Manton Customs

Looks great, congratulations to Andy and hope Chris has many happy hours rocking it .

PM sent

Matching chrome would be difficult, as it would need to be chrome plated after being cut. An easy though not so perfect solution would be Aluminium. If you went this route you could easily do it yourself as suggested with files to shape and epoxy to mount the plate

I cant imagine you're going to find a bridge that high, shimming the neck is the best option if its a bolt on. Or raising the bridge with a plate as suggested earlier...what finish does the current bridge have?

Just a thought, is it possible that this was once a completed build which has just had its fingerboard removed? That's about the only way I can see a bass getting to this stage without having a fingerboard! If this was the case, it wouldn't be too expensive or difficult to glue the fingerboard and fret it. What kind of budget have you set aside for it?

I see you're in Lancashire, if Stoke on Trent isn't too far from you I could take a look at it as I'm at Stoke fairly often.

[quote name='Roland Rock' timestamp='1400020673' post='2450055']
I really liked playing this bass. It was very easy to play, and it has a really authoritative voice, very clear and punchy.
Thanks for coming to the Bass Bash :-)
[/quote]

Really glad you liked it. It was my pleasure coming to the bash, we had an excellent day and look forward to future events. Thank you for helping to organise it.


[quote name='Thunderbird' timestamp='1400048232' post='2450117']
Fantastic bass you clearly have a ton of talent to make some thing so nice
[/quote]

Thank you! Very much appreciated .

Thank you, really glad you like the bass . It was great to meet you and learn a bit about loopers....something that I have done nothing with before. I very much enjoyed having a go on it and wish you great success with it!

Thanks Chris, it was very nice to meet you both, hope to see you at the next bash which we will definitely be coming to! Next bass build shouldn't be too far away, but I have got a guitar to complete first...hope it goes quick though, as being a bass player I much prefer building basses!

Hope the wait for the Westone isn't too painful and your rocking it soon!

A big thank you from us as well, we had a great day and couldn't believe how the time flew! We'll definitely be coming again .

[quote name='Manton Customs' timestamp='1399286337' post='2442696']
Great, thank you! Anyone coming by train and want to split a taxi from the station ?
[/quote]

Change of plan, I'm not coming by train anymore, so would like to bring an amp if that's ok? It's an Ashdown EB 180 combo.

Thank you . I will be taking it to the Bass Bash on Saturday so anyone that's coming to that can see it in person and have a go!

Here is my offering! I recently finished this bass, it was my first 32" scale that I have built and also I believe its the first I have played. It turns out I really like the medium scale, everything just feels a bit more comfortable.

[URL=http://s1067.photobucket.com/user/Manton-Customs/media/MantonCustomsSiriusBass1-1.jpg.html][IMG]http://i1067.photobucket.com/albums/u425/Manton-Customs/MantonCustomsSiriusBass1-1.jpg[/IMG][/URL]

[URL=http://s1067.photobucket.com/user/Manton-Customs/media/MantonCustomsSiriusBass11-1.jpg.html][IMG]http://i1067.photobucket.com/albums/u425/Manton-Customs/MantonCustomsSiriusBass11-1.jpg[/IMG][/URL]

[URL=http://s1067.photobucket.com/user/Manton-Customs/media/MantonCustomsSiriusBass2.jpg.html][IMG]http://i1067.photobucket.com/albums/u425/Manton-Customs/MantonCustomsSiriusBass2.jpg[/IMG][/URL]

I don't know off the top of my head which pots MM use, but you can pick up a set of calipers cheaply and measure the shaft. Having said that I suspect they would be fine as 6 mm is very common, though don't take my word for it!

Great, thank you! Anyone coming by train and want to split a taxi from the station ?

Room for one more ? I would like to come and bring my latest build for you all to have a go on. I would prefer to bring more basses but seeing as I would be coming by train I unfortunately can't bring any more, or even an amp so hoping someone can help me out by letting me share their amp! Here is a picture of said bass plus a link to it in the build diaries.

