Bass VI conversion

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Beate Ritzert
Posts: 599
Joined: Thu Aug 02, 2012 8:20 am
Location: Germany

Bass VI conversion

Post by Beate Ritzert »

The ongoing Bass XII conversion encourages me on a mini project i just finished: i converted a shortscale precision bass clone to a bass VI. Unfortunately i do not have access to a workshop any more and so can do only small projects on the kitchen table (resp. in the bath room..).

The neck had the appropriate width, so the conversion envolved:

- replace nut by a 6 string nut.
- replace bridge by a strat bridge.
- modifiy strat bridge for the thick strings
- fill the holes of the tuners
- find a new arrangement for 6 bass tuning machines with slightly smaller buttons
- reshape the headstock
- make a headstock "veneer" from a piece of cardboard coated with several layers of cellulose lacquer
- add a bridge pickup
- reposition the strap buttons to improve the balance.
- new electrics: 3-way switch, volume pot 500 k.
- missing: a thin veneer of maple for the back of the headstock to hide the dowels i used to fill the tuner holes. I am unsure if the wood used in these cheap chinese instruments is actually maple. Its texture looks quite different from European or American maple, and its color is more pale.

The electrics will be extended by a C-Switch. I ordered a push-pull pot and determined suitable values for the capacitors, independently for each pickup.

The most demanding part was determining the exact position of the guitar bridge, since i had to put a large part of the compensation into the bridge angle. I measured the compensated positions from a shortscale bass and took some estimates for the two high strings, and it looks as if i could compensate for every string width useful on this bass. At present i am using Ernie Ball 2837 strings on it, gauges 90-20.

Also demanding for me is to cut the pickup cavity - just with drilling and chisel as i do not own a router. The demanding part of the procedure is to avoid that the brittle piano laquer chipped off (which did not succeed, i needed to repair it). For the future i need to find a better technique to protect the laquer while making a pickup cavity.

Ok, here simply before and after pictures:

After - please note the bridge angle which is necessary to achieve sufficient string compensation using that guitar bridge.

Image

Image

And maybe of interest for the Bass XII conversion the compensation procedure of the bridge:

Image

Before:

Image
Bob Francis
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Joined: Wed Jan 11, 2012 6:28 pm

Re: Bass VI conversion

Post by Bob Francis »

Nice!
Gordon Bellerose
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Joined: Wed May 30, 2012 11:47 pm
Location: Edmonton AB. Canada

Re: Bass VI conversion

Post by Gordon Bellerose »

Beate. You inspire me.
You do your work with the most basic of tools.
I struggle sometimes with a whole shop full of tools.
I need your help. I can't possibly make all the mistakes myself!
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Mark Swanson
Posts: 1991
Joined: Thu Jan 05, 2012 11:11 am
Location: Grand Rapids, Michigan USA
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Re: Bass VI conversion

Post by Mark Swanson »

Oh, that is really nice!
  • Mark Swanson, guitarist, MIMForum Staff
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Beate Ritzert
Posts: 599
Joined: Thu Aug 02, 2012 8:20 am
Location: Germany

Re: Bass VI conversion

Post by Beate Ritzert »

The thread on the SG encourages me to show my two previous projects - two SGs.

The first one a conversion of a cheap SG (kit) to a tenor guitar. I did this for a friend; it is actually the first project for someone else.
P1010030.JPG
And a bass. Body (alder, 3piece) from scratch, neck an overhauled NOS neck from the mid 70s.
DSC_2872.JPG
The result was not as good as it should have been, showing clearly that my possibilities on the kitchen table resp. in my 3.5 m^2 bathroom are too limited for more advanced projects. That's why i decided not to start anything before i do not have better working resources.

(Well, despite its imperfections it plays really well...)
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