LeftyBassist.com

I like the white pickguard. I wasn't sure if others shared the same view, hence my leaning towards black. one thing about the white pickguard is that it definitely would identify the bass as a transition contour body Tele P vs. the original slab bodies which only came in black


great link on that '55 ... I've drooled over several of the transition Tele P's listed there and keep trying to justify the -need- to add one to my collection as a reference to judge my work by ... unfortunately I haven't come to the conclusion that it's a responsible thing to do just yet

all the best,

R

Came across this on Talkbass in the for sale section... the white pickguard looks great on this bass.

http://www.talkbass.com/forum/showpost. ... ostcount=1

You can see the white pickguard on my '71 Tele bass here:

http://picasaweb.google.com/pjmuck/1971 ... asterBass#

thanks for the images - even my wife likes the white pickguard, so white it shall become

all the best,

R

I got the threaded inserts installed in the neck on the righty HPE last seen on the previous page. this one is just about ready for shielding and final assembly



all the best,

R

That is so cool looking! I especially dig the back of the neck. I'm just a sucker for good birds-eye.

just got a note from the paint shop that the lefty neck/body are ready to roll

I should have these in hand sometime Friday afternoon ... if all goes well, I may even have time to post images before I call it quits for the day

all the best,

R

first quick images of the Heritage Tribute '55



these were a quick grab-shot utilizing a flash. better images to come ...

the color came out close to what I wanted, but I think I'd like to see it a little lighter on a future build. the density of the semi-transparent is spot on - there's just enough of the wood grain peeking thru the finish. still, it definitely doesn't have even a hint of pinkness to it and it's not as dark as butterscotch would have been. the quartersawn neck is nice, and there's a touch of flame to the fretboard

since I have a target completion date of early September, it's time to get busy on this!

all the best,

R

Whao! It is super nice!
What kind of pick-up are you going to use? The single coils sound great but get quite noisy in a single pick-up configuration. Are you planning on using a hum-canceling pick-up? (I might be wrong but I believe that Lindy Fralin makes a hum-canceling replacement pick-up for '55 p-bass).

Looks great Rod!

thanks F-L

I plan to utilize a Nordstrand SCPB single-coil on this one, but I offer the choice of either a single-coil or hum-cancelling version for this model. with all of the copper foil shielding and added grounding that I use, I don't hear a lot of extra noise ... but the split-coil hum-cancelling pickup would eliminate any last bit that might be there if someone was in a super bad environment. the hum-cancelling version is really, really close to sounding like a true single-coil SCPB



I also have a second Swamp Ash body of this design ready for a paint job. due to a blemish in the wood grain figure, I can't use it for a burst or semi-transparent color (unless the back was finished opaque and only the top was see-thru) ... but I'm torn on what color to choose. I also have a finishing source who is a Nitro specialist, but it adds 6-8 weeks to the finishing process. I'm open to body & pickup color suggestions

all the best,

R

I completed the first unit of my Heritage Plus Extreme series late Sat evening, and just in time for me to haul it up to a camp gig on Sun so I could A/B it against my '77 Stingray in a live setting with decent backline amp and PA to a room filled with about 600 incredibly loud kids



brief specs:
Swamp Ash body, QS maple/maple 34" scale neck, 1-5/8" nut, with graphite stiffening
Nordstrand SCPB + Big Single
Nordstrand 2-band preamp + passive tone (pull to bypass preamp)
Hipshot Type A bridge and Ultralights + Ultralight de-tuner
Vintage sized frets

As you can see, I opted to forget the pickguard and let that gorgeous piece of Ash shine thru

I am totally buzzed about how this came out and how it holds itself in the mix. In passive mode with the SCPB run solo it's about 95% of that old school P-bass, but with some serious added attitude. Rolling off the passive tone brought this right where a SCPB should be when strung with rounds.

Adding the preamp only intensified the growl and spank - and then I added the Big Single into the blend and really dug in. While not a Stingray clone, I can say that I definitely gave the 'Ray a run for it life once I slightly bumped the active bass/treble from noon to 1:00. Slapping with the SCPB on was really giving the 210 Fender amp a workout that it wasn't used to. Overall I exceeded what I hoped to accomplish with this version of my Heritage Series bass line.

I'm hoping to get to the studio this week to cut a few sound clips. If I have time, I may even throw on a set of flats while I'm there and see how they change the sound


Now it's time to start working on the 4-string lefty assembly. The Wilkinson replica bridge is on its way via USPS, so all the parts are pretty much here in the shop now except for the pickguard

all the best,

R

That bass looks SICK! Really nice Rod. That's a great looking burst finish.

thanks


the tuners and solid black pickguard are scheduled to arrive next week, but everything else is here and partially assembled. I opted to include a bridge cover for this one ...



this bass' Vintage Burst sister heads to the finish shop late next week. both are being built as a spec bass, and will be listed for sale when completed

all the best,

R

I just wrapped-up the HPE 5-string ...



this one ships off to its new home in Nashville, TN on Monday, and will hopefully be there in time for its first paid working session on Friday evening

I have a commissioned lefty unit of this model in production, and I received word that the 1-piece body is hot off the CNC table and headed to my shop for additional customizations before I send it off to the paint shop. The lefty HP5 will be finished in semi-transparent butterscotch with a vintage tint gloss Maple/Maple neck, and it'll sport a solid black pickguard. More on this one when I have something to shoot images of

all the best,

R

Absolutely stunning, Rod.

Is the lefty of this the bass the guy up here ordered Rod?

This looks incredible.

Beautiful job! Looking forward to the butterscotch version....

thanks guys

Andrew - yes, same guy we met at your place earlier this year. I'm bummed for him that it's taken sooo long to get the new body design perfected thru the CNC shop, but I know he's going to be satisfied with the results. his will be the first unit of this design to utilize a contoured heel and mounting ferrules vs. the standard Fender style block heel and neck plate. he's also getting a nicely resonant 1-piece body (not an easy piece of wood to find in clear finish grade)

here's a sneak peek at the just a neck (backside image was shot before I added the tuner holes)



all the best,

R

Is that a C size neck? It looks very chunky, which if you're going for a '55 would be consistent.