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Warmoth Releases Mooncaster Short Scale Bass!

Do you like the Mooncaster Bass?

  • Yes

    Votes: 164 79.6%

  • No

    Votes: 27 13.1%

  • Tort

    Votes: 2 1.0%

  • Carrots

    Votes: 13 6.3%
  • Total voters
    206
#42
Yeah: has anybody here put a Mooncaster together?

Did bholder ever get his DS Starcaster up and running?

C'mon, it's like an old, "B", cliff-hanger, matinee serial with no final episode: the suspense is killin' me!
 
#51
Feels and sounds every bit as good as it looks!

20191004_145642.jpg
 
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#53
HotelX said:
Beautiful. Congrats
Click to expand...

Thanks! I'm really loving this one.
As expected, it sets up pretty much flawlessly. I do wish they offered a thicker neck profile and wider nut option on their shorter scale necks, as I prefer a more girthy neck, but this one isn't overly thin by any means and still feels fine as is. I was surprised how small the body actually is -- it's scaled down from the Fender Starcaster design it's based on and even though it's 32" scale, with the 2x2 headstock it fits into any of my normal Fender electric guitar size gig bags. Mine is swamp ash and feels super solid and substantial. The top is definitely a bit thicker than that of my 1970 Guild Starfire, which I would never keep in a gig bag. Not worried about that with this one though. I don't have a scale to weigh it, but overall I'd consider it pretty average, probably around 9 lbs.
I had never played TV Jones Thundertrons in person before and all of my first-hand experience with other mini-humbuckers or toaster style pickups on bass has left me wanting. The Thundertrons are a game changer though! I wouldn't say they're as fat sounding as my beloved Bisonic pickups, but they have a surprisingly clear and tight sound. I had expected that I would want to wire them up with coil taps, but there is really no need. Instead I wired the mini-toggle switch to go between series and parallel. The series setting is super ballsy and aggressive, whereas the parallel is softer and has the expected degree of mid-scoop. I was a little worried about string spacing and pickup pole spacing... Warmoth doesn't stock the narrower Hipshot D-style that I think would actually be a closer match to the spacing of the Thundertrons. You can see in all the straight-on photos of completed Mooncasters that the bridge pickup especially is notably tighter spaced than the strings. Happy to report though that it doesn't make any noticeable difference with the Thundertrons. The magnetic field is plenty strong and consistent across the strings. I've played basses in the past where the pickups were just the slightest bit narrow and there was a big output contrast with the E and G being very weak. Not the case here.
Tonally, this bass is the perfect complement to my Starfire, with just enough overlap that I could play a whole set with either in case one was in the shop. 32" scale, maple & swamp ash, bolt-on construction, Thundertrons VS. 30.75" scale, all-mahogany, set-neck, Bisonic pickups. Looking forward to giving the Mooncaster a go at next rehearsal.
 
Last edited:
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#56
HotelX said:
Did you get a chance to use it yet?
Click to expand...

Yes! Sorry about the lull, it's been a crazy couple of weeks. Sounded great in the mix, especially with the pickups in series. I did decide to go with a heavier set of DR flatwounds, so the string-break-in period has been elongated but it will be worth it I think. The lighter Fender set that was on there was a little to loose for my taste.
 
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Reactions: nixdad
#57
mikewalker said:
"QUALIFIED" yes - qualified because I cannot stand the sharp edge of body binding.

IMO: This really needs the big 'half-inch radius' body edge of a Rickenbacker 360 (or 4005) and they could sell a boatload.
Click to expand...

I'm interested in anyone's experience with the binding and comfort. I'm looking into 32" scale largely for comfort when playing. If the binding takes away from that it could be a deal breaker. Love this body shape though.
 

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