man I am jealous you can find the time to undertake these projects and do what you love. I know it probably seems like to you that you never have enough time to do them, but you still get it done and share it with all of us. Thanks Geoff!
One thing I've learned about myself is that I don't cope well with free time, if I'm not doing something productive then I feel bad for having wasted an opportunity. Possibly bordering on workaholic, but I do try to make myself sit down and relax occasionally, burnout is a very real phenomenon too. Ultimately it's about finding the balance between family/work/hobbies/sleep, sometimes it's a juggling act but as long as I can give those things enough time each on a daily basis then I seem to bumble along relatively smoothly. Thanks
I've been thinking about a concept for a video for a while now: with one hour before showtime I open the box on a kit bass and see if I can have it assembled, set up, and ready to play before we go on stage. If I fail then the jeopardy bass is a dreaded EB0 and I have to play the gig with that. It might even be the kind of video that works best as a livestream so there's genuine mystery and genuine excitement. I need to get Pit Bull to sponsor me😆
Despite the tough deadline you set yourself for this bass, it sounds great. I'm now half expecting you to go all out on the next build and make a 12 string bass instead of another 8 string!
Hehe, I've got to solve the neck issues with 8 before I go making them even worse😂 Wondering if dual truss rods might be the way forward... we shall see.
@@fanbladeinstrumentsdual truss rods for sure. Also, if you dont already know, multiple neck laminates in opposing grains will help with stability & rigidity. I've heard from Alembic that walnut makes a great neck laminate wood.
Yep, final conclusions are right, by building one, you always discover improvements, and the next one will be better. Or you can try and fix these things. This is exactly my next bass project. (Did a trial with E and E doubled and later the octaves.) So, I was surprised that these guitar strings simply FIT. Never thought they would. But a headstock layout of 2x 4 tuners is a lot shorter than 1x 8. And the d is the real question, will it fit? Thanks for showing this build!
I have a 8 string project and it's with a short scale lefty tele headed neck I got given by Bruce (the Jansen guy) so, so many years ago. First incarnation (it sat around for about a decade, following me around from here to there and back again) was a six string bass with lipsticks and that was great, but weird (and I remember getting super told off for it when I posted on NZ guitars that it was the ugliest piece of crap ever to even exist) as, even back in those days stuff was still expensive and I'd used regular tuners and so to fit the low E end through a guitar tuner I'd pulled the other end through the body, using a normal strat bridge, round then end and then banged up some copper to create the ball end retainer) and soon after picked up a regular bass so the poor thing went into a corner only to then end up as a experimental thing (I'd got into vitamin S and gizmo sound stuff) somewhat about what that crazy dude did in the B-52's and put a set of two bass strings on it and then three high B's in unison but the crazy did stop there as the other end was a pot lid, resonator style, with a piezo and an electret mic. Then about 4 years ago I got back into building guitars, like almost seriously, and then decided that poor old neck, so long suffering, would now be an 8 string... haven't got too far along other than what was left of the headstock, after so many redrilling and filling for machine heads doing different things, has ended up quite bizarre looking as I then cut off the sides and grafted on new ones to take four each side like you've done. I kind doubt though that'll happen as now what appeals is actually just going back to what it was originally, a 4 string lefty tele headed 30" scale bass... and wearing all it's scars proudly! What I do like though was that it's first use was actually a baritone guitar long before I'd even known of such things!
That is beautiful Geoff.. 6063 (or 6061) aluminum as neck supports will work better. They have less initial flex, which is what is needed. 3-5 x 8mm......ish. Great work.
Yeah, I found some 6063 at my local hardware store, 3x8, it seemed pretty bendy though. The carbon fiber was not quite as bendy but I really would've preferred something way more robust. Ultimately I think the actual solution is dual truss rods, one is clearly not enough, and although dual truss rods can be tricky to set up I am not afraid, I own a Rickenbacker😉
It sounds nice! Congrats! I built a 10-string Irish bouzouki recently, and the extra 2 strings really threw me, so it took a while to be comfortable with it.
Nice Job Geoff, but like you said a few improvements and you'll be there. look at the schecter Omen-8 bass bridge saddles and maybe reposition the tuners. I liked the hammond sound I assume its from the Nord, but no leslie ? anyhow, keep up the good work!
