My drawing build: open for ideas, but fairly certain. Bass VI!!!

[AprioriMark]

When I first called, I was told that I wouldn't be able to build a Bass VI as the pricing and options had not yet been determined.  I didn't want to announce my hopes (or secondary build ideas) until I heard the official Unofficial word, but this morning, I show up at work to the pm I'd hoped to have.  Gregg, Rob and everyone at Warmoth who made this possible, thank you!  

Here's what I'm thinking, and though I have an open mind and am willing to hear all ideas and opinions, I essentially only have a couple aspects that I'm unsure of:

Alder Bass VI body, black/blue burst with the blue dyed masked binding. (sorta this color: http://www.warmoth.com/Showcase/ShowcaseItem.aspx?i=PT1666&Body=2&Path=Body)
Flamed maple neck with (edit Jet Black Ebony fingerboard (not heavy flame, as I want it to feel somewhat humble and just be a touch of beauty).
3 P-90s (if possible) from TT at Roadhouse (he says they're ready to be built!), in black
edit: Bass VI bridge (I changed my mind from a TOM after a long discussion with a friend)

What I'm not sure about:
I'd like to go either rear routed or front routed with a single ply black guard.
I have no idea what tuners would work, and I prefer locking Sperzels on my other guitars.  I'm very open to suggestions.
Where the crud do I find a case?

-Mark

 

[Xplorervoodoo]

My suggestion is to go rear routed, and I'm sure a lot of members would agree to the suggestion of some sort of exotic neck!

Other than that, it sounds pretty sweet to me  :icon_thumright:

 

[Mor Paul]

Since it'll be blue, go with canary or rosewood, I think.

 

[AprioriMark]

I really want the clarity of Maple in such a long neck, as well as the reduced weight.  Sell me on a specific exotic if you want.  I've never seen Canary that didn't make me think of dirty Maple.

I'm also concerned that Canary might stray too far from the "vintage-esque" feel that I'm hoping to not stray too far from. 

-Mark

 

[JaySwear]

hate to sound like i've never been on warmoth.com before or something, but what is this Bass VI body?

 

[Mor Paul]

"vintage-esque"

Fender shape, flame maple, blueburst, rear route, and p90s? Am I missing something?  :laughing7:

 

[CrackedPepper]

Hee's a dumb question - is it a bass or guitar?  Bass body and bridge but "locking Sperzels on my other guitars" and P90s.  Do they make P90s for basses?

 

[JaySwear]

Hee's a dumb question - is it a bass or guitar?  Bass body and bridge but "locking Sperzels on my other guitars" and P90s.  Do they make P90s for basses?

yeah, thats my question too. i don't understand this bass VI thing  ???

 

[AprioriMark]

"vintage-esque"

Fender shape, flame maple, blueburst, rear route, and p90s? Am I missing something?  :laughing7:

Haha, I know, right?  I was laughing at how silly that sounded as I posted it.  I have this undefinable sense of "quality" about a certain vintage of Fender instruments that I feel the Bass VI is a part of.  I'm trying to maintain the "soul" of that while showing homage to our history as guitar builders and mod'ers.  In my mind, the neck needs to be maple, and it needs to be a burst.  The p-90s "work" in my mind because the instrument is oversized, and Fender guitars of that vintage had some funky pickups to begin with.

-Mark

p.s.: Here's a pic of Gregg's Bass VI for those of you who are wondering what we're talking about: http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h80/stirt1/DSCN4000.jpg.  These instruments were made in the 60s and used by the Beatles and others as a "funky" sound.  You can see footage of John Lennon playing one in the "Let It Be" sessions as a bass.  It's a 30" scale bass tuned like a guitar (an octave lower).

 

[dbw]

The bass VI was a long-scale baritone guitar.

This is an awesome build!  I would definitely go with an upgraded bridge, either a TOM or a normal strat trem.

As for cases... it probably fits a lot of bass cases. 

 

[AprioriMark]

This is an awesome build!  I would definitely go with an upgraded bridge, either a TOM or a normal strat trem.

I really wanted a TOM, but my buddy convinced me that it was too much of a stretch from the original, and that I should have a funky trem arm on it for sex appeal.  Why would you put another trem on it?  I'm curious.

-Mark

 

[dbw]

Cuz I don't like those goofy Fender floating trems.  Too many disadvantages and no real advantages to them.  They may be "classic" and a landmark of "period engineering" but we have something better now.

