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Posts posted by Andyjr1515
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11 hours ago, TrevorR said:
Will be interesting to see if it does get resurrected. I must confess that every time it’s surfaced I have winced but wondered what I would do if I was any good with woodworking tools (which I absolutely am not). I’d be tempted to cut off the sides leaving a wide central rectangular core with the neck and pickup cavities. Then get some wings of a contrasting wood added - either something pale like a figured sycamore or dark like wenge or cocobolo. Make a kinda thru-neck plus wings kinda look.
Wonder if anyone will eventually manage to make something of it.
On 06/04/2025 at 00:20, Andyjr1515 said:I’m afraid I’m all phoenixed out 😀
Yes - I'm definitely phoenixed out nowadays for doing this sort of stuff (spirit willing, hands not) but the fantastic and innovative ideas folks come up with with modding still fascinates me.
And I know how I would tackle the back wing if I was doing it. I would probably need to draw a sketch, but basically I would recreate the general shape and visual effect of the two beauties that @RonC pasted above by:
- routing the top rear bout from the back of the body, halving the thickness.
- shaping the existing edge to the shape of the transition I wanted.
- cutting a piece of contrasting wood and route a mirror step so that it would slot in at back that I'd removed and shape that to the 'correct' shape of the rear bout
- I would add a sliver of contrasting light maple for the witness line
- Glue it in
- Carve the bout to the correct profile
No idea at the moment what I would do to correct the 'SG' spikes of the front cutaways...
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3 hours ago, Paul S said:
I did it the other way around ie had a MM Sterling into which I had @Andyjr1515 graft a P pickup. Had to have the P bits reversed a la Yamaha to fit into the sweet spot as I recall. Very nice it was too.
Yes - it came out well...and sounded great!
It was your 5er Sterling with the Aguilar P added. Very enjoyable project and satisfying result
:
If you are tempted, @fretmeister, I would say 'Go For It!'
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It sounds to me like insufficient neck relief. Have you checked that you have tangible relief on those strings? Hold down the string on the 1st fret and the 15th and then tap the string at the 6th fret. There should be a small but perceptible gap. If the string’s hard down on the fret, then there is insufficient relief.
With a Rick, there are particular techniques to adjusting them so, if the above is the case and if you aren’t familiar with them, best to report back here before doing anything yourself 🙂
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There's a bit of a challenge involved, @Jimothey
Generally (although @RonC 's intriguing Safran breaks the rule ), the pickups are in the body area and the fretboard...and the strings...sit higher. As such, the distance from the strings to the coils (which is where most of the ooomph of a pickup happens - the poles themselves have a fairly modest impact) can be excessive and affect significantly the strength of the signal.
On @TheGreek 's Psilos Bass that @SpondonBassed refers to, I also was able to break that general rule by making the top of the bass part the fretboard...
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On 03/04/2025 at 20:11, BassApprentice said:
@Andyjr1515 fancy a challenge? The AJR Phoenix?
I’m afraid I’m all phoenixed out 😀
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On 16/03/2025 at 07:05, Dom in Dorset said:
Right- If you Google "can I build a guitar out of oak" you will come across some odd reasons why it apparently won't work " oak is sonically dead" , " it gives off a gas that corrodes metal" , too heavy, too unstable etc
...and yet the very lightest of my 'why do electric guitars and basses have to be soooo heavy' series of builds, a 6 string double humbucker 25" scale electric coming in a 5.25lbs...has an oak back 👍
Watching with interest, @Dom in Dorset
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3 hours ago, W1_Pro said:
Hello Andy,
I hope you are well.
Its weird isn't it? Looks like a sheet of plastic and a fretsaw might be the way forward...
Yes - good, thanks. Hope all good with you and yours too
And yes - looks that way!
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I use this double-sided tape from Axminster Tools. They sell it as what to use to hold wood being hand routed onto the work bench - it's very thin and very strong...
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On 01/02/2025 at 18:14, PaulThePlug said:
Only just caught up with the thread. Yes - the final sealer coat can be a real b****r. Best way of checking if you are down to clean wood is to wipe it with a damp cloth - the clean wood darkens with the moisture and anything with sealer residue in the grain shows up as light patches...and that will show pretty much whatever finish you choose.
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Interesting - to my surprise, I think you are right. Can't find any.
There are 3-hole solid black, there are 1-hole B/W/B three-ply...but even those mostly look a little short at c.4.5mm...but no solid black 1-holes as far as I can see.
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Lovely job, lovely bass!
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2 hours ago, d-basser said:
I used my standard approach which is to run a wire as per the norm and then splay the end out and tape it down with copper tape (making sure it has conductive adhesive). This has 2 benefits, in my mind at least: it holds the wire in place prior to bridge installation, it gives a larger contact point for the bridge ground.
