Artec BaCHbird pickup: bring on the chrome

[drbassman]

I can't believe what a bunch of fakers you are!   

At this rate, you will all be using botox in a few years.

It would never occur to me to make something on a bass look less cheap or less new. Either it does its job (and then I prefer aural qualities to beauty) or it doesn't, in which case it is off! In fact, I like something that looks trashy and cheap, but sounds great.

Uwe

Ah Uwe, always the purist.     Well, almost always!

[Barklessdog]

I can't believe what a bunch of fakers you are!

What is fake is plastic chrome covers

[Dave W]

Chromed plastic has been around half a century or more. It's chrome, it's just not chromed metal. I don't consider it fake in the same way wood grained plastic is fake.

[Basvarken]

Uwe is right of course. It is a bit pathetic to hide the cheap (but excellent) Artec under the NOS Gibson cover.
But I want the BaCHbird to be a NR-Tbird all the way. And the looks of Artec really don't match up.

In the meanwhile I've done some work on the BaCHbird again. Yesterday I routed a cavity for the second pickup.
I installed a Gibson seventies style pickup in the neck position.

Plus I rewired the Artec neck pickup to a push/push pot. The Artec can be switched to single coil or humbucking mode.
The single coil gives a bit more clarity to the sound. I do prefer the humbucking sound however. But it's nice to have the choice

[gearHed289]

I like something that looks trashy and cheap, but sounds great.

Uwe

You must be an Amy Winehouse fan. 

[uwe]

I find the "accident waiting to happen"-drama aspect of her life tiresome, but her voice much better than Duffy's.

[Dave W]

Duffy? I still have no idea who she is but I did have the displeasure of seeing a few seconds of one of her videos. Her voice is awful and she's even homelier than Amy Winehouse. At least Amy has the voice, until she manages to destroy it.

[Basvarken]

My BaCHbird is coming along nicely.
I had some pickguards made by a dutch luthier with a CNC machine. Check his site www.borrachoguitars.com.
The plate material he used looks like formica. It has the perfect colour and thickness.

And our good friend Saf screenprinted the Thunderbird.

I cut out the pickup hole with a jig saw.
Now I'm finally done. Or should I refin it?

[OldManC]

That looks GREAT! I'm partial to white basses so I vote to leave it. You can't go wrong either way though. Good job!

[Freuds_Cat]

Absolutely gorgeous Rob.

[chromium]

WOW   

How'd you end up mounting the pickups?  are those three screws just superficial?  or were you able to drill thru the Artecs at those mount points?

[Freuds_Cat]

Duffy? I still have no idea who she is but I did have the displeasure of seeing a few seconds of one of her videos. Her voice is awful and she's even homelier than Amy Winehouse. At least Amy has the voice, until she manages to destroy it.

Neither of them have any appeal to me, musical or otherwise.

I do like Beth Hart though.

[Basvarken]

WOW   

How'd you end up mounting the pickups?  are those three screws just superficial?  or were you able to drill thru the Artecs at those mount points?

The neck pickup is the Artec. I'm still using the two original screws that came the BaCHbird.
The Gibson cap just slides over. The three holes are left open (for now).

The bridge pickup is an original Gibson pickup.


@ Bret: Beth Hart has a cool voice. But she's got that grating vibrato. Like she swallowed a goat.
I can't listen to her for more than one song...

[Chris P.]

+1 on Beth.

Looks great Rob!

[Dave W]

Looks great as is. I say leave it white.