# Custom bass build started!



## MF_Kitten (Aug 21, 2009)

my luthier just sent me this pic. it´s the brazilian cherry fretboard with the fret slots cut!





it might not be apparent in the pic, but that fretboard is slotted for a very long scale length... in fact, it´s slotted for a 40" scale length...

specs and details will continue to be revealed as the build progresses 

update #1: neck progress! maple and walnut sandwich? why yes, thank you!




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## Andrew_B (Aug 21, 2009)

TELL US DEAILS AND SPECS NOW!!!!!!

hahaha

your a mean bitch 

havnt seen a bass build on here for a while...


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## Bungle (Aug 22, 2009)

40"?!?!?!?


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## Durero (Aug 22, 2009)

Awesome! I'm a huge fan of long scale lengths. 

Are you going to be tuning to E0 and below?


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## MF_Kitten (Aug 22, 2009)

drop E: EBEAD


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## Apophis (Aug 22, 2009)

awesome idea with that very long scale, but custom strings will be a must I think for that length


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## caughtinamosh (Aug 22, 2009)

Woah, that's long. 



Apophis said:


> awesome idea with that very long scale, but custom strings will be a must I think for that length


 
Definitely. Apophis, which company do you get your custom strings from? That is, if you can tell us.


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## MF_Kitten (Aug 22, 2009)

i will use Circle K strings, actually, by our very own knuckle_head 

i feel like i read where apophis gets his custom strings, but i forgot 

he makes them for his knuckle guitar works long scale bass guitars, so they´re designed for this purpose. drop-tuning string sets will be available in september, an that´s when i´m getting on it.

knuckle_head has been of GREAT help, and gave me lots of advice on specs and details, all the way down to pickup placement. i owe him a great deal of thanks for that


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## Fred (Aug 22, 2009)

That is going to be utterly ridiculous... I can't even imagine trying to play that, haha. Keep us updated!


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## Ramsay777 (Aug 22, 2009)

Holy cow man! This is gonna be awesome!! Looking forward to seeing the body shape


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## 777 (Aug 22, 2009)

40"!!!! you wont be able to stretch 1-3 with that scale length!!!


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## MF_Kitten (Aug 22, 2009)

trust me, it´s not as bad as it sounds. it´s still 2" shorter than the scale length of a double bass! 

and might i say that the entire build process and specs will please a whole lot of you ss.org guys, judging from your taste. you will love it all!


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## Durero (Aug 22, 2009)

I'm sure it'll be very playable. As you say the standard scale for double bass is 42" and it's very common for double bassists to mount C extensions on their low E strings which brings the scale for that string to 52.9". Instruments with these specs have been played on for hundreds of years.


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## TemjinStrife (Aug 22, 2009)

Durero said:


> I'm sure it'll be very playable. As you say the standard scale for double bass is 42" and it's very common for double bassists to mount C extensions on their low E strings which brings the scale for that string to 52.9". Instruments with these specs have been played on for hundreds of years.



However, hand position on a double bass is SIGNIFICANTLY more ergonomic than standard bass guitar position. Having the neck vertical and the elbow out sideways is much better for your tendons and joints than having the neck horizontal or even at a 45 degree angle from vertical.


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## MF_Kitten (Aug 23, 2009)

i could always play it in the classical position, so that it´s more diagonal. also, notice how Fieldy from Korn has his bass nearly upright most of the time.


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## drfunkenstein87 (Aug 23, 2009)

thats awsome, i bet its gunna rule


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## Durero (Aug 25, 2009)

TemjinStrife said:


> However, hand position on a double bass is SIGNIFICANTLY more ergonomic than standard bass guitar position. Having the neck vertical and the elbow out sideways is much better for your tendons and joints than having the neck horizontal or even at a 45 degree angle from vertical.



 - yes you're absolutely right but it's simply a matter of choice of how the player holds their bass. I've seen several bassists and guitarists who hold their instrument with the neck completely 90° to the floor.


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## InCasinoOut (Aug 25, 2009)

this build has me completely intrigued! can't wait to see more in progress pics.


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## phaeded0ut (Aug 29, 2009)

Morten, any ideas as to what style of body you're going to use on this beastie? Gonna go headless and make something similiar to Leo's (Durero's) bass?


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## MF_Kitten (Aug 30, 2009)

i know EXACTLY what each and every last detail is going to be like, but i´m not telling ahead of time... i´m going to let the pics speak for themselves 

i´m ordering the pickups to be shipped over to him soon, just gotta get the money under control first.

you´re going to love this thing


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## Cheesebuiscut (Aug 30, 2009)

Q tuners!?!? xD

Man I couldn't imagine how epicly long that would be in person.

how does one plan to fight neck dive?


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## TomAwesome (Aug 30, 2009)

40"? Nice. I can't wait to see it! I also can't wait to hear it, especially if Cheesebuiscut is right about the pickups. Just last night, I was wondering how a bass with Q-Tuners would sound tuned to Eb an octave below my 8-string.


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## MF_Kitten (Sep 1, 2009)

since it´s such a small part of the instrument, i might as well divulge that part. there will be two Q-tuner pickups, with the bridge pickup placed at a certain "sweet spot". Knuckle_Head gave me the measurements he uses for his Knuckle Guitar Works sub-contra bass guitars.


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## MF_Kitten (Sep 4, 2009)

just posted an update pic in the first post. the neck is starting to form! it´ll have the fretboard on it soon, so you´ll start to see it taking shape


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## Ruins (Sep 4, 2009)

whata... long mofo... O_O
want more!


