LukeFRC

Thanks for the advice JPJ - I'll follow that! This week mostly involved learning how to repair the inside of an iPhone... Anyway this morning... drillin holes for inserts in the neck! Daft inserts I got didn't just say "drill a hole this size" but gave a range. I rounded up which was a mistake as they were only just held in by the wood. I got grumpy and didn't take any photos at that point. Running superglue down into the outside of the inserts should keep them in one place I think...?

Can not wait for next batch of photos - oh the anticipation

There's a video here about why Taylor decided to switch the market to stripy ebony - worth a watch - I think I can support them on the move I think it's this one but wife is asleep so can't make noise https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=anCGvfsBoFY

[quote name='FarFromTheTrees' timestamp='1498580256' post='3325674'] We dont, no. But we haven't started gigging yet either. We dont even know if we're going to gig. At the minute we just play music together for the sheer enjoyment of it. The band doesnt even have a name. At the moment though, gigging isn't high on our agenda. [/quote] Make it! It heightens the enjoyment as much as new gear. More actually. [quote name='FarFromTheTrees' timestamp='1498584050' post='3325705'] What sound am I after...well thats a tough question really. Ultimately somewhere between Spector EuroLX/Rebop/Stingray HH/Wal territory. I absolutely love the tonal capabilities of these instruments. A Wal Mk 3 is the ultimate though way out of my price range so thats never going to happen. Stingray HH is quite pricy too but i'm not so much a fan of the styling either. The Rebop/EuroLX I love the tone of both, the NS syle is great and the price isnt out of the ballpark either....so thats why i'm going spector...or at least trying. [/quote] Two thoughts - I know it's not exactly a Spector - but secondhand Warwick go for silly low money and kinda borrowed/stole that NS style. Different eras are different so ask for advice - but more affordable than Spector. Streamer LX or $$ would do you? Also - unless you're loaded enjoy saving up - unless your income depends on it I would advise against any kinda loan or interest free setup. I worked my asre off over a summer as a student to afford my first Precision bass and then played that loads. Later I realised if I sold my starter bass and saved up (minimum wage in a cafe about 10 years back, earning about £8k p.a. in expensive edinburgh) I could just about buy the blue Warwick that Warwickhunt was selling on Basschat.... amazing

[quote name='EBS_freak' timestamp='1498556037' post='3325434'] Save for the custom moulds... it's night and day and you'll wonder how you ever gigged without them. I keep saying it.. but consider your IEMs as a replacement for your cab... less than 500 quid for a cab doesn't seem that unreasonable does it? [/quote] that's how I justified the cost of the IEM in the first place. When you consider that folk will have no problem shelling out £1k for some boutique cab ...

Question for you all... I got a set of UE 900s for christmas - they are amazing. I'm currently using the foam tips, and while not perfect they are pretty good. I currently play at church - My problem is that having a few practice sessions, then a few sets in a meeting... that one ear at least is going in and out a lot. Last weekend I played at a wedding on the sat then morning and evening meetings - by the end of sunday the foam tip had been destroyed. Question: what foam tips would folk recommend. How long should I expect them to last? (and just so I can do my sums, how much does custom moulds and shelling cost?)

[quote name='MemphisStone' timestamp='1498508742' post='3325160'] Also as it sounds like you two know your "onions", this may sound like a totally dumb question, but as this is only my second build I'm hoping I can be excused dumb questions: pickup wise, do I need special pickups or can I just use standard 4-string versions? [/quote] I have no real idea.... but a 'normal' jazz or P pickup uses pairs of pole pieces with the string going between them. Other pups use a bar going all the way across (old style EMG and Bart for example) - I would imagine that would work better!

- also check this out on another thread - http://basschat.co.uk/topic/307872-funkee-video-playing-basses-worth-from-100-to-10000/

It's a thing. There's no real link to either your musicianship, or how far musically the stuff you have now can take you. A new bass will not make you a better player, it will not teach you scales, it will not understand melody better, it will not groove better, it will not make your band better, it will not make the drummer play in time, it will not make you more attractive. It's not really holding you back. Unless you let it. And if you form a band, normally you're playing crappy wee venues, with poor acoutics, and bad sound people, and a guitarist who can't turn down ever - and in the mix the difference between what you have now, and a squier or spector or a fedora are negligible, in that mix. And the drummer still can't play in time. Form a band, play some gigs, put on your own gigs, make your own wee scene, DIY recordings, fun an attitude, practice, practice some more, and some more, play more gigs, suddenly you've got a bit of a buzz going locally about what you're doing. And it's good, and it's fun, and it's enjoyable and you're playing better and making more good music... and well that old Cort is still going strong. Cos apart from internet forums I don't think music is really that much about the instrument.

