Winter Build Off 2024 - Scalawag 5: Best Bass to Replace the Best Bass for Me

#161
Beej said:
Okay, I'm calling this bass done, and this is my submission post for the build off. :thumbsup:

Specs:
Neck: Three piece hard maple, tapered centre stringer, flamed side stringers, aluminum reinforcement bars, 7 degree tiltback headstock with maple veneer caps front and rear.
Truss Rod: Double acting double rod, headstock access
Fretboard: Obsidian Ebony engineered hardwood
Fingerboard Radius: 15"
Scale Length: 33"
Frets: 25 nickel silver (zero fret design)
String Spacer (Nut): fretboard material, 45mm zero fret neck width
Tuners: Black Gotoh GB350
Strings: D'Addario
Neck/Body Join: bolt on with under-board inserts and furniture bolts
Body: Radiused Poplar back/core with figured hard maple top
Pickups: Nordstrand Big Blades
Electronics: 2x J-Tex Distillers and mute switch
Controls: Volume, Blend, Neck Filter, Bridge Filter, Neck Q switch, Bridge Q switch, mute switch
Knobs: Black Plastic Audio in 2 sizes
Bridge: Black All Parts, 16.5mm spacing, body-bedded aluminum mounting block
Finish: Circa 1850 Wood bleach with Saman waterbased polyurethane, handrubbed to matte
Weight: 6.82 lbs

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That looks killer! The pale woods combined with black hardware is so good. I agree with @Reedt2000, that's some really nice poplar there, and of course that shows in the weight. Top notch work! :drool:
 
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#162
Reedt2000 said:
That's some of the nicest poplar I've ever seen for a bass/guitar body. No weird greens in it, even and clearly defined grain lines. Very nice :thumbsup:

How do the electronics work together? What's the tone like?
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Yeah, this poplar board had some really nice grain to it, and it was almost all sapwood, so very little of the darker greenish stuff. There's a little bit under the top, you can see the darker grain at the butt under the top on the treble side. The bleach lightened it a lot and turned it from green to a sort of sandy colour. Poplar gets a bad rap, but it can be a great light wood to use in instruments. :thumbsup:

The tone is to die for. I had not played the big blades before, so I tried them sans distillers to get a sense of them, and they sound great on their own. They are really quiet for single coils too. Once I paired them with the distillers, wow. I've played with a single distiller before and it's a great-sounding filter that allows for a broad range of tones. But putting two of them together is really something. I've been playing along with my band's tracks trying to find the right settings so that we have a reasonable mix, and there are just so many perfectly usable tones.

In addition, it hits all of the shape considerations I was going for - my arm falls over the body at just the right spot to put my right hand where I want it over the strings, it sits on my leg balanced and in the right spot and it's balanced perfectly on a strap and positioned so that my left arm reaches just to the nut without stretching. The light weight is also really nice, though it's under a half pound less than my other regular bass.
 
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#176
billdylan said:
Wow thats a beauty...just wondered what bleach you used for the body top, something specialised for wood work or just common or garden house bleach ?..Thanks
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Thank you! as mentioned, it's "Circa 1850 Wood Bleach" manufactured by "Swing Paints". @Gary_M has used a similar product in his builds as well, possibly easier to find it in the states?
 
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#177
Beej said:
Thank you! as mentioned, it's "Circa 1850 Wood Bleach" manufactured by "Swing Paints". @Gary_M has used a similar product in his builds as well, possibly easier to find it in the states?
Click to expand...

Yep, I've used Zinsser wood bleach and have had very good luck with it.
2COAqS6.jpg


It is a 2 part product. Be sure to wear protective gear. :)
 
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#180
How far into the wood does the wood bleach go? Can you sand a bit after bleaching without having to re-bleach.

I am thinking about bleaching some wood that would be used as a body top. Then gluing it to the body, but I am sure some sanding would be needed after the gluing (certainly on the sides.) If re-bleaching is needed, how well will painters tape work to keep the bleach off the rest of the instrument body?
 
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