good morning Doc,
right now i'm a bit upset because i found out there might be a good chance i will be homeless again in three weeks. not a good thought but i have been there before. NBD.
as i explained i have a good place for parts to centralize and know they would be safe.
last night i sent a message to Kent Armstrong and to Mike Watt via his hootspot. Kents reply is this:
"Hi Bill,
Kent's reply:
Dear Bill : I would say 80% close. Kent
regards,
Ben Green
T: 01233 820082F: 01233 820345http://www.wdmusic.co.uk
"UK's Best Online Source Of Guitar Parts"
On 5 Sep 2008, at 01:30, Secret Agent X (dats me!!!) wrote:
how close is the kent armstrong blade musicman type bass pup compared to the original dan armstrong blade type bass pup?
might wanna ask kent about this one.
thanks,
bill"
next move = a maybe until i get the word back (old navy talk from my corpsman days). the old man sent the word down = Mike hasn't sent the word back yet.
i totally understand about the ready part as that is exactly why Scott (here in Springfield) turned down my build. he felt he isn't ready yet. i have faith in him but thats the way it is. when a jarhead is bleeding, it doesn't matter who slaps the dressisng on, the bloods gotta stop irregardless. i still have total faith in you but thats the way it is. i wanted to leave the corps because of a confidence problem. i turned into a pretty good OR Tech regardless. (think MASH) lol. you can build my bass anytime.
timeline: not looking for much in under a year probably. with parts collection, donation collection and keeping all that straight, then finding a "luthier/builder" and depending how swamped he/she is after we get opinions of who the posters think is best = Dolan, Thelen, GOT, Rodent, You, etc there are so many candidates out there i am at a loss to choose one definitively. i would expect maybe a few months of parts collection from here as well as donations and i'd guess at but suggest meeting a financial goal or level before proceeding. in the mean time we can view all opinions here. thats what forums are for, right?
a word about parts collection:
having a commitment about parts is probably going to be one of the hardest parts. i would suggest not using a central collection spot until all the parts are commited to this project and let the donars set on them till then. it would save a lot of postage till then and then make sure they all get together b 4 commitment to a luthier. i would assume that a builder would like to have all the parts at once and a central collection spot would work best for that purpose. commitment tracking can be done with any spreadsheet software until then via IM's to the coordinator. we can keep a running list and that would help the contributors envision the build also. working changes will be made on the list i am sure.
a word about money collection: IMHO that is:
if a reasonable goal cannot be reached in say a year or when it reached then is when the collecting and commiting to a builder should be made (ANY VOLUNTEERS?). if the goal is not reached then maybe a donation in the name of Mike or the post should be made to a worthwhile organization and not someones beer fund. i would nominate the American Cancer Society. As an afterthought the money could work on a PLEDGE system too!!!, just have the coordinator keep track of it on the same spreadsheet. when the goal is reached then boogeyfly! whad doo ya thimpk? no lose of funds or parts in case this thing turns south and no hard feelings because nothing is lost except for some time and effort on the behalf of a lot of good people with good intentions! pledges have to be met though once the goal is reached and everything is called for!!! but we should not be asking for an arm and a leg. set giving goals. say nothing under 5$ or over 20$ and parts would be on an as needed priority until a major purchase is needed say an old bass or body and neck then we could collect a reasonable amount towards that purchase. no duplication of gifts from anyone would ensure a fair feeling of accoplishment from all participants but one could make a donation of both parts and a cash donation. (another one of those whadd do ya thimpk player/outposter deals?)
research is needing to be done. what were the parts that made the original Mutt? once we hear from Mike yay or nay.
gotta get ready to baby set Jaden = ciao