CRAZY NEW BUILD: Fender MONGOOSE... CBS' GREATEST MISSES!
Posted: Thu Aug 26, 2010 2:13 am
Recently I stopped into my local shithouse pawn shop... and had an epiphany (or maybe it was an aneurysm) about a new build.
First a little PBS stuff:
History tells us that in 1968, CBS/Fender gave foreman BABE SIMONI an edict: develop new saleable product from esoteric/obsolete parts. In particular, he was to use up a storeroom full of Electric XII parts, short-scale student necks, and BASS V bodies. We all know the results:
But it's doubtful that these very the very first ideas he had. At least a few other prototypes must've been made; only to either walk out the back door with employees, or (more likely) be bandsawed and dumpstered.
I really dig the concept of replicating something that COULD HAVE come out of this f'd up CBS period. So with that in mind, I started thinking "what if they used THIS neck design":
With THIS failed product body:
It would be kind of like CBS' GREATEST MISSES (as opposed to FENDER'S GREATEST HITS).
What gave me the idea was finding one of THESE necks (similar to en Electric XII, but slightly shorter and with a strange butt shape):
at the pawn shop- CHEAP (I actually swapped my old wedding band for it- good riddance).
I figured we could maybe just plug the top 6 tuner holes (or whichever make sense).
The long-ass headstock would help balance the long-ass body. A Mustang Bass pickup looks JUST LIKE the Electric XII pickup, and would go well in the neck position. Add a Jaguar pickup in the bridge position, if only to ensure a good usable tone (who knows what a bass pickup is gonna sound like on a guitar). A Toronado bridge resembles the Electric XII bridge, so add one of these as well.
Oh, and of course add the huge chrome pieces from the original bass too (or approximations thereof).
Sound sick enough for y'all?
I call it the METAPHOR-V-6 (Meta 4,5,6...) Andrew (who will actually be concocting this evil beast) calls is THE WONKYMASTER!
Corksniffing traditional vintage buffs FEAR!!!
Feel tree to take over from here, Andrew...
First a little PBS stuff:
History tells us that in 1968, CBS/Fender gave foreman BABE SIMONI an edict: develop new saleable product from esoteric/obsolete parts. In particular, he was to use up a storeroom full of Electric XII parts, short-scale student necks, and BASS V bodies. We all know the results:
But it's doubtful that these very the very first ideas he had. At least a few other prototypes must've been made; only to either walk out the back door with employees, or (more likely) be bandsawed and dumpstered.
I really dig the concept of replicating something that COULD HAVE come out of this f'd up CBS period. So with that in mind, I started thinking "what if they used THIS neck design":
With THIS failed product body:
It would be kind of like CBS' GREATEST MISSES (as opposed to FENDER'S GREATEST HITS).
What gave me the idea was finding one of THESE necks (similar to en Electric XII, but slightly shorter and with a strange butt shape):
at the pawn shop- CHEAP (I actually swapped my old wedding band for it- good riddance).
I figured we could maybe just plug the top 6 tuner holes (or whichever make sense).
The long-ass headstock would help balance the long-ass body. A Mustang Bass pickup looks JUST LIKE the Electric XII pickup, and would go well in the neck position. Add a Jaguar pickup in the bridge position, if only to ensure a good usable tone (who knows what a bass pickup is gonna sound like on a guitar). A Toronado bridge resembles the Electric XII bridge, so add one of these as well.
Oh, and of course add the huge chrome pieces from the original bass too (or approximations thereof).
Sound sick enough for y'all?
I call it the METAPHOR-V-6 (Meta 4,5,6...) Andrew (who will actually be concocting this evil beast) calls is THE WONKYMASTER!
Corksniffing traditional vintage buffs FEAR!!!
Feel tree to take over from here, Andrew...
It played a big part in this build concept too.