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## MF_Kitten (Sep 5, 2009)

yeah, it´s pretty damn long 

you´ll see why later though. i think that´s the fretboard for it to the left. so you see that´s not the final length of the whole neck


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## ixlramp (Sep 7, 2009)

MF!! I'm so sorry I didn't reply to your PM sent in May! I haven't logged in for months!
The BTB bridges are top-loaded, the ball-end is anchored just below the top surface of the body. Strings go down at a steeper angle for more downforce.
Matt.

This is so cool you're going for 40"..


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## MF_Kitten (Sep 9, 2009)

hah, thanks man!

nice to know, but i´m not going for the BTB anymore now that this thing is in the works.

little update btw: discussing the exact bodyshape. sent him a mockup, and i´m getting a cardboard mockup picture soon.


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## AeonSolus (Sep 10, 2009)

Awesome man..but 40"?! you gotta tune down to Drop FuckingLow!


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## MF_Kitten (Sep 10, 2009)

yup! i could just use thin and loose strings to tune it to standard if i wanted, but i´m tuning it to drop E an octave below an 8 string in the same tuning


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## MF_Kitten (Sep 16, 2009)

okay, so we finally arrived at the final bodyshape with this thing. he sent me a cardboard cutout mockup picture of the bodyshape with the actual neck, and while it took a couple of tries, he nailed it. so now we're going ahead with the body.

i'd post the picture of the cardboard mockup, but it would reveal too much too soon, and i love me some suspense, so... you can't have it! 

also, the Q-tuner pickups were ordered a couple days ago, and are being made right now. yay!


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## Fred (Sep 16, 2009)

MF_Kitten said:


> i'd post the picture of the cardboard mockup, but it would reveal too much too soon, and i love me some suspense, so... you can't have it!



. That is all.


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## MF_Kitten (Sep 16, 2009)

oh, but such is the nature of suspense! keeping the viewers on the edge of their seats, begging for more...

you'll get what you want, you'll just have to wait for it


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## ixlramp (Sep 16, 2009)

That's cool, the surprise will be all the better.
My BTB676 arrived in May and is excellent, however i'm so glad you're building this instead.
Q-tuners are the most visually stunning pickups i've seen. Mmmmmmm.. yummy passives!


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## Andrew_B (Sep 17, 2009)

post a pic morten you bitch lol


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## MF_Kitten (Sep 17, 2009)

i find it kinda funny that none of you have any idea which luthier is making this 

could you guys even guess who'se making it for me?


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## Ramsay777 (Sep 17, 2009)

Sebastian at Roter?

EDIT: Hmmmm  It can't be, he's already posted about it


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## MF_Kitten (Sep 17, 2009)

nope, not roter


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## ixlramp (Sep 20, 2009)

I seem to remember you announced your luthier on another forum (yes that one) so I think I know.
Come on guys, think 'Norway'.


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## MF_Kitten (Sep 21, 2009)

i have mentioned thinking about this luthier a couple of times a while back, but i don´t think i stated he was making this build specifically. he´s in the US, anyways.

there is one other member on here that has had something made by this luthier


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## hufschmid (Sep 21, 2009)

MF_Kitten said:


> i have mentioned thinking about this luthier a couple of times a while back, but i don´t think i stated he was making this build specifically. he´s in the US, anyways.
> 
> there is one other member on here that has had something made by this luthier



Bob Benedetto???? 

JK, the bass would be 35000$ 

Oh I know Devries?


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## MF_Kitten (Sep 21, 2009)

hahahah! 

let´s just say the guy charges VERY little. that way, if i don´t like the instrument, i won´t have wasted a bunch of money to get it. it´s a little cheaper than my intrepid, actually


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## hufschmid (Sep 21, 2009)

MF_Kitten said:


> hahahah!
> 
> let´s just say the guy charges VERY little. that way, if i don´t like the instrument, i won´t have wasted a bunch of money to get it. it´s a little cheaper than my intrepid, actually



Devries 

Then if you dont like the inlay you can take it off very easely...


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## hufschmid (Sep 21, 2009)

Krappy guitars?


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## MF_Kitten (Sep 22, 2009)

hufschmid said:


> Krappy guitars?



BINGO! 

the guy, Kevin Siebold, is actually a pretty decent guitar builder. he´s the guy to go to if you have a totally bonkers insane idea, and don´t want to pay a high-end luthier tons of money to try it out. like, what if you end up not liking it at all? then what do you do?

so i thought i´d try it out the cheaper way first, and see what it´s like. i´m very excited to try out such a monstrous scaled instrument, and i can´t wait to try it out with the bodyshape i chose. i´ve never seen a bass with this body shape in real life before, ever.


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## hufschmid (Sep 22, 2009)

MF_Kitten said:


> BINGO!
> 
> the guy, Kevin Siebold, is actually a pretty decent guitar builder. he´s the guy to go to if you have a totally bonkers insane idea, and don´t want to pay a high-end luthier tons of money to try it out. like, what if you end up not liking it at all? then what do you do?
> 
> so i thought i´d try it out the cheaper way first, and see what it´s like. i´m very excited to try out such a monstrous scaled instrument, and i can´t wait to try it out with the bodyshape i chose. i´ve never seen a bass with this body shape in real life before, ever.



 usually a customer who orders such an instrument knows how it will be like 

i love your experimental approach to instruments, very cool 

I had a customer one day who wanted me to build a 36'' scale 7 string guitar


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## MF_Kitten (Sep 22, 2009)

that would basically be a super-long scale 7 string bass with a narrow string spacing 

there´s a limit when you can´t use it as a guitar anymore, ya know? you wouldn´t be able to get strings for that thing! 

i´ve got something planned for the future which is basically a 32" scale (or 30" scale if it ends up not working) guitar. the difference is that i´ll be using it as a bass, and it will only kinda feel like a guitar.


