Jabba_the_gut

Cheers Andy. Look forward to catching up on Sunday!

Really like these; nice and compact. And I do believe this is the one i bought off you a while back!

Last few (quite a few...) jobs to do to finish this off for the bash this weekend. First up, cavity shielding. Normally I use copper foil but I decide to try conductive paint this time. I've checked that everything fit so first step is to mount the battery tray so I can ensure there is no interference with the jack socket or the pots. Next up, I've drilled the holes for the controls (very carefully at this stage. This definitely was a case of measure, measure and measure again - really would not like an error at this stage!!. As per the previous one, I'm installing an East piezo preamp with a volume control and a tone control. Then all the components have been wired and a quick test done to make sure the power is getting to the preamp only when the jack is inserted and that there is some noise when the piezo element is tapped.

Busy, busy, busy getting things finished for Sunday......

Excellent - you will enjoy it! Cheers

It’s been a great bash the last couple of years so you should enjoy it! See you there. Cheers Jez

Just the finish, electrics and set-up to do......

Drilled the holes for the control cover magnets. and fitted the magnets

I've been having a bit of a rearrange of how I'm fitting all the gubbins in the cavity. I want to change it from what I've done previously as I'm using magnets to hold the control cover on this time. I need to ensure everything is well clear of the cover so it stays on and doesn't get lost!! I've made a copper tray to hold the battery securely - having said that the magnets are pretty strong. I've also marked the holes for the brass inserts. These will be drilled and an M3 insert fitted.

That is stunning! A beautiful colour combination. You must be very pleased with finish on this. Cheers Jez

Cheers! Will have this bass finished this week. Couldn’t resist a little play whilst I had the preamp temporarily connected - the bass (not my playing..) sounded really nice! I’ve only really been making basses as a hobby; there are a couple of people who have basses I’ve built but these weren’t made specifically for them. I am going to start looking at commissions as I’m running out of room at home for things I’ve made!! Cheers again

Really nice build- great looking bass!

Blooming heck (or words to that effect) - that is stunning!!

Cheers for the comments @honza992. I am quite fussy with lines and try to line things up (I think my wife would describe it as more obsessive!!). I am pleased with this one; took a bit of patience when glueing and a lot of sanding but turned out well. Jez

Looking very nice! Can’t wait to see this one put together. Cheers Jez

I’ll be bringing along a few own built basses if you want a chat about home building basses. I’ll have two semi hollow basses and a couple of solid bodied ones as well. One semi hollow bass will be medium scale, the other will be short scale and of interest to @Frank Blank...I’m determined to have it finished for then!!

Thanks @Crusoe glad you like them! I’m pleased how they have turned out so far. Cheers Jez

Time to determine the bridge position before drill fixing holes. Firstly I drilled a hole for the piezo cable at the scale length (800mm). I have a few mm play back and forth to set the intonation as the cable hole can be oversized. Once this is drilled and the cable threaded through, the strings can be fitted, the piezo connected to a tuner. The harmonics can then be checked at the 12th fret and 24th fret and the bridge adjusted accordingly. The string anchors are fully installed or levelled yet - they are a tight fit and don't want to come out once pushed into place!

Nice!!

If you want a few screws, I'll drop them in the post to you. For magnets eBay is the usual source for example: https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Neodymium-Magnets-Rare-Earth-Disk-Ring-Super-Strong-Craft-Various-Strengths/351416155240?ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT&var=620505753357&_trksid=p2057872.m2749.l2649

I have restrung the first bass with the bottom 4 strings of a 5 string set to be able to tune it to normal EADG bass tuning. I did originally have a set of old strings on there from a four string set and had it tuned to EADG too. It worked quite well and the string tension was fine and not floppy at all but I found the adjustments to tune it could be very small hence trying the 5 string set at the same tuning, which d seem better in that regard. I can see how the strings on that Bee Bas Bay-Bee would be okay at standard tuning having tried something similar at a very similar scale! I will try some other four string sets on it at some point to see how gauges affect it or even strings designed for short scale basses. I'll post the results when I do it.

@honza992 summed it up better than I did!!

Cheers! I think it is just like @Grangursaid, that time is needed in the preparation to get a good starting point. I do like Morrells sprays, they seem to give a fine, uniform spray and don't 'splutter' in my (very limited) experience. I'm very inexperienced when it comes to spraying things - I do have a small compressor and cheapish spray gun that I have used when applying water based lacquer on a few builds. I've had reasonable results but It's something I would like to spend more time practising - I'm really impressed by professional sprayers and the finishes they get. You could build the nicest bass from the best woods but a poor finish will make it look poor. I guess it also helps to have plenty of room, a booth and decent equipment but this is something out of reach for most of us and probably the reason we often opt for wipe on finishes like oils!! What sort of set-up are you thinking of or trying?

C'mon Cuzzie, is it done yet?!!😉