The Last Bass Outpost
Gear Discussion Forums => Bill's Shop: Projects, Mods & Repairs => Topic started by: drbassman on September 05, 2008, 04:37:46 AM
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I've been wanting one of these for sometime, so I grabbed this one that will just need a little body touch up. I won't touch this one for months and will wait for pups and neck to pop up on the bay. If not, I have a Musicmaster neck I can convert and will use TV Jones instead if necessary. Heck, the TV pups are probably better sounding anyway!
(http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y16/drbassman/Coronado%20Bass/c69e_3.jpg)
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I miss the sound of my former Coronado, nothing wrong with those old DeArmond/Rowes. I don't miss the severe neck dive.
IIRC the Mustang neck would fit the pocket but with 19 frets instead of 21 you'd have to move the bridge back. Easy enough to move a floating bridge if there's enough flat space in the new bridge location on that arched top.
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Great project! I love the looks of those TV Joneses so keep in touch with us about the sound!
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I have always loved the Coronado. Isnt there one called smartwood or wildwood. Nat finish etc. That is a cool project. Doc,my info on the threads ok?
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Wildwood. IIRC it came from Scandinavian beech trees that had been injected with dye.
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The one I remember was natural. very nice looker. Beech would be similar to maple in tone I bet,though its not as dense. Very stable though.
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I miss the sound of my former Coronado, nothing wrong with those old DeArmond/Rowes. I don't miss the severe neck dive.
IIRC the Mustang neck would fit the pocket but with 19 frets instead of 21 you'd have to move the bridge back. Easy enough to move a floating bridge if there's enough flat space in the new bridge location on that arched top.
Yeah, I miss the Coronado I sold a few years back too. I didn't have much of a neck dive problem, so I was lucky there. I'm actually going to use the Musicmaster neck as a model for a new one, I can always make it little longer if necessary. There's a lot of room on this body, so 19 frets still might be better anyway. That should help any potential neck dive issues.
I'd like to find the right pups, but they are pretty rare on the nay. We'll see what pops up!
Man, I am such a bass ho................
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Wildwood. IIRC it came from Scandinavian beech trees that had been injected with dye.
Dave's got it right. Very intersting basses and guitars as a result!
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Dave's got it right. Very intersting basses and guitars as a result!
Someone recently asked why they decided to inject trees instead of dying the wood.......never figured that one out myownself.
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Letting nature do its thing. :mrgreen:
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Letting nature do its thing. :mrgreen:
Amen!
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A couple of pages from Jules' site:
Some closeups of the wood (http://www.vintageguitars.org.uk/fendercoronado.php)
1968 catalog page (http://www.vintageguitars.org.uk/fender68p16.php)
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I was gonna post those. Thanks Dave. These are really funky looking instruments. There have been a few Coro guitars on eBay in the Wildwood wood. They are cool.
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Got an old beat up Coronado neck for my project, so at least the neck and body will be authentic.
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Well, did I luck out our what!?! The guy I bought the neck from I knew from the old Fender forum I used to hang out in and he sold me a really nice complete Coronado wiring harness with pups to go along with the neck! Now we're talking!
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Was that DarrelT? He was a big Coronado fan who used to hang out at the FDP. Haven't seen him post there in a couple of years.
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Yep, it's Darrel. I'm gonna invite him to join us here. He's got some parts he doesn't need. You do have a good memory. I remembered his name after he asked if I was the drbassman from the FDP but I don't think I could have pulled it out of my memory banks on my own!
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I had his Coronado site bookmarked, and it's still up: http://bellsouthpwp.net/d/t/dtoole/FCP.htm
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I had his Coronado site bookmarked, and it's still up: http://bellsouthpwp.net/d/t/dtoole/FCP.htm
Oh yeah, that's buried in mt guitar bookmarks too. Been a long time since I visted it though!
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Thanks for the link! I remember having visited that Coronado site, but it was a couple of years ago.
Those Coronados are excessively cool, even if they have a reputation for sounding pretty average.