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## hufschmid (Sep 22, 2009)

he wanted to tune is B E A D G B E with super light guages


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## ralphy1976 (Sep 22, 2009)

if i remember correctly Stephen carpenter had suggested that he was interested in recording an album solely with basses him and Chino (i hope i have got the bassist's name right) so maybe a long scale can be used in a dual way : bass close to the head and guitar closer to the bridge?????

custom strings for sure!!!


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## MF_Kitten (Sep 22, 2009)

hufschmid said:


> he wanted to tune is B E A D G B E with super light guages



like what, .38-.04?


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## hufschmid (Sep 22, 2009)

MF_Kitten said:


> like what, .38-.04?



 I suggested him to get started on a hunting bow instead


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## caughtinamosh (Sep 22, 2009)

hufschmid said:


> I had a customer one day who wanted me to build a 36'' scale 7 string guitar


 
That would've run like a bell.


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## MF_Kitten (Sep 22, 2009)

it would´ve been so tight it would hurt to play


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## knuckle_head (Sep 22, 2009)

hufschmid said:


> I had a customer one day who wanted me to build a 36'' scale 7 string guitar



Sorry to derail; this could be kind of cool - imagine a Strat with 6 more frets. With a normal or slightly thinner set of strings for standard E tuning you'd have a natural B. Bass strings at this gauge are identical to guitar strings aside from the ball end. That'd give you octave E or F# for guitar using between a .072 and .078.

MFK - the strings ought to be in hand in two to three weeks. Hopefully the site will reflect this about the same time.


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## MF_Kitten (Sep 22, 2009)

knuckle_head said:


> Sorry to derail; this could be kind of cool - imagine a Strat with 6 more frets. With a normal or slightly thinner set of strings for standard E tuning you'd have a natural B. Bass strings at this gauge are identical to guitar strings aside from the ball end. That'd give you octave E or F# for guitar using between a .072 and .078.
> 
> MFK - the strings ought to be in hand in two to three weeks. Hopefully the site will reflect this about the same time.



i can imagine the whole guitar, sure, but it´d handle like a long-scale piccolo extended range bass with narrow string spacing... which is weird 

i´m sure it would sound huge, but i can imagine it being hard to play if you´re going to treat it like a normal guitar 

and the strings thign sounds awesome, looks like it´ll work with the Q-tuners arriving


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## knuckle_head (Sep 23, 2009)

MF_Kitten said:


> i´m sure it would sound huge, but i can imagine it being hard to play if you´re going to treat it like a normal guitar



I'd like to hear if there's more clarity in the E range on something that big - my 31.5" baritone tuned to E was lousy for chording below G.


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## MF_Kitten (Sep 23, 2009)

knuckle_head said:


> I'd like to hear if there's more clarity in the E range on something that big - my 31.5" baritone tuned to E was lousy for chording below G.



i´m sure a 36" scale would clear that up for sure 

i really want a 32" scale baritone to use as a bass/guitar hybrid, myself.


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## xtrustisyoursx (Sep 23, 2009)

MF_Kitten said:


> like what, .38-.04?



Out of curiousity, I opened up my handy dandy tension calculator, and at that scale, tuned BEADGbe, you can use the following set for a fairly even 15-16 lb per string tension:

plain .007
plain .009
plain .012
wound .017
wound .022
wound .030
wound .039


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## MF_Kitten (Sep 23, 2009)

hah, that´s actually a good tension! 

i´m sure it would be the djentiest friggin´ guitar in the omniverse!


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## xtrustisyoursx (Sep 23, 2009)

MF_Kitten said:


> hah, that´s actually a good tension!
> 
> i´m sure it would be the djentiest friggin´ guitar in the omniverse!



Plus you'd only need a .054 for the low F# haha (I checked)


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## MF_Kitten (Sep 23, 2009)

hah! that´s insane! that´s a medium-tight B on 28" scale


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## ixlramp (Sep 23, 2009)

ixlramp said:


> I seem to remember you announced your luthier on another forum (yes that one) so I think I know.
> Come on guys, think 'Norway'.



Apologies Mr. Kitten, I don't know what I was thinking of in that post.

My random head... :}


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## MF_Kitten (Sep 24, 2009)

hah, that should be your title! 

"Random Head" 

update: just got a mail with 3 pics of different veneers, asking which one i liked better. i have no clue what they were, but i went for something quilted-looking, so i guess i´ll see some progress pics of the body etc soon enough 



ralphy1976 said:


> if i remember correctly Stephen carpenter had suggested that he was interested in recording an album solely with basses him and Chino (i hope i have got the bassist's name right) so maybe a long scale can be used in a dual way : bass close to the head and guitar closer to the bridge?????
> 
> custom strings for sure!!!



they have toyed with the idea, but stephen just tuned lower instead. chino is the singer, bassist is called "chi", so it´s an easy mixup 

stephen does play distorted bass along with chi´s normal bass in one of their jam-songs though.


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## MF_Kitten (Oct 10, 2009)

update!

you can now see what the body shape is going to be, from looking at the body wings. also, notice i decided on a walnut top instead of the figured sapele one i told you guys about earlier. i never showed you the sapele, because the pics were pretty low quality.

so behold, the awesomeness starting to take shape!


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## AxeGuru (Oct 10, 2009)

ralphy1976 said:


> if i remember correctly Stephen carpenter had suggested that he was interested in recording an album solely with basses him and Chino (i hope i have got the bassist's name right) so maybe a long scale can be used in a dual way : bass close to the head and guitar closer to the bridge?????
> 
> custom strings for sure!!!





MF_Kitten said:


> they have toyed with the idea, but stephen just tuned lower instead. chino is the singer, bassist is called "chi", so it´s an easy mixup
> 
> stephen does play distorted bass along with chi´s normal bass in one of their jam-songs though.



