I've genuinely lost count but it was over 30 basses in just under 3 years. Some got chopped, some got sold again, but everything I've ever hankered for is represented here in some form, I want for nothing. There's also the research aspect of it, I wanted to know all about certain brands or certain styles, and the only way to really understand a bass is to take it to pieces, investigate everything, record with it, stand on a stage with it, compare and contrast with similar models, and when you're done you buy another bass and repeat the process. It's one way to gain a fundamental understanding of what makes bass guitars good/bad/other, and incorporate those things into my own designs. There was method to the madness, I was sampling other dishes in order to make myself a better chef, so to speak. I feel that that phase of my luthier training has ended and it's time for me to start using the knowledge I gained. I'm not saying I'll never buy another bass, if something cool comes along for a great price then I'd be a moron to pass it up, but I am no longer actively shopping for them.
I totally understand why you did this. Having ruined a few myself. I have saved more than I've ruined at this point, so I think that's OK. As for you needing to improve things , again I understand but in support of your corner , your results are fantastic and you are way ahead of me. I'm learning from you still and appreciate all your videos. So thank you once again. have a nice break and don't forget to feed the clones! 👍✌️❤️
Thank you Sir, honestly the clones eat better than I do🤣 My results these days are streets ahead of where I was 5 years ago when I started the channel, just from making a few small improvements at a time. I'll be doing a push for some big improvements over the break and and then we can all find out together which ones worked. Than we can all be streets ahead of ourselves😁
Such a big fan! Can't wait for your return! I hope production means the Fanblade custom shop basses lmao I'll be first in line for sure! Thanks for the great content and enjoy the long break!
I'm gonna estimate that it'll be another 2 years before I start taking orders. I've got to work on repeatability, being able to make a consistently good instrument before I'm ready to make anyone any promises and take their money, plus there's supply chains and other business things, inventory, website management, a whole host of stuff I need to have in place. I want the tracks laid down properly before this train starts rolling, but yes, I am hoping to bring the Fanbass to market before 2027.
It depends on the range, the Artist Series were alright but down the range there was a glut of cheap strat and P-bass copies that were legendary for being rubbish. Samick really blew it with those instruments. In their experience making stuff for Epiphone/Ibanez/Washbourne etc they knew how to make a quality instrument and decided to launch their own brand with the beginners range and the Artist Series. It's just that the beginners range was so shite it sunk the brand name and they're still regarded as terrible. I honestly believe the high end Samicks were on a par with the best of Ibanez at the time, they were all being made in the same factory after all🤣
Thanks dude, I'd never tackled anything quite like it before so there was always a chance it could've gone horribly wrong and I would've just made a new neck from scratch. Thankfully that kind of headstock break doesn't happen very often, and I hope I never see another one.
Lovely save of a bass there. I did a similar rescue on a Peavey Patriot bass during the Covid Lockdown. There was not quite as much damage to the neck as a scarf joint break, but now I have a fine USA made bass for bargain money (well UK bargain money anyway). Good to see things being saved from the woodpile! Enjoy your winter break!
I had a Peavey Foundation that was a quality bit of kit, the Superferrite pickups just sang, I kinda regret selling that one before I had a chance to do much with it but I was made an offer I couldn't refuse at the time. Oh well, you win some, you lose some.
Well done Geoff, that was a cracking show and a cracking bass, congrats on finding it and restoring it (my search continues for the 70s red epiphone semi acoustic, which I sold for beer in my nieve youth) Looking forward to more builds 😎 A nice 4 string rick inspired bass please 😁 Enjoy your time off mate 👍 ...but hurry back 😂
Apparently the RU-vid rabbit hole leads to NZ! I’ve recently spent hours watching your past videos. The Chinese 6 string with the half fretboard was particularly entertaining. Please keep finding new projects. New bass addict here
My First Bass Amplifier was a Samick when I was a kid. I like the brass ferrules or inserts in the neck joint. Great job! Thanks for the video and Cheers from Toronto 🍺🇨🇦
I'm not saying I'll never buy another bass but I've averaged one every 6 weeks for the last 3 years and there's honestly nothing else I want. My collection isn't comprehensive by any means, there's no Thunderbird, there's no Stingray, and brands like Ibanez and Yamaha are severely underrepresented, but it was never meant to be 'one of every type of bass' because I'd need an industrial warehouse to store them all. Having said that though, the NZD-JPY exchange rate just keeps getting better and better....