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I did some things to get it to sound better
-Stock bridge is too heavy , I replaced it with a Hofner or a ebony archtop
-pickups are weak , needs to be remagnetized or given to Novak and get rewound ,repotted and remagnatized
-tailpiece is too heavy and doesnt allow 34inch scale strings to be used , I made a tail/strap pin that allows 34" strings
Personally if I was going to use mine everyday , I would replace the stock pickups with some mini humbuckers
I have some Vintage Vibe that would work really well too
If anyone needs one I have a spare Coronado pickup
Thanks
Robert VanLane
(http://www.pbase.com/rvl/image/45798207.jpg)
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Great post Robert. I remember your bass, it has potential for sure. How much do you want for that pickup? Does it have the rubber gasket on the bottom? Let me know.
I think you're right about the old pickups, they tend to lose their zip over the years, but Curtis could easily reinvigorate them. I was gonna us TV Jones in mine until Darrel offered me a full set, wiring harness and all. It was too good to pass up. I'm going to use a wooden bridge too on mine. I don't care for the original Coro bridges. I have decided yet on the tailpiece. I have one with a missing logo that I might use. If you have a tail piece you'd like to unload, let me know.
They are unusual basses for sure but they have a certain charm and a place in history when Fender tried to compete with Gibson, although not very successfully in this market segment.
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Hey doc, I saw this pic of a coronado, thought of you
(http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d138/shadowcastaz/66coronado.jpg)
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Hey doc, I saw this pic of a coronado, thought of you
(http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d138/shadowcastaz/66coronado.jpg)
Whew, that is green! :rolleyes: I think maybe it's a Wildwood, hard to tell in that pic. Yeah, the Coronados where an interesting attempt by Fender to enter the hollow body market. I wish I had kept my first one. This new one will stay at home once it's finished.
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Oh yeah, Its a wildwood. Thats why I sent it . Interesting concept to dye wood while its growing.
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Oh yeah, Its a wildwood. Thats why I sent it . Interesting concept to dye wood while its growing.
Yes, but doesn't it hurt the tree and cause it pain?
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Yes, but doesn't it hurt the tree and cause it pain?
Don't laugh. Back in April a Swiss governmental ethics committee published a set of guidelines on avoiding offending the dignity of plants. And they were serious.
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They should outlaw it, next they will try it with humans. :mrgreen:
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Don't laugh. Back in April a Swiss governmental ethics committee published a set of guidelines on avoiding offending the dignity of plants. And they were serious.
I'm not surprise, it's a whacked out world!
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Check it out here (http://www.ekah.admin.ch/fileadmin/ekah-dateien/dokumentation/publikationen/e-Broschure-Wurde-Pflanze-2008.pdf) (.pdf). Be sure to see the flow chart on page 6.
Save the cauliflower!
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Those Wildwood tops always remind me of the Merry Pranksters' paint-dipping method seen here (http://www.key-z.com/dippedart.html).
Check it out here (http://www.ekah.admin.ch/fileadmin/ekah-dateien/dokumentation/publikationen/e-Broschure-Wurde-Pflanze-2008.pdf) (.pdf). Be sure to see the flow chart on page 6.
Save the cauliflower!
I must say that it's a bit long winded but their conclusions are valid if (hopefully) pretty obvious. Think "Leave no trace" meets endangered animal conservation. Don't destroy for the sake of destroying and if you must do genetic modification, try not to kill off the entire species. (think bananas)
The meticulous breakdown of moral considerations in the Brochure, though, remind me a lot of David Foster Wallace's article Consider the Lobster (http://www.gourmet.com/magazine/2000s/2004/08/consider_the_lobster).
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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yNNGOv8hpp4
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OK, let's agree not to destroy things/plants/animals randomly, but I'll continue to eat plants and savor every bite.
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Ah, the Coronado, one of those "Right-guitar-by-the-wrong-brand" moments. In the mid sixties with the beat boom happening Fenders weren't really all that popular because of Bands like the Beatles and the Rolling Stones NOT playing them. (John Lennon once said that it was deliberate because they didn't want to be associated with instrumental bands like The Shadows and the Ventures) But Semi accoustic guitars like those from Gretsch, Epiphone and Gibson were must haves for beat groups.
So the high command of Fender decided to see if Fender could carve itself a niche in that market too and so they hired THIS guy....
