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Supernova Bass project : Ovular content

#121
some progress today -

The control cover w/integrated jack. I decided I will be screwing it in after all (no magnets) so no chance of being yanked out. The hole was the way I was going to pull the cover off if held by magnets. No longer an issue - need to think about it. Maybe inlay something - a small disc w/a rocket ship etched on it, or a compass? or a trans-red plastic disc w/an LED in the cavity? hummm...

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Laminated the brass w/the tusk (this is an early fitting - it's jewelry now)

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…and got the routing templates done (oval pu's, neck pocket, control cavity/cover) and started routing - will finish that tomorrow. The oval routes are perfect - I stressed about achieving that but got into a zen-mode and nailed it! Patience and focus is the only 'route'.

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I also did work on the hs bevel and will shoot a pic in daylight - it's looking' good!
 
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#124
gmjhowe said:
Is there any specific advantage over your two part nut? Versus say an all brass one, or an all tusk one?
Click to expand...

That's an interesting question and you'll get many opinions about nuts in general. It's not necessarily an advantage than a spice. The lowly nut is in it's simplicity holds the strings at the necks end w/structural integrity, height and spacing it's critical needs. It's also one of the 2 important spots where the strings touch the instrument. (other than frets of course, which has another kind of importance. ;) Where the string rests will effect tone. In general a brass nut brings out harmonics and sustain and bone/tusk bring a bit of warmth. I used to think it was more a upper stratosphere sensitivity to nuance that distinguished the difference but learned that however subtle it makes a real difference in tone delivery/quality. A bridge saddle generally made of brass is the other connection to that 2 point tone-ground. But conversely I have made a brass nut for a bass (w/a common plastic nut) thinking it would improve the sound only to find it ruined it! (and a few more in which it really helped) So it's really subjective to the instrument and having made this composite nut it may or may not be what is best for this bass. Determining that will be part of the post build fine-tuning. I did this same combo on my Supersonic w/great results tonally so for now I'm going on track record.

So to sum it up, the combo of those 2 materials provides clarity, articulation, sustain and harmonics (brass) with warmth and character (tusk- an tough organic fibrous material) to balance against potential harshness. (which happened on the other bass I talked about) It would be interesting to do a whole exploration using one bass as a constant w/every type and combination of material and mix possible. Like I've considered that even the reverse of my mix w/brass on top could even make a difference. It's where the rubber meets the road so to speak.
 
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#125
Here's the current hs bevel w/the composite nut sitting in place. I will be using tiny brass screws to attach it to the fb end. Off to finish the routing but I need to plane the slab back 1/4" before I do the cc route and then I can cut the shape out and start sculpting it. yay!

IMG_6439_zpsf8b16293.jpg
 
#126
JIO said:
That's an interesting question and you'll get many opinions about nuts in general. It's not necessarily an advantage than a spice. The lowly nut is in it's simplicity holds the strings at the necks end w/structural integrity, height and spacing it's critical needs. It's also one of the 2 important spots where the strings touch the instrument. (other than frets of course, which has another kind of importance. ;) Where the string rests will effect tone. In general a brass nut brings out harmonics and sustain and bone/tusk bring a bit of warmth. I used to think it was more a upper stratosphere sensitivity to nuance that distinguished the difference but learned that however subtle it makes a real difference in tone delivery/quality. A bridge saddle generally made of brass is the other connection to that 2 point tone-ground. But conversely I have made a brass nut for a bass (w/a common plastic nut) thinking it would improve the sound only to find it ruined it! (and a few more in which it really helped) So it's really subjective to the instrument and having made this composite nut it may or may not be what is best for this bass. Determining that will be part of the post build fine-tuning. I did this same combo on my Supersonic w/great results tonally so for now I'm going on track record.

So to sum it up, the combo of those 2 materials provides clarity, articulation, sustain and harmonics (brass) with warmth and character (tusk- an tough organic fiber material) to balance against potential harshness. (which happened on the other bass I talked about) It would be interesting to do a whole exploration using one bass as a constant w/every type and combination of material and mix possible. Like I've considered that even the reverse of my mix w/brass on top could even make a difference. It's where the rubber meets the road so to speak.
Click to expand...

Very interesting. I bought some Mammoth Ivory which I plan to use on my ash bass. It will be interesting to see what sound I get from it.
 
#127
All routing (other than body edge) done. Will plane the slab down tomorrow morning and cut out the shape after. I bought a router (Porter Cable) as the one I was using yesterday broke mid-stream. Pick-guard done and decided to only do the skirts on the tone pots - volume knob's on it's own.

