Jabba_the_gut

I know that feeling. I want a fret scale template for my fret jig. 30", 34" 35" easy enough but no, I want one that is 800mm. Not 32" (812mm) that would be difficult enough but 800mm...….!!

Cheers Andy! TMAWBASHA is such a catchy name, just rolls off the tongue!! I think the membership will cost me many pounds...... I'll get my coat.

Just out of interest, I have weighed the walnut/maple body which is weighing in about 1.2kg/ 2lb 11oz. With the neck blank and fretboard (neither shaped) the weigh is about 2.5kg / 5lb 8oz. It should end up about this weight when the tuners, electrics etc are added and the neck wood removed.

Looking forward to this one - that tele bass did look superb. For having no hum on pickups I always like EMGs but they aren’t to everyone’s taste. cheers

I've done a bit more work on these bodies. I created enough space in my crowded garage to temporarily set-up my new router table and I fitted it with a cutter for rounding the edges of the bass bodies. One of my next project will be to clear all the cr*p I seem to have accumulated in the garage that 'might be useful one day' but has done nothing but gather the considerable amount of dust I create!! I really need to clear the space and make myself a half reasonable working space where I don't need to keep stacking things on top of each other each time I finish a task.... Anyway, the router table seems pretty decent - this is only a simple test for it but it is so much more robust than my previous home made effort. I rounded the edges and I'm pleased with how they look so far. The tops on each body are different thicknesses so the veneer lines are in different places but I think both look fine. The edges now need sanding and belly/arm carves need making which will be the next job.

No worries. Glad it might be of some use!!

I kind of guessed you’d have a copy!!

As you like Gibson basses, the 'Gibson Bass Book - An Illustrated Tribute' by Rob Van Den Broek is an interesting book full of excellent photos if you don't have it already.

Hi Christine, Looking forward to seeing this build thread progress. I've always liked the Thunderbird shape but I've never actually tried one. I keep thinking of building myself one with a pair of EMG's pickups but there's always too many other things to do - I'll make do watching this for now! Do you mind me asking where you source your wood for bass projects? Cheers Jez

Interesting build this one. I like the offset rosette - nice touch!

Cheers Andy. It's my first proper router table and I've started to see how else it can be used - such as for joining to halves of a top (as per your post the other day). This one has a couple of rods that can go into the aluminium extrusion to act as a shim to make 1/16" or 1/32" difference between the two halves of the fence for jointing. As you say, not the cheapest thing but looks like it should make life a bit easier and give some good results. Just need to get the garage cleared so I can use it now (I bought it 4 weeks ago and its still in the dining room)!!

I was down in Surrey the last couple of nights at 'Weyfest'. Brother Strut were one of the bands playing - Paul Turner's not bad is he?...….Damn talented man!! Also, Willie and the Bandits are mighty fine and their bass player is another talented bloke. Anyway, I've also routed round the bodies to tidy up the edges and make them the same size as the templates prior to starting to cut the neck pocket, neck bushings, cavity covers and string retainers. I've made templates for the position of the drill holes etc. so this has been pretty quick to do this time (making accurate templates can take quite a bit of time though). The maple body has some really nice flame to it I'm going to use black hardware on these as I think it looks nice matching the ebony but also the contrast with the spalted beech and walnut I'm going to make the cavity covers next then round the edges of both bodies. I got a new router table a few weeks (as my old router failed and my other router doesn't fit - I also wanted something sturdier than before due to a near mishap with the router being perfectly vertical...) which has been drilled to accept my Triton router but is currently sitting unused in the dining room whilst I clear space in the garage!! Not sure how much longer Mrs_the_gut will tolerate it - especially with the toolbox in the utility room.... Waiting to be used: Waiting to be moved:

I've been quite busy in the last month or so. Started a new job, been on holiday for a couple of weeks and been having to keep the two small inhabitants of the house occupied during the school holidays. I have got a few tasks completed on these two builds though. Firstly I decided to make the bridges. As usual, I stated off by making some templates. The template I made for the original semi-hollow build was okay for the bridge outline but the piezo will be a different size so a new template for the slot needed to be made. Small pieces like these bridges can be a bit trickier with a router and need to be well clamped to prevent them being ripped to bits and thrown across the room when the router is angry.... Firstly, the ebony for the bridges was cut roughly to size and the mounting holes drilled. These holes will also be used to hold these still whilst they are being routed. The bridge blank was then clamped under the template and a surround made to support the router whilst cutting to size and rounding the edges. The edges were then trimmed to make the blank the size of the template. I then cut a slot the size of the piezo into some more mdf to use as the slot template. The bridge was then mounted behind the slot template and the slot was cut. The blank was then put back on the original template and the edges were rounded. A bit of filing to slope the long edge a bit and some sanding and that's the bridges made.

Bought a pre-amp off Massi. Great communications, pre-amp was exactly as described, really well packaged and posted quickly too - couldn't ask for more! Many thanks!

Really nice project - looks superb.

I like the quality of their parts but delivery can be quite long (8 weeks last time). Cheers

ETS do a straight bar but a more modern design. http://www.ets-hardware.com/mk_3.php

Hi Mike, I do like the sound of your set-up - think the bass sounds really good through your SWR. Cheers for posting this! All the best Jez

Interesting project - let me know if there is anything I can do to help. Cheers

Lace do a thin pickup only 5/16" thick apparently - http://www.lacemusic.com/USAB.php

I have a home made router table but the router that went in it terminally failed and it flexed slightly so I wanted something more solid and to suit my other router. As you say, not cheap but should be worth it (I haven’t assembled mine yet as I’m on holiday!!). And should reduce the mess...

I know what you mean. I just bought a Kreg router table and fence for the same reasons. On my build thread for the short scale things there is one of the necks that had a small chunk out of it due to the router.

Take a look at the different string manufacturers websites as they explain the length of their strings and often give the measurement from ballend to silk. Heres Rotosound as an example http://www.rotosound.com/jazz-bass-77/ http://www.rotosound.com/bass-string-scale-length-guide/

I bought a pair of humbuckers for my B2A from Kent Armstrong and they came with surrounds drilled 2 on one side and 1 on the other. Might be worth a call.

Really liking this thread! There's always things to learn and seeing different approaches taken to solving problems. I'm still jealous of your workshop!! Cheers Jez