JPJ

That finish is just gorgeous! Have you considered 35" scale though? I find it makes a difference on a five string with Jazz pickups

[quote name='henry norton' post='1337400' date='Aug 12 2011, 11:15 AM']The software is already there to make these things work, as well as some fairly good plans for DIY'ers to make their own CNC routers. The real difficulty IMO is interpreting the sweeping, compound curves of a guitar into a CAD drawing without it coming out looking like a childs toy or a GCSE project. I've always been particularly impressed with people who can draw a realistic carved top on CAD, as well as getting the shape and form just right.[/quote] There are companies that can take a prototype and 'scan' this into your chosen CNC language, thus removing the 'drawing' stage. A sort of modern day equivilent of the old duplicating lathes/mills etc.

[quote name='bleedproof' post='1336434' date='Aug 11 2011, 02:08 PM']However jigs do wear out and I know this to be a big problem at times.[/quote] True, but I suppose that depends on how many times the jig is used? [quote name='bleedproof' post='1336434' date='Aug 11 2011, 02:08 PM']I hope this doesn't sound like a soap box rant I appreciate all input and will give my honest opinion throughout the process. Stu[/quote] Not at all, and given the skill and amount of time that can go into developing the CNC programme to cut those lovely curves means that for me, CNC doesnt detract from the 'artisan' aspect. As you probably know, one of my basses is an Overwater. What makes it different from my Fender and Musicman is the quality of the finish, and by that I mean how the bass feels not how it looks. If companies had to use hand routers and jigs to build every bass then the cost would be astronomical. For example, the body of my current project took two days to machine allowing for building the jigs/templates and actually machining the wood whereas the one in your video took 8 minutes! If, for comparison, we say it took me a day to make my jigs/templates and Hayden a day to programme the CNC, he's still around 8 hours of production time better off than me. Great thread, and I'm really looking forward to watching this one develop.

[quote name='henry norton' post='1336420' date='Aug 11 2011, 01:57 PM']All the original Fenders were made using jigs and pin routers. The main advantage of CNC is that you can be doing something else whilst the machine is doing the not so interesting bits. I'd have a CNC like that one if I had the space, but if I had a platen that size I'd be doing 4 bodies at a time![/quote] "Not so interesting bits"? For me the wood butchery part is the most interesting, whereas the hours and hours in the company of sandpaper is the bit that I find boring

Very nice and its good to see something original to boot. Top horn reminds me of the Washburn Taurus bass. Congrats, hope you have many happy years together

[quote name='bleedproof' post='1335300' date='Aug 10 2011, 05:06 PM']Demo of Haydn's CNC cutting guitar body - new videos coming soon [/quote] Ok, I really shouldnt have watched that, now I've got serious gas for a three-axis CNC machine In truth though, given that you can achieve results just as good with a hand router and good templates/jigs, I can only imagine that this is a worthwhile investment if your: a) going to make a lot of guitars or basses; or have another use in mind (fine furniture etc).

[quote name='bleedproof' post='1335034' date='Aug 10 2011, 02:11 PM']Adding to his knowledge and skill with guitars, Haydn is also a talented and resourceful engineer; [b]having built his own CNC machine[/b]. This is where the project begins![/quote] Ooh, fascinating! Looking forward to more photos and the video. Nice piece of swamp ash btw.

Just a thought, but how much time do you spend playing up at the dusty end? Is it really necessary to contour the body? And If so, is it not better to contour the back of the body, where your palm goes, rather than the front?

I've been running two SWR Goliath 4x10's for the last couple of years and just putting up with the fact that at 89lbs, they were a pain in the back to move around. For me, the sound quality made the weight worth it. Then I had a couple of speakers blow in the older of the two and replaced all four with Deltalites and wow what a difference. In this day and age, a 4x10 doesnt have to be massively heavy. In fact, I remember a certain Mr Warwickhunt carrying his Tech Sound Systems 6x10 in one hand!

Ooh very nice

[quote name='Andyjr1515' post='1320237' date='Jul 29 2011, 11:28 AM']Yeah - that was a bit of a surprise when I took off the pickguard . The bridge routing is fine. I might alternatively pop a trim on (a la Gibson humbuckers)[/quote] There's always the chrome trim that Yamaha used on the BB series basses.