"Needles and Pins" ain't no jam-song





Speaking of toying with an idea, that is exactly what i've done in the past regarding having a custom built 40'' bass. What gear are you going to use for it MF? How many Hz is a low E string, and who's building it? 
You mentioned Knuckle Guitar Works but that was just for advise? 

Coincidently, why is your site down knuckle_head?


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## knuckle_head (Oct 10, 2009)

Yeah, sorry. 

My provider went tits up and took my site and 8 years of emails with them. I just finished the site rebuild today. It should repopulate on the new servers in a couple of days.

And if I may - the E will be 20 Hz-ish.


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## MF_Kitten (Oct 11, 2009)

i´ll be using the bass for recording mostly, but if i´m going to use it live, i´ll be using a decent 2X10/horn bass combo with a graphic EQ. i run my bass through my pod x3 for tone shaping though.

i don´t bother putting too much thought into hearing the fundamental tone and all that stuff. the stuff people listen to music through usually doesn´t do frequencies that low. i just use my ears and make it sound good. i have no idea how much fundamentals i have in my bass tone 

i didn´t know needles & pins was played using a bass! i always wondered what made the guitar tracks sound so interesting and "solid" in that song. now i know!  the song i was referring to was Xerces off the saturday night wrist album (i think).

knuckle_head here, who runs Knuckle Guitar Works, has been helping me out with technical advice (the luthier who is making this hasn´t made an instrument like this earlier). he´s also the guy from whom i´ll be buying my strings. the luthier is Kevin Siebold from Krappy Guitars.


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## hufschmid (Oct 11, 2009)

The body looks really cool, I edited the picture for you so that you get to see the wood grain a little better


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## MF_Kitten (Oct 11, 2009)

thanks, man! 

just wait till it´s oiled or waxed or whatever we decide on! 

imagine the grain being that nice on the DRY walnut... and then imagine it nice and saturated


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## hufschmid (Oct 11, 2009)

MF_Kitten said:


> thanks, man!
> 
> just wait till it´s oiled or waxed or whatever we decide on!
> 
> imagine the grain being that nice on the DRY walnut... and then imagine it nice and saturated



It looks like european walnut in which case its going to be pretty epic


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## knuckle_head (Oct 11, 2009)

MF_Kitten said:


> i don´t bother putting too much thought into hearing the fundamental tone and all that stuff. the stuff people listen to music through usually doesn´t do frequencies that low. i just use my ears and make it sound good. i have no idea how much fundamentals i have in my bass tone



If you were to concern yourself with what your speakers are giving you I'd consider looking through this wiki;

fEarful DIY cabs

I am working out the details on my own right now - the cabs are designed to gig with but I don't gig. I am going to build mine out like a stereo speaker with veneers and such. 

The 15/6 fEaRB (the one I am building for myself) is capable of 40 Hz without EQ assist - perfect for my 4 string tuned very similarly to your custom.


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## MF_Kitten (Oct 11, 2009)

nice! i don´t think i´ll bother looking into amplification though. i´ll likely just be using it in the studio.

how i´ll be EQing it: SoundClick artist: MF Kitten - groovy, heavy, athmospheric, moody, ambient

that´s fake bass made by playing the guitar through my bass patch (clean lows, overdriven mids), and then transposing it. then i EQ it and slap on some multiband compression to make the low end steady.


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## AxeGuru (Oct 11, 2009)

knuckle_head said:


> Yeah, sorry.
> 
> My provider went tits up and took my site and 8 years of emails with them. I just finished the site rebuild today. It should repopulate on the new servers in a couple of days.
> 
> And if I may - the E will be 20 Hz-ish.



No probs. 

What gear do you use?. Would an Ampeg SVT 4 Pro work well without any additional EQ for a low E?. I'm thinking of buying one really cheap from my mate and recording with it DI'd.





MF_Kitten said:


> i´ll be using the bass for recording mostly, but if i´m going to use it live, i´ll be using a decent 2X10/horn bass combo with a graphic EQ. i run my bass through my pod x3 for tone shaping though.


Strictly recording was what I had in mind if I was to have one of these beasts built. I'd use my 35'' bass with a standard E  when live

If you used the bass live would you have the cab mic'd? Or DI the pod (best option imo) while using your cab as a backline monitor?



MF_Kitten said:


> the song i was referring to was Xerces off the saturday night wrist album (i think).



See now I didn't know steph played bass on Xerces lol. I can't see him properly in any of the live clips of this song up on tube but I thought the headstock looked suspiciously from a fender bass. Listening to the song now, I guess it does sound more like a bass put through a guitar amp! 
Its less prominent, more buzzy etc.
I always assumed he played bass on the song Rivière, off the same album.




MF_Kitten said:


> the luthier is Kevin Siebold from Krappy Guitars.


Thanks, I'll have to give him a shout some day along with you knuckle_head. I hope the misspelling of Krappy Guitars justifies the name


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## MF_Kitten (Oct 11, 2009)

i might have confused xerces with riviere, i´m not sure.

if i were playing live, i´d do it as cleanly as possible, going DI from the pod, and just using the onstage amp as monitoring purposes.

Krappy guitars started off with a guy building funny joke-instruments, but then he got serious


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## knuckle_head (Oct 12, 2009)

MF_Kitten said:


> if i were playing live, i´d do it as cleanly as possible, going DI from the pod, and just using the onstage amp as monitoring purposes.



Precisely why I suggest the 15/6 to you. There is nothing missing with this cab from 40 Hz up (all the way up to 15K+ if you put in a tweeter), and you will know with certainty what the FOH board is getting. They are free to screw it up if they choose to/don't know what to do with it, and you will know immediately if something is wrong. The 15/6 is pretty much a PA cab designed to carry a bass' full program.

AxeGuru - the SVT will work just fine. It's the cab you'll have a tough time nailing down.


