Swamp ash mooncaster bass

[ghotiphry]

Ok, how fortuitous to have a day off!  Let's get down to business.

Recap on the body, repost from "out of the box" thread:

I don't currently have an image for the neck, other than an old stock image I saved off.  It's QS Wenge/QS Wenge.  This neck has bounced around from body to body from time to time. I hope to find it a permanent home.  I like to experiment and swap things around occasionally.  The only sacrosanct pairings would be if a bass won for GOM.  I figure that kinda sets it in stone and means hands off to changes.  Too bad, actually.  I'd like to try the pao ferro 30" on the flame maple in my signature on this one.

Something occured to me.  I've done a mockup very similar to my end goal.  Probably years ago.  Found it while browsing my imgur images.  Found it interesting.  Close, but my aesthetics may have changed subtly over time.  I'm pretty sure I based this on patched together RSA, not vintage tint.  Posted here for my amusement.

 

[ghotiphry]

I've been wiring based on classic 50's LP wiring.  To be different, I'll be doing this one based on TV Jones' "Tone Pot" circuit.

Subtle changes include round wound strings instead of my go to flats.  Just to be different.  Like throwing spaghetti at a wall, let's see what sticks.  I was actually figuring on going chrome again, but I've got a black bridge that just looks right here.  Inspiration from the years old mockup.  More pics soon.

 

[ghotiphry]

This is as far as I got yesterday.

Finished the wiring.  If you're seeing the guts of one of my builds for the first time, I use these small, gold connectors for the pickups and the bridge ground to the pots.  That's what the stubby shrink tubed connections are.  I'd been using shielded cabling, but I've been having issues with ground hum.  I'm thinking I was doing something wrong.  Back to basics, let's see what happens.

And installed.

Including pickups.

As usual I needed to hog out some wood inside the control cavity to allow the pots to slip into place.  Forgot to take a picture of that.

As much as I'd like to have this boy up and running I just ran out of daylight.  I don't work so well when I get tired.  More later.

 

[Cagey]

Perhaps is isn't obvious, but I don't see any shielded cable in there.

 

[stratamania]

Perhaps is isn't obvious, but I don't see any shielded cable in there.

There isn't. He mentioned previously he had been using it but not on this build. (at least so far)

 

[ghotiphry]

Perhaps is isn't obvious, but I don't see any shielded cable in there.

There isn't. He mentioned previously he had been using it but not on this build. (at least so far)

Yeah, I started using the shielded cable with my first mooncaster.  For some reason beyond me there seems to be a slight hum which (mostly) disappears when touching the strings.  I'm pretty sure it's me, but for the life of me I can't see where I'm missing a ground or my grounding methods aren't kosher.  I'm just trying this to be different, no pressure.  If it works, hey, I might need to completely revise some things.  No idea if it will correct a problem, or if a problem even exists to be corrected and that's just the way of things.

 

[TBurst Std]

Well 1st we have to set expectations.

1. A properly grounded instrument will be silent when you touch the bridge and/or strings.

2. When not touched, that’s where shielding comes into play. So many variables there: so no solid 1 response.

Your options are: find out what’s causing that and eliminate the cause OR shield against it.

Then again there is the easier no cost method. If your not playing, turn you vol control off LOL

 

[ghotiphry]

It is done.  Of course I changed my mind on the neck and grabbed the Pau Ferro/Ebony one from my Koa Z.  I figured the Koa looks better with the less busy Wenge, and this one can handle the PF with more of a grain pattern.  Not to mention the ebony looks killer here, and I like the feel of PF more than Wenge.

I'm a little annoyed at one of the nuts on the bridge.  It seems that the finish is being worn away.

It's dead quiet when idling.  Yeah, I need to revisit some of my other basses.  Not sure if I'll change anything yet, but I've done something wrong somewhere.

First impressions, I really, really like playing this.

One of these days I need to take a group photo, just to show that all the build threads I've completed are more or less still intact, maybe changed over time, but they can still all be in the same room together.

 

[ghotiphry]

My current mooncaster basses.  I've had to decommission the burl for now, I ran out of necks.

 

[Cagey]

I'm going to go out on a limb here and say you've got a Mooncaster monkey on your back  :laughing7:

 

[ghotiphry]

I'm going to go out on a limb here and say you've got a Mooncaster monkey on your back  :laughing7:

That's a fair assessment.  Maybe I'm a little touched in the head, but they really do something for me.

 

[mayfly]

I gotta say my favourite of the bunch is the sunburst.

 

[PhilHill]

Great job on all of them............. :icon_thumright: