Let's Get This Thing Going !!

1bassleft · Posted: Sun Nov 26, 2006 7:24 am Post subject:

IME, Koreans have always made basses as well as they've been allowed to make them. Yes, there were a lot of ply-bodied guitars made in Korea in the 90s but that coincided with the decision by the majors to cut costs on materials as well as labour (Squier Strats instantly became ply as soon as they shifted from Japan to Korea).

However, I have a Young Chang 1990 Fenix that is alder-bodied and an excellent Jazz replica (I'm the originator of the Fenix history that some Fenix sellers on Fleeb have annoyingly misquoted to imply that they're better than Japanese Squiers. They aren't, but the rumours I had at the time from working at a magazine were that YC was using the best leftovers for their own brand). Even '90s ply-bodied Arias have decent playability and tone compared with similarly priced competition of the time.

Nowadays, many manufacturers use Korea to produce good mid-level instruments from decent materials. I use a Cort Action V as my backup lefty 5-string and it's not bad. There's a not-great gap under the extended fingerboard and the agathis (eastern alder) body, and the (Mighty Mite, I suspect) pups are boringly generic sounding, but the latter is beyond the factory's control; bean-counters at work again. I've got a temptation to use it as the basis of some serious rerouting for a much nicer bass.

boogieman · Posted: Sun Nov 26, 2006 9:41 pm Post subject:

Yes, I agree that the Koreans are quite adept at building quality instruments. Oz, I own a 2006 " Lion" proto type. Exact copy of a 1954 P Bass. The man that had it built is named Ted Lion. He took his 54 P to Korea to a small "custom" luthier shop that employs only 4 workers. He then sat with them while they took his apart and copied every part. The wood is aged and in fact, of the quality that can not even be obtained in the USA any more. All hardware is top notch USA, and the pickup was custom designed by a custom winder in Montana. It is a beauty !!! He ran in to so many problems both personally and business wise that he scrapped the project. He had six of them built. Only 2 sold in the USA.

On one hand, it is just another well done knock off. On the other hand, it is indeed proof that if given the chance, the Koreans can build a world class intrument. Cool

1bassleft · Posted: Mon Nov 27, 2006 1:51 am Post subject:

I've also noticed on FleebUS that some outfit are making "Eden" bodies and necks unbelievably cheap and sending them out from Hong Kong. Typically, the lefty side is pretty limited (no bass necks in lefty style, for instance) but I'm considering contacting them. Even the BIN price with shipping is not too hard to swallow.

I'm going to empty out my bag of bitson the floor and have serious thunk about what to make. It's late now and bed beckons, but I'll probably blog it in this category, with all suggestions etc welcome.

Tim · Posted: Fri Dec 01, 2006 9:20 pm Post subject:

Did a quick search for those Eden bits, look pretty nice for the price, quite tempted myself. They don't have the exact specs I want but for something to mess about with...

Tim · Posted: Fri Dec 01, 2006 9:29 pm Post subject:

Very long shot but does anyone know of any ok makers of bass necks with a 2x2 tuner layout (long scale) on fleeb? I notice all the Eden ones are Fender style and this appears to be the norm.
Thanks.

1bassleft · Posted: Sat Dec 02, 2006 3:19 am Post subject:

Fancying a SG look, Tim? Wink

FleebUK is a dead loss, usually. There's that ghastly thing with star inlays and a £45 BIN that I wouldn't touch at half the price (circles endlessly with no bids). FleebUS is a slightly richer seam. If you just want 2+2 rather than a Gibson look, there are Jay Turser necks going there (JT is a cheapish range so they won't fetch high bids) and you could keep an eye on Warpdrivemusic. I bought a Washburn 5-string neck from them (see Mackflynn's thread).

The seller's quite pleasant and shipped to me no problems their side. HST, they tend to have seconds. My neck, although unused and straight, has some fret tangs on the fingerboard edgings that need a really good rub down. The 2+2s they're selling are distinctly distressed looking.

There is a real problem, if you're considering a self-build or design-from-parts. For your sanity, I'd suggest you avoid 24-fret necks and other (basically, non-Fender neck pocket) designs. You'll need a custom body, and getting a body with a non-Fender pocket that actually fits is a difficult trick. I've got a $100 lump of firewood that won't quite fit my neck properly.

Less tears all round if you go for the Warmoth Gibson-style neck with the angled headstock (nice) and standard, bolt-on Fender heel:
http://www.warmoth.com/bass/necks/necks.cfm?fuseaction=include_13angled

The only caveats are that (a) the necks are good value, well made, but Warmoth's lacquering price is hefty. Worse, they insist on using UPS couriers. Not only do UrParcelShagged throw any box in its "care" all over the hangar, they are extremely efficient in whacking on import duties and associated handling charges. Import duty (see Lee's sticky) includes a percentage of the shipping price, so a lacquered neck sent by courier builds up to a nasty 17.5% tax loading.

There is a way to minimize this and I'm seriously considering getting one of their Fender-pocket 8-string bass necks:
http://www.warmoth.com/bass/necks/necks.cfm?fuseaction=include_8string
so, if you jump, I might jump with you.

Tim · Posted: Sat Dec 02, 2006 8:59 am Post subject:

Thanks 1bl, that was a lot more reply than I thought I'd get! And very useful too.
I'd seen the JT necks but wasn't sure if they were a regular on fleeb or not.

