SpondonBassed

Is that regarded as being more or less PC than dwarf tossing?

The forecast for tomorrow is that it's going to get seriously curvy with breakouts for pick-ups and controls. Be prepared for drifts of shavings accumulating in sheltered areas of the workspace.

What I really like is the way that you don't leave the witness marks made by the forstner bit. Is it really Len's b'day or were you referring to the long awaited pick-ups arriving?

12 clamps? Amateur. As has been said before... you can never have too many clamps. Heeheehee. In seriousness though, 12 is a good place to start because you won't know if they are suitable for the purpose until you start using them in anger, as it were. Once the job is underway you might decide that more are needed but of different sizes to the dozen you already have. Never, ever, buy a whole toolkit brand new unless you want it as an ornament. Start with what you know you need right now and as you do more jobs add the right tools incrementally. That way you won't be troubled by lots of clutter with stuff you aren't going to use.

I think you've answered the question already by saying they won't be the last. In my humble opinion; you have merely started building up a natural patina. Much better than making it look like a relic. If you like playing it, it will eventually become one anyway. Great photos. In daylight I can see how well the striking colour and the neck ornamentation work together. Don't leave us hanging though. It ain't done 'till it makes your trousers flap.

I found that interesting too. Back in the day there might have been fewer DIY enthusiasts willing to risk damaging an expensive instrument though. If the work is done by a craftsman, it's not really a problem. Drilling out worn thread and plugging with dowel wood and adhesive appropriate to the neck will restore the parent wood so that a new and correctly sized hole can be bored and re-cut for the screw thread. As an aside; the question of whether screw or bolt is the appropriate term is an unnecessary distraction since you can have machine screws that have bolt like characteristics and bolts that have screw characteristics (such as a tapered thread). As long as it is the correct fastener for the application at hand, you can call it a doofer for all I care. As an engineer, it pleases me to see thread inserts used on modern builds. It might leave a sense of distaste in woodworkers who see woodwork and metalwork as being mutually exclusive but it is a solid engineering principle. I wouldn't criticise anyone for retrofitting thread inserts to a vintage neck and bolting it down if they aren't bothered about originality but they still want to be able to do frequent truss rod adjustments.

Black. (I don't like Chrome plate) I was sorry to see the volute disappear. On reflection, it might have been a bit ambitious for your first neck through so I forgive you. Heeheehee.

Follow-up. We spoke with Mr Chown on Skype yesterday for the podcast. I asked about the Wah pedal and he hadn't any plans for one. So as not to take the wind out of his sails, all I will say is that he has a small range of pedals in mind with a surprise extra as complement to that range.

Hmmm. So you'd be okay with, say, an aircraft fitter using Araldite with a bolt instead of owning up to stripping a thread? It's a good bodge at best. Enjoy your next flight.

Good call. Check the one on the left. Ali Kat Guitars

I have every confidence in your ability to refine the shape. I mean, you've got past that earlier mishap so Murphy (the old sod) has applied his law to you already. He's got no need to pay you another visit.

I can almost feel you buzzing from here. Good news!

*Gob-smacked*

If it's the bit where your thumb is wanting to go and if I'm seeing it right in your photos it looks like you could afford to thin down the body a bit more where the neck blends into to body. I'm loving the shape that is emerging.

Alusonic?

I want an orange Fender bass with Donald Trump's crazy signature on it. How many letters are there in "Donald Trump"? I'm sure that siggy contains about twenty! Sorry for trolling but signature basses don't do it for me. I mean, it's like you plan to never make a name for yourself or something if you buy into someone else's mojo. Just my feeling on it though. Some of them are lovely to look at and might well have mods to make it worth considering.

Many thanks. Did you get that from the technical section? I almost went cross eyed when I dipped into wiring schemes the last time.

Sorry. I didn't mean to make light of your injuries. Rabies shots?

It's a feature tuner!

They were a cracking little band though. Such pointy hairstyles, no wonder you bled.

If this is to be believed, yes. "The neck joins the body via a paddle-like heel extension which slots into a rectangular cut-out in the body, stopping just short of the bridge pickup. Although originally designed to be glued in, the snug neck/body join is also secured by a single bolt visible on the back of the guitar. This bolt also acts an anchor for the truss-rod end which the Mays bent into shape on the kitchen cooker."

Not if you consider the hammer that Billy subjects his instrument to. More fasteners of a smaller diameter will compress the neck/body interface much the same except that the load is more evenly distributed. I don't know why he wants it like that but I'd guess it is for durability. It's a case of the right horse for the right job. The way we tend to see electric bass played these days is a bit different to how it was back then.

That's phlippin well phenominal! Congrats.

If the neck pocket and neck root are a close fit, it should not be a problem. If they are not, you might need more fasteners. The neck plate helps spread the load imparted by the three bolts. At the thread end of the bolts however you might find that a couple of neck removal/installation jobs leave the female threads weakened. If the job has been done with care that wouldn't normally be a problem either. I'm with you though. It never inspires me with confidence to see cars with three studs per wheel even with the knowledge that it's perfectly good engineering.

Then I have no doubt that it is better than mine. To be fair to Ibanez I don't think my woolly bottom end is that bad. I run a fifteen and an eighteen inch speaker at relatively low volume (neighbour friendly level) so that could be behind a lot of what I am hearing. I'd like it tighter but I'd have to see some financial return from my playing before investing that sort of cash into my hobby playing. It's not likely to go that way but it's good to have the knowledge already if it ever does.