Silky999

It certainly has some flame to it. It was described as AAA curly flame ambrosia maple in the listing and I have yet to have a bad piece of wood from this seller…..https://ebay.us/m/g4a779

Can’t beat a little innuendo and who doesn’t love a little Nigella.

BC Thread Update – I’ve Joined the Hard Wax Oil Cult 🧴🔥 Right then… after lovingly oil sanding this thing up to 2500 grit like some sort of wood-obsessed monk, I’ve now slapped on the first coat of Osmo Polyx. And honestly… I may never use clearcoat again. The grain has absolutely gone feral. Those dark streaks? Now look like they’ve got secrets. The lighter areas? Full-on 3D shimmer. Move it in the light and it does that “oh hello” thing. The roundover has come alive as well — warm, glowy, and just enough sheen without looking like it’s been dipped in toffee. It’s got that “touch me” finish without actually feeling sticky. Which is ideal, because I will keep touching it. Application notes for fellow wax dabblers: Super thin coat Worked in properly Wiped back like I meant it No gloopy corners No panic sanding No new swear words invented (a refreshing change) This was always meant to be a “let the wood talk” build rather than entombing it in plastic, and it’s paid off. It looks like a bass that drinks espresso and judges your slap technique. Plan now: • Leave it alone • Stop poking it • Pretend I have self-control Second thin coat to follow once it’s cured properly. Honestly… if this goes wrong from here, it’ll be because I couldn’t resist “just one little buff.” MGCS – Made to Play, Built to Last (and occasionally stroked admiringly under workshop lighting).

Have a look at Hellfire Tools. I have a few of their bits; files, straight edge, hammers etc. Crimson stuff is also good but slightly more expensive. Chris Alsop also does so nice hand crafted stuff. Stewmac seems to be the premium stuff but is expensive. I’d get; notched straight edge crowning file - musicnomad or stew mac z file fret end dressing file fret rocker fret levelling beam/file - long and short masking tape in different widths (mask everything….don't ask how I know) loads of different grit wet and dry sandpaper - 220 - 3000 grit fret hammer good set of screwdrivers nut files - Hosco do a good set which I have or check the ones on Thomann thin CA glue and some whip dispenser tips work mat or some towels etc to work on neck support/caul allen keys - metric/imperial 0000 steel wool razor blades/scrapers some fretboard cleaner/wax - I like Monty’s, both the clear fretboard food and the montepresso for dark fretboards Something like maple Restorfinish which can cover a multitude of sanding mistakes on maple necks These would cover setups and fret levelling etc

Right… update time. Ziricote / sapele body now oil-sanded to 2500 grit and I may have accidentally summoned a small woodland spirit. The ziricote has gone full “brooding Victorian villain”, dark and dramatic, while the sapele is glowing like it’s just been told it’s the favourite child. The carve is doing that hologram thing where it moves every time you tilt it. I’ve spent an unreasonable amount of time just rotating it under the light whispering “oof”. Edges are basically glass now. If this gets any smoother it’ll need a warning label. No stain, no funny business – just oil, patience, and far too much staring at it. Hard wax oil going on next to lock it in and give it that silky satin feel without killing the depth. If this one doesn’t sound good, at least it can sit in the corner looking expensive and judging everyone. MGCS – Made to Play, Built to Last.

I didn’t expect the grain to pop like it did. It’s certainly a lesson learned for the future. I have a lovely couple of slabs of Lebanese cedar which one I don’t intend to top whilst the other will get curly maple ambrosia

Right. Confession time. Final clear coats on today. Gloss looking glorious. Standing there thinking, “That is absolutely spot on. I am a finishing god!” Then… during clean up… yes, during clean up… when the gun was down, the spraying was finished, and I was basically doing a slow-motion victory lap around the workshop… a rogue flick of thinner somehow produced a bubble right on the edge. Not mid-coat. Not during a risky pass. Not because I rushed it. During. Clean. Up. Which means lacquer doesn’t fight you while you’re working — it waits until you relax. Several entirely new swear words were invented. The sort that would make a seasoned fishwife blush and quietly reassess her life choices. So the body is now quarantined in a warm room while the clear cures properly. I’ll sort the area the right way and then lay down a final couple of refinement coats to unify everything. No panic. No bodges. Just patience, sanding blocks, and a reminder that the last 2% of a build is where character (and vocabulary) is developed. Still massively happy with how it’s come together — just slightly p***ed off by the timing. Made to play. Built to last. Occasionally built to test the limits of polite language. 😅

Mark, that is a reflection of my hands and phone lol…..schoolboy error……at least it wasn’t on naked Workshop day!

