It's the easiest playing bass I've laid hands on, especially down low. The fan matches the way your fingers spread as you reach for different notes in different positions on the neck. It's wild! I asked John to spec the neck off of an Ibanez SR5006 and he added an asymmetrical touch that makes it that much more comfortable.

 

[esa372]

After receiving a gracious invitation to post in this thread, allow me to present...

The Mighty Kong!

(This beast actually had four p'ups, but...)

Kong was made of a natural finish, one-piece body (ash or alder; I never really knew), with a Fender P neck, that had a rosewood fingerboard and a brass nut. The string-retainer on the headstock was raised with a plastic spacer about 1/4", and there was a HipShot Detuner installed for the E-string. The bridge was a Leo Quann Bad Ass-I, actually routed and sunk into the body wood.

The pick-ups were all DiMarzio. There were two Jazz-types side-by-side at the bridge position, a P-type in the center, and an EB0-type at the neck.

The electronics were passive and active. The passive controls were all on the black panel on front. There were five switches along the top of the panel; from left-to-right, they were:
• a three-way switch for the two J pups - selecting front, back, or both
• one on/off switch for each of the "three" pups (the dual J being considered as one pup)
• one active/passive switch

The passive control knobs, left-to-right, were:
• master tone; master volume (top row)
• three individual volumes, one for each pup (bottom row)

Once the active switch was engaged, all of the passive controls were de-activated, and the three black control knobs under the P and EB0 pups were activated. The active electronics in Kong were from a Warwick Buzzard, and worked in the same way. Left-to-right, the knobs were:
• two-tier stack pot for bass (bottom) and treble (top) boost or cut
• a balance control between the P and EB0 pups
• one master volume

(All this info, as well as a few other pics, are in the thread linked above.)

I sold The Mighty Kong to help fund a new custom bass; I wish I hadn't. I doubt I'll ever see him again (probably dismantled for parts), but you never know...

 

[gregmon79]

After receiving a gracious invitation to post in this thread, allow me to present...

The Mighty Kong!

(This beast actually had four p'ups, but...)

Kong was made of a natural finish, one-piece body (ash or alder; I never really knew), with a Fender P neck, that had a rosewood fingerboard and a brass nut. The string-retainer on the headstock was raised with a plastic spacer about 1/4", and there was a HipShot Detuner installed for the E-string. The bridge was a Leo Quann Bad Ass-I, actually routed and sunk into the body wood.

The pick-ups were all DiMarzio. There were two Jazz-types side-by-side at the bridge position, a P-type in the center, and an EB0-type at the neck.

The electronics were passive and active. The passive controls were all on the black panel on front. There were five switches along the top of the panel; from left-to-right, they were:
• a three-way switch for the two J pups - selecting front, back, or both
• one on/off switch for each of the "three" pups (the dual J being considered as one pup)
• one active/passive switch

The passive control knobs, left-to-right, were:
• master tone; master volume (top row)
• three individual volumes, one for each pup (bottom row)

Once the active switch was engaged, all of the passive controls were de-activated, and the three black control knobs under the P and EB0 pups were activated. The active electronics in Kong were from a Warwick Buzzard, and worked in the same way. Left-to-right, the knobs were:
• two-tier stack pot for bass (bottom) and treble (top) boost or cut
• a balance control between the P and EB0 pups
• one master volume

(All this info, as well as a few other pics, are in the thread linked above.)

I sold The Mighty Kong to help fund a new custom bass; I wish I hadn't. I doubt I'll ever see him again (probably dismantled for parts), but you never know...

That thing is AWESOME! Good stuff man.

 

[BlueTalon]

Woah, those last two entries are something you don't see every day! Good stuff, guys!

 

[Stealth]

Is that Artec, Gotoh or Curtis Novak? Those are the only three I'm aware of.

The Artec is a monster and is accessable if you want to switch it to 4 wire. The Gotoh is more mild mannered and can't be rewired. Never tried the Novak because of the price, but one of these days I'd like to.

