I love those pickups. MJS’s setup is what inspired me to try to build a “redneck engineer” version of it in my DIY. If I ever break the bank, I would like to get those pups as well.
5 Likes
They look like truly great pickups. And certainly sound killer in his vids.
5 Likes
Seems to me this will be a great thing to do next year. I know you don’t want to hear this, and might tell me to take a flying limp.
I think customizing a build to have a luthier to make per your specs could, A be like a. 7th grade science fair project, or like when we tried to cit skate decks and add double wide trucks, 3 deep or the board. In both examples, got thought, poor rxrcutiom, yielding some unusable leftover “hey, we did it, and we showed them” projects.
Now, that’s punk rock, I live for that shit, but here, you have identified the party you wand, and have a rough sketch to what you want to have built. Using a luthier is guarantee to get a good instrument, however, you hay have build a SAAB, over engineered instrument that could be uncomfortable to play, and eventually, you could hate it.
If you stay on your current level of buying Basses, I still you have not gotten enuf used or inexpensive Basses you can mod yourself, gaining experience, and verifying if it’s a product you still want in the build, or if you want to find something else.
I would spend a good year, buying what you can. Different brands, and to pick and preamp swaps, see what your ear likes.
Also, see what tI is about the 3 favorite Basses you accumulate. Basically, if you have 10 Basses, pick the three ones you can’t live without.
Then go with those three Basses, and the top 2 pick up \ preamp combos. And revisit the luthier. Hve a confersation yelling him exactly what you like about each bass. Neck on this, headstock here, this body, but it’s poplar, do you know of a wood that would be better. I want a 1- bolt on neck. 2- neck thru
Would like a 5pc neck, roasted maple and purple hear. Etc… sound good so far? What I put do you have right now?
Ok these are the electronics I like.
Set a I like better but also like SetB
Do you have an opinion?
He Hal’s his questioned, and you both decide what to use, even if it means a different preamp or amp or both.
So, you now are confident you know what you want
Then show him, here is your blue print, these 3 Basses i wand to morph into one, and I would like these electronics, unless he has something he thinks would be perfect.
So now, cuz u did your due diligence, checking out Basses for a year, or 6 months from now
You can ask questions he asks, instead of “Er, yeah, what you said… and you will in yarn ask great important question.
Bu that time, you and he have accurate answers to come up with the perfect bass for you.
If it were me. I would still have a tough time doing this yet, for mr. I have tested Basses a plenty, and a few pick up / preamps. I am pretty sure I could work with him to come up with a GREAT. Bass.
If I got it, and at first tried it and was not happy, I would then make myself like it. If it came between me and my playing, then it’s gotta go, hoping yo resell a custom for 75%
If I wait longer. Really hear the tone woods, and spend even more tome as to what I would want the luthier to create.
You can stock up pickups and preamps, and play with them. Swap them in existing Basses, ot get a Ray to put these in, and really see what ouy like. Each pickup / preamp is different. Good to me could be bad for me etc…
I like the ambition, imho, I wou
D urge you to make a plan to make a plan thru mass testing. You can get Ray4 for 300, and test all the electronics in it. Then sell it if you got what you needed.
Play all your Basses and play more+ buy them or go to the shop to test.
Keep a journal listing the specs of the brass, and compare it to the preamp offerings, and if the picks are good output.
Spend time. I know a minute takes a month when you want to do something, bit I see there is work needed still.
Unless
Unless… if you have done all the work+ and I am blocking for nothing, and toy think you are ready and certain that you have the right luthier and the design is read& right to you, then by all means, go fer it
3 Likes
This is GREAT @T_dub.
A couple of things…
Chris’ first words (luthier) were “I am not building anything for you until you spend at least 6 months seriously considering each piece of the pie”. I like this because he gets it, been there, done that.
I have been thinking about picking up a very cheap bass and using it as a testing ground, and most likely will do this for every reason you state. (That and I would actually like to play around with these pickups sooner than a year plus from now).
The SIMs pickups are reco’ed to pair with the Glockenklang preamp (below). Some have used Aguiler, but note it colors the tone, where the Glock is much more transparent. (I so far have thought to go Glock due to the SIMs reco and the fact that I would rather color tone post bass output if needed (aside from eq). Who knows, the SIMs might even stay in that instead!
I already have ID’ed that the HARDEST part of this will be neck shape, body shape (in how it hangs, fits on lap, where neck ends up in that, etc) vs. the design styling that I want. All those contours. Your suggestion of putting many basses in my hands/lap is exactly what is needed and will do.
I’ve been collecting info and idea for a year, and they are many are still changing/evolving. Some bits are locked and I am very happy with, some open up even more choices. I tend to overthink/overengineer everything (I am an engineer after all). Example, shopping for a new chandelier in our stairwell, i had to see every one made by man to make a choice. I do a LOT of research.
All good reco’s sir, and thank you!
4 Likes
I remembered seeing this review of Duesenberg guitars. These do have some Art Deco touches, but perhaps not enough to be in the same league as your saxes. They only made one left-handed bass for my interest (no longer available at the time of the review), but it was a beauty.
Checking the Duesenberg website, they show four basses which you can customize to some degree. I know you want to custom build, so maybe you can pick up some ideas for Art Deco-type touches from what they offer; those details seem to be mostly in the knobs, pick guards, headstock, tuners, and tail pieces.
4 Likes
Here is a shot of the engraving on my saxes that will serve as many design cues to the bass. This is a very iconic pattern used by Conn in this period, refered to as ‘naked lady’ engravingng. No one knows who she is, but a lot of peole want her 
5 Likes
Before diving in on your own explorations it probably makes sense to get some serious time in with each of the standards to appreciate and understand what they each bring, tone-wise. Lots of variations and they have very different characteristics. J, P/J, double-buck, single-buck, MM; passive vs active (both preamps and pickups), etc.