Yes - I use a similar method. I actually solder the wire to the copper tape, then cut an 'arrow head' in the copper to allow me to pull the earth wire and solder joint back into the hole so the bridge only has the copper tape between it and the bass/guitar body.
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Nice work and lovely result
I notice that you had filled the bridge earth hole in one of the shots. Is the bridge earthed?
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Splendid, @Dom in Dorset Looks super good!
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For my personal guitars and basses, there aren't many that I haven't done this to, @Owen. And where practicable, I have always favoured doing it for custom builds too. It usually isn't the actual depth that is the issue to the player (and there be dragons in the spine zone), but instead it is the 'haunches' either side of the neck spine that generally makes the biggest difference. That can make a MASSIVE difference to the feel of the bass or guitar. I have been able to show more than one player that the 'slimmest of the necks that they have ever played' is actually deeper than the rest of their collection.
So when I have ever built a bass or guitar for myself, I carve the neck close to what 'feels right' but then, when it is fully finished, strung up and in tune, I play it, then twist it round like a back to front cello and shave material off the haunches from the heel to the nut, either side of the central spine. Then I play it, then turn it round and shave some more off until it 'feels right'. Finally I re-do the slurry and buff and by the next day of it hardening off, I have a fully playable bass or guitar.
It's clearly a little more involved if it's a varnished neck, but you can do the same with those.
Tone-wise, I've never been aware of any major difference unless the spine itself is reduced - and never do that unless you know exactly how deep the trussrod slot is...
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14 hours ago, AndyTravis said:
@Andyjr1515 did a yamaha neck for me and it was ace.
not sure of his current workload, or current cost. But he was amazing.
Flattery will, of course, generally get you everywhere with @Andyjr1515 , @AndyTravis Many thanks for the endorsement
Sadly, @Beedster, I will have to side-step this one. The old hand-arthritis (the hands are old as well as the arthritis
) is causing issues at the moment and I've had to drop fret and neck work, which tends to need all the bits that hurt the most.
It's worth looking through the 'Basschatters willing/able to help other basschatters' list on the forum - there are some super-talented folksaround here who might be able to help and some might be in your area.
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Here are a few shots of @SpondonBassed's Squier Jag soon after it was finished. Whoever thought that natural, unstained wood could be so stunning! :
This is a thread that covers the basic method I use, whereas - while the above is natural veneer just with clear varnish - this one below features a stained finish to the veneer. Applying the veneer is identical, though:
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18 hours ago, SpondonBassed said:
I've neither asked nor looked for one. Andy did a demo of his methods for veneer refinishing at a bass bash a few years ago and it is something he's posted about before. Dunno 'bout a dedicated thread for it.
I didn't do a thread of actually doing the Squier Jag and actually didn't take progress photos (as I confessed, apparently, in a post in 2011. 2011!!!! That's a mid-teenager's life span ago!!) but I think I can find a thread of the method used if the photo links are still sound. I'll have a look.
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Hmmm...not sure. I think so. I'll have a look in the morning.
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I'm so out of touch, @Dom in Dorset, I'd missed the progress on your thread. I just LOVE that denim finish - everything splendid, the instrument itself, the finish. Oh and that travel guitar from a post ages back...absolutely stunning!
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Great bridge - used it a number of times in the past. Just double check (I think Gotoh have proper dimensioned drawings on their website) that the hole positions match...not to cast doubt on Gotoh as much as my belief that 'there's nothing standard about Fender standard sizes' 😀
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...and a very well deserved winner of No Treble's Bass of the Week!
Beautiful bass, splendid build
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With black stain it should be OK, but always useful to have a backup plan 🙂
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On 16/01/2025 at 09:31, PinkMohawk said:
Quality, reckon I'll treat the body with it too, see how that comes out. Hopefully the uneven body wood colour doesn't cause an issue and make the blacks look uneven.
Also, with a body, you have to be absolutely sure that you are down to bare wood before you start staining. If it is a previously finished one, it can look like you are down to bare wood but there is often residue of clear original sealers, etc. And no stain will cover those areas evenly. But the same can happen with brand new, unfinished, bodies.
The test is to get a damp cloth and wipe it all over. Clean bare wood will soak the moisture in and darken - any residue and the moisture will not soak in and will show up as light patches. If you try to stain this, you will always have a slightly blotchy, uneven colour. Preparing a body for a stained finish is surprisingly hard work!
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If you’re building a walalike and are mad enough
in Bass Guitars
Posted
Oh yes - definitely this...