Keith's Starfire Project Bass

[moonliner]

Monday is fine if that works best for you. Thanks.

[moonliner]

Hey Mica,
Did you happen to get the email with the pics of the old bass with abalone/silver inlays?
Could you please do me a huge favor and measure the nut width on the starfire? I think I'm remembering it much thinner than it is and I'd like to compare it to my basses at home.
Thanks.

[mica]

Measures out exactly at 1.50 inches.  
 
Got the ab pics! I will let you know when we are prepping to chop shell in your honor.

[moonliner]

Hmmm... That is tiny. My Les Paul Triumph bass is 1.50 and that's what I grew up on, but lately I've been playing basses with a wider width. As we discussed on the phone, anything you can do to magically add to the width would be tremendously appreciated.  
Thanks Mica.

[mica]

We can only flare it out a little bit unless we replace the neck entirely. We'll add what we can!

[moonliner]

How much for a new neck?

[edwin]

Wow! So, a whole new neck?- Edwin on June 24th.  
 
Am I psychic or what?
 
Actually, I'd go with the original neck, but that's just me. Once you have a whole new neck, you're a hop, skip and a jump from a completely new bass. At which point you have the new bass and then you look at the Starfire sitting around and say I wonder how this would sound if Alembic got to work on it?. and then you're back where you started.
 
Anyway, I have found myself having no problems with the size of the neck at the nut on my Starfire, even going back and forth to basses with much larger nuts.
 
I'm excited to see this moving forward!

[hammer]

I'd suggest going with the new bass and then selling the Starfire in its current condition to me so I can have Alembic finish it for me (haha!). Been looking for one to refurbish for some time now and recently blew my chance to pick one up in pretty nice condition for $800 because I was in Europe, got time differences mixed up, and didn't call the guy to confirm the deal in time.
 
Listen to Edwin. You can always have Alembic build you a new bass at a later date if that's what you decide you want. That Starfire, however, is going to be special.

[moonliner]

Yeah, I should leave it be. I grew up on super thin necks, so it should be fine. I'm just getting a bit wiggy with all this waiting... too much time to obsess and re-obsess!
K, leave the neck but add some fat if at all possible. :-)

[mica]

Yeah, I talked with Jack and Bob about it, and Bob is making the fingerboard a scunch wider to give Jack a chance to slightly flare that out. If it works, awesome. If it doesn't we'll carve it to the regular size and no harm done.  
 
21 frets, 30.75 short scale. Here's how the fingerboard lines up:
 

 
Normally we'd saw off the end of the board at the next fret, on yours it will be just a little less so it won't overhang.

[moonliner]

Exciting update, thanks Mica.
So it will be cut just shy of the 22nd fret?
 
Sounds like a good plan.
 
I know you've been working on it theoretically for quite some time, but it's really exciting to see physical work getting done.  
Thrilling!

[moonliner]

Hi Mica,
 
I'd like to confirm black MOP bound in silver for the inlays.  
 
I was curious if you were ever able to locate any pictures of the tail piece on Phil's bass. The pic on the Long History page is fantastic, but it's too small to get any detail.  
 
Thanks!

[edwin]

I'd like to be in on the loop for any tailpiece information. My guess is that it was a one-off lost wax casting, but it's pretty cool.

[sonicus]

I would concur with Edwin .My favorite tail piece would be the one on 72-01 or number one  as it is sometimes called.

[moonliner]

I talked to Rick Turner about it and he says it was bronze welding, not cast. The same thing is on David Crosby's 12 string, but Phil's looks more globular.