SpondonBassed

Newtone strings are quite close to me. I had them make a set of five for me in their old premises. Very easy to talk to. http://www.newtonestrings.com/

[quote name='honza992' timestamp='1501962784' post='3348540'] ...([url="http://www.biarnel.com/liuteria/scorcio/seriescorcio.html"]http://www.biarnel.c...riescorcio.html[/url])... [/quote] Eighties? I get that. I am not proud though. Heeheehee That's Italian style right there. Thanks for the pointer, I am going to spend some time over there with the eye candy on that site. If I'm not back in ten minutes send a loan shark to pay for my GAS.

[quote name='honza992' timestamp='1501962784' post='3348540'] Yes, I had seen that thread. Now that is ambition. Headless, Fanned fret, torzal.... It makes me feel slightly seasick just looking at it. One day though, you never know. The headless thing is definitely very close to being next on my list. One of my favourite builders is an Italian luthier called Biarnel ([url="http://www.biarnel.com/liuteria/scorcio/seriescorcio.html"]http://www.biarnel.c...riescorcio.html[/url]) who's based in Pisa close to where my wife is from in Italy. I love his headless series called Scorcio. They have a slight....80s feel to them. Which, having grown up in the 80s I quite like. Now you've got me thinking I've used veneer fret markers with rosewood and it looked great. The same as ebony though one problem is sanding dust getting into the pores of the veneer. I don't have an air compressor so it's hard to get out and you can find the veneer markers look a bit 'dirty' from the dust. It's not bad, and probably the average person wouldn't even notice, but that's the trouble with building....you know where every mistake is. I read once (though now can't find the link) about soaking the veneer markers in shellac first, to fill in all the gaps in the veneer so the ebony sanding dust has got nowhere to go. I may do a bit of experimenting this week - I've got a bottle of Zinsser SealCoat (which as far as I know is 2lb cut shellac) and some veneer so we'll see. Thanks everyone for the welcome. Biscuits all round. [/quote] I have one of these; https://www.maplin.co.uk/p/mini-vacuum-cleaner-lg61r Would that help? (Make mine a ginger nut ta.)

That's looking well aged. You can imagine that it has absorbed the nicotine out of lots of basement gigs.

[quote name='hiram.k.hackenbacker' timestamp='1501885574' post='3348077'] Although I posted the topic, it wasn't to generate any hostility. I'm not suggesting he's always correct, but Dave does make me chuckle. Plus, I've definitely learnt a few things from watching his channel. I'll just leave this picture of my Rickenbacker here which is, in my opinion, something that the company did right. [center][/center] [/quote] That's impressive. I do like that. I'd never want to play it though not because it is a Ricky but because it is a work of art.

[quote name='honza992' timestamp='1501923751' post='3348220'] Yes, of course, a few words of introduction. I'm 47, live in Nottingham, and have the incredible good fortune to have a pretty well equipped workshop in the centre of town, a few yards from Nottingham Trent Uni, if anyone is from round here. I've been building as a hobby for a few years, only for myself, with painfully slow progress. I'm beginning to gain a bit of confidence and competence, but for now I'm really focused on simple builds that will allow me to perfect the basic techniques before moving onwards and upwards. I'm also really focused on the ergonomic aspects of building. I suffered from tendinitis for a while, so perfect balance, scale length and weight are important to me. It always amazes me how poor so many basses are in that respect..... Anyway if anyone is local and wants to pop in and say hello drop me a line. Or if you've got a top you want to put through a drum sander, or want to cut some frets on a radial arm saw or whatever then I'd love to help out. Though I have a pretty expensive taste in biscuits in return...... I hadn't thought about the dremel. I'll dig it out and have a think. My initial plan though was to use maple veneer as I would on a normal fretless fret marker. [/quote] Not so far away as I'd first thought then. I got the notion that you were abroad for some reason. Brain fart probably. If you are into ergonomics then you must have read this; [url="http://basschat.co.uk/topic/303531-navarone45-43multiscale-headless/"]http://basschat.co.u...scale-headless/[/url] A maple fret marker inlay on ebony would be striking. On rosewood it would still be stunning. I understand ebony is not the easiest of materials to work with though. Oh and Welcome to the forum. I know you've been here for a bit but it's good of you to pull up a chair and share your build story with us so to speak.

