bassmonkeee
Well-known member
My son Billy was born in January of this year. I wanted to do something to commemorate the event with a bass. I couldn't afford to buy a new bass right now (see: aforementioned new baby). But, I did have a mongrel FrankenBongo that needed to be worked back into the rotation.
After I moved the fretted sapphire black neck to the white Bongo body, I had a white Bongo neck on a Sapphire Black body that looked....less than ideal. So, it seemed a no brainer which bass was going out to Pat Wilkins.
I took a picture of the headstock and our very own Strummer helped with pulling the logos from the picture so I could make waterslide decals. I thought since I was essentially putting a photo of the original silkscreen on the headstock, it wasn't cheating.
I had decided while my wife was pregnant that I would do a bass in either daphne blue or salmon pink depending on the sex.
So, without further ado, here's the daphne blue Billy Bass. I think it looks great:
With mint pickguard:
The headstock:
Billy's name and birthdate have been added to the back of the headstock:
Here's the back of the bass and neck:
Now, I wanted to be able to use the bass without a pickguard, but I dislike screw holes showing. So, I had Pat fill the screwholes when he refinished it, and not redrill them. This is how the bass looks without the pickguard:
Here's the bass with the pickguard with the premounted screws:
And, the pickguard:
Using double sided tape, the pickguard stays in place and doesn't move at all. And, it is easily removed with no residue. The best of both worlds. My wife really likes it without the pickguard, but I am more drawn to the mint pickguard. Magnus was nice enough to send me a black ice pickguard, but it was too hot outside to take pictures of it. If I like it, I'll cut some more screws and mount them in the black ice pickguard, too.
Last, but not least, here's a picture of me and Billy over the weekend in NYC visiting his grandfather namesake. Their condo has a great view of lower Manhattan from the roof.
Now that the bass is done, it's time to get on the bike and get less round so I can be around when Billy grows up.
After I moved the fretted sapphire black neck to the white Bongo body, I had a white Bongo neck on a Sapphire Black body that looked....less than ideal. So, it seemed a no brainer which bass was going out to Pat Wilkins.
I took a picture of the headstock and our very own Strummer helped with pulling the logos from the picture so I could make waterslide decals. I thought since I was essentially putting a photo of the original silkscreen on the headstock, it wasn't cheating.
I had decided while my wife was pregnant that I would do a bass in either daphne blue or salmon pink depending on the sex.
So, without further ado, here's the daphne blue Billy Bass. I think it looks great:
With mint pickguard:
The headstock:
Billy's name and birthdate have been added to the back of the headstock:
Here's the back of the bass and neck:
Now, I wanted to be able to use the bass without a pickguard, but I dislike screw holes showing. So, I had Pat fill the screwholes when he refinished it, and not redrill them. This is how the bass looks without the pickguard:
Here's the bass with the pickguard with the premounted screws:
And, the pickguard:
Using double sided tape, the pickguard stays in place and doesn't move at all. And, it is easily removed with no residue. The best of both worlds. My wife really likes it without the pickguard, but I am more drawn to the mint pickguard. Magnus was nice enough to send me a black ice pickguard, but it was too hot outside to take pictures of it. If I like it, I'll cut some more screws and mount them in the black ice pickguard, too.
Last, but not least, here's a picture of me and Billy over the weekend in NYC visiting his grandfather namesake. Their condo has a great view of lower Manhattan from the roof.
Now that the bass is done, it's time to get on the bike and get less round so I can be around when Billy grows up.
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