Then there’s scale length, weight, and so on.
I’ve owned two double-bucks, two P/J, and a J/J, both five and four string, both active and passive, and I do not feel confident to commission a bespoke luthier created bass yet. That’s a big step and I’d want to be very sure I knew what I wanted.
4 Likes
Yeah, the luthier doesn’t want youy to say to him, what kind of wood do you want to use for the body, adn get the answer “your choice butL”
You are going to need to know whay a shape doesn’t work well for nad comfort is an acceptable answer. Put if you pick a tone wood for THAT shape, ;that you wanted to use for cerrtian tones, thats legit, but it the bass body doesn’t do it for you, you will need to test ot other bsses ntil you find the one you want to , er…copy for lack of a better word. So I don’t think you want to make hard decidions about anything. Let everything be invided to the bass build elimination round, cuz if you take away a tonewood as a possibility, thn your first 2 choices for pick up / peramp, may not do well with tht body wood.
Soo many questions, so many answerws for you to fine. Ask me, adn i can give you help you thru the process, if you find you need it.
3 Likes
Did I mention I LOVED my SAAB convertible I used to have…until the engine threw a rod through the block. Apparently a design ‘feature/flaw’ in the 6-cylinder models.
1 Like
One of many, like the backwards mounted engine. However, it’s their idiosyncrasies that made them so great. Sadly, yet another company that went mammary glands skywards through mismanagement.
1 Like
OK, so I want to buy a SUPER cheap bass and bassically (get it, bass-ically) route out a big rectangle where pickups will go.
I want to use it to test out the SIMs pickups for now, until the bass they will ultimately end up in is designed, and, use if for future fiddling of pickup/preamp combos.
However, I don’t want to buy something so cheap that its hard/terrible to play.
The other requirement is that it has a nice big electronics cavity (can route it out more if needed but figure the closer I am to where I want to get to to start the better.
So, what are recos for this from you all?
I don’t really care J or P neck, etc, would want 34" scale.
It doesn’t have to look nice but it won’t hurt if it does.
Has to be good enough not to get in the way but cheap enough to be frankensteined.
I was looking at Dean’s with the 2 humbuckers (less routing), Squire affinity’s (more routing), a Ray 4 (more routing for the neck pickup), cheapo bass like the Harley Benton Josh had in his new vid, etc.
3 Likes
Check out SX, maybe? Their basses I have tried felt really good to me for the price (cheapo, the basic P is under $300 new on their site, less on the street), and they aren’t so expensive you would cry about destroying one.
Grabbing one of those used (or a used Squier) should be really cheap.
Even new they are like $250 on reverb:
The bummer is they are all passive so you would need to route out the cavity a bit.
2 Likes
Another vote for the SX here.
Trawl the used market and you never know what might crop up.
Or if you’re a lucky SOB like my neighbour you’ll find an Ibanez SR and case missing one tone knob on a pile of trash due for collection 
3 Likes
Actually yeah a used Yamaha or Ibanez with a preamp would have a nice electronics cavity already there on the back.
3 Likes
These are not the easiest to find in the US apparently.
4 Likes
@howard, something like this?
@T_dub had reco’ed a Ray 4, but I don’t know how much space is routed out in these already.
https://reverb.com/item/10602251-sterling-by-music-man-ray4-stingray-electric-bass-guitar-black?bk=eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiJ9.eyJqdGkiOiJjMGMxYmQ3ZC0yMDgzLTQyNjgtYjdmOC1hODdhNmU2NDgzNGMiLCJpYXQiOjE2MjA2MTUxNzYsInVzZXJfaWQiOiIyNDM4NDA4Iiwic2Vzc2lvbl9pZCI6IjMxYWNiYmU0LTkzY2YtNDA1MC1hZWJjLTY0YjAxMTg4OTEwYyIsImNvb2tpZV9pZCI6ImQxZTgwMTgxLTgzOGYtNDk4ZC04OTFlLTk2NzY4YzYzYTYwOSIsInByb2R1Y3RfaWQiOiIxMDYwMjI1MSIsInNvdXJjZSI6Ik5PTkUifQ.Dx-lIyzO1YrPgYEQA77Lp8iZIoz36HbaN1St5_pmkhM
3 Likes
That MIK is actually probably a fantastic bass on its own - Korea was a sweet spot for quality for several years, comparable to MIJ. I would look even cheaper 
3 Likes
What do you mean? There is plenty space to drop I. A good pick up.
You can add a 3 band EQ in one of 2 ways.
You can get a 3 knob 3 band preamp, where one is knob is both bass and treble ( concentric stack).
Or you can get a 4 knob 3 band EQ and then get a side mount kit for the jack, OR, fit another hole in the plate, but that’s a little wonky IMO.
If you are asking something way different, Er… sorry you get that answer for now, and a new one after you elaborate to what it is you are asking.
Okay so my period of mourning/sulking is over and I’ve had a good look at the damage I caused on the V bass.
Not great as not only did I manage to get fingerprints over the body and headstock I also managed to put some nice dings in the back of the body when the fly screen door bounced off it. To add to the problem in my moment of defeat I managed to put the still wet bass on something which has left several imprints in the clear coat also on the back of the body.
So today I thought I’d see if all this could be buffed out starting with 400 grit wet and dry paper gradually moving up through the grades to 3000 grit.
It has sort of worked leaving a beautiful smooth finish but I can still tell the damage was done. Wether that is visible or in my head is a matter of opinion but I still see it when I look at it.
So I have to decide what I do next.
I could probably get away with assembling the bass but I do wonder if in the back of my head it would always be an issue.
Gotta have a, think about this.
3 Likes
Are the fingerprints on top of or underneath the clear coat?
4 Likes