 

[tfarny]

Nice thinking! Congrats on your win. I would do TOM if it were mine - if you don't have a specific need for a trem - and you don't, since you considered a TOM.
Nothing wrong with a nice maple neck. Though Canary is pretty hot.
Finally - I've never played on of these, have you? The whole 30" scale, baritone thickness strings, bass tuning, seems like it would just be a floppy mess. Bass notes don't sound good to me unless the string has some real tension to it. And with a P90, too, I wonder how the P90 would hold the low notes together. At a minimum, I'd get a top route so you can change the pickups if P90s don't work out.

I think it's awesome that you're doing something different and not even on the menu yet. Hope that the choices work out, it's harder to plan something like this I'd imagine.

 

[Patrick from Davis]

I am a fan of Wenge for necks.  I have tried a lot of different woods for necks, but that seems to suit me the best.  It is also has very good properties with respect to clarity and mids for the lower notes to sound proper.  It is not the color you are looking for, but it is functionally a great wood.  It really grows on you as far as the feel.  Seems odd at first, but it is very easy to play.

You could get the TOM bridge, and use the thing that allows a Bigsby on the guitar.  I tend to think Bigsby's just have a very cool look.  If it isn't your ball of wax, put the TOM back on and sell the other bridge.  That is how I would go about the bridge issue.
Patrick

 

[AprioriMark]

Thanks for all the advice, guys.  I'm certainly reconsidering a TOM, it's just hard to visualize how it will look, but I'm thinking about it (along with chrome knobs and the chrome switch plate).  I'm not so worried about the tone of the P-90s, as the original had wonky single coils, and TT is wonderful to work with as far as pickup winds.  In fact, I would not have considered P-90s seriously if not for his willingness to customize winds.  It is a tough call about the bridge, however.  I'll need (I'm guessing) a lot of customization of the TOM and any Bigsby for the larger strings and perhaps string tension.  Jack at JP guitars is amazing, and he will be doing the final assembly/setup (as well as finishing the neck the same as he has other instruments for me; clear poly on the headstock and neck joint with Tung oil on the back of the neck).

-Mark

 

[Super Turbo Deluxe Custom]

hate to sound like i've never been on warmoth.com before or something, but what is this Bass VI body?

It's probably not on the website yet.  Like DBW stated it's a long scale Baritone Guitar.  It has 6 strings and a 30" scale tuned E-A-D-G-B-E like a guitar but an octave lower like a bass guitar.  Imagine it as Jaguar or Jazzmaster looking 6 string short scale bass.

Just Google Images "Fender Bass VI."

 

[Super Turbo Deluxe Custom]

Hee's a dumb question - is it a bass or guitar?  Bass body and bridge but "locking Sperzels on my other guitars" and P90s.  Do they make P90s for basses?

Although handling the bass frequency, it has guitar pickups, so if using P-90s, they would be the same.  Don't know how it would sound though.  I'm not aware of P-90s for bass, but P-90s are also called soapbars and they do make soapbars for bass, but they are not P-90s.  Confused?

 

[AprioriMark]

Hee's a dumb question - is it a bass or guitar?  Bass body and bridge but "locking Sperzels on my other guitars" and P90s.  Do they make P90s for basses?

Although handling the bass frequency, it has guitar pickups, so if using P-90s, they would be the same.  Don't know how it would sound though.  I'm not aware of P-90s for bass, but P-90s are also called soapbars and they do make soapbars for bass, but they are not P-90s.  Confused?

I intend to play this as a guitar through a guitar amp, for what that's worth.

-Mark

 

[Nando Vallart]

Nice thinking! Congrats on your win. I would do TOM if it were mine - if you don't have a specific need for a trem - and you don't, since you considered a TOM.
Nothing wrong with a nice maple neck. Though Canary is pretty hot.
Finally - I've never played on of these, have you? The whole 30" scale, baritone thickness strings, bass tuning, seems like it would just be a floppy mess. Bass notes don't sound good to me unless the string has some real tension to it. And with a P90, too, I wonder how the P90 would hold the low notes together. At a minimum, I'd get a top route so you can change the pickups if P90s don't work out.

I think it's awesome that you're doing something different and not even on the menu yet. Hope that the choices work out, it's harder to plan something like this I'd imagine.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t6WuSxMWaOY


I like the idea!!!
Sounds really cool... I probably would go for a more vintage look (about the finish) but it can work! The new Jazzmaster headstock would be perfect!!
I guess you should go for wenge neck with flamed (or birdseye) maple headstock's veneer, for the look and have still a monster low freq...

 

[whyachi]

As I understand, they can't put veneers on naked exotic necks.