Update, I spent most of the day (and some of the night) with Russel (the builder).  We narrowed down a few more details.  So it will be a Mahogany body, thicker than standard SG with a transparent SG red finish and some black in the grain. Rhodium hardware (where possible), standard nickel '57 classic PUs.  So we are getting there, and of course then it has to be built.

So after all that, we went to see Glenn Hughes (50th anniversary tour).  Holy crap the guitarist was good, Thorn Anderson.  I got to sing Highway Star with the band during sound check, I was watching on and singing along (no Glenn at this point) and the guitarist motioned for me to come up and sing, what a hoot .  Russel supplies some back line gear for the middle band, Whitchskull.  I met the guitarist (Marcus De Pasquale ex Looking Glass) at Russel's work shop last Wednesday, he's also getting a custom SG made, and he plays one of Russel's custom Vs (Dante, you'd love it, I'll try to get some pics for you to see).  Russel supplied a couple of MI heads and Orange 4x12 cabs and a Messa 8x10 bass cab etc.  Then it turns out their drummer is Joel Green (ex Armoured Angel) who I met 30+ years ago when I did the PA and FOH for Armoured Angel. Small world.  What a day and night.  I don't go out much these days, it was great to be at a gig where guitars get played at the right volume (loud ).

UPDATE: I measured my strings at the 12th fret; they are 1.5mm (I usually have them around 1.75-2mm, but it's fine for now...no buzz, ringing tones, super low action

Hey Peter, the build hasn't started yet LoL  I see him again tomorrow to decide a few more elements, like body wood.  As the build progresses and I get some pics I'll post them.

Sooo....I got my nut .

Not my first Tusq install, but my first on a Strat. Turns out, I ordered the flat bottom nut an have a curved bottom slot. No worries, thanks to Dan Erlewine's trick of using the neck radius to curve the bottom of the nut:


It took a lot longer than in the Vid....but it did work. I ended up sanding my nut down about 0.5mm shorter and got my action FAST. I'm going to raise the strings a bit. They're not buzzing, but it's lower than I'm used to..which sounds weird.

The old nut came out in TWO pieces, and it was some cheapo fake bone-plastic crap, no wonder I had tuning issues before. Those issues are gone.

The Tusq sounds like glass....bright and shimmery...and the strings ring out more. So much better

Quote from: rnolan on October 03, 2024, 01:35:34 AMHey Loktite, I have the original QV which is still going strong. They also made a QV plus I believe that some like, I think Max really likes those IIRC.  I haven't looked into it but if the plus works the same but has improved A/D and processing it would be worth considering, it's also a younger bit of gear.  I have a Midiverb4 in my live rack, so a much later unit but it's dumbed down from the QV and, while it sounds fine, I find it limiting.  But depends what you want.

I think for my purposes the QV will be great. I've seen some midiverbs and QV2, but my eyes are set on the original. Just have to wait for that sweet combination of having money and something showing up at the right time.

Quote from: Peter H. Boer on October 03, 2024, 06:48:59 AMIf you do not like piano like sound AND don't like flatwounds, then the brand of roundwounds does not matter.

Use nickel wounds (not steelwound) and play them for a couple of months for the 'new' sound to disappear, only then will you get rid of piano ring on the strings.
Now you can enjoy years of good bass sound :D
(I change strings every 10-15 years)

Peter

Hey Peter,

Thanks for that insight, it didn't occur to me that bass strings would lose that crispness that comes with most new strings. For some reason, I was thinking that extra mass would negate that from happening.

  Actually, I do like the sounds that come from flat wound strings. That's Richard who doesn't like them. In a sense, I can relate to how dull flats can sound, but I think that has a lot to do with how the player uses his gear. Just like a guitar player can coax different sounds from his guitar by adjusting his attack, and/or fretting, I think a bass can also respond in the same way. Looking at Tony Levin's technique on the Chapman stick, makes me wonder if I can coax similar sounds on an electric bass. Much of that is tapping and sliding.

   I think at this point I may experiment with a few different sets of bass strings and see which ones might actually prove to be the most versatile.

If you do not like piano like sound AND don't like flatwounds, then the brand of roundwounds does not matter.

Use nickel wounds (not steelwound) and play them for a couple of months for the 'new' sound to disappear, only then will you get rid of piano ring on the strings.
Now you can enjoy years of good bass sound :D
(I change strings every 10-15 years)

Peter

When are the pics coming? don't tease us.   

Hi and welcome from another Peter 

Hey Loktite, I have the original QV which is still going strong. They also made a QV plus I believe that some like, I think Max really likes those IIRC.  I haven't looked into it but if the plus works the same but has improved A/D and processing it would be worth considering, it's also a younger bit of gear.  I have a Midiverb4 in my live rack, so a much later unit but it's dumbed down from the QV and, while it sounds fine, I find it limiting.  But depends what you want.