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 My new Davison bass - before and after

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Darkstrike
EricHaven
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EricHaven
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EricHaven


Posts : 2974
Join date : 2009-03-20
Age : 57
Location : Birch Bay, WA

My new Davison bass - before and after Empty
PostSubject: My new Davison bass - before and after   My new Davison bass - before and after EmptySun Oct 31, 2010 2:56 pm

It's all finished! I cannot tell you Guys how great this thing turned out! I knew that Andy would do a superior job, and he exceeded my expectations by a mile!

Here are the pictures from last Thursday when we did the mods at Andy's shop.

My bass getting ready to be completely stripped down:

My new Davison bass - before and after Workingonmybass001

Andy removing the eight-string humbucker from one of his custom guitars:

My new Davison bass - before and after Workingonmybass003

The bass mostly apart:

My new Davison bass - before and after Workingonmybass004

My new pickups! The EMG 40DC and Andy's custom eight-string humbucker:

My new Davison bass - before and after Workingonmybass005

Me being a goofball:

My new Davison bass - before and after Workingonmybass006

Getting ready to route the EMG pocket:

My new Davison bass - before and after Workingonmybass007

The EMG pocket routed. Note the original J pocket underneath the EMG route:

My new Davison bass - before and after Workingonmybass008

Test-fitting the pickups:

My new Davison bass - before and after Workingonmybass009

Andy routing the pocket for the Kahler 7415:

My new Davison bass - before and after Workingonmybass010

Test-fitting the Kahler 7415. No doubt you can see the routing from the original bridge J going past the new humbucker route, but we knew the pickup ring would cover it:

My new Davison bass - before and after Workingonmybass011

All done with the pickups and trem:

My new Davison bass - before and after Workingonmybass012

Both Andy and I agreed that the original headstock shape was goofy, so he sanded it down to a more Fender-like appearance:

My new Davison bass - before and after Workingonmybass013

For comparison, here is how the bass looked when it was stock:

My new Davison bass - before and after MyDavisonBass001

And after the mods:

My new Davison bass - before and after Workingonmybass014

Before:

My new Davison bass - before and after MyDavisonBass004

After:

My new Davison bass - before and after Workingonmybass015

The headstock before:

My new Davison bass - before and after MyDavisonBass002

The headstock after:

My new Davison bass - before and after Workingonmybass016

After all of the work was done, we called over our drummer Doug for a live jam to properly test the bass out. It was flawless. The tone was every bit as monstrous and huge as I expected, the trem functioned perfectly, and the bass was a dream to play. I could not be more pleased with how it turned out! Wink
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Darkstrike




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Join date : 2009-03-22

My new Davison bass - before and after Empty
PostSubject: Re: My new Davison bass - before and after   My new Davison bass - before and after EmptySun Oct 31, 2010 3:23 pm

Now that looks quality!

Congrats!


How does the 5er trem feel compared to your four string one did?
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EricHaven
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EricHaven


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My new Davison bass - before and after Empty
PostSubject: Re: My new Davison bass - before and after   My new Davison bass - before and after EmptySun Oct 31, 2010 4:27 pm

Thanks Bill! Wink

To be honest, the 7415 fiver trem feels about the same as my old 7410. Odd, since the fiver has four springs instead of the three that my 7410 did. The only issue is the shorter arm that comes with the new Kahlers, and I can definitely feel the difference. It takes more torque to drop the trem down, and it does wear on my hand a bit after a while, so there is no doubt I will be getting a longer aftermarket arm.

Besides that, the trem is behaving extremely well, even with minimal setup. The 7415 dives just as much as my 7410 did, and I didn't even have to change out the cam adjustment screws. I am now playing in A-D-A-D-G tuning, and both of my A strings do go just a hair sharp when I use the trem. But the nut slots are cut really close, so I am completely confident that a little work with a file and some graphite will completely cure the problem.
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Darkstrike




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My new Davison bass - before and after Empty
PostSubject: Re: My new Davison bass - before and after   My new Davison bass - before and after EmptySun Oct 31, 2010 5:24 pm

Thats why I was wondering, the extra spring, they must use lighter one on 5ers.

Glad to hear it was a huge success.
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amimbari

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My new Davison bass - before and after Empty
PostSubject: Re: My new Davison bass - before and after   My new Davison bass - before and after EmptyMon Nov 01, 2010 11:11 am

sorry about the long time from me posting, last weekend was a disaster that spilled into almost Wednesday for me.

so what did I miss, your unit is now done and I like the way Andy rounded off the head. ( ya you know I hate Fenderheads of any kind, but compared to the OEM, MUCH better )
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madmike

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My new Davison bass - before and after Empty
PostSubject: Re: My new Davison bass - before and after   My new Davison bass - before and after EmptyTue Nov 02, 2010 4:42 am

nice job eric ... this thing kicks butt!

just curious ... what was the final pricetag???
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EricHaven
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My new Davison bass - before and after Empty
PostSubject: Re: My new Davison bass - before and after   My new Davison bass - before and after EmptyTue Nov 02, 2010 8:00 pm

I had Andy make the headstock more Fender-like just for you, Mike. Wink

Cost, MadMike? Um....let's see here....(taps head while trying to think)....