What about some Retrovibe Ultralites? They look a very similar shape and I have use them on a build and was I impressed with the quality. I think they only come in chrome so that might be the only issue? Made in South Korea and cheaper than Licensed Hipshots. https://retrovibe.co.uk/product/retrovibe-ultralite-bass-tuning-machine-heads-clover-leaf-or-lollipop-only-224g-per-set/

Thank you….

Dakota Red – clear building up nicely 🔥 Colour’s locked in and now it’s all about the clear. Got the first sessions of nitro clear on and it’s starting to build properly. You can see the depth coming through already — that wet look beginning to form before it’s even been near paper or a mop. A couple more coats of clear to really bury everything and give me some material to level back, then it’ll be hung up to cure while I try very hard not to keep wandering into the workshop “just to look at it”. So far it’s laying down well — no drama, no major sags, just that lovely glossy build that makes you believe you know what you’re doing. Flat, polish, then the real shine. MGCS – Made to Play, Built to Last.

Decision made on the ziricote / sapele build. After a lot of back and forth about whether to clear it in nitro, I’m keeping this one natural. It’s currently in the process of being oil sanded through to 3000 grit, and once fully cured it’ll be finished in a satin to mid-gloss wax. The ziricote has so much natural contrast and character that burying it under heavy gloss just didn’t feel right. And the sapele back is starting to show some lovely chatoyance as the oil builds — that subtle shimmer when the light moves across it. The neck will be glossier, so there’ll be a deliberate contrast — tactile body, slick playing surface. Still in progress, but I’m liking where this is heading. MGCS – Made to Play. Built to Last.

Thank you, it does sound good!

Walnut & Elm Jazz – Basically Done (Just One Screw To Go…) Just waiting on the Schaller strap button and then I can officially stop fiddling with it and admit it’s finished. Chrome control plate is now on, which sharpens it up nicely and stops me staring at it thinking “does it need something?”. It doesn’t. It’s done. I’m not touching it again. Probably. This one will be looking for a new home shortly. Specs: • Walnut & elm body • Nitro clearcoat finish • 9.8lbs (solid, but balances well) • Roasted maple neck • Rosewood board • Guyker tuners • Fender Pure Vintage ‘66 pickups • Bloodstone Guitarworks loom • Hipshot bridge • Schaller strap buttons Finished in nitro clearcoat so it’s got that proper thin, resonant feel rather than the dipped-in-plastic vibe. Set up properly. Low action, no nonsense. Tone-wise it’s got the proper Jazz thing — warm and woody on the neck, bridge has bite and a bit of honk when you lean into it. No active wizardry. Just good components doing what they should. Looking at around £750–£800 ballpark when it goes up properly. FS thread to follow once the final strap button goes in and I resist the urge to “just tweak one more thing”. MGCS – Made to play. Built to last.

Richard, I still think yours is an absolutely beast and sounds phenomenal!! If you fancy changing your bridge, the Hipshot has adjustable spacing so you can line up the strings to the poles. Have you used the walnut/graphite in anger yet?

Ziricote & Sapele Stingray – Currently Behaving Itself The ziricote drop top on the sapele Musicman build is now fully routed, drilled and shaped. Yes, I did point a router at expensive, dramatic ziricote. Yes, my blood pressure went up. No, nothing exploded. Pickup cavity, control cavity, neck pocket, ferrules – all in. It behaved far better than I deserved. It’s been hand-sanded and treated to Liberon finishing oil and the grain has absolutely gone full “look at me”. The ziricote is dark and moody, all swirls and drama. The sapele back is sitting there like the sensible mate in the group chat, warm and classy. It’s now hanging up to cure properly before the next stage. Once the oil’s hardened off it’ll get shellac, then gloss nitro. Because if you’re going to do dramatic, you may as well go full theatre lighting. Neck-wise, this one’s getting a gloss yellow maple Jazz neck. Proper vintage tint. Against the dark ziricote it’s going to look like it drinks espresso and judges lesser basses. This one’s shaping up to be classy with just enough menace. No rushing it. Let it cure, build the finish properly, and avoid any “character building” mistakes. More soon once the shellac goes on and I inevitably start overthinking something.