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## MF_Kitten (Oct 12, 2009)

i would love to have a cab like that if i had a proper use for it, but my bass amp has been unused for like a year or so (which is when i bought it). in other words, i´ve never used it. the only thing i´ve ever needed has been a recording setup, and for that i go DI.

if i ever end up needing a bass rig, i´ll more than likely check out those cabs, for sure! it´s just that right now i have no need for it


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## knuckle_head (Oct 19, 2009)

AxeGuru - my site works again! 

MFK - we are swapping out the new string site tonight - your sets will be listed by morning. I hope my delays haven't been hindering progress on your new beasty.


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## MF_Kitten (Oct 19, 2009)

naw, we haven´t had the need for getting the strings yet, it´s still being put together. thanks for the heads up!

oh, and i´ve been meaning to ask you ever since we exchanged PM´s: where the hell do i get a case or bag for an instrument like this?


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## knuckle_head (Oct 19, 2009)

Aaahh yes, my biggest conundrum. My first case was a soft keyboard case - I still have it and am using it for a ....

keyboard. 

One of my customers suggested based on dimensions and conversations he had that one or two of the Coffin cases may work, as well as the bag that's meant to hold the Warwick Buzzard Bass.


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## Daggorath (Oct 20, 2009)

40" is crazy, but awesome. I'd love a real long scale maybe fanned bass with a low F#. Something about having a bass pretty much playing exactly what the guitar is, with a different EQ, just seems so boring to me. I know it's probably a good thing in terms of clarity but I'd like to atleast have the option.


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## MF_Kitten (Oct 20, 2009)

i don't care what the case/bag is made for, as long as it works 

the soft keyboard case sounds interesting. i don't think i wanna get any of those other ones if they aren't guaranteed to fit though. i can't really try before i buy.

i'll look into it once i know the final dimensions


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## MF_Kitten (Oct 24, 2009)

some progress being made:







since the strings are up on the site now, i'll be ordering them very soon


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## hufschmid (Oct 24, 2009)

Nice!


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## SD83 (Oct 25, 2009)

That will be one crazy bass once it's done... I guess the neck is as wide as a normal 5-string? It looks so incredibly narrow... like a 3-string bass  Very cool project


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## MF_Kitten (Oct 26, 2009)

SD83 said:


> That will be one crazy bass once it's done... I guess the neck is as wide as a normal 5-string? It looks so incredibly narrow... like a 3-string bass  Very cool project



actually, it has an extra narrow string spacing. it's the same spacing as the Knuckle Guitar Works 40" scale basses have. the pickup position will be exactly the same as those basses as well, and the pickups will be the same too.

the string spacing isn't just a comfort issue either, it's needed to make sure you stay within the unusually narrow field of the q-tuner pickups. i guess since larger and longer strings have a much larger vibration length, they'd go outside that range, if you know what i mean?

all of the measurements was supplied by Knuckle_Head himself, with his blessing to use them, as he's not stingy about holding his stuff a secret or anything. awesome guy!


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## phaeded0ut (Oct 27, 2009)

Very tasty, Morten! So you went with a Fodera-style body after all. Very cool!


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## MF_Kitten (Oct 27, 2009)

after googling it, i did indeed hahah 

never saw their basses until now though, so that's not mainly where the singlecut idea came from. i checked out tons of different singlecuts, and sort of figured out which parts i liked about the different designs. often i would like the lower cut and body shape in general, but not the upper nodule. then on others, the opposite would be true. 

like on the fodera basses, i'm not too keen on he lower horn shape, and the waist cuts aren't quite curvy enough for my taste.

as you see, i went for an upper nodule that ended it's curve upwards, instead of going around and downwards, like some singlecut designs do. also, it puts the strap button at the 12th fret, for uber-perfect balance.

gratuitous curvature in the waists and bottom, and the upper nodule, and all, because i like some nicely done curves.

insane upper fret access (look at it. just look at it!) without losing the nice curves and shape and all that jazz. i think it looks perfectly in balance, with a large upper nodule that doesn't have that "tumorous lump" look to it, and that doesn't start off an inwards curve that doesn't match the lower nodule (tiny pet peeve of mine). instead, it totally bypasses that and goes back into the neck, in the same direction it started with: towards the headstock.

yeah, i'm a shapes-and-designs-geek 

i also love the fact that he made it a bottom-of-the-fretboard truss rod adjustment, instead of the top of the neck. i just tend to like that, i guess.

also, i didn't think about inlays at all when i ordered it, but he did his "signature/standard" thing, and did double dots on the 12th fret only (you can see this on the other neck in that picture too), and i actually really love it. and i usually don't care for dot inlays!

i'm looking forwards to the next update. this thing is going to be wild! there is lots of work left, though. first off, the pickups will arrive at his place very soon, and i'll be ordering the circle k strings very soon, and then he'll start doing a headstock, rounding off the body edges, carving the neck shape and heel, all that stuff. then he'll put the tuners in, of course, and he'll start making the bridge. which is awesome, because he makes the bridges from scratch himself! so you're guaranteed a bridge that fits your instrument, and has the string spacing you want. i love this guy's "crazy professor" style


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## Ramsay777 (Oct 28, 2009)

When you say "extra narrow", Morten, is that 16.5mm spacing? My cheapo Ibanez has that and I find it really comfortable 

And is the headstock going to be similar to that of a violin?


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## MF_Kitten (Oct 29, 2009)

i´m not sure what the string-to-string spacing is, i just gave him the first-to-last string spacing that knuckle_head supplied me with. he can elaborate if he sees this, i guess 

the headstock will be a pretty normal 5 string bass headstock (3X2), and the design is pretty nice, but nothing spectacular. it´s a mix between several different headstocks i like for basses.


