Wenge!

[smart51]

This is my new short scale build. You've got to love a bit of Wenge, especially with a stripe.

I've partly filled the grain on this one. I'm not fond of the fully open grain look but wanted to retain some of the character of the wood. I think on balance, I prefer the fully filled look.

One thing I don't like about Fender shorties, is that they have a full sized body and head with a stubby neck. They look like toy guitars, so I've deliberately made the body small, to look in proportion. I think I should have made the waste narrower on the upper wing.

stripes!

the view when playing

One thing I'm a bit disappointed with is the triple stripe in the neck. It's only when you get really close that you see there are 3 bands.

A set of new D'Addario EXL160s arrived this morning. They're not quite long enough. The taper is right on the nut. I have an old set of Rotosound short scale strings which fit perfectly. My scale length is exactly 30.5". D'Addario don't give you much room from the ball end to the bridge.

 

[dwizum]

I like the super fine triple stripe. Sometimes I think it's better to have details that can only be appreciated from close up. I think of it this way - I'd you could see all the design elements from far away, it wouldn't be as tempting to come get a closer look...

 

[smart51]

It's been 3 years since I built this bass. I like the way it looks and the way it feels when playing it. But the tone is lifeless and completely lacking in high frequencies. It's been bugging me all this time. I'm curious to know what it is about the structure of the bass that causes the problem.

The bass itself is 100% wenge other than the pin stripes. It has a 3 piece set neck and the body has a separate front and back with a veneer stripe going all the way through. Otherwise it is build in broadly the same way as all the other basses I've made.

It originally had passive humbuckers which were pure mud in this bass but fine in another. I replaced them with active pickups that I wound myself. The low turn count, boosted by a high gain preamp is only a little better. On other bases, these sound thin and super bright. It is this bass that is sucking in all the tone. Why could that be?