[quote name='Saved' timestamp='1501935645' post='3348324'] I like to experimenting with unusual things.Some work,some not,some work in their own way. I am not the first one,nor smarter,supet scientist or anything else. I have no problem to answer questions and help people. The difference from 34 to 35 is so tiny,you will never notice it [/quote] Maybe. I'd like to be able to string it with standard strings however. It is intended as a trainer for my fingers so that I can play convincingly enough on an extra long scale fretless one day. I like your style as well as your ambition. Looking forward to seeing some photos of the project.

I started on the body. The neck has had three coats of Danish Oil rubbed on and cut back using extra fine steel wool with 24 hours between each coat. I will do more coats until I stop seeing an improvement each time. That or I'll stop after a week's worth or seven coats. To stop me from chomping at the bit during the finishing of the neck I made my first template for the new Dremel plunge router attachment that TJ and I have bought for the workshop. Next time I'll use quarter inch MDF for the template as this half inch piece was unnecessarily deep. I roughed it out with a jigsaw and finished it with coarse abranet. Instead of a guide bearing or mandrel on the cutter the plunge attachment uses a guide collar protruding from its baseplate and the offset must be calculated for the diameter of the cutter used. This offset is added to the template dimensions so that the desired cut is made when it all comes together. I used a bit of warped MDF and found it helped to follow the curvature of the guitar back when I clamped it up between a backing board and the template. A few gentle trial cuts and I'm away! I'm confident that I can craft the cut into a pleasing recess when the body is finally shaped and smoothed. The flat plastic plate sits well enough into the recess given that the body is not flat. Next job will be to get the control cavity and socket mounting hole tidied up.

Bravo! I like your ambition. I also like that you do extremely long scale bass. I am wanting to go on to a 35inch scale myself. One day I will adapt one from a standard kit. I missed all of your photos because I came to this thread late. PB (PhotoBuggery?) had already attempted superhighway robbery on their users resulting in broken third party links everywhere. Reading your text has been interesting though. I'll keep an eye on this.

Welcome to the forum Honza. Where are you from please? That's a nice little fretless you are going for. The obvious answer to the slot thing is small scale CNC machining. Some firms will contract out for specialist jobs in batches but I don't think this would be cost effective for small production. I'd say you need to build a jig to guide a disc cutter such as a Dremel and attachments. Proxxon also do small scale machine tools. Once cut you might want to finish the ends of the grooves with fine hand tools so that they are squared off and cut to the same depth as the main part of the slot. What are you going to fill the grooves with though? If resin, go for the slower cures. They're stronger and less prone to contraction issues as they cure. They don't generate so much heat as they go off either.

[quote name='Bridgehouse' timestamp='1501838192' post='3347652'] The bodies and necks were sourced from a UK Luthier - but he doesn't advertise widely at all. My contact with him came via another popular UK online forum. I specified the nut width, and other specs - I'm sure 35" scale could be specified too. If you want some details then PM me. The Tele body and neck are also getting built up (as an Esquire) but I didn't think you lot would be as interested in these [/quote] Many thanks. PMd

[quote name='Geek99' timestamp='1501670494' post='3346387'] Hardy Smith ? no- just inside the borders of [s]Mordor[/s] Mansfeld - near the Sir John Cockle - he normally works on acoustics but he made a lovely job of my Stingray - Anthony Dixon [/quote] Cheers. I only asked because a friend owns the Party Shop two doors to the right. I'd had a nosey around HS but he had nowt I liked.

Welcome Fluffytime. I like your screen name. It kinda balances nicely with the image inspired by Black Metal. I will have to look out some good examples of that and educate myself. Lots of folk here will be ready to offer opinions on a wide range of bass related subjects like "Is this bass any good for metal?" or "Does that amp deliver heft?" Even if it isn't bass related you are sure to get opinions on a whole range of worldly subjects. Enjoy.

I'm in great company with my initials then. Cool. With what you've said just now, I'm especially watching for cues as to how I'll do my 35inch neck with side dots lit via fibre from a colour changer LED. Ultimately I'd love it fretless with each fret position lit at the side (but only the side) but I don't think even that would help my intonation at first position. I need to work with a 35 fretted before I see if it is worth committing further to the notion.

