The Stick of Boom Bass "2x2" - Long-scale CBG Bass

 

After building the Stick of Boom mk1 (a single-pickup bass using this same box) and a custom-order 5-string I nicknamed "Thunderbox" which was my second bass build, I wanted to experiment a little bit with more bass builds. 

The Man O' War boxes get the job done (although I'd LOVE it if they were another inch or two wide from hinge to clasp, and maybe another half-inch at least deep), and while they definitely need some special attention to get everything crammed in there, once it's all there the end result is satisfying. 

I had a couple spare "P-bass" style pickups lying around, and wanted to see what it'd sound like if I moved the standard "Precision" position towards the neck a little, and then added a second pickup of the same design in a more "Jazz Bass bridge position". I gave each pickup its own volume control and they share a master tone knob. The sound is interesting. Very thumpy on the neck pickup, but the bridge pickup gets a wild, almost "phasey" sound, with the two high strings sounding very lively with a lot of snap and high-mids. Blended together, the pickups offer the thickness AND clarity, but it doesn't sound like any specific bass. 

Definitely has its own personality. I got the neck and hardware off a preexisting bass that had been otherwise stripped, and this was the perfect way to "upcycle" a decent-but-neglected instrument. 

The playability here is pretty awesome, and I also gave the box a couple coats of tung-oil finish to protect it and give it a little luster. Very pleased with how this experiment turned out!