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## TemjinStrife (Nov 3, 2009)

Looks awesome. I'd never be able to play in the first 1-5 frets without standing it up like an upright though, those look like serious stretches


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## knuckle_head (Nov 3, 2009)

MF_Kitten said:


> i´m not sure what the string-to-string spacing is, i just gave him the first-to-last string spacing that knuckle_head supplied me with. he can elaborate if he sees this, i guess


It's a Q-tuner thing... 



TemjinStrife said:


> Looks awesome. I'd never be able to play in the first 1-5 frets without standing it up like an upright though, those look like serious stretches


Sure you would - the distance between frets at first position on a 40" scale and a standard 34" is only roughly 1/4" more.

I am by no means a large guy and I can, and MF_Kitten will be able to confirm this once the bass arrives.


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## MF_Kitten (Nov 3, 2009)

i´m not doubting my ability to play this at all, actually. i read about people saying 7 strings were harder to play, and it was piece of cake. then they said baritone scales were hard to play, and it was also piece of cake. then they said super-long (30" scale) baritone scales and 8 strings were hard to play, and i have one, and it´s piece of cake.

my last bass was 35" scale, and it was, you guessed it, piece of cake to play.

i have spider-like long fingers 

40" scale shouldn´t be too hard, though i probably won´t be able to do the worst stretches (somehow i always end up making riffs with unnecessarily long stretches). in that case, i´ll do like any other bass player, and just move my hand


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## phaeded0ut (Nov 3, 2009)

About the only thing that takes a little getting used to between the different scale lengths (for me) is when you're playing fretless instruments and you're trying to remember where the different notes are in order to play as accurately as possible. Have to admit, this is why I like fret lines, so I can try to take some of the guesswork out of the playing. 

Man, I can't wait to see more pictures of this beastie, Morten!


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## MF_Kitten (Nov 13, 2009)

WAIT WHATS THIS LOL









it´s finished, yay!


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## knuckle_head (Nov 13, 2009)

How soon do you get it?

They must've been waiting on me - sorry 'bout that. Did they say anything about how it sounds?


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## MF_Kitten (Nov 13, 2009)

there wasn´t too much of a wait, and it probably didn´t hold the construction back, so that´s ok. i have to receive some money i´m waiting for so i can pay the second half + shipping.

no words on the sound, but i´m going to ask him about whether or not he´s put strap buttons on it yet, and i´ll ask him if he tried it while i´m at it


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## TemjinStrife (Nov 14, 2009)

Looks awesome, reminds me of a Quake bass with the extended upper bout and Q-tuners.

Not a fan of the headstock at all, but the body shape and construction is gorgeous.

EDIT: Also, interesting volute at the nut. Not sure I like that too much.

Still, that is a seriously good looking bass with the exception of the headstock.


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## ralphy1976 (Nov 14, 2009)

pretty interesting design, sorry Morten i did not read through the 10 pages, so i am just going to say that at 1st i thought it was a 4 string due to the relative small neck, but now i can see 5 strings.

Doesn't it weight a lot?

i really like the wood choice and the neck lamination

awesome!! looking forward to a mix with Agile 8 + BKP!!!


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## SD83 (Nov 14, 2009)

I'm not a fan of singlecut designs but this is one beautiful bass. Now that it is combined with the body, the neck doesn't look that narrow to me anymore. Very cool instrument.


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## MF_Kitten (Nov 14, 2009)

the headstock looks ten times wider because the actual neck it´s attached to is so damn narrow 

i didn´t think about that at first, but i don´t actually think it looks bad. it looks weird by itself, but with the body and all it really comes together 

edit: looking at the whole thing, it really screams "quirky weird instrument!" the way i wanted, while still retaining a certain amount of class! 

anyways, i talked to the guy (Kevin Siebold, btw), and he says the low E sounds REEEEEEEALLY LOOOOOOOOOOW, and then the rest sounds like a 5 string bass (missing the high G of course). also, he said he hoped i was going to play through large speakers, because it has the power to send small speaker cones flying


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## Hollowway (Nov 15, 2009)

That's just so crazy and cool! Props for shelling out some coin to experiment. I was just about to tell you to make a video of it for us, but I'm not sure that the low E could really be captured in a way to appreciate it. But if possible, I'd love to hear it!


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## Durero (Nov 15, 2009)

Looks fantastic Morten  

Can't wait to hear & see it in action


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## MF_Kitten (Nov 16, 2009)

okay, so this baby is finally payed for, and is being shipped to me any day now. yay!


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## awesomeaustin (Nov 16, 2009)

Looks great, the neck looks so skinny. I am eagerly awaiting the NBD


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## knuckle_head (Nov 16, 2009)

MF_Kitten said:


> okay, so this baby is finally payed for, and is being shipped to me any day now. yay!


Do you have the ability to listen to it direct/with headphones?



awesomeaustin said:


> Looks great, the neck looks so skinny. I am eagerly awaiting the NBD


In part that is an optical illusion - I know MFK has tight spacing because of the Q-tuners, but the bigger element is the length.

My 4 string looks like a pencil despite it being wider than a P-bass at the nut.

- -

I can't wait to know what you think first-hand, Morten!


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## MF_Kitten (Nov 17, 2009)

i´m going to play it through my pod X3L through my studio monitors/headphones 

i´m probably getting the shipping notification today.


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## Cheesebuiscut (Nov 17, 2009)

For it being a krappy that thing looks freaking top notch. Doesn't look like your usual krappy, it looks like you payed waaaay more than you did for it 

Can't wait for some videos n pics n stuff to see what it looks like with someone holding it!


