The Last Bass Outpost

Uli Salm, my patron. six Cataldos among his five hundred plus bass collection.



40th anniversary celebration of 'Rudolf Rock & die Shocker' in Hamburg with two Cataldos, one on the shoulder and one in the rack.

White pickguard wasn't cutting it so I veneered the same oak I used on the top to either side.  This is the bottom already veneered/trimmed and stuck to the top.  I used Weldwood spray contact cement and a sharp utility knife to trim. I did get a bit of tear out on the bottom so I used more contact cement on the top.  That did the trick.



All the hardware sanded to a satin finish with 1000 wetordry, wood finished with two heavy sealer coats and steel wooled with #0000.




Now to find a buyer...

Revised G8R body for a 32" single pickup 4 string in Neptune Blue Firemist Metallic.

I never said it doesn't sound different. Yes,(sacrificing ooomph, everything comes at a price), which is nice, BUT IT'S NOT EVERYTHING FOR CHRISSAKES!!!

IMHO, both a 60ies and a Bicentennial T-Bird give you issues competing with a double bass drum and two guitars hammering out power chords in a heavy rock or heavy metal setting. That is where a "modern day" (= more than 30 years old  ) TB Plus has real advantages, that sound with its higher, yet direct bass output doesn't waver. It's just more solid on the back end. And given how deep frequencies have taken a more prominent role in music in the last 30 years - blame disco, rap, keyboard bass, 5 string basses, the advent of CD and its ability to transport bass signals truthfully which were once simply out of reach for vinyl -, that is a characteristic which should not be underestimated.

I understand that perhaps for many finger players a TB Plus bass is not immediately audible enough (that treble and high mid "halo" it lacks compared to the 60ies signal), but that is not an issue I experience as a pick player. In contrast, my five 60ies TBirds/Embassy (let's not even talk about the Bicentennials and their sidewinders) all lack ultimate ooomph (never mind the beautiful mid range and sizzling-blurry top end & how they are fun to play). That doesn't matter that much if you send your signal through a huge rig and play very loud live (or in the studio where you can doctor your sound to an optimum), but it does if you have to go for a more subdued volume live and still want to be heard and felt. I defy anyone playing a 60ies Bird to then come up with a more substantial bass signal than from an off the rack TB Plus - at equal volume. More beautiful by itself, yes, better audible together with a miked bass drum, nope!

I was responding to Rob, somewhat tongue in cheek.  I simply stated a preference and why the two designs inherently differ. The rest is subjective, no matter how many words you write.

There is an exception to every rule.

Amen. All Woody all the time guitar/bass on Rod's first solo records as well as (bass, mostly) on first two Jeff beck Group albums.

Steve Soar at it again. Five string magic in a 4 string can.

From Steve:
"Here's a pix of the idea. Regular magnet in there for comparison. I'll
probably bring the wires out in the middle of the coils rather than at
the end to leave more room for windings there"





Sitting on the strings is a stock ThunderBucker (vintage Gibby sized) magnet. Below that is a proto magnet and milled forbon bobbin plates in a standard can.

The result:
" I built a copy of the 63N, and ear test says
it sounds close enough. The L is higher and so is the R because of
more wire for the same number of turns, but not enough to matter it
seems. I tested for sensitivity over width, and it reaches about
71mm VS the standard which is only about 60mm."

He sent it to me and I put it into the mule with stretched string spacing, 19mm (total 3 inches).



Full coverage from top to bottom!

Gonna pop it into this after I finish it and hopefully do a sound sample.




"Doghair" finish , drywall mud rubbed into ebonized oak veneer.

Also shipped this Royal Crown Purple Metallic RR last week.
.

Customer didn't tell me she tunes down a half step.  I should have guessed, she plays metal. Nut needed to be higher and she replaced it herself.  My kind of customer.

Whether or not you like the pickguard is just personal preference, but without it, you wouldn't have the bass at the announced price. Simplified routing takes less CNC time, modular pickguard mounted electronics are probably entirely machine assembled, etc.

Consider that the $799 DC Junior guitar is $300 less than the least expensive US-made Fender. It's being sold to dealers at about half that amount. Gibson has to pay American labor and operational costs. Every dollar counts. I think it's a pretty remarkable achievement. You can get a gloss finished Junior with all the traditional appointments but it costs quite a bit more.

CNC vs hand labor has nothing to do with the poor design of that pickguard.   Looks like they ran out of material at the jack, and that's the least of it.  Yes, it's subjective. As Robert Forster says in 'What They Had': "I'm 75, F@ck the Camry."

Really nice Carlo!

Thanks, Bob!

Very Cool!Which one do you prefer tonaly?

Thanks, the  BgrBtm has gold plated flats (I don't know the brand, black silk ends) that were on the donor bass. It sounds really good, seems to resonate more than the refin P/J.

Strings on the P/J are old cheapo nickel rounds so it's probably not a fair comparison. I'll wait for the customer's take.

Blocked the resin with 120/180/220 and shot two coats of clear nitro yesterday.  Two more tomorrow and it should be done.