Help me design my next bass?

[Fat Pete]

Ok, I'll rein in the 'humour. As you do seem to be floundering, here are my thoughts - which are worth at least what you paid for them.

Seriously though, with that (lovely) neck, I like the vintage white a lot and the tobacco burst just slightly more. I'd go with a dark 'guard with either - brown tort* with the white and either the same or black with the burst.

This?

Yes, that. IMO that's the best fit for that neck. Not flashy, but classy, and seriously stylish. Surf green and sonic blue might also work the same way.

BUT...

Is 'Not flashy, but classy, and seriously stylish' what you're after? You might end up feeling that you have something not that different from an off the shelf Fender - albeit a really good one.

I suspect if I was shopping from the current showcase for a body to go with that neck, I'd end up with one of the bursted black korina offerings (how has nobody suggested bk?). Quite possibly the satin one. (Has to be a black pickguard with any of them.) Of course this is from the position of already having a stack of Warmoth candy-finished bodies (which are, as Cagey says, just stunningly gorgeous in the flesh).

In the mock-ups, I don't feel the neck fits that well with the candy red or the charcoal, but in real life it may well be a different story. The anodized 'guards look pretty cool on both. I'd strongly recommend against wood or tort pickguards.

Candy green is not for the faint-hearted, but if you have the nerve, do it. It is spectacular. (And IMO would actually work better with that neck.) Accepted aesthetic wisdom would probably say a black pickguard. I went with a variation of white. The anodized ally option would be quite something I should think.

Good luck!

 

[ghotiphry]

Thanks, Fat Pete.  Heh, I didn't think I was foundering, just indecisive.  So many options, only one guitar to build.  And I do so enjoy your humour.  ccasion14:

Also, thanks Bagman, Black Dog, line6man, Logrinn, Wizard, Axkoa, Pelagaard, Cagey, vetteman, BigSteve, TonyFlyingSquirrel, and rgand for input, suggestions, feedback, and everything in between.  Your assistance has been invaluable.

I'm not going to pull the trigger before I leave for vacation, that feels too much like impulse at this point.  I've got a metric ton of images saved to imgur.  Not only the ones I've posted here, but I also did some in all available colors, including the sonic blue and surf green.  I'm going to look at them.  I'm going to see which one I keep looking at.  Build thread to follow.

 

[Logrinn]

Sounds like wise words.
Good luck on your decision and I will of course follow your build with interest.

 

[rgand]

I'm not going to pull the trigger before I leave for vacation, that feels too much like impulse at this point.  I've got a metric ton of images saved to imgur.  Not only the ones I've posted here, but I also did some in all available colors, including the sonic blue and surf green.  I'm going to look at them.  I'm going to see which one I keep looking at.  Build thread to follow.

Looking forward to seeing what you finally decide on. It'll be nice to see come together.

 

[ghotiphry]

Pulled the trigger.  Couldn't stay away from that charcoal gray...  This is the one I kept coming back to:

Now I just hope i get the "right" tortoise guard.

 

[bagman67]

Killer.  Go build yerself that bass, son!

 

[Logrinn]

I'm with Bagman. That looks gorgeous!

 

[rgand]

And I agree with Bagman and Logrinn, too. Outstanding.

 

[AutoBat]

That's a great looking color combo!

 

[Fat Pete]

That looks really good; the tort guard ties the neck in with the body very nicely indeed.

 

[BigSteve22]

That's gonna be killer! Looking forward to watching the build.

 

[kkaarrll]

what generator are you using to look at different styles?

 

[ghotiphry]

Thanks, guys.  As I've said before, thank you for everything.

Karl, it's not a modelling program.  I'm using paint.net, a free layer-capable paint program.  I just added each component to a layer and build it up.  I went out to the web and downloaded various pics of items, the tuners, pickups, bridge, knobs, screw heads, etc, then sized them, duplicated if needed, and placed.  I've got it to the point that I just grab a new body image from Warmoth with a white pickguard, copy it to a new layer, and cut out the pickguard area.  For a new neck style I cut it so I can play with the head stock and fret board separately.  Here's a pic with the body removed:

I'm happy to share it if you like.  I've only done jazz basses, but the concept is good for anything.

 

[ghotiphry]

Goddam it anyway.  I just couldn't pass this by.  Well, now I've got a spare body.  It bears a striking resemblance to the first image in the first post, doesn't it, except for the flame in the maple.

 

[rgand]

Congrats, Ghotiphry. That's beautiful. You'll find a use for that other body one of these days, too.