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## MF_Kitten (Nov 17, 2009)

Cheesebuiscut said:


> For it being a krappy that thing looks freaking top notch. Doesn't look like your usual krappy, it looks like you payed waaaay more than you did for it
> 
> Can't wait for some videos n pics n stuff to see what it looks like with someone holding it!



that´s because i was pretty specific about exactly what i wanted. if your specs are classy, then the result should be as such 

i can´t wait to see how large it is myself. it´s gunna be interesting!


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## Customisbetter (Nov 17, 2009)

I cannot wait!

your records are always superb, so im sure you will make an awesome clip for us mere mortals.


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## MF_Kitten (Nov 23, 2009)

so, the bass has left the US! probably going to be quick from now on. it'll probably go through france and maybe britain or germany, and then make it's way to me


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## AxeGuru (Nov 24, 2009)

Britain huh......


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## MF_Kitten (Nov 24, 2009)

a scheme is forming!


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## phaeded0ut (Nov 24, 2009)

Morten, that bass really looks gorgeous. Gonna try to catch it in England for a weekend soiree?


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## MF_Kitten (Nov 24, 2009)

I don't even know if it's going through britain at all, it's just one of the places it could pass through. I can't wait to check the next shipping status update tonight!


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## MF_Kitten (Nov 26, 2009)

AAAAH! it´s been received by customs! i´ll have it anytime soon!


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## InCasinoOut (Nov 27, 2009)

Woah, that looks awesome. Reminds me of Tosin Abasi's TIL 8 from the Q-Tuners and body shape. Congrats!


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## Customisbetter (Nov 29, 2009)

you got it yet? the wait is killing me.


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## MF_Kitten (Nov 29, 2009)

it passed through customs right before the weekend, and mail services etc. usually don't operate during weekends, so i'm thinking it's coming tomorrow (monday).


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## MF_Kitten (Dec 1, 2009)

okay, so the bass is here. i´m kinda on the fence on what i think about it, though.

i think i´ll remove all the hardware some day, and just really go to town on it with a file, so i can sculpt the neck and the neck heel so it´s more comfy. then i´ll round it off even more on the edges on the front. the square lump of a neck volute could do with some smoothing over too.

it needs some serious fine sanding done to it as well, as it´s got a really rough feel to it. this one´s an easy fix, since i´d just have to fine sand it a bit and then oil or wax it.

i´ll have to put foam pads under the pickups so i can raise them, as they´re way far into the body at the moment.

the hand made bridge isn´t adjustable in any way. he´s sorta fixed it in place where he thought it was right. the string spacing at the bridge is a teeny tiny bit off on the highest string, as it´s too close to the fretboard edge on the bottom, and decent at the nut. the action is a bit high too. so i´m thinking i´ll throw that one off, and just buy a proper bridge for this thing.

the string-to-string spacing isn´t quite right either, but nothing a new nut wouldn´t fix.
there´s a couple frets that have a not-so-nice buzz to them, but again this is fixable.

i´m wondering if there´s a bit of truss rod rattle in there, but i don´t know.

the grounding isn´t perfect, leading to some noise that won´t go away no matter how much metal you touch.

so yeah, this really is a Krappy instrument, but it´s not in a "useless" state, it´s in a "not quite there yet" state. it needs sculpting and sanding and maybe a new part here and there to be the way i want it. not really worth the money, but if it was a bit less, it would´ve been okay.

i´ll still use it though, as it sounds good enough plugged in, but i´ll start planning some serious carpentry work here...

the sad part is that it could be seriously kickass if the guy had just spent some time with it.

so yeah... thoughts?


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## Cheesebuiscut (Dec 1, 2009)

Thoughs: where are the pictures / videos of you with it!?

And for the price it may not be TOOOO bad. It obviously needs *eh hem* work but at least the majority of its done. I would not have expected a 2000+$ job for the price. I'm sure it was much cheaper than any alternative and it was just for experimenting eh?

I say go to town fixing it up and you'll be happier with it in the end since you'll have a bit of your own blood and sweat into the making of it just right. I just hope the truss rods not rattling 

Now video / pics! I need to see what this looks like attached to a person playing it.


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## Customisbetter (Dec 1, 2009)

MF_Kitten said:


> okay, so the bass is here. i´m kinda on the fence on what i think about it, though.
> 
> i think i´ll remove all the hardware some day, and just really go to town on it with a file, so i can sculpt the neck and the neck heel so it´s more comfy. then i´ll round it off even more on the edges on the front. the square lump of a neck volute could do with some smoothing over too.
> 
> ...


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## MF_Kitten (Dec 1, 2009)

my first tryout was disappointing, but now that i´ve given it time to sink in, i picked it up again, and it actually plays pretty clean. the rattle from (i´m guessing) the truss rod made it sound like there was fret buzz, but there actually isn´t. there´s one fret that has buzz on the bottom 4 strings, but it´s not a bad buzz.

the action isn´t too high, just higher than i´d like it.

the string spacing should be dealt with, but it doesn´t render the instrument unplayable at all.

the roughness and lack of sculpting on the body is kind of annoying, but it´s so easy to fix. the biggest issue is the huge and weird neck heel. that´s not going to be such an easy fix. the neck shape (it´s like a softened V shape) will be a challenge too. both are fixable by just using a file and some sandpaper though.

anyways, i´ll get clips and footage up soon enough. i need to get used to playing this thing first. i might have to add some sort of side markers for the fretboard so i don´t lose track of where i am too.

it´s a resonant and acoustically loud instrument, which is good, and it sounds great plugged in, grounding issues aside.


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## Customisbetter (Dec 1, 2009)

have your tightened that truss rod? My trussrods tend to rattle a bit when there is no tension on them.


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## MF_Kitten (Dec 1, 2009)

i´ll check it out. thanks! i never thought about that 

if that solves it, then the most annoying part is gone.


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## Customisbetter (Dec 2, 2009)

did it work?