Not entirely sure what you mean there, the first section of music is quite hammond heavy but there's an obnoxious amount of leslie all over it, and yes, that's my beloved Nord, the Electro 3. I used to have a Hammond L100, when I bought it it ran perfectly for 3 weeks before the motor start capacitor blew out, I searched high and low for a replacement, but it sat for 5 years before I had to admit that I was never going to be able to fix it and sold it for parts. I've actually got a genuine Leslie bass rotor from a console organ and a non Leslie set of horns in their own cabinet, the plan was always to set them up for the full Hammond experience but the Nord does it all without taking up a third of the studio and being unrepairable. Cheers
Great video! The coping saw work you did to finalize the fret slots. Was that a standard thickness blade? More effective than a triangular file? - Paul
Yes, part of my process involves cutting the fret slots twice, first with a razor saw so that I can get them precisely where they need to go, but that blade is only half the thickness it needs to be. Then I can do a bunch of things to the neck - radius, carve, finish etc, and when it comes time to cut the slots to the correct width - and yes the coping saw is perfect - I've effectively got a pilot slot for the coping saw to ride in for extra accuracy. It's the equivalent of drilling a pilot hole to stop a bigger drill bit from wandering off the mark. Cheers
One more question. It looks like you kept the zero fret nut slots quite deep rather than filing the top down. Was that to ensure string guidance (and because it’s a bass)? - Paul
Normally I would spend a bit of time to actually finish shaping the nut, polish it and make it nice, but as I was short on time I didn't bother, the zero fret was doing the heavy lifting as far a functionality goes, as you say the nut is just there for guidance. Also I only just realized when I was compiling the video that it'd shifted ever so slightly, looks like the low E might've pulled it loose, again, the zero fret makes it a non issue except that it's a bad look and not the kind of thing I want to make a habit of. Thanks
Very, very cool. The short scale 8-String idea is a winner I think. Great build. Thanks for the share.
This has been my favorite build you've done yet! Keep it going my man
That ebonizing is just amazing,in fact looks like Richlite with that almost glass look.
Love the natural chorus pedal tone
That thing sounds awesome!
man I am jealous you can find the time to undertake these projects and do what you love. I know it probably seems like to you that you never have enough time to do them, but you still get it done and share it with all of us. Thanks Geoff!
One thing I've learned about myself is that I don't cope well with free time, if I'm not doing something productive then I feel bad for having wasted an opportunity. Possibly bordering on workaholic, but I do try to make myself sit down and relax occasionally, burnout is a very real phenomenon too. Ultimately it's about finding the balance between family/work/hobbies/sleep, sometimes it's a juggling act but as long as I can give those things enough time each on a daily basis then I seem to bumble along relatively smoothly. Thanks
So glad I found your channel. Very inspiring!
Great sound 😁
That sounds great! Fantastic job. 👍
this is the most exciting video you've come out with, i was on the edge of my seat
I've been thinking about a concept for a video for a while now: with one hour before showtime I open the box on a kit bass and see if I can have it assembled, set up, and ready to play before we go on stage. If I fail then the jeopardy bass is a dreaded EB0 and I have to play the gig with that. It might even be the kind of video that works best as a livestream so there's genuine mystery and genuine excitement. I need to get Pit Bull to sponsor me😆
that would be so good omg@@fanbladeinstruments
Despite the tough deadline you set yourself for this bass, it sounds great. I'm now half expecting you to go all out on the next build and make a 12 string bass instead of another 8 string!
Hehe, I've got to solve the neck issues with 8 before I go making them even worse😂 Wondering if dual truss rods might be the way forward... we shall see.
@@fanbladeinstrumentsdual truss rods for sure. Also, if you dont already know, multiple neck laminates in opposing grains will help with stability & rigidity. I've heard from Alembic that walnut makes a great neck laminate wood.
Yep, final conclusions are right, by building one, you always discover improvements, and the next one will be better. Or you can try and fix these things.
This is exactly my next bass project. (Did a trial with E and E doubled and later the octaves.) So, I was surprised that these guitar strings simply FIT. Never thought they would. But a headstock layout of 2x 4 tuners is a lot shorter than 1x 8. And the d is the real question, will it fit?
Thanks for showing this build!
That is fantastic! Sounds great :) I've completed my 12 string now too and I'm really happy with it. Maybe an idea for the future???
