1960s Silvertone (Kay-made) Archtop Electric Rubber-Bridge Bass Conversion

Above: the normal demo for the bass

Above: Todd and I jamming with this and a '64 SG Junior

I've been putting-together a lot of rubber-bridge "mini tenor bass" mods for various folks who have piled-onto that fad but my own heart lies with simply converting funky old guitars to rubber-bridge basses. Check out this Silvertone flattop I did recently, for example.

This is the second archtop rubber-bridge bass I've made so far and I like it a lot. It might be my favorite version of "the plan" thus far but that's not surprising because it has all of the features that I myself would choose -- a simple lipstick pickup, simple volume/tone wiring harness (with a lightweight tone cap so it doesn't get muddy with it rolled-off), bass tuners at the headstock, and an adjustable bridge. It's got a strap button installed at the heel and because it's on the simple side and has a sturdy build, I think that makes it a perfect choice as a gigging bass if you're looking for light and bouncy and fun.

It's also, of course, a perfect studio aid because it has that damped, "rubber bridge" sound. If you roll the tone off it goes straight to bouncy thump like an old Hofner, too, but doesn't remove so much high-end that the tone is just woofy. With the tone all the way up you get an upright-like attack and hollowbody mwah even if the overall sound is still quite '60s electric in nature. Let's also not forget that because it's basically a "pocket bass" with a guitar-style scale, all sorts of interesting noodling can be done because the position-stretches are so short. The root-fifth-root power chord shape is stupidly-accessible which means you can fingerpick it in chordal patterns and get some cool marimba-like effects easy-peasy.

Repairs included: a neck reset, fret level/dress, headstock mod, pickup install and wiring harness install, tailpiece mod, bridge mod, side dots install, cleaning, and setup.

Weight: 5 lbs 3 oz

Scale length: 25 3/4"

Nut width: 1 5/8"

Neck shape: medium D

Board radius: 10"

Body width: 15 1/2"

Body depth: 3 3/4" plus arching

Body wood: ply birch or similar

Bridge: adjustable (rosewood base, rubber topper)

Fretboard: ebonized maple or similar

Neck wood: poplar

Pickups: 1x modern Alnico lipstick Strat-size single coil

Action height at 12th fret: 3/32" bass 1/16" treble (fast, spot-on)
String gauges: 95w-35w extra lights (can go heavier, no problem)

Truss rod: non-adjustable

Neck relief: straight

Fret style: medium-lower

Condition notes: obviously, I've modified it and it has non-original tuners, pickup, tailpiece, and bridge. I've filled the headstock holes and given it old Teisco/Japanese bass tuners -- they're not great tuners but they get the job done and won't break the windings on flatwound strings the same way guitar-style tuners would. The pickguard is original and the nut is, too, though I've modified the nut to serve its new bass role. Side dots are added. There's minor wear and tear throughout the finish but overall it's in fairly good shape for its age.

It comes with: sorry, no case.