Special Edition Build Off: Build 2 Walwannabe6

[Beej]

I’ve got a 5 dollar super thin yoga mat cut into pieces that fit on various work surfaces. Another thing to watch for is keeping the mat clean of dust and debris as well. An ancient finish carpenter I worked with forever ago used to say “debris degrades”, and that has stuck with me. I try to handle the work in progress like a finished instrument, as every single ding, dent and scratch will be something I have to steam and sand later.

 

[madmaskbass]

Well...My hands are wrecked almost can't play bass they're so sore...I need to get a better system methinks anyway bass is full sanded in rediculous detail to 320. Just about to tape for stain. Very exciting time. My stain ideas have changed after testing today and all will be revealed in coming days I am set on the colour theme and final finish look of the bass very exciting but also not usual. Neck is also at coat 6 of truoil after being stained aswell. Still have to make a truss cover and control cavity cover but thats last stages in between coats anf forcing myself not to rush the finishing.

I am finishing in Osmo so hopefully everything runs smooth and the stain is what I hope it'll be. I really liked the stuff on my first build it is super easy to use and really gives a lovely matte sheen. I have sanded about 3 times the detail and grain structure lines this time so it should be much better..Touch wood!

 

[dwizum]

Check this thread out:

Tools and techniques for carving and sanding without finger pain

Lots of ideas generated in terms of sanding without finger pain! I've made some changes in my own routines based on ideas people had there, and it has been nothing short of transformational.

 

[madmaskbass]

Ohh thanks heaps man!! Yeah i really need to read this and practice these tips for sure! About the only thing i was doing was ROS for the flat surfaces but ended up hand sanding it all at 320. I even have a cool set of sanding cylinders in four sizes for my drill press I never even thought about putting them in the hand drill...Dang. oh well more lessons learned!

 

[madmaskbass]

Well it has been a big four days! I held off on my final details for a bit of fun for a decent reveal. In honesty i still have a week worth of stuff to go finishing this bass but that's all sweet. I have been working at a reasonable level of patience but as things started coming together it got harder and harder to wait to put turn this thing into an actual instrument...That being said I have not risked the finish of the instrument by putting it together tonight. The great thing about Osmo is that it is a nice fast cure.

The neck still needs final sanding but I am pretty sure it has enough truoil on it now..around 15 coats with one wet sand in the middle. The pickup rout needs a shave more depth which is going to be daunting after a finish but i will make it work...Of course electrics which is a big job on this one seeing as it has a 3 way switch for each pickup and then the ACG to wire in. Balance and feel is phenomenal at this very early stage. I am too tired to do a setup and get it at playable stage but everything looks good at this stage.

Last ramble..I apologise for the bad photos and will do a real proper shoot at final finish this is done with an ipad lol the bass looks probably twice as shiny and bright in real life..The photos are very washed out and too light under a bright flouro. The colours are far more red/orange with a lovely sheen from the Osmo.

Anyway enough yapping! Here it is!!!

I am blown away by how well it has come together! Still a ways to go but so far there is nothing major that is nagging at me as being an issue. This is the bass I setout to achieve in my head and it has exceeded my expectations. Can't stop staring at it lol.

 

[madmaskbass]

The things that i didn't reveal in the designs were the mash up of the best things I love about Wal basses. This is kind of a mashup of a Mk2 with a 4 string head which I have always wondered how it would look with a 3x3. There are elements of the Mk3 in the bass like the overall body shape. In reality this isn't a Wal at all as i mashed all of the features of there models together but to me that is totally cool they were just the major influence on the design decisions for the bass. I think in my near future I will have the real thing sitting beside this one which would be a dream come true.

Cutting up a factory fresh neck was interesting especially as it was done after a quick pencil mockup of the shape i wanted. I am happy.

It took me a really really long time to figure out how to finish this bass..I wanted to number one elevate the grain of the Queensland Maple and also have a nice classic aesthetic Wal is known for. Deciding on the dark colour for the back was not done lightly as the pictures don't do it justice but there is some lovely grain and figure in it as well. The colour combo was a mix of a dark reddish brown, a purple style black and a green black. I had used this combo on my first bass and with the redness of the wood it is a cool colour. The final result is far better than i thought it would be. In the belly cut there is another section of flamed wood that looks unreal..i a lovely surprise.

I was set on the top colour for a while now as it was the colour that worked the best in testing and on my first bass. It is a combo of the reddish brown called Cedar, mixed with some red and orange. This stain just seems to make the figuring go insane. What i was worried about was how it looked all together but once it was done i was super stoked with the overall result. If anyone hasn't tried Osmo before I cannot recommend it enough. This is the matte version and I did not grain fill. I have a Golden era thumb bass that is open grain and wax finish and i absolutely love being able to feel the wood...it just feels more tactile and satisfying.

Anyway enough rambling

 

[ctmullins]

Wow, congrats! That does look amazing. Can’t wait to see proper photos, and hopefully a sound clip with that filter pre!

