- Jun 2, 2012
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- Doner Designs is an alias for Steve Doner
Best Bass Gear has Guild Darkstars for $100. I would love to see a bass with 3 or 4 of those!
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Show us your 3 pickup basses!
- Thread starter Doner Designs
- Start date
- Jun 2, 2012
- 5,784
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- Doner Designs is an alias for Steve Doner
I guess I jinxed the collection by taking that picture. Sold the Mustang, Spectorcore is on the block and I'm thinking about selling the G&L (to fund another personal build).
- Jun 2, 2012
- 5,784
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- Doner Designs is an alias for Steve Doner
Pickups arrived for my Big Jazz Warmoth project...Nordstrand Bigman at the bridge and a pair of Big Singles. They are sitting on my P bass in this photo just to show the planned layout. All 4 coils are the same wind with alternating polarity. Will have on off switches for each pickup and an Audere noiseless preamp. There will be 5 naturally hum cancelling positions and the Audere will add 5 more hum cancelling options via matching phantom coil in the control cavity.
That is SO nice! I LOVE three pickup basses and this one with Nordies is like the ultimate! One of these days I intend to try an Audere with the phantom coil to see if that really kills the single coil hum. Give us a report! You da three pickup man!
I've been wondering for awhile and this looks to be the place to ask.'what is the advantage of a third pickup? A fuller sound? More diversity because of the three positions, one middle, one bridge?
- Jun 2, 2012
- 5,784
- 6,819
- Disclosures
- Doner Designs is an alias for Steve Doner
I'm excited about this one and definitely will report back. The preamp will have a toggle to defeat the noise cancellation system, so it will be easy to demo and hear what it does to hum and to see if it sucks any tone out. David Meadows is a genius and I have every confidence that the preamp will perform as advertised. He also happens to be a very nice guy and is donating a custom preamp for our latest charity project (a three pickup telecaster guitar).
- Jun 2, 2012
- 5,784
- 6,819
- Disclosures
- Doner Designs is an alias for Steve Doner
More tonal diversity along with giving it a very customized look. With a passive bass the diversity is very helpful, but even with a preamp, the deep tone you get from a far neck pickup is not the same as an electronic bass boost.
- Jun 2, 2012
- 5,784
- 6,819
- Disclosures
- Doner Designs is an alias for Steve Doner
- Jun 2, 2012
- 5,784
- 6,819
- Disclosures
- Doner Designs is an alias for Steve Doner
Body and neck arrived today. I hope the rosewood neck doesn't dive too much. Beautiful but heavy.
Oh my goodness! That is amazing. The body is gorgeous, and that neck! I have drooled over rosewood necks (not literally) -- they are stunning, and I imagine they gotta be smooth as silk to play.
One thing you can do if neck-dive becomes an issue is put a heavier bridge on it. Those Babicz bridges are lightweight -- normally that's a selling point, but it might work against you in a situation like this.
One thing you can do if neck-dive becomes an issue is put a heavier bridge on it. Those Babicz bridges are lightweight -- normally that's a selling point, but it might work against you in a situation like this.
- Jun 2, 2012
- 5,784
- 6,819
- Disclosures
- Doner Designs is an alias for Steve Doner
Thanks buddy, nice to hear from you. The body is ash with a bocote top. That's the natural color - just clear coat on it.
I had no idea how much the neck was going to weigh. It is HEAVY!, maybe heavier than the body but you do see them on some of the special run MusicMans, so it's not unheard of. I am a staunch supporter of Babicz both because they make a great product, I like the looks and they have been sponsors of our charity works. I think what I'll do (if needed) is add some ballast to the control cavity (like automotive wheel balancing weights).
I'm kinda following in your footsteps for my next one after this. I sold another personal for a good price, so I'm going to replace it with a triple J build...and yes, it will have 3 Super 55's like yours. Positioning will be different however. It will be a bit like a MM J. Will have two bridge pickups (one in 70's position and the other as close to it as possible toward the neck). Neck will be in the standard neck position.
The ballast is a good idea - the weight will be placed in roughly the same place to maximize the effect, and you can control exactly how much weight you want to add. I'll be interested to find out what it weighs when it's all put together.
I'm kicking around the idea of a 4-pickup bass. Details later as the idea takes shape.
I'm kicking around the idea of a 4-pickup bass. Details later as the idea takes shape.
- Jun 2, 2012
- 5,784
- 6,819
- Disclosures
- Doner Designs is an alias for Steve Doner
I am super curious about the tones in all of that. Will there be proper samples of this thing? I bet Carey would love to see and hear that.
My Warmoth 3 pup jazz built by Larry Smoak. Joe Barden pickups, bridge was fabricated from a solid block of brass. 5 way switch giving me numerous variations of tone and a blend pot as well! Ton of extras but not going into all the bells and whistles!
- Jun 2, 2012
- 5,784
- 6,819
- Disclosures
- Doner Designs is an alias for Steve Doner
Nice! Who made the bridge? Cool design. How do you like the Bardens? Those are the only side by side J pickups on the market (I think) but are expensive so you don't see them very often. Also, which positions did you choose for the 5 way? My favorite position is usually bridge plus far neck.
- Jun 2, 2012
- 5,784
- 6,819
- Disclosures
- Doner Designs is an alias for Steve Doner
By the way, I just learned that the things that look like worm trails are really something called medullary rays. You see them on some really high end basses (like Sadowsky).
- Jun 2, 2012
- 5,784
- 6,819
- Disclosures
- Doner Designs is an alias for Steve Doner
It actually balances out just fine. I was pleasantly surprised. Can't wait to see your quad idea.
