checking interest in a single MM pickup w/2-band pre

[Rodent]

I'm checking interest in an offering I'm giving consideration to, and would appreciate your vote and/or feedback

here's the proposed specs:

- 4-string lefty
- Maple/Maple neck with choice of 1-1/2" or 1-5/8" nut width
- choice of heavy Northern Ash or light Swamp Ash body similar in shape to my M-Series design (see reference below)
- single MM style AlNiCo5 pickup in the traditional sweet spot
- 9v preamp that is -very- much like the original B00 basses that MM style pickups were introduced on
- metal control plate with Vol + Treble + Bass + Jack
- a coil tap toggle for series/single/parallel could be an option
- Hipshot Type B bridge
- clover tuner keys

I'm guessing that I'd need to offer this without a pickguard so that there's enough visual difference between this and that famous bass from the late '70's to keep the lawyers away.

so two questions -

is this offering appealing?

would the lack of a pickguard kill your interest?


thanks for your thoughts!

for reference, here's what my M-Series body shape looks like (in case you don't already know)



all the best,

R

[andrew]

Who makes the preamp?

I'd want to see it with gloss finished fingerboard (sorry) and natural finish, both with a light matching vintage tint to accent the "from the 70's vibe".

Any photoshop talents here want to do a mock up?

[bigevilrobot]

Lack of pickguard makes no difference to me, could always add one after the fact anyways.

Very interested though, especially with the 2 band pre

Candy apple red with a maple fretboard would be killer

[Rodent]

Who makes the preamp?

I'm not able to say right now, as I don't believe it's officially available to the public just yet. I looked into doing a version of my own, but soldering on PCBs isn't really something I enjoy. I can say that the pre is pretty faithful to the original in configuration, operation, and sound


vintage tint clear finish - yes, that's what I had in mind for the specific Swamp Ash body blank I'd use. if I do this, it'll probably join me at NAMM this year (but that's an entirely different topic for another thread )


one of the paint shops I use specializes in Candy color as well as metal flake finishes, so CAR is definitely an option

all the best,

R

[slybass3000]

That looks promising.

i don't mind the lack of pick guard especially when you see the wood grain.

Actually this set-up looks exciting. Look forward to the results.


Sly

[andrew]

The lack of pickguard and headstock shape could liken this bass more to an early G+L than a MM.

[velalv]

The lack of pickguard and headstock shape could liken this bass more to an early G+L than a MM.

I was thinking the same thing, a bit like an early g&l or half an l-2000 or l-2500, which would make it an l-1000 or l-1250. Ok, I will stop, I stay away from math for a reason.

Also, at least for me personally, a pickguard probably would decrease my own interest, as it did when I tried out an l-2000 in chicago some time earlier this year, but that is just me.

[Rodent]

thanks for all the feedback so far, I definitely appreciate the ability to hear your candid preferences/thoughts. it's great to have input from outside the confines of the shop - it's had a direct impact on my designs/offerings on many occasions

since you mention an L1K, I thought I'd drag mine out and lay it next to my SRay and Pbass and then compare to what I have in mind here. let me note that I was pretty amazed at just how close an L1K is to a SRay on the majority of their geometric design. it was very obvious that Leo took full advantage of reusing what he liked from his previous work that wasn't protected by trademark.


so looking at what I have for the proposed design against the L1K/SR, I see that

- the Type B bridge is more aligned with the L1K

- the pickup is definitely more like the SR

- the control plate, while being significantly different from either, is more aligned with the L1K simply due to the lack of a pickguard

- I definitely have better body ergonomics than either the SR or L1K, even if I don't offer mine with a contoured heel


one other thing I noticed got me thinking ... both the SR and L1K have a headstock adjustable TR, while I currently offer only a heel adjust TR (for many reasons I've discussed here on LB in multiple places) ... if I offer this design without a pickguard, the TR adjustment slot has the potential to be a bit of an eye sore IMO. I may experiment on this unit an build it with a headstock TR adjustment location. no promises on this option making it to production, but I'm at least willing to give this another try after having totally written it off for years now

all the best,

R

[andrew]

One thing you could do on these basses is offer the choice of pickup position in either the neck or bridge positions, or both.

A single pickup in the neck position would really hammer the early G+L vibe that much further.

You should get Nordstrand to do you a pickup similar to the G+L MFD pickup. I bet a Nordy MFD would be a hit with the G+L contingent, though you'd get better feedback on this on the BABP board where the G+L purists reside. I'm just a tourist when it comes to G+L.

