2009 TDPRI Giveaway Winners List is available HERE

Tim Armstrong · February 25th, 2009, 12:12 PM

Inspired by Rhomco's very, very cool thinline Tele bass, I've been keeping my eyes open for a body to use for such a project (I have all the other parts necessary). Imagine my delight when a buddy of mine offered me this body for $30!

He hasn't played the guitar in quite a while, in fact disassembled it. I'm just getting the body, the controls and the bridge (the pickguard broke). The Hipshot, pickups and neck are long gone...

Anyway, I'm thinking it's gonna be pretty damn groovy...

Tim

ccrnnr9 · February 25th, 2009, 01:07 PM

Oh man Tim! This should be cool...let's make sure to get lots of pictures! I am assuming short scale?
~Nick

Tim Armstrong · February 25th, 2009, 01:45 PM

Yeah, I'm gonna use a Musicmaster Bass neck and a P-Bass bridge. I'm thinking a tortoiseshell Esquire pickguard would be nice (that tort guard on the guitar looks great).

Not sure what I'm gonna do for a pickup, probably go with a P-Bass pickup (it's my default favorite). I gotta see what the pickup rout looks like...

Tim

rhomco · February 25th, 2009, 01:52 PM

Large Popcorn and a Super Sized Pepsi please

Rob

ccrnnr9 · February 25th, 2009, 04:02 PM

Tim, what about a tame MM pickup situated near where a p-bass pup would sit? Then you would have your SX p and something different. I have to be honest though, I have an underlying agenda. I want to see if it works and let someone else take the risk before I do it myself.

But anyways I am looking forward to it. Question: So if you are using a MM neck will it have the traditional MM headstock? If so that would look sweet on a tele body. I love the look of the one offset tuner knob.
~Nick

Remember lots of pics

Tim Armstrong · February 25th, 2009, 04:11 PM

Naw, it's a Musicmaster, not a Music Man. Short-scale Fender neck from about 1973. The headstock is Strat-ish.

It just occurred to me that I could put a Dark Star there! (Hi, Dave!

)

Tim

jkingma · February 25th, 2009, 04:15 PM

That is one cool looking guitar that I'm sure will be one even cooler bass when you get 'er done.

Tim Armstrong · February 25th, 2009, 04:18 PM

Re: Dark Star pickup

Just priced one.

Gulp!

Nevermind...

Tim

ccrnnr9 · February 25th, 2009, 05:40 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tim Armstrong

Re: Dark Star pickup

Just priced one.

Gulp!

Nevermind...

Tim

Haha I'm an idiot. I saw the word music and thought you meant musicman neck. Those music master necks are cool too! I have never played one but I would imagine they are pretty similar to the mustang RI from Fender. I played a couple of those and really liked em.

As far as the pickup goes, how about this:
http://store.guitarfetish.com/gfsmmproplal.html
It's different than a p sound but versatile and cheap! I have heard good things about them.
~Nick

Tim Armstrong · February 25th, 2009, 07:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ccrnnr9

As far as the pickup goes, how about this:
http://store.guitarfetish.com/gfsmmproplal.html
It's different than a p sound but versatile and cheap! I have heard good things about them.
~Nick

Yeah, I actually already checked those out and that's definitely a possibility...

Tim

ne4tt · February 28th, 2009, 08:39 PM

Tim,

Duncan MM PU on Talkbass, $40.

Post was on Friday.

Jamie

Tim Armstrong · February 28th, 2009, 08:52 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ne4tt

Tim,

Duncan MM PU on Talkbass, $40.

Post was on Friday.

Jamie

Thanks! Looks like it's gone already...

Tim

Blazer · February 28th, 2009, 09:05 PM

Hey Tim, keep your eyes open for a used Danelectro 24 fret short scale bass neck because they will fit in without any modifications and even better: you don't have to move the position of the bridge.

I know this because I once modified a strat with a Dano neck, it worked perfectly.

Tim Armstrong · March 1st, 2009, 03:19 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Blazer

Hey Tim, keep your eyes open for a used Danelectro 24 fret short scale bass neck because they will fit in without any modifications and even better: you don't have to move the position of the bridge.

I know this because I once modified a strat with a Dano neck, it worked perfectly.

Thanks for the head's-up! I'll keep my eyes open.

However, as I already have a very sweet '73 Musicmaster Bass neck, I'll probably be using it.