 

[postalflunkie]

Well done

 

[madmaskbass]

Neck is finished sanded back to 1200 grit of smoothness. It is far from prefect as I keep sanding through in tiny little areas namely the edge between the fretboard and the start of the neck. I am walking away because the areas are very minor and tiny and this is my bass afterall not a showpiece or to be sold. The finish you get from truoil really is amazing. It feels like velvet so lovely.

I have shield the control cavity and found my final layout for controls but I still have 2 week wait on my switches to arrive which is a major bummer but nothing can be done about it...I cannot wire anything really until they are here.

In trying to work out the wiring of all of this stuff I realised that my pickups have 4 different options per each pickup which is,

1. North Row
2. South Row
3. Series
4. Parallel

I was only going to run two 3 way switches for series/singe/parallel but didn't even think about the other row. At this stage I think I am going to wire it with the neck pickup North in Single and the Bridge Pickup south in single and that way I have the classic Jazz bass style split but I think adding another switch to the build with the other two options needs to be done (somehow lol) to get the other single combos. The whole idea of the electronics for this build was to be the most outrageously flexible system possible for experimentation fun. With 8 pickup position options there's 64 options in pickup selection alone, not including then the filter pre blending and the silly amount of range on the EQO1 lol.

Still have rear cavity cover to build and some type of logo/brand work to finalise the build which will probably involve some inlay work which is a new terror to me lol.

Cheers, loving all the builds!

 

[Jon Clegg]

If you add a DPDT switch to each pickup for phase reversal, you get coil selection as well. Here's one I did with a couple of lipsticks set up as lipbuckers:

 

[madmaskbass]

@Jon Clegg if I am honest I understand not enough of this but i am really trying...I have created a thread I would love some assistance! Please Multicoil Toggle wiring help PLEASE!!

Anyone else that could help with wiring this mess would be unbelievably appreciated!

 

[madmaskbass]

Figured it all out! Finally found a few diagrams that made enough sense to have a go. All seems to be working first go which was a huge surprise as I normally have to fault find something. On my quick play showed that this system is not a plug and play type thing and it might take some patient fiddling to a few tones that are my jam. Straight off the bat the sound is much much more bass focused than I am used to. Finding the balance with the strong mid focused push that i am used to with my Warwicks/spectors will take some digging. Especially to get the balances right.

I knew when I went down this path that I was building a bass to fall down a rabbit hole and now I get to do that lol.

I have two builds in the pipeline but I am going to take a break and enjoy the bass for a bit. Next I want to build an 8 String tele to practice my first neck build and then a P/MM with a Sandberg 5 neck i bought. I have a lovely ETS bridge and I am thinking of a Black/blue burst with pickguard. Will be a cool bass. Think i might even stick to this body design for it as i like it..maybe slightly tweaked.

All that is left is a bit of tidy up. A few screws in the cavity guard and then some type of logo. I think I might shield the pickup cavities to cut the slight noise i have now. I will make a recording and a decent photos with a real camera soon. Thanks hugely to all that helped and motivated me along the way. It truly did work to slow down, reflect and plan heavily before each step. I still have a huge amount to improve and learn this bass is far far from perfect but I look forward to working on from here!

Cheers Josh.

 

[ctmullins]

That’s the spirit. Nice work, enjoy it for a while!

 

[madmaskbass]

Just looked back here and realised i didn't upload a nice photo. I am still an absoloute beginner with a camera and am keen to learn but here is a much better image of the finished bass. Tonally this thing is more than expected. Totally nails its desired outcome of that very complex filter based tone that Wal basses excel at. I am working on a video that compares it with my Spector and Warwick in a Tool song (of course). Good fun.

I also wanted to mention that I own some lovely basses, I really do, but interestingly this bass is by far the loudest acoustically, amp off and also has the most sustain by alot. Take that anyway you want it but it is interesting to me.

Anyway here's a better pic!

 

[Reedt2000]

It really came out nice

Looking forward to hearing it

 

[Dark Horse]

Great looking build !

 

[ctmullins]

Gorgeous work!

I also wanted to mention that I own some lovely basses, I really do, but interestingly this bass is by far the loudest acoustically, amp off and also has the most sustain by alot. Take that anyway you want it but it is interesting to me.

To me, that’s a primary indicator of a high quality instrument. If an electric bass sounds good unplugged, then it’s that much easier to get a great amplified sound. Conversely, a poor acoustic response means the electric sound is based on a substandard foundation.

We sometimes forget that the core of the instrument is a set of vibrating strings.

 

[madmaskbass]

As promised!! Sorry for taking soooo long!!

 

[Reedt2000]

Sounds killer, punchy, a tiny bit scooped but full bottom end. Kinda reminds me of Spector tone (might just be the choice of tune )

 

[madmaskbass]

Sounds killer, punchy, a tiny bit scooped but full bottom end. Kinda reminds me of Spector tone (might just be the choice of tune )

Thanks man. I was going for a supercharged Spector tone in this one, but this thing has huge flexibility that's for sure. So much so I sold my very lovely Spector as it cant compete with this one.