thoughts on this, too much Canary? is it possible...

[dharmashawn]

So, I have been mulling over things for weeks and have an idea:

P- Bass (with all the contours) with PJ pups
Alder Body
Canary Top (clear gloss)
Canary neck
Canary fingerboard
With possibly doing a translucent finish on the back only. Leaning towards white, but maybe black.

Thoughts??

Be Well
Shawn

 

[Cagey]

I'm a big fan of Canary, so I can't say there's such a thing as "too much". But, I would expect that to be a pretty bright bass. Be heading into Rickenbacker territory, I suspect.

 

[dharmashawn]

I thought of that too, but my other bass is super warm sounding. Chambered Spanish Cedar with nordy dual coils in both neck and bridge locations.

Change the body wood??? Swamp Ash???

 

[Cagey]

No. most of the other woods I'd suggest are probably gonna be bright, too. If you already have a warm bass, something a little more articulate might be just the thing. No sense in having more than one of the same thing. No utility there.

 

[line6man]

Personally, I'm not a fan. A canary neck with a canary fretboard would NOT be a one piece neck. Rather, you are going to have two pieces of wood glued together with a visible glue line where the grain patterns change. And then the neck and body may not match. The wood for the neck is almost certainly going to be cut from a different tree or at least a different part of the tree than the wood for the laminate top. This means that the woods can have different hues and/or different kinds of figuring. Lastly, it will look weird if you have a finish on the body but not the neck.

 

[dharmashawn]

Man that is a whole bunch of disappoint right there, but appreciated.

 

[Cagey]

Personally, I'm not a fan. A canary neck with a canary fretboard would NOT be a one piece neck. Rather, you are going to have two pieces of wood glued together with a visible glue line where the grain patterns change. And then the neck and body may not match. The wood for the neck is almost certainly going to be cut from a different tree or at least a different part of the tree than the wood for the laminate top. This means that the woods can have different hues and/or different kinds of figuring. Lastly, it will look weird if you have a finish on the body but not the neck.

Not a fan? I can sorta understand that - everybody has preferences - but it sounds like you're going out of your way to discourage its use.

Most necks are at least two-piece parts. Some Maple parts are one piece, and you see them in other woods from time to time. For instance, I have a one-piece Ziricote neck here. But, generally speaking, two-piece is far and away the most common. You rarely hear any complaint as it's expected.

I recently set up a Canary/Canary neck for a member here that was quite lovely. Gave me fits for other reasons, but ended up a Good Thing. The neck on my L5S is a Canary/Canary, and I love it. But, mine is bound, so you don't see the line. Regardless, who cries about the line?

The nice thing about the stuff is it's still fairly light-colored and sounds much like Maple, but doesn't need a finish. It's a good choice if you want something light and bright.

 

[dharmashawn]

OK, maybe black binding on the neck with a black translucent finish on the back of the bass. Would I get that off looking if the laminate top is gloss and the neck/fb are natty?

 

[Cagey]

Personally, I don't think a Canary neck and a Canary body are going to clash at all, regardless of finish. Also, I wouldn't bind the neck if you're not going to bind the body, but that's just me. Although, black binding against Canary would be sharp.

 

[line6man]

Personally, I'm not a fan. A canary neck with a canary fretboard would NOT be a one piece neck. Rather, you are going to have two pieces of wood glued together with a visible glue line where the grain patterns change. And then the neck and body may not match. The wood for the neck is almost certainly going to be cut from a different tree or at least a different part of the tree than the wood for the laminate top. This means that the woods can have different hues and/or different kinds of figuring. Lastly, it will look weird if you have a finish on the body but not the neck.

Not a fan? I can sorta understand that - everybody has preferences - but it sounds like you're going out of your way to discourage its use.

Most necks are at least two-piece parts. Some Maple parts are one piece, and you see them in other woods from time to time. For instance, I have a one-piece Ziricote neck here. But, generally speaking, two-piece is far and away the most common. You rarely hear any complaint as it's expected.

I recently set up a Canary/Canary neck for a member here that was quite lovely. Gave me fits for other reasons, but ended up a Good Thing. The neck on my L5S is a Canary/Canary, and I love it. But, mine is bound, so you don't see the line. Regardless, who cries about the line?