IMG_6440_zps8c4bd83f.jpg
 
#130
bassingeorge said:
A bass I envision in a "The Jetsons" eppisode! Sci-fi 50's vibe going on! I see it painted in some flashy 50's fender paint, either gold, inca silver, or lake placid. Something shimmery! I would LOVE it in some sparkling silver finish, but thats just me.
Click to expand...

You are on the bus! I hear your point about glitz and retro and yet am veering more towards a sort of Jetsons-modern style meets total era colour palette - not just cars or guitars but fashion, womans make-up, interior decor and an ad for achieving a new aesthetic sophistication when you buy a Buick. Supernova is anything but predictable. Supernova defies stereotype. Supernova is on the launching pad and the clock is ticking down…
 
#135
Dude,
When you aren't building AMAZING bass's, are you like a Madison Avenue genuis???

JIO said:
. . . I hear your point about glitz and retro and yet am veering more towards a sort of Jetsons-modern style meets total era colour palette - not just cars or guitars but fashion, womans make-up, interior decor and an ad for achieving a new aesthetic sophistication when you buy a Buick. Supernova is anything but predictable. Supernova defies stereotype. Supernova is on the launching pad and the clock is ticking down…
Click to expand...

just wondering if maybe you've missed your true calling . . . :)
 
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#136
I'm way late seeing this for the first time but it looks uniquely fantastic!
I used those delano oval xtender pickups and love the tone and versatility. I'm not great at describing sound and I only got to play it for a couple days before delivering, but I will say they are very clear and well balanced (frequency wise), but offered plenty of punch and could cut a mix well. In comparison, I found my bartolini quad coil pickups to be a little too 'high fi' and didn't cut through in a rock setting.
If it's not too late, I'd highly recommend putting in some way of doing coil taps. I did 2 on-on-on switchs; series, single coil, parallel for each pickup, where they would humbuck if both set to single coil. Adds a whole other dimension of tones available. If adding switches doesn't fit the aesthetic, you can always do push / pull knobs to at least get coil taps.
 
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#137
Alright, rocket ship, very cool. In the 50' and 60's it seemed like everyone was obsessed with spaceships and rockets. The spacerace.
The 2 concepts can exist in perfect harmony.

Supernova defies stereotype. Supernova is on the launching pad and the clock is ticking down…
Love this.
 
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#138
A late recap of (yesterday's) progress - sliced, diced, using super-sharp Ginsu knives!

IMG_6442_zps222ecdeb.jpg


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once cut out - bandsaw ridges sanded as even as possible

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edge routing

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restart on the control cover (sans hole) - will have Pat shoot it the same colour as the body to blend in. Edges have been routed round.

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rasping on belly bevel

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inset bolts for neck/pocket (ignore misaligned holes…)

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and at the end of the day - a mock-up to start seeing what I've done. The red alder is pretty light (I need to weigh it) and the scale is nice. Out of town for the weekend so no more work on it till Tuesday. Here comes a Supernova...

IMG_6451_zpsd50d64fd.jpg
 
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#139
davens said:
I'm way late seeing this for the first time but it looks uniquely fantastic!
I used those delano oval xtender pickups and love the tone and versatility. I'm not great at describing sound and I only got to play it for a couple days before delivering, but I will say they are very clear and well balanced (frequency wise), but offered plenty of punch and could cut a mix well. In comparison, I found my bartolini quad coil pickups to be a little too 'high fi' and didn't cut through in a rock setting.
If it's not too late, I'd highly recommend putting in some way of doing coil taps. I did 2 on-on-on switchs; series, single coil, parallel for each pickup, where they would humbuck if both set to single coil. Adds a whole other dimension of tones available. If adding switches doesn't fit the aesthetic, you can always do push / pull knobs to at least get coil taps.
Click to expand...

I popped for the least pricey version - not the quad coils. The Audere pre is pretty straight forward and really delivers a broad useable range so I'm pretty confident it'll have more than enough BIG tonal variety. Glad to hear these pu's are good - all of what you describe is what I want!

I'd like to see the bass in your avatar pic w/the Delano's - is there a build thread link?
 
#140
Skarsoul said:
Dude,
When you aren't building AMAZING bass's, are you like a Madison Avenue genuis???

just wondering if maybe you've missed your true calling . . . :)
Click to expand...


yah, in my own mind and w/o the big-bucks part… Maybe it's because I just watched The Wolf of Wall Street… :beaver: :cautious: (hummm, that's not a wolf)
 
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