Under construction: 4 string Ash-Maple-Ebony

[shai-ga]

Welcome to my new 32" scaled, 4 string bass building!

This one will have original designs for body and headstock,

and include an active 3-band preamp by Nordstrand connected to a set of Barts.

Some more specs:

Lock down bridge with adjustable string spacing.
24 frets, no zero fret, on a 12" radius board.
High gloss polyurethane finish
Compact body design, with upper&lower horns contours.
Conductive paint on all cavities.
Grover strap locks.
Gotoh Tuners.
Black plexiglass cover on the neck for easy truss rod access.

 

[shai-ga]

 

[shai-ga]

Some detail work on the headstock, and a bit of neck and body shaping.
Ready for frets, nut, tuners, and side marks.

 

[shai-ga]

 

[buldog5151bass]

I love how you picked the grain for the front of the body.

 

[shai-ga]

Thank you!
It will get a multiple layer poly coating, with a glossy finish, tinted to orange-amber.

 

[shai-ga]

 

[shai-ga]

Headstock reshaped:

 

[Five String]

Cool! Sub'd

 

[shai-ga]

Fret marks, some sanding and heavy routing

 

[shai-ga]

One more for today

 

[shai-ga]

Painted

 

[earlysecond]

Either that body is smaller than it appears OR your pickups are really large! My mind cannot see it right! I'm sure it IS just right.

Awesome work, very classy and timeless look. Hope it will sound and play as good as you have made it look!

Regards,
Brent

 

[shai-ga]

Thanks Brent!
The body -is- very small (but these are big 5 string soapbars on a 4 string bass as well).
I'm designing my basses to look like shiny toys, but to sound like a world class monster.
And I'm not worried about neck balance issues. This is a 32" with a compact headstock, and with the upper horn ending at the 17th fret, it's not that terrible. You just have to support the neck a little bit, but I'm quite experienced with these dimensions, and it's certainly playable.

 

[shai-ga]

And if you think this one is small, have a look at my last bass and another design

 

[earlysecond]

Pretty unique and i like unique. Well done!

 

[JayVek-72]

That is very cool.. Love the small scale design.

 

[shai-ga]

Sorry for the delay, the ash body hit the trash can, and I made a new soft maple body, with a new shape.

Neck stays the same 32" ebony setup, and I'll install an EMG PJ set, to go with my nordstrand preamp.

 

[shai-ga]

Here's a water staining try, I'm using this technique for the first time.