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Unveiling VIII: Walnut Warmoth Projekt

Malak the Mad

Malak the Mad

Over the River and through the Looking Glass
Supporting Member
Oct 20, 2012
14,079
19,550
The Archduchy of DuPont
#1
Greetings once again, Y'all! It's your friendly neighborhood tinkerer, Malak the Mad, here with yet another parts-bass Projekt for your viewing pleasure!

Today's submission was centered around a lovely, if well-worn, Warmoth body I bought from fellow TB'er @spacebassed, so basically, this one is all his fault. :p (Joking, obviously! ;))

First, some pics for the "TL-DR" crowd…

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…and now, the ingredients that went into it for the "Nuts & Bolts" crowd.
  • Body: Warmoth Walnut Jazz (nitro finish, '60s pickup spacing)
  • Neck: Fender Aerodyne Jazz (my personal favorite neck profile, especially with the Hipshot Drop D-Tuner)
  • Pickups: Fender MIA Single-Coil Jazz (same ones used in "Highway One" Jazzes)
  • Electronics: Tone Monster SEB2-ABPA preamp courtesy of Guitar Fuel (controls are Volume + Active-Passive switching/Blend/Stacked Treble & Bass)
  • Hardware: Smoked Chrome
  • Strings: Ernie Ball Cobalt Flatwounds (.100-.045 gauge)
  • Weight: 9.5lb! :confused:
The weight is what perplexes me. This bass feels so damn solid, like it should weigh at least a pound more, but it still somehow falls into what I consider to be "average Jazz bass weight". I'm sure I shaved off a couple of ounces by going with a bent-plate bridge rather something of a high-mass persuasion, but I suspect it's the rear-routing that kept it to a manageable mass.

One thing this building experience certainly did was chip away a little of my "tone-wood skepticism". For a Jazz bass, it has a distinctly "woody" tone. Originally, I had those Highway One pickups in an alder-bodied Jazz and they sounded much, much brighter. So, to strike a balance between "thump" and "zing", I chose to go with the Ernie Ball Cobalt Flats. I wanted to preserve both of the qualities the body and pickups brought to the table, and so far, I am far from being disappointed. :thumbsup:

Thanks for taking the time to read this far! Stories, suggestions, perspectives and constructive criticism are always welcome.

'Til then, be seeing you…
-Malak the Mad
 
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#3
Thanks, mightily, pj! :thumbsup:
pjbassist said:
IMO any neck that has YOUR favorite profile +1
Click to expand...
I often preach that myself. "Personal ergonomics" is something I take very seriously. What works for me won't necessarily work for everyone else. So, even though I'm an avowed Fender/Squier guy, I'd much rather someone…especially someone new to slappin' da bass…find what feels "right" in their own, two hands.
 
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#16
spacebassed said:
Looks great, especially with that black headstock. Enjoy!
Click to expand...
Oh, I am! Big-time thanks to you for enabling inspiring my madness new Projekt! :whistle:

If nothing else, it gave me a great excuse to finally try out one of Monster Fuel's preamps. Lucky for me, just as I started assembling the parts, they came out with the active/passive option for the SEB Series. :)
 
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#19
Malak the Mad said:
Greetings once again, Y'all! It's your friendly neighborhood tinkerer, Malak the Mad, here with yet another parts-bass Projekt for your viewing pleasure!

Today's submission was centered around a lovely, if well-worn, Warmoth body I bought from fellow TB'er @spacebassed, so basically, this one is all his fault. :p (Joking, obviously! ;))

First, some pics for the "TL-DR" crowd…

View attachment 3949848
View attachment 3949849
View attachment 3949850
View attachment 3949851
View attachment 3949852
View attachment 3949853
View attachment 3949854
View attachment 3949855

…and now, the ingredients that went into it for the "Nuts & Bolts" crowd.
  • Body: Warmoth Walnut Jazz (nitro finish, '60s pickup spacing)
  • Neck: Fender Aerodyne Jazz (my personal favorite neck profile, especially with the Hipshot Drop D-Tuner)
  • Pickups: Fender MIA Single-Coil Jazz (same ones used in "Highway One" Jazzes)
  • Electronics: Tone Monster SEB2-ABPA preamp courtesy of Guitar Fuel (controls are Volume + Active-Passive switching/Blend/Stacked Treble & Bass)
  • Hardware: Smoked Chrome
  • Strings: Ernie Ball Cobalt Flatwounds (.100-.045 gauge)
  • Weight: 9.5lb! :confused:
The weight is what perplexes me. This bass feels so damn solid, like it should weigh at least a pound more, but it still somehow falls into what I consider to be "average Jazz bass weight". I'm sure I shaved off a couple of ounces by going with a bent-plate bridge rather something of a high-mass persuasion, but I suspect it's the rear-routing that kept it to a manageable mass.

One thing this building experience certainly did was chip away a little of my "tone-wood skepticism". For a Jazz bass, it has a distinctly "woody" tone. Originally, I had those Highway One pickups in an alder-bodied Jazz and they sounded much, much brighter. So, to strike a balance between "thump" and "zing", I chose to go with the Ernie Ball Cobalt Flats. I wanted to preserve both of the qualities the body and pickups brought to the table, and so far, I am far from being disappointed. :thumbsup:

Thanks for taking the time to read this far! Stories, suggestions, perspectives and constructive criticism are always welcome.

'Til then, be seeing you…
-Malak the Mad
Click to expand...
Malak, that's a beauty!

I just found this thread looking for avice on a drop D tuner for my Aerodyne. That one looks great. Which specific Hipshot model is that? I just looked and there are several models. The one you have matches up really well in those pics!

Thanks!
 
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#20
DrThumpenstein said:
Malak, that's a beauty!

I just found this thread looking for avice on a drop D tuner for my Aerodyne. That one looks great. Which specific Hipshot model is that? I just looked and there are several models. The one you have matches up really well in those pics!

Thanks!
Click to expand...
Thanks, Doc! Sadly, I "broke up the band" a ways back, but it was a fun Projekt to assemble, not to mention an educational one. :) :bookworm:

Aerodynes, as well as most-if-not-all Japanese Fenders, use a Hipshot BT10. The only downside, and it's a minor one, is that Hipshot doesn't make them in smoked chrome, so you won't have an exact finish match. Still, it's not a glaring discrepancy. As far as I'm concerned, it's barely noticeable from the front. Plus, the convenience it delivers more than overcomes any hard feelings I may have about the slight aesthetic mismatch. ;) :thumbsup:

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