Andyjr1515

Looks good from here, @AndyTravis A drunk Ebay visit can sometimes lead to good things

Yes - as @Doctor J says, start with popping the treble strings under the string tree to get the correct break angle of the strings over the nut, and then check the neck relief. That is, checking that there is a tangible gap under the 7th or 8th fret when you hold down the string at the 1st and (I would personally pick the 15th) last frets simultaneously, but that the gap is no more than a mm. This check should be done under full string tension. Once you know that the neck relief is OK then, as @Doctor J says, you can forget about the truss rod for the rest of the setup. Next, adjust the action with the saddle set screws to your preferred action height. If you run out of adjustment, then the neck may need a shim to slightly change the neck angle - if this is the case, let us know and we can take you through how to do that. But if there is enough saddle height adjustment, then great. Lastly, once the action height is set, you can then adjust the intonation as @Doctor J describes.

I have been reminded, having foolishly let a tea bag sit in a slightly damp cup too long for this morning's 2nd cup of tea, that I have used tea as a stain in the past. While you wouldn't want to use it as your primary stain, it can be great to darken a natural finish - and adds a teeny touch of amber too...

The Hipshot Licensed Ultralite machine heads are significantly cheaper than the US made equivalent and are on Hipshots own website - so they are a genuinely approved model. I've never had any issues with them and those are what I would fit on my own basses nowadays. Check whether you need 1/2" or 3/8" and also be aware that, as far as I remember, they are not reversible, so make sure you order the right way round, especially if it's a 5-stringer.

One thing not to forget is to solder an earth wire to the chamber shielding. You can also/alternatively add a little copper foil tab from the control chamber towards one of the plate fixing screws so that the top plate and chamber are mutually earthed and form an all-round cage.

Looks fantastic. Inspiring!

Lovely job. I like that a lot

Sounds like success to me Never worry about make-do-and-mend if you are able to get the results.

And there's nothing wrong with that - in the same way that some players prefer a zero fret to be a smidge higher than the other frets. But, from a physics point of view, it is not actually necessary. On these things I always find it helpful to think 'what if I extended the scale from the nut end and added a -1 fret position?' In that event, my playing finger one fret up from the nut - ie, at the 0 fret position - will be holding the string down to the board...exactly as it is at the 1st fret and beyond. The nut groove flush with the board is doing the same thing. But, actually, there is a sound practical reason for opting for cutting the nut/spacer a smidge higher - and that is that the one thing that is VERY bad news is if there is a groove left at the edge of the fretboard from an over-enthusiastic 'one last sweep of the nut file!'.

This. A bridge specifically and carefully designed so as not to work.

Yes - as the others say, the bottom of each slot should be level with the fretboard.

Yes you are right that the MM pickup itself is passive. I wouldn't say muddy, but on its own it has a surprisingly low output, which may or may not give you issues. Also, 'that' sound associated with the Stingray is very much to do with the preamp and so the sound will be very different. John East does do a splendid preamp that is 'tuned' to the Stingray/Sterling sound if you wanted to head towards the adventurous...

Sounds very exciting...and I bet it does too

And @Andyjr1515 was supposed to be there heckling, too!!! Very sorry to have missed it, @Len_derby - as I flagged up to Daz, I was losing control of the day from fairly early on (yes - no change there!) Next time!!

Yup - looks good

It's just nature's way of making room for the rest of the animal kingdom

I love watching your design process, @rwillett Inspiring!

First tips, that I'm sure you already know, is face mask and gloves! I think I would use a cocktail/kebab stick pushed in to give it the support and prevent the crushing - it helps the cutting too. Personally, I use a fine-tooth X-acto razor saw but the dremel cutting disc also works (but don't forget that mask and, for this, I would wear glasses/goggles too).

Splendid, Rob - a well-deserved Gold star & Smiley Face Oh and welcome to the club...clearly your journey towards total madness creative fulfillment will be continuing...

It looks absolutely splendid, by the way....

You shouldn't need to raise or lower the neck for this - the most effective way is by changing the neck angle a teeny bit, as @BigRedX suggested above (and quoted below) If your action is too low, you put the business-card-thickness shim at the headstock end of the neck pocket; if your action is too high, you put the shim at the bridge end of the neck pocket. This teeny angle makes a much greater difference to the action height than actually raising or lowering the height of the neck.

You don't need to do anything as drastic as that. Just use a single-edged razor blade or a Stanley knife blade as a scraper: - Use it two-handed for best control (my right hand was taking the picture! ) - scrape the surface up from fret to fret moving progressively from one side to the other, repeating until you are happy with it - use medium pressure first to scrape any finish off and then, if necessary, the wood below to scrape out any ingrained dirt, dips and dints Generally, the dots,whether synthetic or natural, will be cooperative to this treatment so just carry on as though they weren't there: And, honestly, you can't overdo it. You would be having to do it for hours non-stop before affecting any of the fret security or strength When it's all done, vacuum all the dust away and then add whatever your preferred finish is (I use either decent quality lemon oil or tru-oil just wiped on and buffed off) Except for maple fret-boarded Fenders, where they fully gloss the fretboard, I do this ROUTINELY when I am doing a full setup on basses and guitars -. It makes the fretboard look new and it only takes me about 15 minutes for the full fretboard. But, of course, don't rush it on your first go!

Just picked this thread up. Splendid project - I just love old basses. Ref the fretboard finish - are you OK with that now? If it still bugs you then I have a suggested way of making it look like new with minimal risk and cost. But it looks OK in the photos