Wishbass Club (Part VI - The Cult of Wishbass)

Hey!!!

Wishbass Club (Part VI)???!!?

C'mon, something snappier.

"Cult of Wishbass"


=wr=

 

new strings finally came in today. roto tapewounds. I feel like they are putting a lot of tension on the neck. I noticed there was a lot more relief and thus higher strings.

has anyone else encountered this? This is my first time using tape wounds. I always used flatwounds on my fretlesses, but the chromes I bought weren't long enough, and thought I'd try out tapewounds. They're definitely thicker.

 

=wr=

 

Here's another start of thread reveal: I give you 'Thunderhead':

It's always a good feeling when you put the soldering iron down, tighten everything up, fit some strings and it all works as advertised.

(Phew, another night of troubleshooting avoided!)

How does the 'head play? Absolutely brilliantly! What a blast and I still need to fit a new set of strings and do a final fine tune on the set-up so it's only getting better. Can you tell I'm a wee bit buzzed?

The 33" scale is great and the whole way she sits on a strap really makes you feel she's part of you - as wanky as that sounds!

I still need to sort out some position markers, but I'll be taking the 'head to practice this Friday! The Delano is awesome, particular in the parallel mode - talk about some grunt and that's with it wound right down!

I'll get some better pics and video in the short term, but for now (and the second reveal for the night!) anyone who wants to check out the build diary and pics can go to www.davesbassplace.com and check the 'head, a few other Wish' refins and some other bits and bobs out!

 

Wow. Just. Wow.

 

Thunderitter. Thanks for the inspiration. I'm waiting on another bass to come in the mail ( Tomorrow ) before getting started on #1147. I sold all of my gear last year to purchase my first home. Just now getting back to baseline. Ive been using the wish for woodshedding and waiting for Tune i Just bought to use for practices, Gigs. In any event lets just say I've been in a good mood lately.

I cant wait to get her all cleaned up.

 

TR, the Thunderhead turned out great! Refin, engineering, electronics; all bases covered.

Have you sent Steve W. any photos and how does he like it?

One of these days, you will not be able to top yourself!

=wr=

 

she looks a lot like mine. what are the woods?

 

Speaking of TR and his fantastic refins, take a peek at his work on my #1113 - which is on a FedEx truck back to me as we speak...











BTW, as TR mentioned earlier www.davesbassplace.com has a complete work diary with photos. It's neat to see step by step how it all comes together. Check it out!

ps - I know I posted this at the very end of the last thread, but I wanted everyone to see TR's work - and show off my first 'finished' Wish!

 

Ambrosia Maple body
Jatoba Fingerboard
Neck is Mahogany with one Purpleheart and two Curly Maple Stringers.

 

Thanks 5108audio! #1113 turned out real nice IMHO!

The figure/spalt/marble really pops and the fingerboard is definitely one of my favorites. You notice that the action is down a fair bit from where she was 'from the factory'!

As you're soon to find out the curves and shape are much more uniform and the filled cavities have all come out in a very sympathetic way. The side jack also blends in a lot better and I think the simplicity of the single knob works too! She's definitely gone from 'plain jane' to being a bit of a looker!

Thanks again for the opportunity to refin your bass.

 

Steve approves!

 

Is it two weeks yet?

 

Whoa ****... It actually has.... He must be close... Oh man...

 

And it's a gorgeous day. High 70's, sunny, with a light breeze. I decided to take my dogs


to the beach.

And that got me thinking, thinking about Wishbasses. Then I got home to see the recent posts, and realized yet again, that I really like this thread/club.

TR, your work is a joy to look at, and I find myself having inappropriate thoughts about the Purpleheart Thunderhead. Still, in the remote case that the high standard you have set, may serve to discourage some of the lessor skilled and equipped of us, I offer up some of my recent mod work, a bit more roughshod, as an example.

Actually the first one, 5 string fretted 866, I took to my Luthier, Frenster Guitars, for a new nut. I had a chunk of purpleheart, and he used that to cut the nut. The original Corian had a significant disparity in the spacing. I didn't even notice it till someone pointed it out from a youtube posting.




My very first Wish, 474 Scroll, had been refinished and had active EMG's installed, but I had never done anything to the fingerboard. As I started to experiment with lowering the action, the need to level the board became apparent. Applied a 12" radius sanding block with 220, then 600 grit.



When I picked up my 5 string fretted with the new purpleheart nut, I had Fren slice the remaining block into 3/8" slabs. I used one to make a new control cover.


Now with the fingerboard fixed, I went to lower the action. As many of us have experienced, lowering a corian bridge is an irreversible exercise. I have used wood epoxy in the past to make markups or test bridges, that can serve as a template when I get it right. Wood epoxy is cheap, easy to work with, and pretty strong too. So I thought I would try one as a more permanent bridge. I'll see how long it lasts. I sanded it smooth and painted it black.



Lastly, is the most recent, Cherry Hipper 1061, currently has a passive tone. But my plan was to add and EMG BTC stacked bass and treble EQ to my DiMarzio passive Jazz pup. Last night I performed a freehand route for the 9 volt, and covered it with some painted aluminum, very Wish-like. Installed the active EQ, and it worked the first time!


Fired her up good and loud today, and I really like the EMG EQ with a passive pup. It seems somewhat tamer than when used with an active EMG pup.

So I have been thinking about my Wishbasses, and the others I have heard recorded. To my ear, there is a distinctive, and ever-so-slightly unique sound to a Wishbass. Even with a bass like this,



with a high mass brass bridge, and active EQ, it still sounds like a Wishbass.

I expected the fretted scroll to sound more like my other fretted basses. It doesn't, it sounds like a Wish. I've got them with Active EMG P's, DC's, and TW's, with Barts and Kent Armstrongs, with DiMarzios, and they All sound like Wishbasses. Why is this?

I think it must be the necks. These necks have 2-4 times the mass of any other neck I have seen or felt. That seems to be the most profound and distinct difference between a Wish and all others. I think that is what I'm hearing.

Thanks for sharing all the spectacularly refinished Wishbasses that have been gracing this thread, Bring them out into the world.

Peace, JBY

 

I always love your posts, man.

That wood epoxy's a great idea. How does it sound?

 

I guess it sounds like corian, or a hardwood. I haven't been able to discern any difference.

If I had to guess, I would say that it feels slightly less rigid than corian, and perhaps absorbs more of the string vibration. But it would have to be to a very small degree.

The best part is I can make 20 bridges or so with one $12 tube. I can go for the extra low action with little concern for mucking it up.

They make other types of epoxy, meant for patching plastic, stone, and other materials, maybe I should experiment.

JBY

 

That'd be great. I wonder how stone epoxy would sound...

How do you mold/cure the epoxy into a hardened bridge? Does it just dry like that?