Tim

Tim Armstrong · March 9th, 2009, 01:01 AM

Okay, here's my progress so far:

Here's Hoss as it came from my friend Jeff Morris:

First step: remove a little wood and fit the Musicmaster Bass neck to the body:

Next, I measured and, howsabout that for good fortune, the bridge goes right where that ugly spot was (glue from something Jeff had affixed to the guitar). I then cut the pickguard to fit and put it on, too (not easy to get that nice little curve, darn it!):

So here we are as of tonight! I now need to enlarge and reshape the hole for the pickup (I'm putting in a GFS Music Man copy humbucker, and it's HUGE!). Not sure just what to do about the six string holes from Hoss's earlier life as a guitar, probably just ignore them or maybe cover them with something decorative...

Tim

ccrnnr9 · March 9th, 2009, 01:07 AM

This will be sweet tim! Cant wait to see how it turns out. If possible, get a clip of that MM pickup once its in. I too am doing a build and am looking for a good pup. Good luck with it all. Oh and I say just ignore the holes for now...it has more character that way!
~Nick

Tim Armstrong · March 9th, 2009, 02:47 AM

I was gonna just leave the switch there and wire the pots up like a P-Bass, but it occurs to me that I can actually wire the pickup through the switch, so that I can use it as a kill switch between sets!

Tim

axmaker · March 9th, 2009, 09:42 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tim Armstrong

I was gonna just leave the switch there and wire the pots up like a P-Bass, but it occurs to me that I can actually wire the pickup through the switch, so that I can use it as a kill switch between sets!

Tim

is the pickup tap-able?

Tim Armstrong · March 9th, 2009, 10:14 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by axmaker

is the pickup tap-able?

Yeah, I guess so, there are a lot of wires! Hmmm.......

Tim

tom grossheider · March 9th, 2009, 02:18 PM

Looks like a cool project Tim. Hope it sounds good too. Something about not conforming to the "normal" appeals to me... lol

JasonRobert · March 9th, 2009, 02:43 PM

Id put in another pickupto cover those holes on the front.

Cadfael · March 9th, 2009, 04:11 PM

The MusicMaster Bass had/has a guitar SC PU (with 6 pole pieces!) as far as I know.
Why not try the original Telecaster bridge PU?
You can fix it on the body first and if this works and brings a good sound, you can make a sheet metal on top / modify and use the old bridge ...

ChurchPlayer · March 9th, 2009, 04:13 PM

I know it's a Tele, bastardized or otherwise, but why not a "Custom Made" strip ala Bigsby'd Gibby's to cover the string holes?

OK, I'll leave now.

Tim Armstrong · March 9th, 2009, 04:44 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ChurchPlayer

I know it's a Tele, bastardized or otherwise, but why not a "Custom Made" strip ala Bigsby'd Gibby's to cover the string holes?

OK, I'll leave now.

Don't leave! I like that idea!!!

Tim

Tim Armstrong · March 9th, 2009, 04:48 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cadfael

The MusicMaster Bass had/has a guitar SC PU (with 6 pole pieces!) as far as I know.
Why not try the original Telecaster bridge PU?
You can fix it on the body first and if this works and brings a good sound, you can make a sheet metal on top / modify and use the old bridge ...

I don't have a spare Tele bridge pickup (Jeff kept his!). I do have a couple strat-sized pickups, though, that I used in my Musicmaster Bass.

I like the idea of putting this big honkin' MM pickup in it, though!

Tim

Chris S. · March 9th, 2009, 05:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tim Armstrong

I like the idea of putting this big honkin' MM pickup in it, though!

That's definitely a cool idea.

OR... you could try a Tele-sized rail pickup. GFS also makes some of those for cheap. I used one of their Strat-sized double rails as a drop-in replacement on a '51 P-bass RI a couple of years ago, and it worked really well.

Good luck, CS

Tim Armstrong · March 9th, 2009, 06:05 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Chris S.

That's definitely a cool idea.

OR... you could try a Tele-sized rail pickup. GFS also makes some of those for cheap. I used one of their Strat-sized double rails as a drop-in replacement on a '51 P-bass RI a couple of years ago, and it worked really well.

Good luck, CS

Yeah, I put one of those in Pinky, the Squier Vista Series Musicmaster Bass that I put this '73 Fender Musicmaster Bass neck onto a while back. Pretty good pickup!

