So, you guys are a bad influence.....

[Dadagoboi]

Nice looking basses there, wouldn't mind having one for myself someday.

Curious, are you fabricating your own bridges and brightwork, too? That has to be quite an undertaking.

In the case of the Lowe, Hipshot custom fab'd the bridge, pickup collars, and control plate for Lowe, making them unique to the Chromasonic. I don't even wanna know how much cash was expended to build this bass.

I designed the bridge and tailpiece and did the prototypes, Steve Soar does the metal work as well as the pickups and rings. He's been my partner in crime for about 40 years although we now live on opposite coasts. Because of that, development costs are kept at a minimum and I have a lot of flexibilty in what I do.

I have no illusions of being anything but what I am, a guy who builds basses one at a time. I also turn a profit on small production numbers since I'm not paying companies to pay people to do prprietary stuff I can do. For example: pickup rings and spacers are done by a water jet shop for a lot less than buying them from Hipshot. Same goes for bridge and tailpiece parts, all it takes is having the blanks water jetted and bending and polishing. I prefer nickel to chrome or stainless so everything is fabbed from solid nickel silver and polished by me. Since I do all my own finishing, my only cost is the materials.

 

[mtdkingstonheir]

Cataldo/Dadagoboi - really like your space-age designs, reminds me of the "Jetsons".

 

[BBQV]

Nice work!
A P-bass with T-bird pickups is the ultimate groove tool in my book!

 

[tedious1]

Yeah, except I design, plane, glue up, cut, route, sand and finish every Cataldo personally.

Yep, that's the hoped for end-game... we'll see how close I get.

 

[mojomike001]

Suited me well until this fell into my lap.

That walnut tele looks like it's got the same sort of body as a tele I put together.

 

[RED J]

Well, crud. So are you. I had been thinking about putting an exotic dark wood neck on my walnut P-3, and had kind of forgotten about the idea. I guess you will piece together where this is going. drool

 

[redstrand]

We are all cads!

 

[redstrand]

and a hipshot tugbar for good measure.

 

[BTL]

and a hipshot tugbar for good measure.

LOVE it!!!

Yeah, except I design, plane, glue up, cut, route, sand and finish every Cataldo personally.

Brad farms almost everything out except the design. He mostly assembles what other companies make. Nothing wrong with that, Lull does it and a lot of others. I did that with my furniture line but the product didn't have my name on it. Cataldos will always be built by Cataldo.

Nice looking basses there, wouldn't mind having one for myself someday.

Curious, are you fabricating your own bridges and brightwork, too? That has to be quite an undertaking.

In the case of the Lowe, Hipshot custom fab'd the bridge, pickup collars, and control plate for Lowe, making them unique to the Chromasonic. I don't even wanna know how much cash was expended to build this bass.

@Templar Thanks for the kind words!

@Dadagoboi is correct...I use the same OEM suppliers that many of the "big name" US-based custom shops use.

I dabbled briefly with modifying import necks and milling and finishing bodies myself.

I even built a dozen or so P-type basses using Mighty Mite parts as a DIY modder's platform.

All of my electronics are interchangeable and plug-and-play.

That's why the pickup ring is hexagonal...it covers a universal rout.

All you need to swap out pickups is a screwdriver.

As noted earlier and elsewhere, I offer a few unique US-made parts for sale piecemeal, and I will probably offer even more in 2017.

For example, my 32" scale conversion necks have their own little following.

I'm very proud of everything I've done, from my earliest graphic finishes to the innovations and small details I incorporate into each of my custom builds.

I'm even more excited about what's in the pipeline for 2017.

My goal is, and has always been, to offer a product that can "hang with the best."

This is not a money-making enterprise for me, it's my legacy.

 

[BBQV]

Pulled the trigger on a set of these pickups just a minute ago! $113 + tax shipped.
I figure I can't go wrong, how bad can they be? (Famous last words...)

 

[bholder]

You're not done. Clearly the bridge has to be replaced. And the wiring. And tuners. And neck. And body.

But keep the finish.

 

[BBQV]

Pulled the trigger on a set of these pickups just a minute ago! $113 + tax shipped.
I figure I can't go wrong, how bad can they be? (Famous last words...)

They arrived yesterday!
Everything was included, apart from the pickups and the trim rings they included screws and springs too. They look good and measure 8.4 and 9.5 kOhms.
The trim rings exactly covers a standard Precision pickup, which makes my life a little easier!

 

[BBQV]

Done!
It works, now I just have to compare them to the TunderBucker Ranch 66's I've got in my Telecaster.

 

[Dark Horse]

Done!
It works, now I just have to compare them to the TunderBucker Ranch 66's I've got in my Telecaster.

Nice job, looks great! Definitely looks like a player!

Uploading it in dropbox onto this form kind of makes it a pain in the butt to view though. You can just upload photos right here using the reply button.

 

[BBQV]

Better?
First try was done at work, don't know what happened...