Author Topic: Bass Guitar Question... (Read 3225 times)

Sailor Charon · « **on:** February 23, 2007, 05:24:49 PM »

Now, I'm a fan of Macross 7, and I've got a question about Mylene's bass guitar...
Ok, it's not very practical - the body shape being like a big ? (single open quote if that character hasn't come out, or if you prefer, like a 6 with the middle filled in) means that while it's got 20 frets, you can't really get to those above the 16th.
It's got 3 pickups - the bridge pickup being bigger - can't tell whether we're talking HSS configuration or not.
It seems to have two (concentric!) tuners at the bridge and two at the headstock - which since they have quite long levers attached can really get in the way.
The bridge is covered, and there are two round things - can't get a good view of them which may, or may not be pots.
The fretboard - based on a 1/8 kit - is 22 1/2 inches long to the nut, and it's 28 inches from nut to bridge - roughly. Oh, and it seems to be a bolt on neck, bolted on to the top bar of the 6 as well as the main body.

Okay, I hear you ask, what's the question?
Well, in 18 months - 2 years, I'll have received my new guitar, and I figured that I might like to get a bass guitar about a year after that. Hence the description of Mylene's bass...
Question: I know it's not practical, but is it even possible to build one? (Not me building it, someone who knows what they're doing :) )

metal_god · « **Reply #1 on:** February 23, 2007, 05:58:58 PM »

its possible to build anything....

FELINEGUITARS · « **Reply #2 on:** February 23, 2007, 07:08:07 PM »

I've not heard of them
Also looking on music sites there is no mention of them
What genre are they ?

Am I missing something?

This isn't like a second life "fictional band " type thing is it??
A video game ?

Sailor Charon · « **Reply #3 on:** February 23, 2007, 07:51:31 PM »

Quote from: FELINEGUITARS

I've not heard of them
Also looking on music sites there is no mention of them
What genre are they ?

Am I missing something?

Well, yes, and no.

Macross 7 is a Japanese TV series (anime), and in it there's a band called Fire Bomber. They're best described as J-Rock, and there are a number of (real life) albums by them (well, you know what I mean.)

So yes, we are talking about a fictional band, but one that has released a number of (in my opinion, good) albums. [Let's Fire, Second Fire, Acoustic Fire... Do you sense a kind of pattern here?]

It's the fictional part that makes me wonder whether or not such a bass could be made (without cheating, that is, and having the real tuners somewhere else... :))

noodleplugerine · « **Reply #4 on:** February 23, 2007, 08:00:56 PM »

Sailor Charon · « **Reply #5 on:** February 23, 2007, 08:42:36 PM »

Quote from: noodleplugerine

?

Yes indeed, that's the band. That's Basara (guitar, vocals. John Lennon wannabe :) )
Mylene's bass looks like this... (In case my description was... lacking)

Philly Q · « **Reply #6 on:** February 23, 2007, 09:01:19 PM »

Is this the one? How did you figure out the scale measurements etc?

Sailor Charon · « **Reply #7 on:** February 23, 2007, 09:59:07 PM »

Quote from: Philly Q

Is this the one? How did you figure out the scale measurements etc?

Yes, it is. As to the measurements...
Well... I made a 1/8 scale garage kit of Mylene (with bass) way back when. (I bought it at an anime convention in America) and I took the measurements from that.
The question of scale length is a tricky one, and is a bit of a rough approximation, because, obviously (:)) the frets aren't exactly accurate - they seem to get slightly further apart in the middle (!) and closer together at both ends (though not so much towards the headstock.) although they do behave, more or less as they should apart from that. Plus, as the bridge is covered, you can't take any measurements from that. So I used twice the distance from the nut to the 12th fret. EDIT: And I've just remembered that by that measurement the scale length is 30 inches, and so the bridge must be further back than I thought.

Philly Q · « **Reply #8 on:** February 23, 2007, 10:15:27 PM »

Quote from: Sailor Charon

EDIT: And I've just remembered that by that measurement the scale length is 30 inches, and so the bridge must be further back than I thought.

Glad you mentioned that, I think you'd have problems with a 28" scale length. All the short-scale basses I'm aware of - Fender Music Master, Mustang, Bronco, Gibson EBO, Daisy Rocks - have at least 30" scales. Anything less than that, you're in baritone guitar territory. And it'd be murder finding strings to fit.

metal_god · « **Reply #9 on:** February 24, 2007, 12:22:47 AM »

but to answer the question you asked yes that could easily be made, not very practical and no axcess to the higher frets but yeah and the tuners could be put in a whole load of positions....

Sailor Charon · « **Reply #10 on:** February 24, 2007, 10:59:23 AM »

Thanks folks. You've helped me out a fair bit. Well, you've helped me with my decision anyway... :)
[My original measurement, nut to bridge was to the edge of the cover, which is why when I checked what scale length was, I came back and measured it again...]