I thought I'd go big, and bought one of these:

Tim

sean79 · March 9th, 2009, 06:05 PM

Hadn't seen this thread before. Very cool. What's the scale length with that MM neck?

Tim Armstrong · March 9th, 2009, 06:06 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sean79

Hadn't seen this thread before. Very cool. What's the scale length with that MM neck?

30" scale length, same as a Mustang Bass.

Tim

Chris S. · March 9th, 2009, 07:21 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tim Armstrong

I thought I'd go big, and bought one of these:

600px X 535px.

My, what a big pickup you have!

Seriously, that should sound great. I trust we'll get a complete report after delivery and assembly. :-) CS

ccrnnr9 · March 9th, 2009, 11:11 PM

Tim let's have a contest on who can put the most dinner plate sized pickups on one tele bass since we seem to each be doing our own interpretation of the tele bass!
~Nick

Tim Armstrong · March 9th, 2009, 11:15 PM

I'm just worried the the magnets are gonna be so strong that I'll end up with the mic stand stuck to the front of my bass!

Tim

BAW4742 · March 10th, 2009, 06:34 AM

Hey Tim. I just caught up to this project. Cool. I've seen a few Tele style basses (I think G&L makes one) that didn't quite look right. The short scale neck on this one make it look much better.

Nice work!

rhomco · March 10th, 2009, 09:17 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tim Armstrong

I'm just worried the the magnets are gonna be so strong that I'll end up with the mic stand stuck to the front of my bass!

Tim

You can leave your guitar stand at home, you wont need it anymore. Just stick it to the mic stand between sets.
Rob

shinigami747 · March 10th, 2009, 09:51 AM

hi tim,

never played a bass before, but this build got my attention. a tele into a bass? modno schweet!

here's hoping that may your build be trouble free. hope the finicky guitar gods don't throw any big nasty surprises at ya!

Mr. Saba · March 10th, 2009, 10:05 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tim Armstrong

I'm just worried the the magnets are gonna be so strong that I'll end up with the mic stand stuck to the front of my bass!

Tim

I guess you'll have to stop using the mic stand as a slide... eh?

TELE_BLUES · March 10th, 2009, 11:10 AM

I love it.30"or 32" scale is just about right. imo,no neck dive.That should really thump with the MM p.u. in there.Can i ask what you going to use for strings?

sean79 · March 10th, 2009, 09:07 PM

The more I look at it, the more I like it. When are you going to string that thing up?

Tim Armstrong · March 10th, 2009, 10:39 PM

Just as soon as I get the pickup installed!

Tim

bobbybigmac · March 10th, 2009, 10:44 PM

Hey Tim,
Can I suggest you call this new one " Buckeroo " ?
Kinda has a Western theme.

To quote the movie......
"We like both kinds of music, Country and Western."

February 25th, 2009, 12:12 PM	#1 (permalink)
Tim Armstrong Moderator Doctor of Teleocity Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Ocean Pines, Maryland, USA Age: 50 Posts: 13,144	My Tele Bass project... Inspired by Rhomco's very, very cool thinline Tele bass, I've been keeping my eyes open for a body to use for such a project (I have all the other parts necessary). Imagine my delight when a buddy of mine offered me this body for $30! He hasn't played the guitar in quite a while, in fact disassembled it. I'm just getting the body, the controls and the bridge (the pickguard broke). The Hipshot, pickups and neck are long gone... Anyway, I'm thinking it's gonna be pretty damn groovy... Tim __________________ http://www.moodswingers.org

February 25th, 2009, 01:45 PM	#3 (permalink)
Tim Armstrong Moderator Doctor of Teleocity Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Ocean Pines, Maryland, USA Age: 50 Posts: 13,144	Yeah, I'm gonna use a Musicmaster Bass neck and a P-Bass bridge. I'm thinking a tortoiseshell Esquire pickguard would be nice (that tort guard on the guitar looks great). Not sure what I'm gonna do for a pickup, probably go with a P-Bass pickup (it's my default favorite). I gotta see what the pickup rout looks like... Tim __________________ http://www.moodswingers.org

February 25th, 2009, 01:52 PM	#4 (permalink)
rhomco Tele-Afflicted Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: Crowley, Texas Posts: 1,118	I'd Like the Large Popcorn and a Super Sized Pepsi please Rob __________________ If I won the Lotto.... I'd just build (OK, OK Assemble) guitars and sell them till the money ran out