Davison bass: $167
Kahler 7415: $189
Pickups: $180

Total cost: $536

Bear in mind that Andy donated his time to do the work, and it took both of us a total of about seven hours to do everything. But I did buy beer and pizza for us, so I guess I could add another $30 or so to the total. Normally, Andy gets about $50 an hour to do any guitar work, but since I'm his bass player, he didn't charge me.

And I guess I need to clarify the cost of the pickups. Andy told me that since he had connections at EMG, he could score me an active pickup from them for about $60. And he also reckoned that he had probably dumped about $300 in materials and time in the eight-string humbucker. Since he now has two different seven-string guitars in process, he told me that if I ordered him a pair of Seymour Duncan Invader 7's, he would order the EMG, give me his pickup, and do the work for free. Of course, I got the better end of the deal, so that's when I threw in the beer and pizza.

This Saturday will be a full-on jam with the entire band, so I can further tweak the bass, and get it perfect. I am still shocked at how great it turned out! cheers
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amimbari

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My new Davison bass - before and after Empty
PostSubject: Re: My new Davison bass - before and after   My new Davison bass - before and after EmptyWed Nov 03, 2010 6:24 am

I have to chuckle on the "parts" for the bass costing more than the actual bass, but for 500-600 or so you'll keep it for years and it will be worth it for sure....
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EricHaven
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My new Davison bass - before and after Empty
PostSubject: Re: My new Davison bass - before and after   My new Davison bass - before and after EmptyWed Nov 03, 2010 6:34 pm

You're aren't the only one who has made that same observation, Mike! Laughing

But as you said, I have a really awesome bass that does everything I want it to do, and it looks and feels great while doing it. Like I've always said, I believe that as long as the neck and body are sound, you can change everything else, and wind up with a great bass. I already knew that the trem and pickups were going to be awesome, and with the faith I took on with the web reviews I read about the Davison bass, I took a chance, and it paid off in spades. Wink
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amimbari

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My new Davison bass - before and after Empty
PostSubject: Re: My new Davison bass - before and after   My new Davison bass - before and after EmptyThu Nov 04, 2010 6:08 am

I just got harassed and was called a cheapskate on another forum...why? because I am like you, not a lot of money to play with, and every investment must be planned out carefully.

...find em cheap customize them a little, and rock the hell out of it.... ( he asked me why I have so many cheap basses, that's how it got started ) and oh ya, I did get pissed when he mentioned I would have been better off modding a SX than my Charvel for resale value, which is now like yours, no way it is worth 500, but I'm not selling it anytime soon. --GRRRRR!!!!!

For me anymore, I'm just a party-cover-band member who likes some tax free cash every now and then, and for me to toss 3grand into one unit "could" work, but it won't make me a better player, it won't make a difference in sound on stage for what I do now a days, and recording?? - hell I haven't done any studiowork for 4 years.

so this is already November, and yes, I found 2 basses that totaled up to less than 200 dollars, and I'll probably start a new toys thread today.

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big_mits

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My new Davison bass - before and after Empty
PostSubject: Re: My new Davison bass - before and after   My new Davison bass - before and after EmptyThu Nov 04, 2010 6:10 pm

That looks amazing Eric! Congrats on your new (new) bass! cheers
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EricHaven
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My new Davison bass - before and after Empty
PostSubject: Re: My new Davison bass - before and after   My new Davison bass - before and after EmptyThu Nov 04, 2010 6:25 pm

Thanks Mits! Wink

Mike, Mike, Mike....relax....take a deep breath, Bro. Remember, it makes not even a milligram of difference what others think. So bloody what if you own a lot of cheap gear, and others look down their nose at you? Does that make these other people better than you??? I think not!

The simple fact is, if what you have works, then what you have works, regardless of the price tag.

I would love to take some heat for having such a "cheap" bass, because I guarantee that the vast majority of the critics can't get the same sound or effect on their elite instruments.

So there.

PFFFTTT!!! Razz
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amimbari

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My new Davison bass - before and after Empty
PostSubject: Re: My new Davison bass - before and after   My new Davison bass - before and after EmptyFri Nov 05, 2010 3:37 am

oh I'm not fired up...just laughing that there are so many armchair critics out there....
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EricHaven
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My new Davison bass - before and after Empty
PostSubject: Re: My new Davison bass - before and after   My new Davison bass - before and after EmptyFri Nov 05, 2010 7:47 pm

You can always count on them being there! Laughing
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Chowderboots

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My new Davison bass - before and after Empty
PostSubject: Re: My new Davison bass - before and after   My new Davison bass - before and after EmptyFri Nov 05, 2010 9:58 pm

That looks savage, my friend!
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My new Davison bass - before and after Empty
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