Those who know Lynyrd Skynyrd obviously know Freebird, but most bassists get lazy when playing this particular bass line. And by lazy I mean not playing it how it’s heard on the album as it’s not something one would call easy. The player who played the studio track was Ed King. He started out as … Read more
The feature bass this week has been modded to the extreme with parts contributed by several people. Owner/modder Tom Buckman writes: Since buying the stock sunburst ’66 in 1969, I have modded it all along its journey. I invented the Bass Brace so in 1985 I had it majorly rebuilt to attract attention visually. Mike … Read more
Below: The items used in this build step. A vice, five gauged nut slotting files, and the nut itself. Below: The nut secured in the vice. Below: A .130″ file was used for the 5-string B, seen at left of nut. Note that this is not filed to final depth; this will not be done … Read more
This was possibly going to be the most awesomest bass video ever. The bass player is seen with cool red striped shirt and snazzy rainbow strap… until Barbara walks in and ruins everything. No, Barbara!
See the business listing for this bass builder here The feature bass this week has a neck made of 13 different parts (wow!) Clément from D’ARCO Basses & Guitars writes: I’m a new french luthier and I come to present one of my model, the D’ARCO Shakti 5 string bass. It’s a 35″ with 26 … Read more
This is a continuation from part 1. Below: At this point, the B string (the 5 string) is 3mm wide, the E string (the 4 string) is 2.5mm wide and the A string (the 3 string) is 2mm wide, with each string having a 7mm distance from each other. The remaining 2 lines seen for … Read more
The feature bass this week is a modded Ibanez. The modder of this bass, Matt, writes: I heavily modified an Ibanez bass. I bought a cheap used bass on craigslist, stripped the paint, filled the old pickup holes, routed a new single pickup hole, re-painted, custom pickguard, refinished neck and headstock, varitone switch. I basically … Read more
While there is the option to buy a nut that has pre-cut string slots, cutting the slots yourself ensures that the spacing (and depth) will be absolutely what you want. How to determine what spacing to use is done by using math. But don’t worry, it is math you can handle. While there are other … Read more
Below: This is what will be used for this build step. The neck itself, a circle template, mechanical pencil, mahogany veneer blanks, calculator, ruler, woodworking/machinist square and radius gauge. Below: The current state of the nut in the slot before work is started. Below: The square has been used to mark the proposed ends of … Read more
See the business listing for this bass builder here The feature bass this week was made with a concentration on symmetry, and the end result was amazing. Builder John Tinsley writes: I was looking to build a neck thru bass (the others that I built were bolt on necks). I did not want the neck … Read more