February 25th, 2009, 04:11 PM	#6 (permalink)
Tim Armstrong Moderator Doctor of Teleocity Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Ocean Pines, Maryland, USA Age: 50 Posts: 13,144	Naw, it's a Musicmaster, not a Music Man. Short-scale Fender neck from about 1973. The headstock is Strat-ish. It just occurred to me that I could put a Dark Star there! (Hi, Dave! ) Tim __________________ http://www.moodswingers.org

February 25th, 2009, 04:15 PM	#7 (permalink)
jkingma Friend of Leo's Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: N43° 11.943 ~ W079° 35.285 Posts: 3,078 18 Photos	That is one cool looking guitar that I'm sure will be one even cooler bass when you get 'er done. __________________ Creator of Fine Sawdust and Expensive Kindling.

February 25th, 2009, 01:07 PM	#2 (permalink)
ccrnnr9 Tele-Holic Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: St. Louis, MO Age: 23 Posts: 539	Oh man Tim! This should be cool...let's make sure to get lots of pictures! I am assuming short scale? ~Nick

February 25th, 2009, 04:02 PM	#5 (permalink)
ccrnnr9 Tele-Holic Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: St. Louis, MO Age: 23 Posts: 539	Tim, what about a tame MM pickup situated near where a p-bass pup would sit? Then you would have your SX p and something different. I have to be honest though, I have an underlying agenda. I want to see if it works and let someone else take the risk before I do it myself. But anyways I am looking forward to it. Question: So if you are using a MM neck will it have the traditional MM headstock? If so that would look sweet on a tele body. I love the look of the one offset tuner knob. ~Nick Remember lots of pics

February 25th, 2009, 04:18 PM	#8 (permalink)
Tim Armstrong Moderator Doctor of Teleocity Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Ocean Pines, Maryland, USA Age: 50 Posts: 13,144	Re: Dark Star pickup Just priced one. Gulp! Nevermind... Tim __________________ http://www.moodswingers.org

February 28th, 2009, 08:39 PM	#11 (permalink)
ne4tt Friend of Leo's Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: North Cackalacky Posts: 2,257 4 Photos	Tim, Duncan MM PU on Talkbass, $40. Post was on Friday. Jamie

February 28th, 2009, 09:05 PM	#13 (permalink)
Blazer Friend of Leo's Join Date: Dec 2003 Posts: 4,818	Hey Tim, keep your eyes open for a used Danelectro 24 fret short scale bass neck because they will fit in without any modifications and even better: you don't have to move the position of the bridge. I know this because I once modified a strat with a Dano neck, it worked perfectly. __________________ "I reject your reality and subsitute my own." - Adam Savage, Mythbusters

March 9th, 2009, 01:01 AM	#15 (permalink)
Tim Armstrong Moderator Doctor of Teleocity Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Ocean Pines, Maryland, USA Age: 50 Posts: 13,144	Okay, here's my progress so far: Here's Hoss as it came from my friend Jeff Morris: First step: remove a little wood and fit the Musicmaster Bass neck to the body: Next, I measured and, howsabout that for good fortune, the bridge goes right where that ugly spot was (glue from something Jeff had affixed to the guitar). I then cut the pickguard to fit and put it on, too (not easy to get that nice little curve, darn it!): So here we are as of tonight! I now need to enlarge and reshape the hole for the pickup (I'm putting in a GFS Music Man copy humbucker, and it's HUGE!). Not sure just what to do about the six string holes from Hoss's earlier life as a guitar, probably just ignore them or maybe cover them with something decorative... Tim __________________ http://www.moodswingers.org

March 9th, 2009, 01:07 AM	#16 (permalink)
ccrnnr9 Tele-Holic Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: St. Louis, MO Age: 23 Posts: 539	This will be sweet tim! Cant wait to see how it turns out. If possible, get a clip of that MM pickup once its in. I too am doing a build and am looking for a good pup. Good luck with it all. Oh and I say just ignore the holes for now...it has more character that way! ~Nick

March 9th, 2009, 02:47 AM	#17 (permalink)
Tim Armstrong Moderator Doctor of Teleocity Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Ocean Pines, Maryland, USA Age: 50 Posts: 13,144	I was gonna just leave the switch there and wire the pots up like a P-Bass, but it occurs to me that I can actually wire the pickup through the switch, so that I can use it as a kill switch between sets! Tim __________________ http://www.moodswingers.org

March 9th, 2009, 02:18 PM	#20 (permalink)
tom grossheider Tele-Holic Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Mokena, IL Posts: 789	Looks like a cool project Tim. Hope it sounds good too. Something about not conforming to the "normal" appeals to me... lol

March 9th, 2009, 02:43 PM	#21 (permalink)
JasonRobert Tele-Holic Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: Paddock Wood, Kent, England Posts: 868	Id put in another pickupto cover those holes on the front.

