G4: From black to Korina - to DIY chambering

[DangerousR6]

Solid state amps are getting better all the time. Good thing, too. I just can't imagine tubes are going to be that easy to get in the near future, and it's only going to get worse as time goes on. Quality is going to fall lower than it already has, availability is going to decline, prices are going to rise...

Even if by some bizarre unforeseeable circumstance none of that happens (even though it already is), tube amps are a pain in the ass. You never know when they're going to fail, you just know they will, so you have to carry a spare. They aren't consistent over their working life. They're heavy as guilt. They draw a lotta power. They sound good, so we put up with them, but what if you didn't have to? Wouldn't that be great?

It is.

Precisely why I have been buying sets of them when I can, to have them on hand in case of such failures... :icon_biggrin:

 

[line6man]

What is the high voltage aluminum electrolytic capacitor for? With circuits drawing a few hundred microamps of current from a battery, neither transient demands nor ripple would be of any concern.

 

[MortenB]

What is the high voltage aluminum electrolytic capacitor for?

Well spotted... It's actually a low voltage electrolytic cap  (25V).

I never supply electronics directly from a battery, I always make a ''virtural battery'' made by an R-C filter made of a small resistor (2.2 ohm in this case) in series with the +18V, so the resistor is between the battery and the electrolytic. The electrolytic is across the 18V voltage of course. This way the circuit does not ''see'' the battery, it sees the electrolytic cap.

This is a design element from high end audio designs where battery supplies are often used in preamps, phono stages etc. However, since batteries has relatively high ESR and that their characteristics change from fully charged to recharged they are not that good a reference for the electronics. The way to improve this is often an R-C filter and a virtural battery supply, it gives better reference for the electronics and in high end audio, better sound quality.

I don't know if it makes a sonic difference for the preamp circuits in a bass guitar, but there was room for the R-C filter, I had the parts, and the price for the resistor + cap is less than $10... So why not..!?

Normally in a circuit like this one I would use 2.2 ohm and a cap on around 1000uF. I did have some 1000uF caps, but they are 16V rating, so instead I installed a 10.000uF, 25V. It's bigger, but there was room for it and it makes the virtual battery even bigger  (not that it matters).

 

[MortenB]

Here are a few updated pictures of the - almost - finished bass... I think the different woods work together very nicely, I'm especially pleased with the coupling between the Walnut body and the Pau Ferro fretboard. This (I think) ties the body and neck together really well. This is my only Warmoth that does not have an exotic wood neck, I'm glad that I choose maple for this one.

 

[dmraco]

That is awesome.  I cannot believe some one painted that...especially with the black binding.

I must say I love the EMG plug and play systems.  My controls always look like a spaghetti factory exploded.  Those are so clean.

 

[MortenB]

My controls always look like a spaghetti factory exploded.

Ha ha... I don't think that I want to see the controls in your guitar  ccasion14:  Yes, the EMG system is brilliant..! It's easy and fast to connect everything, and it's easy to get a nice layout of the wiring.

Regarding the bass: I will never understand why it was painted black. Actually I asked Ronnie at Warmoth if they have the history logged for this thing. I'm so curious to know how this one ended up under black paint, but they don't have a log on products so he did not know either...

I agree that the thin black binding is a beautiful touch..!

 

[Ddbltrbl]

Very nice catch and a really nice job pulling it back to life!  ccasion14:
Would love to hear what you think of the 2-TEK, and the sound of your EMGs? :guitarplayer2:

 

[MortenB]

Pulling it back to life... Great expression, I can relate to that with the process on this one  ccasion14:

And there is life now, it's not totally finished, but strings are one, it's adjusted and I played it in a band setting for the first time Tuesday evening. I'm REALLY glad that I went for the warmer sounding humbuckers, with the clearer and more hifi sounding I think it would have been too bright for me. (walnut body, 2TEK bridge and a neck with steel rods all pull in the clean direction, so the warm sounding humbuckers balance things out). I'm really pleased with the way it sounds as is.... The sustain is forever and it's very punchy, this also relate to the 2TEK. Listening to it acoustically there is quite a lot of output, more than from my other basses. I believe this is again thanks to the walnut body and especially the 2TEK.

The tone is quite neutral, much tighter bottom end than my P bass (as expected), but it still has warmth to it. What is most striking about the tone is a certain sound to these humbuckers, there is just ''something'' about a double humbucker set-up, the sound is special, especially in the mix. I really like it, and I wanted a bass that is totally different than my Jazz and my Precision - and that is what I got. The preamp system is really effective also, there is A LOT of tone range there when twisting the knobs.

What I still need is a walnut cover for the preamp (on the back). I'm working on that one. It will be attached by small magnets so there will be no visible screws.

I still need a bit of work on the headstock, and I'm considering some custom decals also.

Finally I'm considering if I should keep the EMG knobs or go for some custom wood knobs. To be honest I must say that I find the EMG's quite nice looking / feeling / working, but maybe some custom walnut knobs could be cool, or pau ferro to mate with the fretboard... I don't really know what to do on this. I found this website and he does some really cool stuff, but he does not seem to reply when writing to him via the website...  http://archipelagoglass.com/agstore/index.php/

 

[Ddbltrbl]

Thanks for the details!  ccasion14:
I've been thinking a lot about building a bass, but just not comfortable enough with my decision to pull the trigger yet.
This build has definitely given me some new perspectives.  :icon_thumright:
I like the EMG knobs well enough, but some wood ones would really be classy! I think I would prefer Pau Ferro, but Walnut would look good too. And, using magnets for the cover is another idea I may steal!!  :laughing7:
Again, that's an awesome axe! THX :guitarplayer2:

 

[MortenB]

Thanks man, I really appreciate your comments..! If I can inspire you to consider building a bass, then I can't think of anything much better about sharing our work on forums as this one. And steal away  ccasion14:  DIY work is for sharing...