It's an Artec. I lifted the metal cover and I was surprised to see it can be rewired easily. Since I'm going for a Sheehan-esque layout (with the extra J pickup below that I'll likely wind myself in a humbucking armature), I'm keeping it wired in series. The bass is already slated to have a somewhat insane wiring diagram, so an additional S/P neck switch would be overkill for now.

Yes, it will work in optional-stereo (only if two cables are used).

Do you have a picture of what it's going into??

It's going into my first bass. A The Mighty Kong!. It's nothing fancy, it was a cheap 200$ copy, but it still has good woodwork and the mechanical parts work well. The position of the neck pickup may not be exact - I should do a side-by-side with Sheehan's Attitude bass and figure out the position from there. Also, I originally intended to use a DiMarzio WP Neck, but since I got my hands on the Artec first (and since it's a proper mudbucker) I'll try that first.

Early Gibson EBO humbucker in the front position, an odd BBE Precision bass pickup in the middle, and a single fat-pole Jazz bass pickup at the back. Five-way strat switch to select single or center/front and center/back pickups.

Your bass was one of the basses that inspired me to keep mine with three pickups instead of covering the J pickup rout. And I still can't figure out where you got your bridge from, that's definitely the only one of that type that I've seen (apart from Telecasters, natch). Or those P-pickups. Do they have pole-pieces underneath the covers or are there blades? The thin strip on top doesn't give anything away.

After receiving a gracious invitation to post in this thread, allow me to present...

The Mighty Kong!

Yours is equally amazing, and still has me thinking whether I should get a double-jazz in the bridge position. Trouble is, mine will already be a space shuttle with its amount of switches, even I have no idea how I'd manage The Kong (and I'm a stickler for too many options ). It's a shame you had to part with it, I hope it either finds its way back home or you decide to reconstruct it.

 

[Flux Jetson]

After receiving a gracious invitation to post in this thread, allow me to present...

The Mighty Kong!

(This beast actually had four p'ups, but...)

Kong was made of a natural finish, one-piece body (ash or alder; I never really knew), with a Fender P neck, that had a rosewood fingerboard and a brass nut. The string-retainer on the headstock was raised with a plastic spacer about 1/4", and there was a HipShot Detuner installed for the E-string. The bridge was a Leo Quann Bad Ass-I, actually routed and sunk into the body wood.

The pick-ups were all DiMarzio. There were two Jazz-types side-by-side at the bridge position, a P-type in the center, and an EB0-type at the neck.

The electronics were passive and active. The passive controls were all on the black panel on front. There were five switches along the top of the panel; from left-to-right, they were:
• a three-way switch for the two J pups - selecting front, back, or both
• one on/off switch for each of the "three" pups (the dual J being considered as one pup)
• one active/passive switch

The passive control knobs, left-to-right, were:
• master tone; master volume (top row)
• three individual volumes, one for each pup (bottom row)

Once the active switch was engaged, all of the passive controls were de-activated, and the three black control knobs under the P and EB0 pups were activated. The active electronics in Kong were from a Warwick Buzzard, and worked in the same way. Left-to-right, the knobs were:
• two-tier stack pot for bass (bottom) and treble (top) boost or cut
• a balance control between the P and EB0 pups
• one master volume

(All this info, as well as a few other pics, are in the thread linked above.)

I sold The Mighty Kong to help fund a new custom bass; I wish I hadn't. I doubt I'll ever see him again (probably dismantled for parts), but you never know...

Now this here is a bass taken straight from the Flux Jetson Shop of Horrors. What I mean is, it is something I would have built (more like, wish I had built) .. it's right out of my book of what I think is good. No paint, a lot of raw and useful options, functional as all hell. A no frills tool. I can only hope that what I end up with will be as nice when I get my X-Bass done.

 

[esa372]

That thing is AWESOME! Good stuff man.

Woah, those last two entries are something you don't see every day! Good stuff, guys!

Yours is equally amazing...
...even I have no idea how I'd manage The Kong (and I'm a stickler for too many options ). It's a shame you had to part with it, I hope it either finds its way back home or you decide to reconstruct it.