[quote name='Bridgehouse' timestamp='1501798346' post='3347492'] Got a pair of bodies and necks on the way (due to be delivered tomorrow!) One is for a friend and the spec is agreed on for it (so it will be a surprise as I go through it ) The other, however, is going to be built up as a gigging bass - relatively low cost etc. So the specs? - Alder PJ body (x2) - Standard P neck, rosewood board, 1.75" nut & 7.5" radius For my gigging bass, I'm going to do a satin amber tint neck, and it will be a relic. The question is, what colour to go for? It's a gigging bass, so preference is bright, cheery, pastel or bling as I'd like it to stick out a bit.... [/quote] I'm so glad you didn't mention the little six stringed elephant in the room. Heeheehee I'm part way into a kit of parts for a tribute build. It's my first but already I am looking towards the next! My motivation is to end up with a five string extra long scale bass that I can afford but that will play well and survive (an imagined) life on the road.. Home build is how I've chosen to achieve my aim. In your research did you notice if Fender supply a 35inch scale neck off the shelf? I tried to use the Fender website but my browser doesn't seem to like it. Am I expecting too much looking for a five string 35inch neck production finished with frets ready to be put on a body of my choice perhaps? For your gigging bass, I always thought that Fender's pastel blue looked eye catching in an understated way. Perhaps that? I am interested to see how the relicing process works for you.

You know... that looks very much like my initials. Could it be that we're both J R?

[quote name='BigRedX' timestamp='1501783129' post='3347374'] Here's a couple of photos of the one I used to own, the space under the black plastic on the back is FULL of electronics. The combination of the optical pickup and piezo works very well, although there is is still a good deal of handling noise from piezo which isn't helped by the amount of chambering in the body, and TBH the space hollowed out for the electronics is actually a lot bigger than the actual upper bout chamber, so even the "solid body" model is still fairly hollow body! Also the optical pickup takes some setting up - firstly you have to align the LED and sensor vertically with the string and then you have electronically balance the signal from each string by adjusting a series of preset pots that can only be accessed by taking that huge back cover off. All in all it's a bit of a faff, and you really ought to do it every time you change the strings, so while the system potentially lends itself to lots of string type experimentation, the reality is that once you've found a set that work for you, those tend to stay on it. I was lucky in that I really like the first replacement set I tried - TI Jazz Flats - and so I never go around to checking out anything else. Having said all that I'd definitely have another one if I could find a tasty looking fretless 5-string. [/quote] Nice one.

[quote name='BigRedX' timestamp='1501760349' post='3347179'] That will be the [url="http://lightwave-systems.com"]Lightwave[/url] system. When it was originally launched it was also available for selected luthiers to build into their instruments. Zon and Sei amongst others offered this option. These day AFAICS it is only available on [url="https://www.willcoxguitars.com"]Willcox Guitars[/url], so the only way to get the system into your own build would be to buy a bass with it fitted and cannibalise the bridge units and electronics from that. The amount of electronics inside a Lightwave/Willcox bass is staggering. I used to own a Sabre A Bass which was mostly hollow - the top half was chambered normally and the bottom half plus a large section under the bridge housed the circuit boards and battery pack. BTW as well as the optical pickup system the Lightwave also incorporates a piezo element in each bridge unit. [/quote] Yes. I was reading that from a link on the Sei webpage. It is an interesting idea because it allows non magnetic strings to be used with an onboard line out to an amp or a desk. Piezo on its own has certain undesirable characteristics that might be favourably complemented by an optical device. It is also said to be a better signal if the guitar is MIDId up. From what you say it would certainly be beyond my current ambitions. Technically though, it tickles me. [i]Also, Mick might have to buy a Willcox Sabre and knobble it for parts if he wants you to make one Andy so I think you're okay for a bit. Hang on... he's standing right behind me isn't he? Oh Hi Mick. Good to see you mate![/i]

I am exhausted just reading that! Things youngsters have to do to afford a mortgage these days. I sometimes forget how good I've got it.