Walnut & Elm – Now Assembled (Nearly There…) The walnut and elm build is finally bolted together and strung up. Body’s come up lovely under the clear – the elm grain on the back is doing that topographical-map thing I can’t stop staring at. Front’s got that warm, deep walnut glow that just screams “play me loudly”. Spec as it stands: Roasted maple neck Rosewood board Fender Pure Vintage 66 pickups Hipshot bridge Bloodstone loom MGCS plate on the back (because branding obviously adds sustain…) Only thing cosmetically left is swapping the brushed control plate for chrome. The brushed one was a “let’s see” moment. Chrome is the right answer. We all know it. Even the bass knows it. Setup-wise… it’s not leaving the workshop yet. Action isn’t where I want it. Saddles are sitting higher than I’m happy with just to keep it buzz-free, even after dropping the neck heel depth slightly. That tells me there’s still something to dial in properly – whether that’s pocket geometry, relief, or a tiny shim rethink. It’ll get sorted. I’m not sending anything out that feels 95% done. Second best isn’t an option. If it leaves here with the MGCS badge on it, it’s right. Back to the bench. 🔧

First coats of clearcoat today which is toning down the red nicely.

This one is going with a mint green pickguard…

Colour going on this one… This is the paulownia build for a BC member and it’s now officially very, very red. Dakota Red in nitro and it’s absolutely popping under the lights. Paulownia is always an interesting one. Lovely and light, but it does like to remind you it’s basically made of compressed air and optimism. This body had the full routine — shellac, primer, grain attention, more primer, careful flattening — the whole “no, you are not sinking back on me again” conversation. Happy to say it’s behaved. Edges are nice and soft, belly carve is flowing well, and the horns have kept their shape without going blobby under colour. Always a relief. Still a few coats and plenty of cure time before flatting and polishing, but it’s at that exciting stage where it actually looks like a bass rather than a woodworking experiment. Going to look great once the hardware’s on and it’s all glassed up in clear. More soon once it’s had time to harden off and I start the levelling dance. Made to play. Built to last. 🔴

More progress on this one… Blank is fully cut and shaped now. Horns are flowing nicely and I’ve softened the edges without turning it into a bar of soap. Always that “measure twice, sand forever” moment, but we’re still in one-piece territory. Belly cut is carved and blended. Went for comfort over bravado – this one will sit properly against a ribcage rather than just looking good in photos. First coat of Liberon is on the ziricote and… wow. The grain has absolutely come alive. The dark lines have gone deep and dramatic and the lighter figuring is glowing. It’s one of those woods that looks fairly reserved dry, then turns full cinematic once oil hits it. Before anyone asks – this isn’t staying oil finished. The oil is just to pop the grain and show me what we’re working with. It’ll be sealed and finished in nitro clear. I want that depth and chatoyance under a proper gloss coat. A few tiny natural pin knots showing through – staying. This is wood, not laminate flooring. Letting it cure now before the next stage. So far… I’m very happy. Made to play. Built to last.

New one on the bench which is a slow time build and this might divide opinion… 😅 This ziricote top has just been glued up and is to be attached to a sapele body, after which it’ll become a MM StingRay-style build. Except… it’s getting a Jazz bass neck. Because why not. I’ve always liked the StingRay pickup position and punch, but I’m also a Jazz neck tragic, so this feels like a perfectly reasonable life choice rather than a cry for help. Before I commit to routing, I’d love some pickup wisdom from the hive mind: • Classic StingRay vibe vs something a bit more modern? • Alnico vs ceramic? • Any particular MM pickups that play especially nicely with warmer woods like sapele/ziricote? Nordstrand, Aguilar, Delano, Seymour Duncan, Wizard, home-wound madness — all suggestions welcome. Bonus points if you’ve tried an MM + Jazz neck combo and lived to tell the tale. Cheers all👍🏼

Spent this morning flattening, cutting back and polishing the walnut and elm body that’s been in nitro for a while now. Always that slightly tense moment when you move from “looks alright” to “don’t mess this up now” 😅 It’s come up really nicely overall. There is a bit of grain sink in places, but nothing dramatic — and honestly on an open-pored wood like this, I think it just adds a bit of character rather than looking like a mistake. It still feels smooth to the touch and the gloss has settled well. This one’s very much in the nitro doing nitro things category: natural, slightly imperfect, and already starting to look like an instrument rather than a project. I’d rather that than bury the wood under half a gallon of plastic. It’ll be paired with a roasted maple neck with a rosewood fretboard, Guyker tuners, Fender Pure Vintage ’66 pickups, and a Hipshot bridge. The neck is already finished and set up, with the tuners installed, so it’s just waiting to be bolted on once the body’s had a bit more time to behave itself. Next job is letting it sit and behave itself before assembly. No rushing, Does this build make you feel “fizzy”?…..it doesn’t have a home yet…… This one is going to be a stunner and if it sounds and plays as well as previous builds, it will be immense. MGCS – made to play, built to last.