[Rodent]

unfortunately the MFD pickup is far too hot for the vintage style 2-band preamp to handle without significant clipping. the cost of a custom wind wouldn't be prohibitive, but there's not enough time to work thru that process and still have this unit ready for NAMM. so at least on this first unit I'll utilize a stock Nordy MM4.2

modifying the 3-way toggle so it behaves more like a L1K could be done though. if I offer this unit without a pickguard, I can easily spec the pickup with both a default and optional user defined location


so my decision now is whether to make this with heavy Ash or lighter Swamp Ash ... and I'm leaning towards the lighter body simply because that's the direction most customers typically go

all the best,

R

[andrew]

Go with lighter ash.

[velalv]

I think lighter ash would further distance yourself from MM model, which would be a good thing. I tend to run away from MM stingrays because they feel like a boat anchor. I tend to run from heavy basses generally, played a wonderful jazz bass yesterday that felt like it weighed over ten pounds. As much as I loved the playability of it, could justify it based on weight, as I tend to play standing up, even while practicing.

[andrew]

The thing too is NAMM showcases products more often by sight and feel than sound. You'll get a lot of people walk by the booth and pick up a bass and play it unplugged for a minute vs. people who will sit down and plug the bass in, so for NAMM purposes light weight leaves a better impression on more people.

[Rodent]

I have two Swamp Ash body blanks in the wood rack at the moment - a 1-piece and a 2-piece

the 2-piece has a little brighter look to the summer wood growth, bit it isn't the best grain match I've had in my shop


the 1-piece has a couple stain spots, but it's slightly lighter weight and has better winter growth definition


given the added cost of the 1-piece blank, I think it would tip the scales over the unmentioned target number I'm trying to hit ... but you don't see 1-piece Swamp Ash lefty bodies offered every day, so that ought to grab a little added attention. I'll note that the 1-piece will also have a pita aspect to it from a builder's perspective ... it's about 2" too wide to run thru my jointer/planer, so all the initial planing will have to be done with hand tools


any thoughts on which body blank you like better? either blank ought to produce a fully loaded bass weighing under 8.5 pounds. both blanks have a great ringing tap tone when bonked

all the best,

R

[slybass3000]

I have two Swamp Ash body blanks in the wood rack at the moment - a 1-piece and a 2-piece

the 2-piece has a little brighter look to the summer wood growth, bit it isn't the best grain match I've had in my shop


the 1-piece has a couple stain spots, but it's slightly lighter weight and has better winter growth definition


given the added cost of the 1-piece blank, I think it would tip the scales over the unmentioned target number I'm trying to hit ... but you don't see 1-piece Swamp Ash lefty bodies offered every day, so that ought to grab a little added attention. I'll note that the 1-piece will also have a pita aspect to it from a builder's perspective ... it's about 2" too wide to run thru my jointer/planer, so all the initial planing will have to be done with hand tools


any thoughts on which body blank you like better? either blank ought to produce a fully loaded bass weighing under 8.5 pounds. both blanks have a great ringing tap tone when bonked

all the best,

R

Personally I like the 2 pieces for the color and grain.

[Rodent]

body blank glued and out of the clamps. I'll give this its final thicknessing in a couple days once the glue moisture has dissapated and the blank is again stable



while thicknessing the rough pieces I cut into this really cool cross lacing figure. it's super easy to see in the shop, but it's rather difficult to capture in an image

if you look you can see this figuring in both side of the butt end of the glued blank. I orientated the figuring so that the majority of it was on the top side and within the body outline. what's cool is that it continues thru the entire thickness of the blank, so th's there to a lesser extent on the back side as well. this figuring should really pop when the body gets its clear finish

all the best,

R

[Rodent]

given the specific body wood - Maple/Maple or Birdseye/Birdseye for the neck? I'm leaning towards the BM/BM being OTT for this one

R

[andrew]

given the specific body wood - Maple/Maple or Birdseye/Birdseye for the neck? I'm leaning towards the BM/BM being OTT for this one

R

My opinion is never use neck wood with flashier grain than the body if you're going with a natural finish on the body.

[Rodent]

here's a sneak peek at the preamp that will be installed in this bass



I inquired about running it 18v, but was warned that this has only been certified for 9v ... so 9v it shall be

I drop the body and neck off at the paint shop on Friday, where the body will get either a vintage tinted clear or Honeyburst finish. the jury is still out as to which one would show better at NAMM. either way the Maple/Maple neck with black face and side dots will get a vintage tinted finish. finishing these together will ensure that, if I go with the vintage tinted body, the vintage tinting will be identical on the neck and body

all the best,

R

[Jeroen]

I'd lean towards the vintage tinted natural finish, I generally don't like honeyburst finishes. If you're going for a burst, I'd go for a vintage sunburst at all times. White blonde might look good too!

I'm really curious to see what this will look like with a control plate