GECKO - opinions needed please...

[MortenB]

OK... time for another project... This will be my fourth Warmoth bass  :icon_smile:

This 5 string Gecko is making it's way over the pond after I bought it from a nice guy on TB. The price was right, I would like to learn if I can get used to a 5 string bass, and there is just something unique about the way the pick guard is implemented. I could not pass on it..!

Apparently the bass has changed hands several times, and several mods was done. The main modification was a change from two soap-bar pick up's to a single Nordstrand MM. The mod was a bit rustic (to be nice), but the guy I bought it from made a great save. He did not do the modification, but he cleaned it up beautifully after he bought it. I really like what he did with the pick guard..! The neck should be in excellent condition, but the body has a few battle scars, see the close up of the installation of the ferrules. There should be a few scratches around the body also. To be honest I'm not sure if I like the sunset orange finish, but I will give it a chance when it arrives.

Here is the two scenarios I'm considering and I would love your opinions on this:

1. Leave it as it is...
2. Do some more work on the body...  If I do some work on the body, here is my idea:

I don't like the diamond layout of the knobs, it's not right for this design with the pick guard, so I would glue plugs in all the holes and rearrange the knobs to go in an arc that follows the edge of the pick guard.

Since I really like the idea with the pick guard I would keep the pick guard, but do a new one in wenge. I would make it ''integrated'' into the top of the bass. Imagine a 5mm thick solid wenge pick guard, that fit's into a 3-4mm deep routing. This way the pick guard would be raised just 1-2 mm above the top. I would glue it in place to make an installation without screws.

The body would be painted vintage white, with a satin clear coat finish.

The knobs would be wenge, and as mentioned above I would arrange them in an arc that follows the edge of the integrated pick guard. The two switches would stay on the pick guard.

What do you think if this second scenario..? Any other ideas or advise to continue the save of the Gecko..? And finally: Do you know of a source of solid wenge in dimensions that fit's whats needed to make the pick guard..??

Here are some pics of the Gecko as it looks now

 

[ihavenothingprofoundtosay]

Whoa... That looks really neato burrito, and if it were me, I'd probably leave it as is.  If you're buying to have a playable bass, that looks more than functional, and surprisingly pretty!

But if you're willing to take it apart and/or if the knob positions bother you that much, then I could see the color scheme you propose looking quite good as well.

My vote is to see how you like it for a few weeks before deciding, but between the 2 options, I'd say leave it.

 

[line6man]

Personally, I think the wenge pickguard on white idea is one that sounds better on paper than in real life. The shape of the pickguard, and general vibe of the bass, just isn't right for wooden pickguards.

I would get a new pickguard cut in single ply white (0.09", beveled), and skip the pot and switches. The bass will then look great with the existing three control holes. You could put mini toggles between them, if you want. Just don't mount anything on the pickguard.

 

[tubby.twins]

Yep, I remember this bass as it "made the rounds" several times on Talkbass, through varying stages of modification.  I almost bought that neck when it was sitting in the Showcase for a while. 

I agree with 'ihnpts'.  I like the look of the white pickguard (as well as the shape) and it's probably a good idea to spend some time with the bass before making big changes.

Then again, wenge on sunset orange looks really nice.  It's your decision.  If you do decide to take off the finish, I think a clear gloss or satin finish would match a wenge pickguard. 

 

[MortenB]

Thank you for your advice - much appreciated..!

As you mention: I will for sure keep it as-is for a while. I never jump into making mods before getting a feel... And I agree that it looks surprisingly pretty. Somehow this should not work, but somehow it works so well..! So I will be careful not to spoil the balance.

If I keep it orange, the nice and small mod could be the white pick guard without the pot and switches on it. The wenge / orange / white looks really cool IMHO...

I'm looking forward to see the condition of the body. If it's not too rough, that might be the deciding factor to keep it as-is. If it's in rough condition I will get it re-painted.

@Tubby.twins... You mention, that you saw the neck in the Warmoth showcases. Do you remember when it was on the showcases? I'm trying to figure out the age of the beast. Maybe you also remember the story on the special lamination of this neck? It's different than any other Gecko neck I have seen.

 

[ihavenothingprofoundtosay]

If I keep it orange, the nice and small mod could be the white pick guard without the pot and switches on it.

This.  Re-arranging the controls that way would probably solve yer control arrangement issue - if it even turns out to be an issue.  One last thing I'd suggest would be chrome knobs to go with that gorgeous Hipshot bridge.  The black ones look . . . not quite right.

 

[tubby.twins]

@Tubby.twins... You mention, that you saw the neck in the Warmoth showcases. Do you remember when it was on the showcases? I'm trying to figure out the age of the beast. Maybe you also remember the story on the special lamination of this neck? It's different than any other Gecko neck I have seen.

I think it was made in early 2010.  I saved a copy of the images from their website in April of that year.  I remember it was in the showcase for at least a few weeks.  I don't know anything behind the neck lamination, other than it was very different from anything I had seen before.

http://www.warmoth.com/Showcase/images/necks/large/GN237A.jpg
http://www.warmoth.com/Showcase/images/necks/large/GN237B.jpg

I get the feeling that they like to do "one-off" neck laminations of special woods, or sometimes even some solid Gecko necks without laminations at all.  It all depends on what wood is available and how it looks when it's put together. 

 

[MortenB]

I'm sorry for the late reply.. I have been travelling for the last few days... But THANKS for your excellent advice  ccasion14:  and thanks for sharing the pics tubby.twins, I'm really happy to get some history on this neck with the special lamination... OK, so it seems to be a one-off (I like that) and just around 3-4 years old.

When it arrives here I will evaluate the condition of the body. If it's OK I will go with the 3 knob layout, crome knobs, the micro switches between the 3 knobs, and a single ply white pick guard... Will be cool..!

 

[TBurst Std]

Just embrace the concept of a 5 string. Its really wonderful.

 

[MortenB]

There is now a GECKO in the house  :icon_smile:  It took for ever to get here since my cousin in the US was slow as hell getting it shipped, and later it had to clear customs here in little old Denmark. But now it's here.

Condition is much nicer than I thought it would be. The bass has chanced hands 3-4 times in about 3 years time since it was build and often this means a bit of a rough condition. But it's excellent..! And I think the wenge / orange / white combination works very, very well. Warmoth should consider doing a pick guard version of the GECKO..!

Regarding the knobs I have tried replacing the black ones with crome, but the ones I have are too big, and therefore look stupido on the bass. Now I have installed a set of wenge knobs, and I actually like this a lot. In the pictures the diamond pattern of the knobs seemed to clash with the pick guard, but seeing the bass in person I think it actually works. I will keep it as is for now.

I really like the idea of the one ply pick guard though, so I will order some pick guard material, make a routing template and make some one ply pick guards. I think I will try with both white and cream. The cream might be nice also to give a bit of a ''vintage look''.

Time go get to learn how all the knobs and switches work / affect the sound. First impression is a really nice Musicman sound, and the wenge neck look/feel amazing.

It's a grey and rainy day here, so not the best weather for taking pics, but here are a few...