[quote name='Andyjr1515' post='1319912' date='Jul 29 2011, 12:00 AM']Hi JPJ Fantastic! I'm really pleased & looking forward to seeing your pics Any[/quote] Thanks Andy, I've added a few iPhone photos to my build thread. I'll get some better quality ones up at the weekend.

So the veneer arrived As I'm trying to achieve a very organic feel to this bass with no sharp edges, I'd already rounded over the edges of the top which left me with a few dilemmas when it came to applying the veneer. If I veneered up to the face side of the radius on the body edge, how could I be sure to get a clean glue line so that the top stain would penetrate properly, or could I 'bend' the veneer over the body edge radius so that the glue line was on the edge of the bass where the finish will be solid black lacquer? For my first attempt I tried the 'flat on the front' approach which was an unmitigated disaster. Having glued the veneer down and allowed it to dry, I started sanding out the edge. Unfortunately, I had'nt clamped the veneer preferring to rely on masking tape, and the result was as I sanded I kept hitting unglued 'voids' which then chipped and teared as I sanded. So as has been the tradition with this project, I sanded off the entire veneer (yes, I do now have a right arm like a Russian shot putter ) Having failed with the first attempt, I reapplied a new piece of veneer to half of the bass using: a) lots of glue; and lots of clamping force, and bending the veneer over the edge of the body. The result was immediately better. Following Andyjr1515 advice, I then trimmed the openings before adding the second piece of veneer here shown with some of the clamps/tape in place. Once the glue had fully cured and having then trimmed off the excess veneer, I ended up with this. The veneer wrapped over the edge with very little encouragement other than the moisture from the glue. I did apply glue to both the veneer and the body but being a fully fledged wood butcher I couldn't bring myself to allow this to go off before mating the surfaces as Andy does and besides, I don't think Mrs JPJ would appreciate her iron dissappearing down to the workshop (shed) I'm now sanding the edges (one of [url="http://www.axminster.co.uk/flap-wheels-prod834123/"]these[/url] in the drill press makes this an easy task) ready for grain filling and lacquering. I have had one or two smallish glue voids but having learned from previous mistakes, I've been carefully repairing these as they arise. Hopefully, this weekend will see the first of the final 'final' finishes going on

WITHOUT! BTW inspired by your work, I'm 3/4 of the way through veneering the top of my current project. I'll get some photos up at the weekend but in the meantime, thanks for the inspiration

Simply WOW Mr Wilson's work really is first class

That was the original plan when I built this But I realised that I didn't really need a humbucker at the bridge position as I had enough wiring and switching options with a single coil

Thanks for the advice guys, reading this and the other Promethean thread it seems that its the way to go for my needs. As to another North East bash, I say "Hell Yeah"

I love my PJB Bassbuddy preamp for recording/rehearsing and have recently purchased a Stagg EUB to explore DB. I'm now looking for a small form combo for home use and occassional house rehearsal with a guitarist, to use with both the Stagg and my electric basses (five strings low . I'm drawn to the PJB stuff and need opinions on both the 100w Cub and the similarly powered Briefcase. The Cub looks an amazing bargain given that it has two channels. Does anybody have experience of these combos that they'd be willing to share before a I go and spend a whole load of cash on one of these? Cheers

I've just purchased some 0.7mm quilt maple veneer from [url="http://www.rosebudveneer.com"]www.rosebudveneer.com [/url]in Kentucky USA. Excellent quality product (no voids or splits) great figure (better than the ebay pictures!) and delivered in 6 days.

Bartolini's same to suit the fretless better than any others imho

[quote name='Crazykiwi' post='1291436' date='Jul 3 2011, 08:49 PM']I can't imagine how to get radiussed inside corners with a chisel. I'm planning something similar and will go down the router route.[/quote] Simply drill the corners with the right size drill bit before you remove the rest of the wood. I prefer the router approach and have two, one 1/2" for heavy duty cutting (like the shape of the body) and one 1/4" for detail work (pup routes, neck pockets etc). The router is no more dangerous than a chisel if you use it correctly. Yes it can kick or 'run' if you cut in the wrong direction or cut too deep. Rule of thumb is never try to cut deeper than the width of the cutter in one pass, but I prefer to half that for better more predicable results.