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## TemjinStrife (Dec 2, 2009)

MF_Kitten said:


> okay, so the bass is here. i´m kinda on the fence on what i think about it, though.
> 
> i think i´ll remove all the hardware some day, and just really go to town on it with a file, so i can sculpt the neck and the neck heel so it´s more comfy. then i´ll round it off even more on the edges on the front. the square lump of a neck volute could do with some smoothing over too.
> 
> ...



It sounds like what a lot of people say about Wishbasses. If I buy an instrument from someone, unless I specifically order it unfinished, I'd prefer to have all of the work done on it. 

That said, good luck on getting it up to a truly playable state!


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## MF_Kitten (Dec 2, 2009)

i actually remembered wish basses too. so i´m taking this as a challenge: i´ve received an unpolished diamond in the form of an almost-finished instrument. in order to make it awesome, all i have to do is finish the job.

it´s not exactly an ideal situation, but i´m kinda excited that i can mold the contours however i want now that there aren´t any 

i tightened the truss rod a wee bit, and that fixed it right up. then i adjusted the action (turns out i can do that after all) a teeny bit, and now it plays really well. i plugged it in and played a bit, and tried some settings, and goddamn it sounds awesome! 

so this is really a matter of comfort and detail rather than functionality being the missing element. it does it´s job, it´s just not as comfortable as i´d want it.


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## Customisbetter (Dec 3, 2009)

Im glad its not a total disaster then!


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## Cheesebuiscut (Dec 11, 2009)

Vid-e-o? *sniff*


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## MF_Kitten (Dec 11, 2009)

not for a while, i'm home for the holidays, will be back after new year's. still haven't mastered this thing, i'm thinking about where to get the tools to fix it up. it needs serious sculpting and sanding in some places. it's playable, but not that comfy. it sounds awesome though, which is great. i gotta figure out the whole EQ thing properly, so it mixes with the guitars sonically.


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## MF_Kitten (Jan 5, 2010)

i´ve been playing this some more, and i´ve been thinking about all the stuff that needs doing to make it awesome, and i really don´t have the budget or time for it. i´m getting ready for a wedding, and i don´t have the cash or skills to do the adjustments and sculpting and all the other stuff it needs to have done to it.

so i´m wondering if anyone wants to buy it for a nice and low price, and finish it? if you think about it, it´s really just a semi-finished bass that has had the hardware put on to try it out. it needs a couple things to be done to it:

-new nut
-sculpting on neck heel and neck shape, plus general smoothing out and sanding
-some work on the truss rod (i have no idea about these things, so i´m just putting it out there)
-new bridge

and that´s about it, really. it´s a nice starting point, but it´s rough and (IMO) unfinished.

to sum it up: 40" scale, Q-tuner pickups, looks like in the pictures on the former pages. ash body with walnut top and back, cherry fretboard (with flat radius), which looks surprisingly awesome.

so, any takers? i´m thinking someone who likes project guitars and stuff, or who likes to build stuff like this, can take this and finish it up so it can be as awesome as it´s supposed to be.

PM me, and we´ll work out the price.


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## AxeGuru (Jan 9, 2010)

I cant say I'm interested in buying it, though you've helped me out in knowing not to go with krappy if I want me a 40'' bass or any custom guitar/bass for that matter! 

I'm just interested in what bridge that is picturted. It looks like theres a base plate or is it the ABM single's?. Actually, screw that question! 
Lets see this footage you said would be up soon enough


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## MF_Kitten (Jan 9, 2010)

i don´t think i´ll bother with the footage, honestly. it´s not playable enough for me to even start.

the bridge is a homemade one. i think it´s aluminum blocks with screws in them which are cut and made into saddles. so the saddles are screws. also, it´s glued on, so it´d have to be heated with a hairdryer or heat gun or something to remove it.

if anyone is interested, i´m selling this for the price of the wood and the hardware/electronics. conider it a bass build that was started for you, and you only have to finish it.


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## AxeGuru (Jan 9, 2010)

Can you at least put up a pic of the bass in your arms? 
I sooo (and I'm sure whoever is interested in buying would) want to see how greater the stretch to the lowest note looks like.


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## knuckle_head (Jan 11, 2010)




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## MF_Kitten (Jan 11, 2010)

knuckle_head said:


>



yeah, i know right? kind of a kick in the groin after all the excitement.

don´t worry though. i´m still in love with the scale length and the low tunings, so you haven´t lost a customer just yet 

i just don´t have the time or the tools to complete it myself, much less the cash. 

should anyone be interested, i´d be willing to sell it without any electronics if you want it as cheap as possible. again, PM me and we´ll talk. i just wanna get rid of this thing so i can start saving up for something finished.


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## Andrew_B (Jan 12, 2010)

this is horrible 

if you were closer i would offer to attempt to fix it up for you/buld you a new one withwhat parts are salvagable,
but it would probably cost alot to get the damn thing to me and back 

i would be damanding a full refund plus some if i recieved that


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## phaeded0ut (Jan 12, 2010)

Morten,

Sorry to read that you're unhappy with this beastie. Will you try to do something similiar with a local (or more local) manufacturer?


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## MF_Kitten (Jan 12, 2010)

phaeded0ut said:


> Morten,
> 
> Sorry to read that you're unhappy with this beastie. Will you try to do something similiar with a local (or more local) manufacturer?



i´m thinking about asking Roter some day. i need to get actual money in order to do that though 

i´m not very picky about my basses. a good sturdy construction with good wood selections, a comfy layout and design, and it should preferrably look ok too.

i´m also thinking ibanez BTB 5 string if a roter bass would be too much for my wallet.


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## 8string (Jan 17, 2010)

did you sell this yet? Kinda looking for a project...


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## MF_Kitten (Jan 18, 2010)

didn´t sell it, no. want it? PM me


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