New custom Alembic bridge :: 1999 DeArmond Starfire Bass [9.7 lbs]

August 5, 2016

A 1999 DeArmond Starfire bass in for a custom Alembic-style bridge and tailpiece installation.

The tricky part of this installation requires routing the tone block of the bridge into the arched top. The photo above shows my custom saddle slotting jig modified with guides sized to rout the mating pocket in the top.

You can see the original DeArmond factory routs extending outside of the new bridge. The player and I considered various cosmetic options to hide them. In the end we decided to just let them show as they are not that much of an eyesore and fit the vibe of this player-grade workhorse.

This bass is decked out with a crazy amount of wiring ala Phil Lesh. The pickups are Fred Hammon "Dark Star" pickups that are based on the Hagstrom BiSonics. These pickups are recreations of the originals that were popularized by Jack Casady (Jefferson Airplane) and Phil Lesh (Grateful Dead) in the late '60s. Note if you are interested in these pickups, check out Curtis Novak as Fred has stopped producing them.

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f-holes :: Chubbuck Mousa 003 hollowbody

February 21, 2016

I cut the f-holes in Mousa 003 last month and forgot to post photos. Below you can see how I handle this process without the use of an overhead pin router that many other hand builders use. It's a pretty basic rig but gets the job done.