Precision '54 for a working musician

[SlingBass]

Perhaps some inspiration from jazz music might help. I'll have a good start with the Miles Davis box containing 71 CD's and a DVD  :glasses9:

I'm jealous - I need to get that  :icon_thumright:

I've found having the string retainer closer to the nut also slightly increases tension on the D and G...NOT a bad thing IMO  :guitaristgif:

 

[Hande]

^ Sure. But how do you manage the tension of the A string? That's a real problem, AFAIC.

 

[Hande]

I've had hectic time with this baby lately. It was to be playable last Friday and I managed to do it!!  ccasion14:
The bass is not totally completed yet, but I couldn't resist taking it on-stage with me. I had two gigs with it, one shortie (1,5h) and another longer with 3 sets.

Oh boys (and girls), this bass is something special. The feeling is rock solid, the neck vs. body coupling is second to none, totally on par with my neck through Warwick Infinity NT. Maybe the steel rods and high quality materials have something to do with this...? And the combination of quite heavy neck assembly with light swamp ash body with very thin coating. The Audere is in it's default adjustments, so I don't say anything more about the sound.

By the way, the strings are Thomastik-Infeld Jazz Rounds, very flexible and sensitive to finger style playing. They sound the way you play, not vice versa!

 

[Nando Vallart]

Looking awesome! can't wait to see it finished!

Don't have much love for big companies, but the F and G logo are part of the design of the guitars, IMO...

 

[Hande]

^ Yes, in most cases. But the new 'Big Brands' like MusicMan and Warwick are making gorgeous basses, too, with a good design.

 

[SlingBass]

^ Sure. But how do you manage the tension of the A string? That's a real problem, AFAIC.

NOT an issue.  I don't have a pic of my Jazz (which I moved the retainer closer to the nut) in my Photo Bucket, and since this site is difficult to load from my other collection of pics...I'll have to find a way to later show you.  My P-Bass, below, is pretty close to normal - but I like the slight difference in the Jazz action.

 

[SlingBass]

Done...

 

[Hande]

^ Yes, I totally agree with you. BTW, you have a narrow 1,5" precision neck, right?

 

[SlingBass]

^ Yes, I totally agree with you. BTW, you have a narrow 1.5" precision neck, right?

Yes, I do.  It also has the "New Thin" neck profile.  I bought the neck late fall last year when they were trying out new profiles for guitar and bass on their new machines.  I believe they call it something else now.  Whatever - it's a slightly smaller neck than the J-Bass, and a perfect fit for my hand.  So far the stability is just as good as most Warmoth necks.

 

[Hande]

^ How did you order such a slim/thin neck? Does that option exist at the moment?

 

[SlingBass]

^ How did you order such a slim/thin neck? Does that option exist at the moment?

It exists at this point in time.  It's just not listed on the site, and I doubt there's a great amount of them out there because of that fact.  The last *I* read/heard - there's still an upcharge for them (unfair considering all the different guitar neck profiles, and which I didn't pay being a one-off in the showroom at the time).  What that amount is or going to be in the future - I'm not sure.  One would have to email or talk with a salesperson, or better yet - the sales manager.  Personally, I'll cross that bridge when ordering my next neck later this year.

 

[Hande]

^ Thanks for the info!

 

[Hande]

Gigging, gigging and gigging... and having very positive feelings.

I must admit that this P'54 bass must be one of the very best I've ever played. And I've played quite a few of them. The solid feeling of the neck together with a vibrant body... I can't find the words. The quality is there and I can feel it on every note.

(control cavity still unfinished, shame on me)

 

[bendeg]

Holy Grail!

What on earth has happened to the beautiful peghead when I was boiling water for tee??? Apparently some sticky old decal from other side of the pond has landed on it...?
Now I have to decide if I should keep it or not.

Opinions? ePinions?

Oh Lord...In need of a unused S/N ?...

 

[Hande]

Oh Lord...In need of a unused S/N ?...

The decals of this era were without S/N's  :icon_jokercolor:

By the way, last weekend I had a gig in Northern Scandinavia. The temperature of the bass was below freezing point when I picked it up for the sound check. The tuning was several cycles (Hz) above the reference but I didn't retune it. Before we started the first part of our concert I checked it again... and, no need to retune, every single string was in tune. I've never before played a bass of such a high mechanical quality. Kudos for Warmoth!

 

[Cagey]

I've noticed that about my Warmoth Strat. I don't have to tune it nearly as much as I've had to tune other guitars, and it stays in tune longer while playing. I went to some trouble to get it that way, using roller saddles on the bridge and an LSR nut, as well as locking tuners and no string trees. But, this isn't the first guitar I've equipped that way. The others were better than normal, but this one is almost magical. Even my brother mentioned it one day, picking it up from its stand and finding it in tune. "Wow!" he said. "Damn thing's in tune!"  As if a guitar that wasn't in somebody's hands getting constant attention couldn't possibly be in tune.

 

[JaySwear]

i can't keep my first build in tune to save my life, but my second build has the best tuning stability of any guitar i've played without a floyd rose. i definitely give warmoth the credit. my first build would probably keep perfect tune too if it weren't a learning experience for me.