The nice thing about the stuff is it's still fairly light-colored and sounds much like Maple, but doesn't need a finish. It's a good choice if you want something light and bright.

It depends on how OCD you are about the grain. To me, it just looks wrong to have two pieces of the same kind of wood glued together. Like they had to piece it together from scraps or something. On Maple, it can be subtle if you pick the right cuts of wood, but I don't care for it there, either. If I wanted the same wood for neck and fretboard, I would pick a one-piece neck, but that isn't an option for bass necks.

 

[Cagey]

I understand. I like some contrast, too. But, I've seen a lotta good-looking uniform wood guitars that I wouldn't kick out of bed for eating crackers. Where I start to have a problem is when the body and neck are too fancy in and of themselves. Too busy.

 

[line6man]

On second thought, the unfinished neck and finished body might not be too bad. As long as the neck has a dull sheen. My biggest concern is still the matching of hues for the laminate top and neck. Perhaps Warmoth will do a good job picking the stock?

 

[dharmashawn]

My biggest concern is still the matching of hues for the laminate top and neck. Perhaps Warmoth will do a good job picking the stock?

Is there anybody I can talk to (at Warmoth) that will help a little more and go that extra mile to help out with matching and trying to get this to look its best?

Please feel free to pm me

Thanks Much
Shawn

 

[dharmashawn]

Also, for $700-$900 you would think and / or hope you could get a pic or two of some FB's and body tops sent to you for ideas, maybe even suggestions. Maybe it's the appreciation for art (almost full Bodysuit of tattoos) that loves the idea of another artist collaborating and making a beautiful bass

Again many Thanks

 

[line6man]

Also, for $700-$900 you would think and / or hope you could get a pic or two of some FB's and body tops sent to you for ideas, maybe even suggestions. Maybe it's the appreciation for art (almost full Bodysuit of tattoos) that loves the idea of another artist collaborating and making a beautiful bass

Again many Thanks

They don't do that because it would slow production time. In a factory that small, with that many orders being processed every day, they can't have people running around snapping pictures and accounting for which stock is being decided upon by which customer. Either you let them pick from what they have, or you pick a premium piece from the unique choice gallery.

 

[dharmashawn]

They don't do that because it would slow production time. In a factory that small, with that many orders being processed every day, they can't have people running around snapping pictures and accounting for which stock is being decided upon by which customer. Either you let them pick from what they have, or you pick a premium piece from the unique choice gallery.

I can totally understand that, it's just hard spending that much $$$ and hoping the guy is not just a "good custy service rep" and throws a good neck together without consideration of what top is going on. Which he probably has access to it. decisions, decisions.................... 

 

[Cagey]

While it's no guarantee and you can't go by my experience, I have to say I've never been disappointed with what they choose to make a neck. I've also never heard anyone else complain. Warmoth charges premium prices for their stuff, but they never fail to deliver premium parts. So, I wouldn't worry about it too much.

Signed,

Warmoth's Mother

 

[dharmashawn]

I am definitely getting the idea that they deliver the goods in spades, just nerves I guess. And all that damn Canary wood......

 

[Cagey]

I understand. Going the Warmoth route, even though it's a DIY proposition, is not really the way to save money getting a guitar/bass. You can spend some serious dollars. But, it's a way to get a very high quality instrument built to your specs, rather than some marketing weenie's projection of what the general public will buy off the wall at Guitar Center or Best Buy. That's the attraction.

I go through about a dozen or so builds a year here, plus neck work, and people come over just to see them. They're universally impressed, and some go on to buy into the idea themselves. Let somebody play an Ebony over Pau Ferro neck that's been burnished and had my fret treatment done to it, and they can't even remember how to spell Gibson  :laughing7:

 

[dharmashawn]

I understand. Going the Warmoth route, even though it's a DIY proposition, is not really the way to save money getting a guitar/bass. You can spend some serious dollars. But, it's a way to get a very high quality instrument built to your specs, rather than some marketing weenie's projection of what the general public will buy off the wall at Guitar Center or Best Buy. That's the attraction.

Could not agree more. Do they ever run 10% off or any email codes for joining up for the newsletter?