Andyjr1515

Great addition to a very nice build

Excellent news on all counts @funkle. They both look great I look forward to the videos. Andy

Assuming that the neck isn't twisted (and if it is, it is maybe that in its past it has been adjusted wrongly) then yes - 'tweak evenly'. As always, small adjustments at a time

I also find it helps to go 'two twists forward, one twist back' to ensure that the threads in the screw are cutting clean threads in the wood. This is also a pretty essential technique with small wood screws, like those used on tuners, to avoid the nausea-inducing head shear (which usually happens on the last one you try to put in )

What...who...where... ...and why is everyone in my bedroom????? I do most of my finer carving with a simple set of card scrapers. Pretty much all of the neck carve with these and quite a bit of the body carve. There are various sets but you need at least one rectangular one (2-3 in different sizes is ideal) and a goose neck one: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Irwin-Marples-M2450-Cabinet-Scraper/dp/B0000DD4NQ/ref=sr_1_6?keywords=card+scrapers&qid=1672263585&sr=8-6 https://www.amazon.co.uk/Proops-Cabinet-Carbon-Scraper-Postage/dp/B00AIN9Z8C/ref=sr_1_15?keywords=card+scrapers&qid=1672263585&sr=8-15 They generally come with the essential burr already on (they act like mini planes) and that would last long enough for a build so you can avoid the black art of reapplying the burr. ....zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

I like that. I was a bit dubious at first at leaving the burn marks rather than sanding right down to clean wood...but it works

Excellent work, Richard. Nice bass too, Mick

Yes - as above. Basically flat but, because a backbow 'hump' is problematic, then a teeny bit of relief is confirmation that it doesn't have that issue. It's actually the same for a fretted neck. Also I have the bottom of my nut slot grooves flush with the fretboard so that the bottoms of the strings are just touching the edge of the fretboard.

Have you considered Nova Guitar Parts? @Andre_Passini in Brazil is a member here. They are superb products with a proper ball-race to minimise turning resistance - essential with headless systems. Drop him a line - they are very reasonably priced, huge range of options and very quick and easy shipment from Brazil. I used them on @Jus Lukin's headless project: And yes - don't use Overlord of Music unless you buy two and use the second one to make one good one out of the two

I've found Switchcraft the most reliable - but the whole design of barrel jacks is a compromise and so they are all potentially unreliable. Every Ibanez I've ever owned or worked on has had to have the barrel jack replaced - and many after a very short life - which was a surprise to me as, in most other aspects, I rate Ibanez very highly. And even Yamaha (thought by many the Toyota of the guitar world) - same.

Lovely job

Been in Aberdeen the last few days with only an old Android Tablet with me - really no good for listening to bass on! After an 'interesting' hike back yesterday, I've been able to listen to this through a decent speaker. It sounds GREAT! Nice playing too (but don't tell @ped - it'll only go to his head )

I use heavy duty end pincers - at least 8" and even 10" to give plenty of leverage.

Looks great!

I'm delighted. The moment I plugged it in, even on my rubbish home system, I knew it was going to be 'rather special'

Looks great!

Yes Haven't you noticed the sawdust when you come in from work?

And...it's done! What's more, it sounds wonderful Here it is before it gets back into @ped's clutches tomorrow:

Today's time taken was sorting out the neck pickup chamber. Mainly: - shielding - pickup ring fixing where, underneath for three of the holes there was a void The original chambers were a combination of partial shielding plates and conductive paint. Where I have exposed new timber, I added copper foil, soldering across to the existing plates and checking that all three elements had full grounding continuity. The latter was a case of cutting and fitting shaped timber sections that would glue to the sides of the original chamber for the pickup ring screws to screw into: And double checking with the pickup that there weren't any obstructions, ready for adding the height foams and fixing screws: And that will be one of the jobs for tomorrow along with, hopefully, wiring it up.

Yes, I was thinking along the same lines that it needs some sort of tight grommet or similar - but a clipped off cable tie would be perfect. Consider your excellent idea stolen, @tauzero

I like that cutaway/bevel on the headstock very much

Trouble is, the fine wires are at the very end of the plate and the cable shielding is too stiff to double back in an S - it would probably do more harm than good. Now it's in, then it's probably OK. Maybe just something for the feedback to Gemini. Everything else is super - the look of them; the presentation (wrapped in purple felt!); the quality of the fixing screws. I look forward to seeing what they sound like.

Don't you think those cutaways add a certain 'je ne sais quoi' ? A bit like cooling vents on a Maserati

The good news is that I've got to the 'make a list of the final jobs' stage. The bad news is that I've only ticked off half of one of them in a morning's work. But that's better than going backwards I've tidied up the bridge pickup chamber, copper-foil shielded and earthed it, fitted it and modded the trial pickup ring to as thin as the chamber allows. Here's the shielded chamber, ready for sorting the fixing holes. I confess I am a little nervous of the un-supported outlet cable coming from the Gemini pickup. It's a heavy cable and those three teeny coil attachment wires are pretty fragile. It's a pity that there isn't any sort of cable secure - I would have thought a simple lacing through a couple of drilled holes in the base plate would have been possible. Still, it seems OK - I just won't take it out again! Also here is the slimmed down trial guard for @ped to see what he thinks. The final version - whatever shape @ped decides on - will have two small pickguard screws holding it in place, one either side of the pickup.

Fully adjustable