- Sep 28, 2009
- 1,674
- 363
- 4,626
- Disclosures
- Bass builder @ MüB.
My oh my... It has been ages since my last thread. Even though I'm on TB since 2010 I feel like a novice. So, perhaps, before I start this thread a quick introduction is in order.
I posted my first thread on TB about six years ago. A build based on a number of ideas I had been toying with for some time which eventually converged under the title: Building the Über-Jay (those interested can still find that thread here on TB).
It took me about 18 months to finish it. Well, I was concurrently learning woodwork, how to build a bass, making prototypes of parts that were not available on the market and tweaking the design.
The bass was the Jazz bass I always wanted - lighter, smaller, neutrally balanced, more ergonomic and with more attack and sustain. Oh and with the headless tuning system plus a headstock.
All went reasonably well. So i built a second prototype. Twelve months. A thread is also somewhere here ( The Über-Jay Mark2. The Eldorado)
In the meantime I received an order. Yes. An order. From a customer. A paying customer. Cool. I wanted to start building basses professionally and that was happening faster than I thought. But, hey!, you don't get to choose both the What AND the When, right?
So here's the first official Über-Jay.
The Ragnarök.
Today I build full time for direct customers and shops alike. Two models (the Über-Jay and the Üver-Groove) in infinite number of customization and mods. From my original Headless-Hybrid to standard tuners to true headless.
Much has changed in the design and the options. One thing hasn't though: the name. What started off as a perhaps a bit corny joke (the Über-Jay) has stuck with me since. Even though I'd gladly let that go (Come on, today they drive you around town with that name) I somehow felt obliged to honor those humble beginnings (mmm...Über...humble... needs rethinking)
So the company (yes, a proper company) name is Maurizio Über Basses. Maurizio being me. Yes, I'm Italian. MüB for short. There's a website under that rather long name and a FB page. Feel free to check them out. Thanks!
Now....
This thread is about a bass which came to me as a rather intriguing project. I always ask for a theme before discussing woods and specs. A theme - a word, a concept, a name if you wish - helps focusing my creativity towards a certain goal. Giving your bass a name before it's built isn't the same as naming it after.
The owner, who's a very talented and creative gentleman sitting in Canada, suggested we create a bass which looked as if it had been forgotten and then found. Like a treasury chest dug out after years. That was the theme. We called it: The Oblivion. Here's is its story.
The bass was to be a lined fretless six stringer with a 26 position board and a ramp.
The crown jewel was a rather unique Myrtlewood top the owner picked among the tops I had at the time. I still think it took an uncommon flair for beauty to make that choice.
I mean, look at this thing and tell me what sound your jaw makes when it hits the keyboard.
And yet, it's unique to the point of being intimidating. That is, unless you can picture the finished product in your mind.
I used to - still try... er... - to sketch the bass before starting the build. I like drawings. They capture the soul of a project. Others prefer 3d renderings or photoshop. That's fine too I guess. But for me, well, I like drawings.
For the body we chose an Asian wood called Semangkok. It's kinda like Swamp Ash, very similar cathedral-like grain just a bit more brownish and with a lovely sheen.
The neck is a seven piece Maple and Bastogne Walnut. The board is Gabon Ebony lined with tobacco colored Maple veneer.
Hardware is made for me by ETS in Germany. Bridge and tuners are their design. String anchors are my design.
P-ups are Bartolini 6x Split Coil. Audere preamp. A killer combo.
Quick digression: The main reasons behind this Headless-Hybrid design is balance and overall weight distribution. I like the look of a bass with headstock. But I hate the fact the a bass traditionally either suffers from neck dive. Or it sits at a specific angle which it tends to go back to all the time. I also hate the fact that, many basses counter neck dive with either a heavy body. Some basses weigh like a house. Or they lengthen the upper horn which in turn screws all my memory muscles when i switch to a more classic bass.
I can't remember exactly the weight of this bass. But it should be around 8lbs+ which for a six stringer...
and it stays wherever you want it to. It has no memory of an angle to go back to.
I like to strap my bass at angles that changes with playing technique and even mood, so a neutral balance is important to me and every MüB is built with that in mind.
End of the digression.
Back to this build.
I'm tempted to show you the final product.
Should I?
....
Actually it can be seen (and heard) on the website and on the FB page.
