new bass project: need some advice

[Orpheo]

Guys,

I'm starting a bass build and this is what I'm having in mind

Ash body, chambering is an option
walnut top, full thickness, carved like a les paul
wenge neck (laminated with bubinga is an option)
ebony board

24 frets

I think I'll be needing a J bass pickup, a P bass pickup as well as a mini humbucker in the neck position.

Ideas? Suggestions?

 

[BlueTalon]

Are you asking for suggestions on bass pickups?  What kind of mini humbucker are you planning to use? P and J pickup recommendations might depend on your third pickup.

Wenge and bubinga is a great wood combination IMO.

 

[Orpheo]

No, I can handle my pickups. I am more in doubt about the wenge neck plus ash/walnut body.

 

[AndyG]

IMHO wenge is the best wood for a bass neck.  It feels great when playing, and adds a wonderful growl to the tone of the bass.  I would have to suggest a wenge fingerboard as well.  (ala the old Warwicks).

My 2 Warmoth J's are both swamp ash bodies, not chambered.  A little on the heavy side (but not uncomfortably so), but great sounding as well.

 

[slashin_velvet]

Cant fault a Wenge neck or a Swamp ash body.

The ebony board will give you a bit more snap to the tone....so it depends what you want here.

Caps on the bodies are more decorative (there are people on here that will suggest body wood has close to zero impact on tone anyway - but lets keep that argument seperate)

3 pickups in a bass would be overkill for me....but im mostly a set and forget type of player.

 

[Orpheo]

Yeah, I know some people believe that. But I've done some testing with caps (mahogany cap versus maple cap, with the neck, fretboard and bodyback from the same billet, same hardware, same pickups) and the differences are huge. So, yeah. that myth is kinda busted. The thing is, I'm not a bass player. I can build guitars. pretty decent ones, if I may say so. But I know next to nothing about basses. hence my call for help.

 

[AndyG]

Well, wood choices aside for a second, why would you want 3 pickups?  Tonal variety?  The P/J combo will give you almost every classic Fender sound (except the J/J combo, of course), and a mini humbucker in the neck would probably be more Gibson-ish.

Wiring these would be a plethora of choices, especially if you decide to add a preamp.  All my basses are wired with a master volume and a balance pot rather than 2 volumes.  I suppose you could use a 5-way, but that would limit the pickup combos.  3 mini switches would allow for every combo, if you want to go that route.

Every bass I've ever owned or built had a single species of wood for the body, so I can't add to that side of the tonal discussion .... but I think you'll be pleased with the ash/ wenge combo.

 

[Unrepresented]

walnut top, full thickness, carved like a les paul

Can you specify if you're looking for something that's Les Paul shaped or just has a carved top?

A body that omits the upper horn (Les Paul), that's light weight (chambered), and has a dense neck attached (wenge), is likely going to have balance issues that will be more pronounced in a bass design than in a guitar design since the fulcrum will be further over because of the longer scale.

 

[Orpheo]

Great points guys.

the body shape will be a unique shape, like a single cut but not really like any uhm.. major brand.

The customer I'm building this bass for wants a whole wide range of tones. He plays so many styles and really wants just one bass. the 'wood part' of the instrument needs to be warm enough for the low end to be tight and bright enough to cut through without getting harsh. He likes the F-sounds but also the G-sounds. I'm not sure I'll be chambering. Maybe. but unlikely.

The player I'm building for is a set-and-forget kinda guy during a song, but needs to shift between many basses right now. A J bass with a P pickup mounted as well as a Gibson sg bass are in his standard lineup. In essence, we want one bass to rule them all I can make the electronics work, that's easy. I just need to know if the ash/walnut + wenge/ebony combination is a good one for bass or not. I know it will rock on an electric guitar, though.

 

[JimBeed]

Well my Bloodwood/Wenge With Swamp Ash(I'm assuming that's the Ash you're looking for) Z I feel has a nice warm tight low end and can cut through a loud drummer and guitarist (I've even tested this with my old ashdown combo amp which is now replaced) without being overbearing unless I really cranked the volume

I think bloodwood has some similarities to ebony if my memory serves me correctly. And i'll look at warmoth when i'm not batshit tired ha.

So I would say you're going to do alright with that wood combo .

Sounds like a mean do it all kinda bass. and that third neck pickup would serve for a gibby sound I'd expect if it's a similar style to theirs.

 

[Orpheo]

actually, it's gonna be regular ash, not swamp. I'm not that fond of swamp ash

 

[JimBeed]

Ah ok fair enough my bad assuming

Well it's not overly different besides weight apparently just having a quick look, so i'd  say what I said hopefully is still somewhat relevant.

 

[Orpheo]

tonally it's a huge difference. normal (hard) ash sounds much better imho. it's tighter, more pronounced in the mids, the highs are super harsh (which is a good thing since you can soften highs but never ever get high end back!). I'm gonna carve a tummy cut and a fore arm contour (yes, a forearm contour IN the carved face!) as well as an easy access heel. The neck will be approximately 30% more narrow than a usual neck (think, alembic style), so the balance and weight will be in check.

I'll keep ya'll posted of my progress D:  :headbang1:

 

[JimBeed]

Ah right okay, I should stop saying stuff off a short read up  :doh:

Nice i'll be looking forward to it

 

[ihavenothingprofoundtosay]

The tone stuff has been addressed, but if you're using hard ash, I'd hope you'll chamber it for the sake of weight.

Visually, though, I think walnut + ash is a fantastic combo, such as on these Rob Allen basses:

 

[Orpheo]

I'm sorry, I just got word. The customer wants his bass unchambered. We'll be hitting the 5kg mark (that's uhm... 11 lbs).