[quote name='Andyjr1515' timestamp='1498454051' post='3324654'] Very good progress. You are clambering up that learning curve at an impressive rate [/quote] thanks! It's great fun and if I go slow enough I won't cock it up! im at a split now - it's either roundover and sanding time - or bridge/pickups and other cavities Is there a preferred order?

By the way - I've realised that this looks like step by step pictures. just to say [b][i]I don't actually know what I'm doing! [/i][/b]get your tips and guides from people correcting me on this post!

which means that I can hold the body up using the neck alone held in by the pocket*! [size=1]*for short periods of time with my hand under the body to catch it if it did drop.... [/size]

oh and don't worry - If I've planned it right those screws are into the pickup cavities. ... anyway. Ta dah! the black stuff isn't burning, it's the finish of the neck rubbing off.... I would rather have it too tight than too loose...

So the body was cut with the join in the middle of the body as the centre line. A wee laser guide helped me line everything up with that line... so hopefully the neck will go on straight. Depth was worked out as (neck height on E + fret height) - bridge saddle height at lowest setting = 13mm used hipshot spec sheet - the bonus of using a decent bridge rather than an a eBay cheapy. So after I've cut the pocket I'll test the neck fit.... it's tight!

I think they call this hogging out. I'm going to borrow a better drill for the neck bolts cos I'm not impressed with how stable this SDS chuck is - to be fair it's not really designed for this. I borrowed this drill holding press contraption. There is a guide trimmed to the shape of the body that means I can position it accurately for routing other bits out. My cut template is the thing nail onto the top of it.

and back to the old jig... and lots and lots of practice cuts.... I kinda get now what AndyJr1515 means when you sit and think about things and how to make it work.... I've not done this in the most sensible way.... but if the end result works then hey ho! After routing 6 test pieces without making a bigger guide I also decided I didn't need a bigger guide! (which was a good thing cos the bit of wood I was going to cut a bigger guide with I cut wrong in order to make a guide to get the pocket line up straight...

So I went to make a template for when my router bit turned up... and actually couldn't get the radii on the corner as close as my offset template... so canceled the router bit order...

have a back up plan where you don't use the wireless and just plug straight in.

beautiful

[quote name='LukeFRC' timestamp='1498309893' post='3323789'] so how to make the bottom bit? take the template off... sand a bit. Put it back on, rout, test, and so on... Ahaha! that's pretty good [/quote] it's pretty good... but the radius isn't quite perfect is it? when the hell did I become such a perfectionist? I guess I may also have similar radius problems with the pickup routs. So router bit ordered off eBay. For future reference best search term to use is "template router bit" and look for UK companies - I got mine for £4 off a company in Halifax

Very tight (probably too tight) fit. I later used a chisel to chip out (roughly) the space for the truss wheel thing. I think that given I've got a template that works with my current tools I may use it* to cut the pocket. *obviously I'll be copying it onto a different bit of wood that can be accurately positioned.

And the neck fits!

so how to make the bottom bit? take the template off... sand a bit. Put it back on, rout, test, and so on... Ahaha! that's pretty good

Then I read Jabba's post and decided to to it the proper way. Except Mrs FRC had the laptop so I couldn't order any router bits. So I went into the outhouse again.... I was so close so lets try again. Using the previous template as a starting place i got a bit of MDF nailed on straight edges for the bottom bearing bit i've got. This time I used the radius of the router bit for the corners and went across square at the end. Once I had routed the straight edges of the template out of the MDF it gets nailed onto a bit of scrap pine skirting boards and tested. As this was me just mucking about before I bought a new router bit I used a bit of scrap I had already used.... You can see my first attempt at a template on the same bit of MDF