I have a 8 string project and it's with a short scale lefty tele headed neck I got given by Bruce (the Jansen guy) so, so many years ago. First incarnation (it sat around for about a decade, following me around from here to there and back again) was a six string bass with lipsticks and that was great, but weird (and I remember getting super told off for it when I posted on NZ guitars that it was the ugliest piece of crap ever to even exist) as, even back in those days stuff was still expensive and I'd used regular tuners and so to fit the low E end through a guitar tuner I'd pulled the other end through the body, using a normal strat bridge, round then end and then banged up some copper to create the ball end retainer) and soon after picked up a regular bass so the poor thing went into a corner only to then end up as a experimental thing (I'd got into vitamin S and gizmo sound stuff) somewhat about what that crazy dude did in the B-52's and put a set of two bass strings on it and then three high B's in unison but the crazy did stop there as the other end was a pot lid, resonator style, with a piezo and an electret mic. Then about 4 years ago I got back into building guitars, like almost seriously, and then decided that poor old neck, so long suffering, would now be an 8 string... haven't got too far along other than what was left of the headstock, after so many redrilling and filling for machine heads doing different things, has ended up quite bizarre looking as I then cut off the sides and grafted on new ones to take four each side like you've done. I kind doubt though that'll happen as now what appeals is actually just going back to what it was originally, a 4 string lefty tele headed 30" scale bass... and wearing all it's scars proudly!
What I do like though was that it's first use was actually a baritone guitar long before I'd even known of such things!
That is beautiful Geoff.. 6063 (or 6061) aluminum as neck supports will work better. They have less initial flex, which is what is needed. 3-5 x 8mm......ish.
Great work.
Yeah, I found some 6063 at my local hardware store, 3x8, it seemed pretty bendy though. The carbon fiber was not quite as bendy but I really would've preferred something way more robust. Ultimately I think the actual solution is dual truss rods, one is clearly not enough, and although dual truss rods can be tricky to set up I am not afraid, I own a Rickenbacker😉
It sounds nice! Congrats! I built a 10-string Irish bouzouki recently, and the extra 2 strings really threw me, so it took a while to be comfortable with it.
Nice Job Geoff, but like you said a few improvements and you'll be there. look at the schecter Omen-8 bass bridge saddles and maybe reposition the tuners. I liked the hammond sound I assume its from the Nord, but no leslie ? anyhow, keep up the good work!
Not entirely sure what you mean there, the first section of music is quite hammond heavy but there's an obnoxious amount of leslie all over it, and yes, that's my beloved Nord, the Electro 3. I used to have a Hammond L100, when I bought it it ran perfectly for 3 weeks before the motor start capacitor blew out, I searched high and low for a replacement, but it sat for 5 years before I had to admit that I was never going to be able to fix it and sold it for parts. I've actually got a genuine Leslie bass rotor from a console organ and a non Leslie set of horns in their own cabinet, the plan was always to set them up for the full Hammond experience but the Nord does it all without taking up a third of the studio and being unrepairable. Cheers
A nail biter till the end.
Great video! The coping saw work you did to finalize the fret slots. Was that a standard thickness blade? More effective than a triangular file?
- Paul
Yes, part of my process involves cutting the fret slots twice, first with a razor saw so that I can get them precisely where they need to go, but that blade is only half the thickness it needs to be. Then I can do a bunch of things to the neck - radius, carve, finish etc, and when it comes time to cut the slots to the correct width - and yes the coping saw is perfect - I've effectively got a pilot slot for the coping saw to ride in for extra accuracy. It's the equivalent of drilling a pilot hole to stop a bigger drill bit from wandering off the mark. Cheers
I'm pretty sure John Paul Jones was never building a new bass on the morning of a gig.
One more question. It looks like you kept the zero fret nut slots quite deep rather than filing the top down. Was that to ensure string guidance (and because it’s a bass)?
- Paul
Normally I would spend a bit of time to actually finish shaping the nut, polish it and make it nice, but as I was short on time I didn't bother, the zero fret was doing the heavy lifting as far a functionality goes, as you say the nut is just there for guidance. Also I only just realized when I was compiling the video that it'd shifted ever so slightly, looks like the low E might've pulled it loose, again, the zero fret makes it a non issue except that it's a bad look and not the kind of thing I want to make a habit of. Thanks
How about a 10-string? 😏