(http://www.tatadoheaven.com/Ric/images/germancarve/roger.jpg)
..to help them get to it. Roger Rossmeisl was a German immigrant who previously had worked for Rickenbacker, designing the legendary 300 series guitars and 4000 series basses, including the 4001. An accomplished luthier, Rossmeisl was the man for the job in bringing a little more sophistication to Fender.
(http://www.archtop-germany.de/-Hersteller/-Vintage/-RogerJunior/rogerjunior_5.JPG)
This is a Rossmeisl made guitar, evident are his signature shape F-holes which can also be found on Rickenbacker's Import series and on the Fender instruments he designed. Note also the R tailpiece, something we also found on Rickenbackers Rossmeisl designed.
The first Rossmeisl/Fender product was a nod to his Rickenbacker past.
(http://www.rocknrollvintage.com/prodimages/1969-Fender-Telecaster-Thinline-Fiesta-Red-Refin-Big.jpg)
The Thinline Telecaster, has that typical Rossmeisl shaped F-hole and the body was hollowed out in the same way as a Rickenbacker 360 guitar (or 4005 bass), routed from the back and having a backplate of matching wood covering it all up. This Rossmeisl made Fender is still being produced today, proving the most succesful of the Rossmeisl made Fenders.
But after this innitial succes Rossmeisl came up with some spectacular UN-Fender-like instruments.
(http://www.vintageguitars.org.uk/graphics/fender68p22.jpg)
Fender's acoustic range for example: they had bolt on necks and screwed on heavy plastic pickguards (can you imagine what wonder those features did for the sound charicaristics of an Accoustic guitar?)
Then came the Coronado range, which married Gretsch-style bodies and DeArmond pickups with Fender bolt-on necks, they were light and didn't sound that bad but nobody wants a semi accoustic with a bolt on neck. The Wildwood idea also didn't catch on because of the resulting pieces of wood either being hit or miss in the looks department, some guitars looked really spectacular whilst of others you could barely see the color.
But perhaps the worst Rossmeisl came up with was Fender's Archtop range.
(http://www.strat-central.com/pics/other/ltdfront.jpg)
The Fender Montego and the Fender LTD showed where Rossmeisl got it from, his German luthery and the Rickenbacker 360F, which shape it closely aped. But once again, a bolt on neck was the nail in the coffin, nobody wanted a Jazzguitar with a bolt on neck
What the people of Fender learned the hard way here was that when people wanted a Gibson, they'd BUY a Gibson. And as they also would learn later was that a chap called Jimi Hendrix would turn the tides for Fender's popularity, the Fender Stratocaster would once again be THE rock guitar.
But as for the Fenders made under Rossmeisl's guidance? Only the most Fender looking and sounding of them all survived: the Thinline Telecaster. Which is now also made under the Squier brandname and carries that typical Rossmeisl shape F-hole as a tribute to it's designer
(http://www.woodbrass.com/images/woodbrass/F030-1240-544.JPG)
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Wow, great history lesson! I often wondered what possessed Fender to try its hand at hollow electrics. thanks! I like unusual basses, war if they aren't a hit in the marketplace. that's why I bought the Mosrite too. I love MIA vintage hallow bodies and the Coronado is so different I first want one again. the neck and pups are due in tomorrow!
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OK, my inlay for the bridge logo piece is almost finished. Just got a couple little holes to fill................
I've got all the parts I need for this baby once this is finished! I'll be putting this one together soon!
(http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y16/drbassman/Misc%20Stuff/100_2011.jpg)
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Finished my tail piece. Cost: ebony and inlay = $10. It's even nicer than the plastic original! ;D
(http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y16/drbassman/Coronado%20Bass/100_2025.jpg)
(http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y16/drbassman/Coronado%20Bass/100_2027.jpg)
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Nice job on that inlay, and definitely classier than molded plastic.
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Nice job on that inlay, and definitely classier than molded plastic.
Thanks Dave. It was fun to do as well. I'm gonna try to polish/touch up the body and neck this weekend!
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Nice stuff as always,Doc.
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Great work Doc!!
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Thanks guys, can't wait to get this one finished! It's coming together fast now.
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Greetings fellow Coronado nuts. I'm the guy you've been talking about. (Thanks for being nice).
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Greetings fellow Coronado nuts. I'm the guy you've been talking about. (Thanks for being nice).
