Planning the new bass

[Highlander]

Cheers Andy, I've placed it now... brain failure...

[Barklessdog]

Really nice design Bill. I also really like Ian's single hole w pick guard design.

[4stringer77]

Does Gibson sell the tb+ as an aftermarket part, or did it have to come from a scavenged bass?
They are wound to different specs depending on if it's originally a neck or bridge pickup right? Which one are you going with?

[drbassman]

Does Gibson sell the tb+ as an aftermarket part, or did it have to come from a scavenged bass?
They are wound to different specs depending on if it's originally a neck or bridge pickup right? Which one are you going with?

They popped up on eBay a few years ago and I bought 4 of them.  No indication whether they were bridge or neck.  As I recall, the ohm reading was the same on all of them.  I'll have to check the 2 I have left.

[4stringer77]

There's two up on e-bay now one gold, one chrome with cream surrounds and described as bridge pickups so I thought there may be a difference. I'm thinking about a custom job with a single pickup as well. Good luck with the build. Looking forward to seeing it develop.

[Nocturnal]

I bought two of the chrome "bridge" pickups from the guy on Ebay. I used one in my Bach NR and really like it there. it is a single pickup and it seems to work just fine where it is located. Maybe there would be an issue if you used two bridge models on the same bass depending on the wiring?? I have no idea tho. FWIW, I used a gold "neck" and chrome "bridge" in my Epi Goth rebuild (You can't see the mismatched covers because they are loaded in 70's pickup covers.) and they sound great together, but then I think the only real difference is the metal case color.

[Dave W]

Maybe these just came out of the bridge position and are identical to the neck pickups. Or maybe not. I can't find my '93 brochure and don't remember if they described these as coming in separate bridge and neck editions.

[dadagoboi]

Bridge pickups are generally wound hotter than their neck counterparts, it helps to balance out the difference in energy (string vibration, perceived as loudness) at different points of the string.

Here's the difference between 60's Reverse and NR sets:

The hotter 'bridge' pickup in a Reverse set was moved to the 'neck' position in the NR and a hotter yet pickup was wound for the NR 'bridge'.

Use whatever works for you wherever.  60s pups all use the same magnets.  The difference in hotness is due to how much copper is wound on the bobbins.  More windings make a hotter (and darker) pickup.  All other things being equal the hotter pickup of a pair has higher impedance.

I don't know how Gibson winds their sets these days, they could both be the same.  Duncan bass pairs have hotter bridge pups, EMG uses the same exact pickup for both positions.  Your mileage may vary.

[drbassman]

Here's the latest.  The one issue with the swooping inward design of the bass is the lack of body for mounting of the neck heel.  With a set neck, there's no issue, bolt on is another kettle of fish.    So, I'll have to have the body extend out under the heel for sufficient mounting surface.  It looks like the optimal placement of the neck for mounting purposes is around the 16.5 fret mark.  I know it restricts upper most fret access, but it is a compromise of the design.  I really don't want to spend hours on end building set necks from scratch!!!

The pickup placement is identical to the spot used on our vintage NR basses.  The old sweet spot, as Scott calls it.

I also can't decide on the pickguard vs. no pickguard look.  I kind of like my second pickguard attempt in the pics below, but the clean look sure is nice too.

Opinions welcome..........

[Pilgrim]

Myownself, I like the visual accent that the PG adds.  YMMV.

[Dave W]

I like the p/g too, IMHO in this case it adds to the design.

The neck heel problem is not unusual, you see that extended heel in bolt-on designs based on the LP Junior or SG.

[nofi]

i think the f hole should go. its the first thing my eye is drawn to and with the p/g it looks out of place. so loose the f hole and keep the p/g for a very clean and simple look. or not.

[drbassman]

Myownself, I like the visual accent that the PG adds.  YMMV.

Thanks Al, I'm warming up to it slowly......I do like the idea of mounting the controls on it and skipping a control rout in the back.

[drbassman]

I like the p/g too, IMHO in this case it adds to the design.

The neck heel problem is not unusual, you see that extended heel in bolt-on designs based on the LP Junior or SG.

Thanks Dave.  I'll have to do a black mock up of the PG, the orange paper is a bit distracting!  Yeah, I'm feeling better about the heel placement and design requirements.

[drbassman]

i think the f hole should go. its the first thing my eye is drawn to and with the p/g it looks out of place. so loose the f hole and keep the p/g for a very clean and simple look. or not.

I'll have to think about the f hole a bit.  Since it's a semi-hollow design, I like the f hole look and sound.