[url="http://basschat.co.uk/topic/229856-manton-customs-cherry-and-maple-sirius-4-string-32-scale-bass-build/"]http://basschat.co.u...ale-bass-build/[/url]

[url="http://s1067.photobucket.com/user/Manton-Customs/media/MantonCustomsSiriusBass1-1.jpg.html"][/url]

[color=#141414][font=verdana, geneva, lucida,]
And a few more! [/font][/color]
[color=#141414][font=verdana, geneva, lucida,]
[URL=http://s1067.photobucket.com/user/Manton-Customs/media/MantonCustomsSiriusBass7-1.jpg.html][IMG]http://i1067.photobucket.com/albums/u425/Manton-Customs/MantonCustomsSiriusBass7-1.jpg[/IMG][/URL][/font][/color]
[color=#141414][font=verdana, geneva, lucida,]
[URL=http://s1067.photobucket.com/user/Manton-Customs/media/MantonCustomsSiriusBass8.jpg.html][IMG]http://i1067.photobucket.com/albums/u425/Manton-Customs/MantonCustomsSiriusBass8.jpg[/IMG][/URL][/font][/color]
[color=#141414][font=verdana, geneva, lucida,]
[URL=http://s1067.photobucket.com/user/Manton-Customs/media/MantonCustomsSiriusBass18-1.jpg.html][IMG]http://i1067.photobucket.com/albums/u425/Manton-Customs/MantonCustomsSiriusBass18-1.jpg[/IMG][/URL][/font][/color]
[color=#141414][font=verdana, geneva, lucida,]
That's it now...honest [/font][/color]

Thank you very much, really appreciate it!

[color=#141414][font=verdana, geneva, lucida,]Ok, here we go with the finished shots! The final few jobs were assembling the bass, shielding the cavities and wiring it up. Also making the cavity cover and truss rod cover...there wasn't a lot to picture but you can see them completed on the bass below. Not being a fan of plastic I made the truss rod cover out of Cherry (dyed black for a nice contrast) and the cavity lid from English Maple (also dyed).[/font][/color]


[color=#141414][font=verdana, geneva, lucida,]Seeing as the bass has a natural vibe to it I tried to find some places that reflect this for the pictures, I hope I got it right .[/font][/color]

[color=#141414][font=verdana, geneva, lucida,][url="http://s1067.photobucket.com/user/Manton-Customs/media/MantonCustomsSiriusBass2.jpg.html"][/url][/font][/color]

[color=#141414][font=verdana, geneva, lucida,]Note the Maple cavity lid![/font][/color]

[color=#141414][font=verdana, geneva, lucida,][url="http://s1067.photobucket.com/user/Manton-Customs/media/MantonCustomsSiriusBass5.jpg.html"][/url][/font][/color]

[color=#141414][font=verdana, geneva, lucida,][url="http://s1067.photobucket.com/user/Manton-Customs/media/MantonCustomsSiriusBass3.jpg.html"][/url][/font][/color]

[color=#141414][font=verdana, geneva, lucida,][url="http://s1067.photobucket.com/user/Manton-Customs/media/MantonCustomsSiriusBass1-1.jpg.html"][/url][/font][/color]

[color=#141414][font=verdana, geneva, lucida,][url="http://s1067.photobucket.com/user/Manton-Customs/media/MantonCustomsSiriusBass11-1.jpg.html"][/url][/font][/color]


[color=#141414][font=verdana, geneva, lucida,][url="http://s1067.photobucket.com/user/Manton-Customs/media/MantonCustomsSiriusBass10.jpg.html"][/url][/font][/color]

[color=#141414][font=verdana, geneva, lucida,]Cherry truss rod cover[/font][/color]

[color=#141414][font=verdana, geneva, lucida,][url="http://s1067.photobucket.com/user/Manton-Customs/media/MantonCustomsSiriusBass12.jpg.html"][/url][/font][/color]

[color=#141414][font=verdana, geneva, lucida,]Thank you to all who have commented on and followed this build, I'll be back soon with more builds![/font][/color]

[quote name='White Cloud' timestamp='1399132808' post='2441396']
Wow...great work. I love the drying cupboard idea too!

Congrats.
[/quote]

Thank you. Yes, the cupboard can be quite useful!

Thanks, its all finished now and I'm just waiting for some decent weather to take the pictures.

Yep, Howiebass is correct, it isn't going to affect the tension. You could make the ballend go half a mile back behind the bridge and its not going to increase tension across the two fixed points (saddle and nut). It would seem the reason they made the Yamaha bridge like that is to allow for more room for intonation as the B can be hungry for room sometimes!