To be honest, I prefer the feel of the Fender type necks I've played, the neck on my Aria is very thin, I just really dislike Fender headstocks and 'fake' Fender headstocks are even worse.
Also, cant' help thinking that if I could find a compact 2+2 it might help with the head heavy tendencies as I do want quite a small body, however, most of the 2+2 I've seen are about as long as a normal head anyway.

Thanks again

1bassleft · Posted: Sun Dec 03, 2006 2:09 am Post subject:

Always expect a lengthy from me, Tim Wink

The Jay Turser necks haven't been around for that long, but it looks like they'll circle the Fleeb for a while yet. The thing to remember is that JT is a pretty budget-ended line of basses so it follows that the neck won't be top drawer. HST, what does this mean in practice? They're all rock maple (mostly) and, unless it's a maple board, most manufacturers use Indian rosewood these days because Brazilian is frighteningly expensive and not very planet-friendly.

Everybody's using computer-controlled machinery so a cheap neck is not so much about being badly made, perhaps the wood won't look as pretty or the finish will be a bit less classy. An example is that the Indonesian Squiers today look a bit naffer than even the 90s Korean ones (and certainly the Japanese Squiers) mostly because of the neck and peghead. The actual wood is very pale, usually has no interesting grain and I really hate the look of today's satin finishes. But they seem to stay straight and in one piece, which is what you want mostly. For Warmoth money, you're getting a better truss rod and strengthening bars, prettier wood and hopefully better QC.

You can get a shorter headstock (that's why the Musicman has the 3+1) from 2+2, but it's not the only thing to combat head-heavy syndrome. Minikeys (Schaller M4 or Gotoh and Grover types) are much less weight than the "elephant ear" Fender types. Most important is to make sure that the body's upper horn, where the strap button goes, is above at least the 12th fret. If it falls short, then the neck will head to the floor. Gibson Thunderbird basses are one of the worst examples.

I wonder what you mean by a thin neck? There are two things to consider. The width across the nut on a Fender is either Precision-style 1+11/16" or Jazz-style 1+1/2". Most players opt for the Jazz width, although my porkies prefer the Precision style, and Arias also adopt the Jazz width. The depth (and back of the neck "profile") changes, too. Precisions tend to be a clubbier "D" shape whereas the more narrow Jazz has a slight "V" shape. The Aria falls between the two, being more rounded across the back than the Jazz. Again, me personally, I prefer the Precision club. No wonder I found the move up to 5-string pretty easy.

If possible, wander into a shop and try the Jazz against the Precision and you'll see what I mean. One last thing; Fender has trademarked the headstock design so you only see it on Fenders and aftermarket necks. Other manufacturers have to use something different enough to get away with it. It's the only reason I can think of for nasty old planks from the 70s fetching higher prices than budget newbies; more "Fender looking" headstock (handy for those awful knockoff logos).

Tim · Posted: Sun Dec 03, 2006 11:41 pm Post subject:

1bassleft wrote:

You can get a shorter headstock (that's why the Musicman has the 3+1) from 2+2, but it's not the only thing to combat head-heavy syndrome. Minikeys (Schaller M4 or Gotoh and Grover types) are much less weight than the "elephant ear" Fender types. Most important is to make sure that the body's upper horn, where the strap button goes, is above at least the 12th fret. If it falls short, then the neck will head to the floor. Gibson Thunderbird basses are one of the worst examples.

I wonder what you mean by a thin neck? There are two things to consider. The width across the nut on a Fender is either Precision-style 1+11/16" or Jazz-style 1+1/2". Most players opt for the Jazz width, although my porkies prefer the Precision style, and Arias also adopt the Jazz width. The depth (and back of the neck "profile") changes, too. Precisions tend to be a clubbier "D" shape whereas the more narrow Jazz has a slight "V" shape. The Aria falls between the two, being more rounded across the back than the Jazz. Again, me personally, I prefer the Precision club. No wonder I found the move up to 5-string pretty easy.

Luckily I really, really, hate elephant ear tuners, However I always think that the lengh of the headstock would make quite a difference ( you know the whole moment thing, distance from the pivot, too pissed to remember the equation!) I won't unleash my headless visions on you yet...I think it's too soon to really distress you! The button above the 12th is a great rule balance-wise, I just wish the basses that obeyed it didn't tend to look pants.

As for the other, yeah, that was about my most vague post to date, sorry Confused

Okay, ignoring for the moment the width of the board, the closest thing I've felt to my Aria's neck is my friend's American Strat (6-string). D-profile but very thin back-to-front (it took a lot of practice before I stopped bending the neck when I fretted!) The width of my nut and bridge, materials, fret size and all that is still to be decided but luckily (?!) this is all pie in the sky till I get some cash anyway.

1bassleft · Posted: Mon Dec 04, 2006 3:21 am Post subject:

I'm wondering whether to split this off into a separate "bass making ideas" thread, but just for now...

I'm having a serious thunk about that Eden lefty body in the Ric style. It would mate up with the Warmoth 8-string neck and look quite nice. The pup routs, unfortunately, don't match anything I have. They're for the EMG 35 type of pups (Bartolini and Seymour also make pups fitting this rout). If I could cough up for EMGs, they do at least have the advantage of field coverage across the pup, whereas polepiece types might be a real pain to line up with each pair of strings. No 35-style pups on Fleeb at the moment. Predictably, new EMGs are $95-110 in the USA and £95 here in the UK. Do these idiotic UK retailers think we haven't got the internet yet?

	GuitarSite.com Guitar Discussion Forum Index -> Bass Guitar	All times are GMT Goto page Previous 1, 2, 3, 4 Next
Page 2 of 4