kevin_lindsay

The final parts have been ordered: Neck (which will require fettling by myself. String retainer, nut blank, bridge plate, period correct wax / paper capacitor. I'v also bought a set of "through body" LaBella 1954 Jamerson strings for some old school "thump". The tuning heads arrived today - I bought a set of Gotoh "Resolite" ones to minimise headstock dive. One thing I really like about them compared to the usual vintage style tuners (aside from the 40% weight saving aspect) is the way that the underside of the facing plate is made to sit flush with the headstock with no alteration to the headstock. The usual Fender style heads have protruding retainer lugs on the underside. This means you have to create divots on the headstock to accommodate these bumps. The Gotoh units are a straightforward fit - ideal!

They're expensive- $49.50 USA including delivery. However, Evan declares a tiny value on the delivery envelope, so you don't get any import duty or VAT at this side of the Atlantic.

There' no need to cut slots in the saddles. String pressure from the break angle keeps the str ings in place - they won't move anywhere once the bass is tuned to pitch.

Here' how the Webbteca slanted saddles look - ideal!

I decided that I'd craze the finish on the body - to give a lightly aged look, but still keep it looking shiny for now. (The bass will get any knocks and wear from gigging and playing over the coming years). Anyhow, when I've cracked the lacquer in the past, it's been on guitar bodies - which I've just stuck in my freezer overnight. The size of a bass body doesn't fit into the compartments of my home freezer, so I had to think of another method of crazing the lacquer. By chance, I'd met a plumber who was talking about freeing stuck pipe connections. He said, "when that happens, you just spray one part with Crack It spray. That instantly freezes the part and breaks the stuck connection". It turns out that this plumbers aerosol reduces the surface to minus 45 degrees. I got a can myself from a local Toolstation. All you have to do is get the lacquer warm, then simply spray the aerosol on the surface. You can sometimes hear the lacquer crack. Anyhow, the end result is a nice crazed lacquer. As the plumbers spray has an oil in it, you need to clean the surface afterwards using a rubbing compound (I used Mer Car Polish). I've heard that some folk use aerosols of compressed air to reduce the temp. I might try that on my next build? Here are some pics of some of the crazing (after crazing the lacquer, I wiped the body surface with water based Dark Oak stain to emulate years old grime in the cracks).

Yay! The angled saddles arrived from Webbteca. They look great.

Taking your time is good as it allows you to think, "what do I really need this instrument to do?". That's the best way- rather than rushing into things due to the initial excitement of a nrw build. Keep us updated as to the progress mate.

I've only ever used Craigslist to buying stuff when I'm over in New York. The key to any potential purchase is get a phone number and speak to the seller. Ask for further details (and pics if needed). If it feels "off", leave it. If it feels okay, then go for it - while being astute. Saying that, fortunately I've had good experiences so far.

Looking forward to seeing this beauty take shape mate!

Ooh!!! That looks amazing!!!

Oh, the joy of international orderng of parts!!! I bought a Glendale milled jack cup as I really like those solid inserts on the early Telecasters and P-Basses. So, I paid my $29.99 but no delivery charge was added. Apparently you have to manually add it to your order. So, I was then stuck with another $25 delivery!!! (That' their flat fee for international orders regardless of size). Then, the friendly Royal Mail sent me a nice card asking for a further £13.32 for VAT (including an £8 admin fee!!) Aaagh!!! Oh well, at least it's now here. I've also starting giving the body a slightly aged look - a few small chips and checking to the lacquer.

The humbucker Tele basses are cool. I gave an old original 70s Tele bass pickup to Pino Palladino years ago and he had it fitted to his vintage Fender in the bridge position for added punch as he found the single pickup was a bit too muddy in the mix when playing live.

Evan from Webbteca in Ohio, USA is making me a pair of slanted saddles so I can intonate the bass up at "The dusty end" while maintaining the traditional 2 saddle look. They'e being turned from aircraft grade aluminium. Nice touch. They'll look like these brass ones, but in a silvery hue.

Aaagh!!!!!! Guess I'll have to make it a relic?? I dropped the body and it hit off the edge of my coffee table! Actually, it'll be masked by the large scratchplate. Still annoying though!!!

Incidentally, the pics of the body blank are pics of my actual body. I lightly scraped the surface of the neck pocket with a single edged razor blade to achieve an unbranded look. The Guitar Build logo was stamped using ink.

Thanks guys. The slightly discoloured pickguard is actually an old nitrocellulose one that I had in my box of bass bits. The nitrocellulose lacquer on my bass is tracing paper thin, so the body will age nicely, to catch up with the pickguard. Ive got an unused Seymour Duncan Antiquity single coil pickup to use in the build. Ive also got Fender True Vintage 1958 knobs (not domed like the early 50s ones, but not completely flat topped and ridged like early 60s ones. Rather, they have a more smoothly blended transition from the top to the knurled sides)

I grabbed a body from Guitarbuild and the build has started. As per my other builds, the nitrocellulose lacquer has been sprayed at home (with me holding the body out of my kitchen window while applying the various coats!!). I applied the colour in the same way Fender did in the early days. : First step - lots of fine sanding!!! Step 2 - lightly bleach the alter body. Fender didn' do this on their ash bodies at the time as they took colour very easily. Alder naturally goes an orangey shade when you apply clear coats of lacquer- the bleaching process was to provide a lighter base colour. Step 3 - wipe on yellow stain to the bare wood body (and lightly sand again). Step 4 - clear sealer coats of lacquer Step 5 - tobacco brown burst and edges applied. Step 6 - apply clear top coats. Then, everything was left for 3 weeks to allow the lacquer to thin out and sink into the grain of the wood. Then, ideas time to finely send the surface using wet & dry paper. I started with 800 gtadevto lightly scuff the surface. Then, on to 1200 grade. I then followed up with 1500, then 2000, finishing with 2500 grade. The body was then buffed to a shine using Met auto polish (great stuff- leaves no residue on the surface). The rear ferrule holes were then cleaned, and the large diameter inserts installed. Next step will be getting a neck made and lacquered - I'll do that after the Christmas madness has passed.

Inknow that this one has only been released just over a week ago, but I have to say that I think it' a great collection songs. Plus, Adam's bass playing is great on it. U2 - Songs Of Experience

My favourite studio clip of Adam was the one where he was playing an all black Warwick Buzzard bass. Larry (the drummer) saw it and said, "Wow! Batman bass"!!!

He' a great bass player. It takes great ears (and great confidence) to play with so much space. Plus, he has the chips to play really busily if he wants to - after all, he first started out in the jazz rock outfit Last Exit. Anyhow, here' a live clip of a wonderful performance of "Wrapped Around Your Finger" during the Police's reunion your. Absolutely gorgeous.

Hot Chocolate - "Every One's A Winner". Fabulous. The gritty bass sounds fantastic.