Might as well.
Next time I'll take you through the build and the creative process behind it.
Thank you for reading this far.
Mau
I posted my first thread on TB about six years ago. A build based on a number of ideas I had been toying with for some time which eventually converged under the title: Building the Über-Jay (those interested can still find that thread here on TB).
It took me about 18 months to finish it. Well, I was concurrently learning woodwork, how to build a bass, making prototypes of parts that were not available on the market and tweaking the design.
The bass was the Jazz bass I always wanted - lighter, smaller, neutrally balanced, more ergonomic and with more attack and sustain. Oh and with the headless tuning system plus a headstock.
All went reasonably well. So i built a second prototype. Twelve months. A thread is also somewhere here ( The Über-Jay Mark2. The Eldorado)
In the meantime I received an order. Yes. An order. From a customer. A paying customer. Cool. I wanted to start building basses professionally and that was happening faster than I thought. But, hey!, you don't get to choose both the What AND the When, right?
So here's the first official Über-Jay.
The Ragnarök.
Today I build full time for direct customers and shops alike. Two models (the Über-Jay and the Üver-Groove) in infinite number of customization and mods. From my original Headless-Hybrid to standard tuners to true headless.
Much has changed in the design and the options. One thing hasn't though: the name. What started off as a perhaps a bit corny joke (the Über-Jay) has stuck with me since. Even though I'd gladly let that go (Come on, today they drive you around town with that name) I somehow felt obliged to honor those humble beginnings (mmm...Über...humble... needs rethinking)
So the company (yes, a proper company) name is Maurizio Über Basses. Maurizio being me. Yes, I'm Italian. MüB for short. There's a website under that rather long name and a FB page. Feel free to check them out. Thanks!
Now....
This thread is about a bass which came to me as a rather intriguing project. I always ask for a theme before discussing woods and specs. A theme - a word, a concept, a name if you wish - helps focusing my creativity towards a certain goal. Giving your bass a name before it's built isn't the same as naming it after.
The owner, who's a very talented and creative gentleman sitting in Canada, suggested we create a bass which looked as if it had been forgotten and then found. Like a treasury chest dug out after years. That was the theme. We called it: The Oblivion. Here's is its story.
The bass was to be a lined fretless six stringer with a 26 position board and a ramp.
The crown jewel was a rather unique Myrtlewood top the owner picked among the tops I had at the time. I still think it took an uncommon flair for beauty to make that choice.
I mean, look at this thing and tell me what sound your jaw makes when it hits the keyboard.
And yet, it's unique to the point of being intimidating. That is, unless you can picture the finished product in your mind.
I used to - still try... er... - to sketch the bass before starting the build. I like drawings. They capture the soul of a project. Others prefer 3d renderings or photoshop. That's fine too I guess. But for me, well, I like drawings.
For the body we chose an Asian wood called Semangkok. It's kinda like Swamp Ash, very similar cathedral-like grain just a bit more brownish and with a lovely sheen.
The neck is a seven piece Maple and Bastogne Walnut. The board is Gabon Ebony lined with tobacco colored Maple veneer.
Hardware is made for me by ETS in Germany. Bridge and tuners are their design. String anchors are my design.
P-ups are Bartolini 6x Split Coil. Audere preamp. A killer combo.
Quick digression: The main reasons behind this Headless-Hybrid design is balance and overall weight distribution. I like the look of a bass with headstock. But I hate the fact the a bass traditionally either suffers from neck dive. Or it sits at a specific angle which it tends to go back to all the time. I also hate the fact that, many basses counter neck dive with either a heavy body. Some basses weigh like a house. Or they lengthen the upper horn which in turn screws all my memory muscles when i switch to a more classic bass.
I can't remember exactly the weight of this bass. But it should be around 8lbs+ which for a six stringer...
and it stays wherever you want it to. It has no memory of an angle to go back to.
I like to strap my bass at angles that changes with playing technique and even mood, so a neutral balance is important to me and every MüB is built with that in mind.
End of the digression.
Back to this build.
I'm tempted to show you the final product.
Should I?
....
Actually it can be seen (and heard) on the website and on the FB page.
Might as well.
Next time I'll take you through the build and the creative process behind it.
Thank you for reading this far.
Mau
Last edited:
Keep 'em coming!