Now this here is a bass taken straight from the Flux Jetson Shop of Horrors. What I mean is, it is something I would have built (more like, wish I had built) .. it's right out of my book of what I think is good. No paint, a lot of raw and useful options, functional as all hell. A no frills tool. I can only hope that what I end up with will be as nice when I get my X-Bass done.

Thanks, everyone!

Yep - Kong was ridiculously incredible. The tonal options were limitless. When I first aquired that bass, it was a simple P - one pickup; two controls. I guess I pushed it a bit beyond that! Flux Jetson's description was spot-on, and exactly what I was going for: no frills, lots of options, functional, useful.

All of you in this thread know the importance of those qualities!

I don't know if Kong has been disassembled, or is laying under some bed somewhere - I may just bite the bullet and build a new one someday ("Son Of Kong"?). But, if not, I still have old videos of me playing Kong on stage!

 

[SGD Lutherie]

Kong was made of a natural finish, one-piece body (ash or alder; I never really knew)

Looks like alder to me.

Cool bass. Kind of a distant cousin to some of my older creations!

 

[Doner Designs]

Must admit I'm a bit envious...Kong closely resembles a project I've been wanting to do. Thanks for posting a super cool bass!

After receiving a gracious invitation to post in this thread, allow me to present...

The Mighty Kong!

(This beast actually had four p'ups, but...)

Kong was made of a natural finish, one-piece body (ash or alder; I never really knew), with a Fender P neck, that had a rosewood fingerboard and a brass nut. The string-retainer on the headstock was raised with a plastic spacer about 1/4", and there was a HipShot Detuner installed for the E-string. The bridge was a Leo Quann Bad Ass-I, actually routed and sunk into the body wood.

The pick-ups were all DiMarzio. There were two Jazz-types side-by-side at the bridge position, a P-type in the center, and an EB0-type at the neck.

The electronics were passive and active. The passive controls were all on the black panel on front. There were five switches along the top of the panel; from left-to-right, they were:
• a three-way switch for the two J pups - selecting front, back, or both
• one on/off switch for each of the "three" pups (the dual J being considered as one pup)
• one active/passive switch

The passive control knobs, left-to-right, were:
• master tone; master volume (top row)
• three individual volumes, one for each pup (bottom row)

Once the active switch was engaged, all of the passive controls were de-activated, and the three black control knobs under the P and EB0 pups were activated. The active electronics in Kong were from a Warwick Buzzard, and worked in the same way. Left-to-right, the knobs were:
• two-tier stack pot for bass (bottom) and treble (top) boost or cut
• a balance control between the P and EB0 pups
• one master volume

(All this info, as well as a few other pics, are in the thread linked above.)

I sold The Mighty Kong to help fund a new custom bass; I wish I hadn't. I doubt I'll ever see him again (probably dismantled for parts), but you never know...

 

[Doner Designs]

Cool bass! Did you cut that bridge plate yourself? Regarding the contour, was that hard to do? What tool(s) did you use? I've been thinking about trying to add contours to the front and back of my Mustang bass. Not sure what I would do about the finish though.

Okay, here's my parts-box bass. I just noted one day that I had a LOT of spare parts (particularly bass pickups) laying around, so I decided to put them all together.

Actually, I have had at least two different pickups in each position, I use this bass as my test-bench.

Early Gibson EBO humbucker in the front position, an odd BBE Precision bass pickup in the middle, and a single fat-pole Jazz bass pickup at the back. Five-way strat switch to select single or center/front and center/back pickups.

About the holes in the forearm cut: I bought this body off the 'Bay because I liked the color of the wood. I had no idea it would be so heavy, but the original builder probably knew, as he swiss-cheese-chambered the body to reduce the weight. Of course, I didn't know that until I added a deeper forearm contour... and suddenly those holes appeared. I didn't know what to do, so I finally decided to stain the holes black and let them be.

 

[M.R. Ogle]

Belt sander! Very easy. Use the flat part for the forearm contour, the rounded "end" for the tummy-contour.

That brass bridge is ( I believe) and old 1980's "Starz Guitars" part. it also adds a few tons to the total weight.