[quote name='lownote12' timestamp='1501679052' post='3346496'] Think you may have quoted the wrong person. But if you're still interested, my great grandad was involved in supplying the army with horses in WW1, and resettling the few that were left atterwards. In 2014 a television station ran archive footage of the horse resettling, my cousin happened to be watching and recognised the old boy from a family portrait. I was able to record the footage and grab a still. I thought he might like a run out 100 years on so he's been my avatar ever since. [/quote] I think that is a cracking story to have for the family table at Christmas reunions down the line. Very fortunate that it happened at all. I am lucky enough to have grown up with my paternal grandfather in the house when I was little. I have a photo of the three generations - Grandad, Dad and me with a proper sulk on for being photographed in school shorts. To have found your great grandad's image when he was at work and in his prime is remarkable.

Andy? Slight diversion; I was looking at Sei's website just now and I see that they have a bridge with an optical pickup. Have you any knowledge of those?

[quote name='FuNkShUi' timestamp='1501756910' post='3347132'] I'm sure you didn't mean this in any bad way, and i have no doubt Andy wont correct you, but trust me when i tell you Andy is no average hobbyist. Yes he makes the basses from his house, but it has no effect on the end quality of instrument produced. His bass surpassed most of the instruments I've ever played (including customs), and was only equal to a couple (A couple of Sei). Like i said, i'm sure you didn't mean this to be taken in a derogatory way, but i just wanted to point this out Cool build concept again Andy. Look forward to seeing the results [/quote] You are quite right on all counts. You are perhaps unaware but Andy and I have met on a few occasions. I am quite sure he understands what was said. That you thought I was being derogatory was, well, interesting. It is good that you know his work however. You might appreciate my intent better if instead I said that he is a gifted amateur luthier. Actual apprentice trained luthiers are not going to have to down tools and go home because of his work. Having said that, it would be difficult not to choose Andy when deciding whether to go to an untried luthier or the man I know and trust because I've seen his work first hand. If I owned a Sei, I might not be saying that though. TFTF (Thank feck tomorrow's Friday)

PS. My kit build is going by the working title of [i]Ibanesque[/i]. I think I took the idea from what you said before.

Is there any reason other than complexity to stop you from doing fanny frets? That top man. It's like an other worldly landscape seen from orbit. Good on you for making instruments more accessible! The making and repair of stringed instruments needn't be one of the dark arts any more. No longer is specialist knowledge and equipment kept behind closed doors. Never-the-less, I don't think cottage craftsmen like yourself are a threat to any time-served luthiers. It seems that some middle ground has opened up in the demand for stringed instruments like we've never seen before. The pros will still get their guitars built to demanding spec. The wealthy will still be able to capture the grains of exotic woods forever so we can appreciate the beauty of them even after they're all extinct. Mass manufacturing will still churn out cheap and cheerful utility instruments. Everyone's happy! [size=2](tsktsktsk it's not even going to be a six string bass ffs)[/size] [size=2]Heeheehee[/size]

I've put in a lot of time with the neck. Two evenings of rubbing down, first with 400 grit Abranet and 1200 grit paper sheet. After levelling the frets I lightly dressed the fretboard. It is worth mentioning that the adhesive from the masking tape I put between the frets bled onto the maple and was a sticky problem for a few moments. It was okay after I removed the excess with a rag and the final rubbing down removed the last of it. I think the metal polish I used when finishing the frets must have reacted with the masking tape adhesive. Worth noting for next time. Sanding the maple of the neck was where I started to notice little details coming out of the grain. I was careful not to overwork it and round off the edges too much whilst breaking them to make them smooth to the touch. The defect on the fretboard is only really noticeable to me and then only by feel. It polished out quite well with just a light witness in the form of a slight flatness on the centreline of the fretboard. When the strings are on, it will not be noticeable. The final job was to rub lemon oil into the finished surface of the rosewood. It got two coats and I might give it another today. I scuffed the shine on my frets a bit during the final rubbing down but I half expected to have to re-polish them anyway. This is where it starts to get exciting. I rubbed the first coat of Danish oil onto the maple. In the photo it is matt yet, in real life, little swirly blobs are shining out at me like little bits of mother of pearl. The colour of the wood has warmed and has a gentle glow to it. After I've taken the nibs off with 0000 wire wool It will get another coat today. Same again tomorrow then I'll see if it needs further coats.