Hey, no problem Darrel, welcome! We have a lot of odd tendencies here, so Coronado fans are definitely at home. Me, I'm just a hollow body freak for the most part, but I do have a few T-Birds to round things out.
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Hey Darrel, long time no see.
Whatever happened to your Performer neck/Coronado body project?
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Hey Darrel, long time no see.
Whatever happened to your Performer neck/Coronado body project?
I remember that one too!
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Ah, the Performer... So, someone WAS actually reading some of my posts at the other place. :o
Short story, the heel for the Performer neck was WAY too narrow for the Coro. The neck did live on... but that's another story.
I've also had a Coro Bass VI setup, using a USACG neck. Which, btw, is almost identical in dimensions to the Coro neck (the headstock is slightly shorter).
The bass shown below is my Wildwood chameleon, which currently is setup as a 6 stringer guitar.
(http://bellsouthpwp.net/d/t/dtoole/images/WWIIIBassFrontFull.JPG)(http://bellsouthpwp.net/d/t/dtoole/images/WWIIIBassFront.JPG)
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I remembered that the Performer neck heel was quite a bit narrower than the (Strat-width) Coronado heel. I just didn't remember whether you were able to adapt it somehow so you could complete that project.
I really like that Wildwood. The darker finishes with the even-darker contrasting grain patterns are the nicest (IMO).
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I agree with Dave about the finish, that's the nicest Wildwood I've seen.
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Damn!!!That iz purdy!!!!
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I'm envious. Someday I'd like to get a Wildwood too!
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Well, I debated with myself quite awhile and finally decided to refinish the back of the Coronado neck. It was a real mess and my first inclination was to just polish it up and leave it alone. in the end, I sanded off the old poly, clean up a lot of the dents and gouges . Applied S&S and amber tint today and she looks really good. Next will be a lot of clear coats then curing for 4 weeks.
I didn't touch the headstock face except to fill and touch up an extra hole.
(http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y16/drbassman/Coronado%20Bass/100_2029.jpg)
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Poly? What year is the neck again? Mine was nitro. The body had a thick sealer undercoat, probably Fullerplast.
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Well, the nitro, if that's what it was, is long gone on this neck and lacquer thinner and such didn't budge the Fullerplast. So I sanded and it turned out well.
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They didn't use Fullerplast on necks, AFAIK. If lacquer thinner didn't work then yours must have been from the start of the poly era (sometime in '68?) or oversprayed with a non-nitro clear finish.
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Nope, I think it was a poly model without any over spray. The neck is late 67 so it could have been poly. Either way, it's all gone now and looking nice and vintage without all of the bare spots, dirt and oil marks. I know, I removed the "mojo." Not something I wanted on this one. I'll even clean the fret board too! :o
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Don't worry. If mojo existed, it wouldn't be transferable.
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Yeah, I never bought the mojo thing. It a bass is old and abused. it's just that: old and abused.
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OK, I was thinking about refinishing the abused body on this. Lots of nicks and dings around the edges, especially on the back. After wet sanding and polishing, I decided to leave it as a authentic relic. It's kind of neat in a way. A lot of well earned character, not some phony make up job. I hope to have it together within the week............
(http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y16/drbassman/Coronado%20Bass/100_2063.jpg)
(http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y16/drbassman/Coronado%20Bass/100_2064.jpg)
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Looking very nice Dr. B!
Were you able to save the face of the headstock? More pics!
Scott ( BassVI )
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It doesn't look in too bad shape. Nothing that just has to be refinished. It'll be fine.
Good luck fishing the electronics back in.
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Looking very nice Dr. B!
Were you able to save the face of the headstock? More pics!
Scott ( BassVI )
The face is OK, the finish is very faded and crazed, so I could do much to repair the extra hole except fill it. It just can't tolerate much wet sanding or polishing at this stage. I'll post a pic tonight.
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It doesn't look in too bad shape. Nothing that just has to be refinished. It'll be fine.
Good luck fishing the electronics back in.
Actually, fishing the stuff thru on one of these isn't bad. The original wiring is encased in a semi-rigid tubing that makes it much easier to fish the stuff around. In fact, I'm looking for some for future HB projects, it's neat stuff. I'll post a pic tonight.