March 9th, 2009, 04:11 PM	#22 (permalink)
Cadfael TDPRI Member Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: Dortmund, Germany Posts: 11	The MusicMaster Bass had/has a guitar SC PU (with 6 pole pieces!) as far as I know. Why not try the original Telecaster bridge PU? You can fix it on the body first and if this works and brings a good sound, you can make a sheet metal on top / modify and use the old bridge ...

March 9th, 2009, 04:13 PM	#23 (permalink)
ChurchPlayer Tele-Meister Join Date: Dec 2004 Posts: 377	I know it's a Tele, bastardized or otherwise, but why not a "Custom Made" strip ala Bigsby'd Gibby's to cover the string holes? OK, I'll leave now. __________________ Jake "I tell my kids, 'Daddy's the best guitar player on the block. Always will be. Even if we have to move.'"

March 9th, 2009, 06:05 PM	#28 (permalink)
sean79 Friend of Leo's Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: northcentral/western Pennsylvania Posts: 2,765 8 Photos	Hadn't seen this thread before. Very cool. What's the scale length with that MM neck? __________________ Every now and then I know it's kind of hard to tell, but I'm still alive and well.

March 9th, 2009, 11:11 PM	#31 (permalink)
ccrnnr9 Tele-Holic Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: St. Louis, MO Age: 23 Posts: 539	Tim let's have a contest on who can put the most dinner plate sized pickups on one tele bass since we seem to each be doing our own interpretation of the tele bass! ~Nick

March 9th, 2009, 11:15 PM	#32 (permalink)
Tim Armstrong Moderator Doctor of Teleocity Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Ocean Pines, Maryland, USA Age: 50 Posts: 13,144	I'm just worried the the magnets are gonna be so strong that I'll end up with the mic stand stuck to the front of my bass! Tim __________________ http://www.moodswingers.org

March 10th, 2009, 06:34 AM	#33 (permalink)
BAW4742 Tele-Afflicted Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: Maryland's Eastern Shore Age: 52 Posts: 1,228 4 Photos	Hey Tim. I just caught up to this project. Cool. I've seen a few Tele style basses (I think G&L makes one) that didn't quite look right. The short scale neck on this one make it look much better. Nice work!

March 10th, 2009, 09:51 AM	#35 (permalink)
shinigami747 Tele-Meister Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: Manila, Philippines Age: 28 Posts: 427 3 Photos	hi tim, never played a bass before, but this build got my attention. a tele into a bass? modno schweet! here's hoping that may your build be trouble free. hope the finicky guitar gods don't throw any big nasty surprises at ya! __________________ the guitar is the human soul speaking with just six strings -from beck: mongolian chop squad

March 10th, 2009, 11:10 AM	#37 (permalink)
TELE_BLUES Tele-Holic Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: ROCKCHESTER,NEW YORK Posts: 870 70 Photos	I love it.30"or 32" scale is just about right. imo,no neck dive.That should really thump with the MM p.u. in there.Can i ask what you going to use for strings?

March 10th, 2009, 09:07 PM	#38 (permalink)
sean79 Friend of Leo's Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: northcentral/western Pennsylvania Posts: 2,765 8 Photos	The more I look at it, the more I like it. When are you going to string that thing up? __________________ Every now and then I know it's kind of hard to tell, but I'm still alive and well.

March 10th, 2009, 10:39 PM	#39 (permalink)
Tim Armstrong Moderator Doctor of Teleocity Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Ocean Pines, Maryland, USA Age: 50 Posts: 13,144	Just as soon as I get the pickup installed! Tim __________________ http://www.moodswingers.org

2009 TDPRI Giveaway Winners List is available HERE

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March 10th, 2009, 10:44 PM	#40 (permalink)
bobbybigmac Tele-Meister Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: West Coast Canada Age: 50 Posts: 176	Hey Tim, Can I suggest you call this new one " Buckeroo " ? Kinda has a Western theme. To quote the movie...... "We like both kinds of music, Country and Western." __________________ No ma'am I'm not Elvis, I'm just the bass player.