I bet this brought back some memories of starting out, even though it's a 5 string. I still say you should do a restoration of your first bass. Sure, you won't get the finish, but you can get the bass back.
Well, I might be able to get close to the finish, I've got a reasonable idea of how they did it but I need to experiment a bit. I'm thinking gold paint, black dye, and a shower loofah to splodge it about. I might even have a little play with that later tonight if I feel the urge, it wouldn't take long to make a quick mess and see what happens😁
Lost of people have repeatedly asked for that one, I just don't know how to say what needs to be said and keep it under an hour. 1 min describing each bass + 1 min playing each bass X 36 basses... I don't know if my computer can even render a file that large🤣
Noooooo it's the annual Fanblade hibernation period! At least you went out for this season with a bang; great video. Loved seeing a little slice of NZ geography, too. Driving around that lake reminded me very much of some of the scenes heading into the northland of Ontario! For things to ponder during your downtime, have you ever considered widening the scope of your bass builds to include either pre-amp circuits, or even pedals? I realize you aren't (likely) much of a pedal user, but I suspect your know-how would put you in a good place for designing, and executing, some builds. I got the pre-amp idea from whatever the hell that pouch was you found inside the Samick here; that's wild! I'm sure you could drop something much nicer in that bass.
That was no lake, that was the Pacific Ocean😁 My electronics skills are very much on the manufacturing side, not the designing side. I can build damn near anything if I've got the schematic and the parts but I am only tangentially familiar with how various circuits work. ie, I know what a transistor does in theory, but how to implement one in a distortion pedal is beyond my current skills. I know the resistor colour codes, I know all about soldering and heat transference, I have a solid grounding in electrical safety (see what I did there?), I can spot a cold solder joint and fix it, I can safely extract and replace damaged components... but I don't really understand how any of it actually works. That said it's been on my bucket list for some time to build a kitset synthesizer and from what I read lately the prices are going down in proportion to the quality going up, they're just getting better and better, That's definitely a project I would tackle. Cheers
Yeah, didn't really have time to mention it when I was down south, it was a very quick visit as I had a long way to go back😂 If you're ever up my way feel free to drop in for a cuppa and a jam. Your family seemed very nice, tell them I said hi and thanks again.
There was one of these in the same finish on UK eBay a bit ago, way overpriced (seller must've thought fancy finish = expensive) but still looked great.
That might've been the one I thought was at Andertons? There's one for sale in Australia at the moment, supposedly mint condition, asking $800AUD. Probably only worth half that much and I'd have a bit of trouble driving to Brisbane from Christchurch🤣
I will buy basses again in the future, but I'm stopping actively looking for them. I'd be very happy if an Ibanez ATK dropped into my lap for a good price but I'm no longer going out of my way to search. I feel like I've got everything I set out for both in terms of the instruments themselves and the learning about what makes them tick, I feel like I'm moving into the next phase of whatever journey I'm on with bass guitars. Variety is the spice of life, I have that in abundance, now I have to work out what to do with it🤣
@@fanbladeinstruments I feel that, thats my big problem is that anytime I’m bored I’ll be on FB marketplace or eBay having a look 🤣 I’ve found some very cool stuff just by always being on the lookout, but it is a dangerous habit.
Do you record bass first and then come up with something on the drums, or is it the other way around? Also, I wonder about the fan in front of the drums, is it just for cooling off the performer?
My process is to find a riff on bass or some chords on the piano, that'll give me an idea of the groove, tempo, mood etc. Then, with that in my mind I'll track some drums and as I'm playing I'll weave together the structure of the song too. Then I record the original part I came up with, and then it's just a matter of filling in the rest of the arrangement. So drums first. Always drums first. It's almost always the first take too, because I'm inventing the arrangement in real time and I can bend the rest of the parts to fit. I used to write lyrics too, but I gradually became allergic to the sound of my own singing, so now I'm purely an instrumentalist. That was a whole different process because I would write the entire song on piano with the structure and the arrangement worked out in advance. That was a little more effort to get the drums right but still always drums first. I also found it much less satisfying to have a finished song in my head and never quite getting the recording right in the way I'd imagined, It's waaaay more fun to start with a basic idea and flesh it out as you go. For me, now, the writing process and the recording process are folded into one creative act, they are inseparable to me and it always starts with the drums. And yes, the fan is just there because it can get quite hot in the studio during the summer and I haven't gotten around to shifting it yet. 😁