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Actually, fishing the stuff thru on one of these isn't bad. The original wiring is encased in a semi-rigid tubing that makes it much easier to fish the stuff around. In fact, I'm looking for some for future HB projects, it's neat stuff. I'll post a pic tonight.
I'd like to find some of this metal wiring conduit they used on my old Coronado. Sure keeps things organized when stuffing things back in.............
(http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y16/drbassman/Coronado%20Bass/100_2065.jpg)
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Looking very nice Dr. B!
Were you able to save the face of the headstock? More pics!
Scott ( BassVI )
Well, I saved the face, but it's pretty rough. The finish is crazed, faded and thin. I'd like to wet sand and polish it, but I'm sure the decal would disappear. So, I just patched the extra hole above the nut as best as I could. When I tried to sand that, the finish came off around it! So, I decided I better just stop and leave her be. This is joining my collection as a player bass not requiring kid-glove treatment. But hey, everyone should have a couple of those!
(http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y16/drbassman/Coronado%20Bass/100_2066.jpg)
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That tiny flex conduit is neat. I had been told before I bought mine that I'd regret it if I ever had to fish the electronics in and out of those f-holes. Obviously it wouldn't be that bad, thanks to the conduit.
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That tiny flex conduit is neat. I had been told before I bought mine that I'd regret it if I ever had to fish the electronics in and out of those f-holes. Obviously it wouldn't be that bad, thanks to the conduit.
It doesn't look like anyone carries it. I'll probably try some plastic-nylon variations.
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I have a few adjustments to make, need some knobs, and then she's good to go. Will probably replace the current Gretsch bridge I made up with a Coronado one if I ever see one on eBay!
She sounds great, just like the previous Coronado I had a few years back, but better I think. This one has a nice clear hollow tone to it, not muddy like an EB-2. It's gonna be fun to play.
(http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y16/drbassman/Coronado%20Bass/100_2091.jpg)
(http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y16/drbassman/Coronado%20Bass/100_2090.jpg)
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Great work as always, Doc!!! You are a talented man.
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Nice work. The Coronado bridge is nothing to write home about (as you probably remember), the Gretsch ought to do just fine.
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That's beautiful. I've always been drawn to the Coronado looks, but I've never had a chance to play or hear one.
I'll keep an eye out for that conduit. The places I deal with for my side biz don't have anything like that - just the modern chrome/plastic slip-on equivalent. That stuff in your bass almost looks the windings from a giant flatwound! :)
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Great work as always, Doc!!! You are a talented man.
thanks! Practice makes perfect.
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Nice work. The Coronado bridge is nothing to write home about (as you probably remember), the Gretsch ought to do just fine.
Yeah, I know. the Gretsch bridge is much better for intonating. It'll probably be a permanent fixture on this one.
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That's beautiful. I've always been drawn to the Coronado looks, but I've never had a chance to play or hear one.
I'll keep an eye out for that conduit. The places I deal with for my side biz don't have anything like that - just the modern chrome/plastic slip-on equivalent. That stuff in your bass almost looks the windings from a giant flatwound! :)
They are pretty unique as the pups were made by DeArmond and the hollow body give them a sound all their own. Fender was trying to compete with the EB-2 and it was a bit late to the party.
I thought the same thing about that metal conduit.
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That is absolutely beautiful. You do fantastic work, man. Just lovely!! ;)
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beautiful work as always ! Love the sunburst.
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Thanks guys, some of those old Fender burst finishes really look nice, even after 41 years! They are prone to chipping, but they are still quite beautiful.
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Thanks guys, some of those old Fender burst finishes really look nice, even after 41 years! They are prone to chipping, but they are still quite beautiful.
I suspect one of the important factors is that they haven't been exposed to much sunlight. The reds and earth tones in 'bursts seem especially vulnerable to sun fade.
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Doc you rock,as always. nice job.M
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Lovely as always Dr. the bass I mean, although I'm sure you're lovely too......
Great Work!
Scott ( BassVI )
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Yes, I am lovely, but the bass is lovlier! :P
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Dave, you don't have that Coro anymore?
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Not for about 3 years.
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I put Rotosounds jazz flats on mine and it thumps like crazy! Since it was a guitar body originally, it didn't have those dual thumb rest holes in the top, but it is set up for a pickguard. I'm tempted to make one for it!