And thank you for your thoughts on the knobs, I think I will take your advise and get some nice wood knobs for this baby. Knobs that matches the fretboard would be classy for sure and it will make the visual connection between body and fretboard even better. I just need to find the right ones - and I want to keep the knobs understated, like the rest of the bass. The more I look at this thing, the happier I am about going the subtle route with no fancy blocks and bindings on the neck, no crazy paintwork or glossy surfaces. Just the beautiful woods. Really like the way the beast sounds as well..!

 

[SlartiBartfast]

This thing is a work of pure beauty. Nicely done!  :hello2: ccasion14: :icon_thumright:

 

[MortenB]

Thanks man... I really like the transformation from black to this. I'm working on the small final touches now:

I have ordered some custom headstock waterslide decals

I'm still working on that walnut control cover held by small magnets

And finally I'm in the process of ordering custom Pau Ferro knobs from Roger at THG knobs. He will select Pau Ferro to match my fretboard as close as possible. They will have small dot markers made of gold pearl, that will match the Black Korina well in color.

It might take a bit of time, but I will get back with more pics when the final touches are done.

 

[MortenB]

I ordered this type of knobs from Roger at THG Knobs, notice how the stacked pot is ''hidden'' because all the knobs has the stacked look... I think this is brilliant detail. As mentioned the knobs will be solid Pau Ferro to match the fretboard and to strengthen the visual bond between body and neck. The indicator dot on the knobs will be gold pearl to match the Black Korina.

The alternative I discussed with Roger was to have the knobs made as; walnut + black stripe + black korina tops, so that the knobs would be like the body. I must say, that I'm in doubt on this one, but my gut feeling is, that the solid Pau Ferro's will be more understated and less ''bling'', and thus fit my strategy with this build better. If these knobs was not so expensive I would order both sets and go with the nicest, but they are too much money for that.

What direction would you go on this..!?  ( I can still change my mind... for a little while longer)

 

[MortenB]

Time to dig out this -old- thread again... And I need to get all the pics uploaded again since they were lost in the upgrade of the forum. But first...

Here are a few pics from Roger at THG knobs, he is now working on my custom knobs for the bass. He has selected Pau Ferro with a grain pattern, that matches the fretboard really well. I'm really looking forward to get these installed  :glasses10:

Also, I have just installed the custom head stock water slide decals. Still need to apply a few more coats of clear and to sand back to a satin sheen.

 

[MortenB]

Here is another DIY project I'm working on... Not really Warmoth related, but it will benefit my Warmoth's - no doubt  :glasses10:

I'm building a fearful bass stack. Two 12/6 CUBES, and with the bottom one used as a sub / extension module when needed. I'm going to use a better midrange from B&C, still need to design the crossover for that. And I still need to make the frame for the black cloth grill.

I have ZERO experience working with tolex, so I thought I might as well go wild and do something difficult as a first project    I have made a thread on the build  http://unofficialwarmoth.com/index.php?topic=22619.0

 

[MortenB]

Roger from THG Knobs keep sending me nice progress pictures. The custom ordered knobs are finished now, they are set to dry, and will ship over the pond tomorrow.

I really like what he managed to do with these knobs. I asked him for Pau Ferro knobs to match the fretboard of the bass. This means relatively dark for Pau Ferro and with a special grain pattern. The markers on the knobs is ''gold pearl'' that should blend well with the Black Korina top. I think he pulled it off and I can't wait to get the plastic EMG's off and these on instead. The knobs will tie-in well with the dark walnut body as well.

Thanks Roger  ccasion14:

Here a picture of the finished knobs and the pictures of the fretboard I send him to match the knobs to.

 

[MortenB]

My progress is slow these days because of a crazy busy time at work... However, I managed to get the headstock finished, and my new headstock decals are now buried under satin clear. I think it turned out great  :glasses10:  Here are a few pics in different light conditions.

Next up: The custom knobs  (on their way over the pond now).

 

[Cagey]

Nice job! That looks good! You'd think more people would take the time to do that. For what it costs in time, effort and money to put a custom instrument together, you'd think a little extra effort would go into the headstock branding. Of course, I'm no one to talk. All I've ever put on was Warmoth's marque when they had the embossed metal labels available. But, in my defense, you can't really do that very easily with a poly finished or raw neck.

 

[MortenB]

Thanks Cagey..!

Since I have modified the headstock and thereby damaged the clear coat, I needed to repair this anyway. So it was obvious to have some custom water slide decals under the new clear. On the raw Warmoth necks I have also used the crome Warmoth decals  (that they SHOULD restock asap).

 

[MortenB]

Finally... the custom knobs from Roger at THG Knobs arrived... I could not wait to get them on the bass, here are some pics  (bad light, I will take more, when it's light outside).

He did a really amazing job! One thing is, that the fit and finish is just amazing, but even better is, how well he matched the grain pattern and color to both the fretboard and the walnut body. Both the fretboard and body are quite dark, so I did not want Pau Ferro knobs, that was to light in color. He matched the knobs perfectly..!