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Warmoth Gecko owner's club
- Thread starter tubby.twins
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Thanks. Warmoth didn't choose the wood for the gecko, I did. Actually, I was really on the fence about that. As you can see in my pics, I don't use markers, or fretlines. I learned on a blank plank (URB) as a kid and markers are a distraction.
I kinda dig the look of the Gecko, so to have it there I needed it as obscure as possible.
I asked them to to use something close to the coloring of the ebony as possible. It ended up being Pau Ferro. Even with the closer color I will still need to get used to it being there. It's worth it.
I was told that if you don't specify they will go for as much contrast as possible, so it would have been maple, or some lighter color like that. I would have shipped it back.
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Hi Bob, I am using a Nordstrand 'Bigman' in my 5-string fretless. I have the active/passive option and I run in Passive 99% of the time because it sounds so flippin' good.
Excellent choices, especially the pickup locations! Welcome to the club, you are #34.
Nordy Pickups came in a few days ago!! Body and neck should be in later this week!
My Gecko body and neck arrived yesterday!! WooHoo!! I am SOOOO glad that I waited on the wenge to become available. It's some gorgeous wood. I'm thinking now that I might would have liked a wenge laminate top instead of the walnut I ordered. I'm using Sutherland Welles polymerized tung oil on the body. I put the first coat on last night. It looks great! So, I'm happy with what I got. 3 more coats or so on it and I'll call it done. The neck is perfect as-is. I'm not going to do a single thing to it in terms of finishing. Slap on the tuning machines and it's done.
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Hokay! Let's make some noise!
I went full Nordstrand. A single Dual Coil in which I will be running through a 3-way Coil Select (still need to figure out where I am going to locate that.
The Pre is the 3B3: Volume is Push/Pull, Active/Passive. The Mid is Push/Pull Mid-Shift, and the 3 pot is a stacked Bass/Treble.
This is a blast! Can't wait to hear how it sounds.
Finished the tung oil application to the body! Also installed a 1/4" hole into the control cavity for the mini toggle switch. Although I'm a relative newbie to finishing, I thought it turned out pretty good.
Looks great! Oils are usually the easiest medium to work with. Just a quick 200 grit sanding, wash it off and slather on the oil. I will recommend something like Warwick's Surface Refinisher Wax as a way to keep the surface protected. They recommend a couple of times a year. I have used it more like 3-4 times per year, depending on use/wear & tear. I put a good coat on after the Danish Oil had a few days to dry on my build.
Anyway, it looks great! I look forward to seeing it finished.
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Well, I made a mistake on ordering the pickups. My intention is to install humbucking pickups with the option of switching them to single coil. I mistakenly ordered Nordstrand Big Splits, which aren't split-able. I realized this once I realized that it only had 3 wires (it has a gray wire which is only used in conjunction with Audere preamps). A quick inquiry to Nordstrand confirmed that I ordered the wrong pickups. I meant to order Fat Stacks, which are split-able. So, I asked about returning the Big Splits and trading them in for the Fat Stacks. No problem!! I have to hand it to Nordstrand...they're awesome to work with. In particular, Stew McKinsey is great. He's helped me tremendously in putting this thing together. I really can't say enough about these guys. If you're in the market for a set of pickups, GIVE THESE GUYS A TRY!!
So, I got the neck screws from Warmoth and couldn't resist going ahead and putting the bass together and stringing it up. It's going to be a couple of weeks before the Fat Stacks get here anyway. I can use this time to set up the action and work out any bugs. I had a couple of old black dome knobs laying around and put them on it to see how I liked them. I'll probably go with something different. I got to spend a couple of hours playing it over the weekend. Initially, I had the action set up a bit too low (about 3mm) and got a bit of fret buzz above the 15th fret. I set it to ~4mm and it's fine. I can't wait to fire it up!
So, I got the neck screws from Warmoth and couldn't resist going ahead and putting the bass together and stringing it up. It's going to be a couple of weeks before the Fat Stacks get here anyway. I can use this time to set up the action and work out any bugs. I had a couple of old black dome knobs laying around and put them on it to see how I liked them. I'll probably go with something different. I got to spend a couple of hours playing it over the weekend. Initially, I had the action set up a bit too low (about 3mm) and got a bit of fret buzz above the 15th fret. I set it to ~4mm and it's fine. I can't wait to fire it up!
I Frikkin' LOVE this stuff! Had to do some transcription from the provided block diagrams into reality, but it's going well... so far!
I dropped some Honey Badger Heavy Hitters into my Gecko a few weeks ago and I don't think I could be much happier with how it sounds - especially through the Trickfish. All the evenness and clarity that my Gecko had before, with a GREAT B-string and a very lively sustain, but it's so punchy now that it felt a bit like a finely tuned hair trigger on a double barrel shotgun. Talk about making you play with intent... I've always loved my Gecko (had this particular neck for 16 years), but the new pickups gave it some personality that it was previously lacking.
... and, it's a bass! The new knobs will be in this week to top off the build. I also still need to put it back on the bench and get the intonation, string height, neck relief, etc. all set up and we'll be good to go.
First impressions on the tone: I haven't had a bass with as impressive a low end since my Lakland 55-94. The articulation from the B string is just amazing. Still working on dialing in something usable up in the upper-mid to high registers. I don't think it will take too long. The only 'real' complaint is the C string. I am thinking a slightly thicker string may help there.
Edit: I forgot to mention that it came in right at 9lbs, which was a goal for this build right from it's inception.
I know I've said it already, but I just can't get over how good the B & E strings are performing. This is gonna be a fun bass.
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I've got the guitar completely built and wired. It's awesome! But I have a problem...
I have two frets (the 20th and 22nd) that are way out of whack. They buzz badly, even though there's no buzz anywhere else on the neck. And it's not just a buzz...the notes don't even really play at all. They're either too low, or the next highest frets are too high. I took the bass to a very experienced luthier in my area for his assessment. He was very disappointed. He advised me that, if was his bass, he'd send it back. He told me that the amount of fret material that he'd have to remove in order to fix the buzz would be the equivalent of 10 - 15 years of normal wear. On top of that, it will cost me between $100 - $150. I was sick upon hearing this. I don't want my brand new bass to have to go through this (nor my wallet...which is already a bit light).
I've contacted Warmoth about the issue and I'm awaiting a response. I'm hopeful that we can work something out.
I have two frets (the 20th and 22nd) that are way out of whack. They buzz badly, even though there's no buzz anywhere else on the neck. And it's not just a buzz...the notes don't even really play at all. They're either too low, or the next highest frets are too high. I took the bass to a very experienced luthier in my area for his assessment. He was very disappointed. He advised me that, if was his bass, he'd send it back. He told me that the amount of fret material that he'd have to remove in order to fix the buzz would be the equivalent of 10 - 15 years of normal wear. On top of that, it will cost me between $100 - $150. I was sick upon hearing this. I don't want my brand new bass to have to go through this (nor my wallet...which is already a bit light).
I've contacted Warmoth about the issue and I'm awaiting a response. I'm hopeful that we can work something out.
Man, sorry to hear this. I hope Warmoth does the right thing and fixes the problem free of charge.
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