I can't say I have ever experienced this when working with Walnut. Have you tried wiping with White Spirit (Naphtha) or Turpentine? Both are better solvents than Meths should there be any kind of binder holding the dust in. Wipe along the grain and not across otherwise you will be rubbing it into the grain which in effect will fill the grain. Even if this doesn't work and you cant shift it, it's not going to be an issue as its a fairly common procedure to fill your grain with a slurry made from the sanding dust and finish. The dust will absorb the finish and darken making it all blend nicely.

Grain filling might be something you may want to look into for a Walnut body, it can look particularly stunning with a black grain filler.

Best to try some Tru oil on Maple first and see if you like it as it will darken the neck to a similar level as Linseed, because it is Linseed based. Tung oil or a Tung based wiping varnish is a good bet as the darkening will be minimal.

Wax can be used to increase gloss, offer a slight bit of extra protection and improve feel. Liberon Black Bison and Briwax are both good brands. Just avoid any wax containing Silicon.

[quote name='rk7' timestamp='1397802853' post='2427483']
Subscribed!

It's official, I'm a Build Diary junkie. Fantastic work.

RK
[/quote]

Ha! I'll try and get you your next fix on this thread soon

Thank you .

[color=#141414][font=verdana, geneva, lucida,]
Bit of a gap in the updates due to having a few weeks off with flu and some other work taking priority. But we are off again!

Just some small jobs to finish off before we move onto finishing. Here's a picture of the first one, which was installing the side dots.[/font][/color]
[color=#141414][font=verdana, geneva, lucida,]
[URL=http://s1067.photobucket.com/user/Manton-Customs/media/dots-1.jpg.html][IMG]http://i1067.photobucket.com/albums/u425/Manton-Customs/dots-1.jpg[/IMG][/URL][/font][/color]
[color=#141414][font=verdana, geneva, lucida,]
The next job was to rout the cavity for the lid, this was done after the majority of the sanding has taken place to ensure an accurate depth for the lid.[/font][/color]
[color=#141414][font=verdana, geneva, lucida,]
[URL=http://s1067.photobucket.com/user/Manton-Customs/media/b2c75dbc-cca8-48e6-bb95-a2fe1831d8a9.jpg.html][IMG]http://i1067.photobucket.com/albums/u425/Manton-Customs/b2c75dbc-cca8-48e6-bb95-a2fe1831d8a9.jpg[/IMG][/URL][/font][/color]
[color=#141414][font=verdana, geneva, lucida,]
After plenty of sanding its time to apply finish. Here is the neck in my drying cupboard which I built a few years back. It's basically a pine cabinet with a small shelf near the bottom, under the shelf is a 100w light bulb to provide heat to aid with drying.[/font][/color]
[color=#141414][font=verdana, geneva, lucida,]
[URL=http://s1067.photobucket.com/user/Manton-Customs/media/drying.jpg.html][IMG]http://i1067.photobucket.com/albums/u425/Manton-Customs/drying.jpg[/IMG][/URL][/font][/color]
[color=#141414][font=verdana, geneva, lucida,]
Here is the rear of the body after finishing and ready to be assembled. As you can see I'm going for a satin finish as opposed to a full on gloss. This is in keeping with the general natural feel of the bass and the neck will feel like playing on natural wood.[/font][/color]
[color=#141414][font=verdana, geneva, lucida,]
[URL=http://s1067.photobucket.com/user/Manton-Customs/media/back-1.jpg.html][IMG]http://i1067.photobucket.com/albums/u425/Manton-Customs/back-1.jpg[/IMG][/URL][/font][/color]
[color=#141414][font=verdana, geneva, lucida,]
Here's a shot of the front. So we are onto assembly next![/font][/color]
[color=#141414][font=verdana, geneva, lucida,]
[URL=http://s1067.photobucket.com/user/Manton-Customs/media/front-1.jpg.html][IMG]http://i1067.photobucket.com/albums/u425/Manton-Customs/front-1.jpg[/IMG][/URL][/font][/color]
[color=#141414][font=verdana, geneva, lucida,]
Thanks for looking.[/font][/color]