henry norton

I used to do allot of work with acrylic - it machines nicely and polishes up like glass One issue is the weight though, it weighs much more than wood which is one reason the Armstrong guitars had very small bodies. That said, you could look at fabricating a semi hollow body. The bass player in Goldfrapp used an an acrylic Precision. The body and headstock were see through but the neck itself looked like wood (I think).

Loving it, especially the little round plate under the volume.

[quote name='Kiwi' timestamp='1321381230' post='1438530'] I'm not sure what a "Fender style" coating is but could well have been poly rather than epoxy. I know poly is favoured by Thor and Pedulla and there have been posts on Talkbass about issues with neck flexibility on poly coated necks. Which is why some manufacturers won't offer it on their fretless necks. I'm no expert but I have a hunch that epoxy may be softer than poly...? [/quote] Yes, by Fender style I mean the 70s fretless maple necks with a thick polyester coating on the board. I know Mike Pedulla uses polyester on his lined fretless boards but I always thought Thor was [i]the [/i]epoxy man as it goes[i].[/i] Hardness is different to toughness (hardness as in how easily the board wears out and toughness as in how difficult it is to break, crack or chip it) - polyester as a material tends to be both softer and less tough than epoxy - the main advantage is that it's allot cheaper than epoxy, but that said, there may be some super hard versions of polyester I haven't heard of.

[quote name='Kiwi' timestamp='1321349169' post='1437972'] Can be risky. Traditoinally thick coats are needed for durability and the thicker the coat the more brittle the coating gets. So if put on a neck that flexes a lot, there's a risk of cracking. Can't comment specifically on Wal necks and I'm aware that HG Thor has treated one piece maple necks without issues. Maybe the epoxy is a little thinner or a little more flexible these days...? [/quote] I'm interested in where you've experienced these issues with thick epoxy coats. I provide an epoxy coating service and have never had any problems with cracking - are you sure it wasn't a Fender style polyester coating you've seen with cracks? I also wasn't aware Wal offered coated fretless boards. (oops, sorry, I didn't read the original post properly - A 'normal' epoxy coat of about 1mm doesn't really affect the sound very much at all. In fact, most players would find it difficult to detect the difference in sound between an unfinished board, a 1mm coating and a Jaco style 3mm 'thick' coating. I'm sure with an adaptable bass like a Wal you wouldn't lose any tone or flexibility).

Well I don't know about anyone else, but I'm jealous

Exciting times ahead! As this is your first build I wouldn't worry too much about finer details like how tru oil will affect the different planks on the body. If you want to use tru oil I would go for it - it's certainly less involved than sealing, filling, priming, spraying, flatting and polishing out a solid colour. It's more important to spend your time getting the frets level and the bass set up properly. Get stuck in and ask on the forum if you're not sure about something - there's always someone willing to give you their opinion

[quote name='Stroopy121' timestamp='1321011594' post='1434305'] Aha! That's perfect, thanks! I had thought that the scale may need to be shortened slightly by the saddles for fixing intonation which is why I'd have set them in the middle. Marvellous. Build Diary thread to come soon! xx [/quote] Caution!!!!!!!! The scale needs to be lengthened, not shortened!!!!!!! Don't get that mixed up whatever you do!!!!!!! Good luck with the build.

Just (cough) don't (wheeze) forget (splutter) to (ahem) wear (hack) a (gasp) proper (rasp) mask.........

[quote name='Stroopy121' timestamp='1321007032' post='1434216'] Ahhhh ok, cheers! So I have a 34" scale neck, when it comes to placing the bridge do I go about that in the way I described in the OP or is there another, simpler, way to do it? xx [/quote] No. Measure the scale length then set the bridge so the saddle for the highest string (G, C whatever) sits bang on that mark when it's extended as far as it can go forwards (towards the nut). You can even set it slightly behind but most Fender type bridges tend to have more range than is needed. Even the lightest string and the lowest action needs the saddle pulled back a little for proper intonation so there's no point setting the saddles in the middle at 34", you're just losing half the adjustment range.

The Fender Musicmaster and Squier Bronco both use bog standard 6 pole Strat pickups, and they both sound pretty good. I would definitely have a go - all I would say is try and get a half decent one.

[quote name='Big_Stu' timestamp='1320583261' post='1428505'] They're quite often just tapped in; the fluted sides are supposed to hold them, but if the front of the semi is plywood (likely) it'll break easily & lose the grip. I'd be inclined towards something like Araldite for that, the turning of the stud when it shouldn't have could well have removed some of the wood that's holding the stud, so you'll need a thick glue to replace it. [/quote] The picture in the first post looks like an EB-3, not an EB-2, so will be just a solid lump of wood. If it was a semi hollow EB-2 there should be a block of solid wood running through the middle of the body under the ply top which the studs should bed into, so either way, resetting the stud using araldite should be the way to go.

[quote name='Linus27' timestamp='1320450895' post='1427202'] As per my thread about electric double bass, I am still unsure if I should go down the electric double bass or maybe go for an acoustic double bass. The issue has now come forward with the possibility that I may be going into the studio in January to record more tracks for the album, with one of the song suitaing a double bass. If I was to go for an acoustic double bass, what would be a good one to start with for someone who has very little experience of playing double bass? I have had some lessons with Jakesbass so know some basics as well as owning an EUB for around 8 months. I will be recording with it and possibly some live work so it has to be good enough for this but obviously I don't want to spend a large amount of money on one. Also, I know nothing about the different sizes, 1/2. 3/4. full etc so again not sure what would be ideal. So any advice appreciated. Of course I could just go for an electric upright but half of me fancies a real double bass [/quote] The biggest question is what is your budget? The other biggest question is whether you want your recordings to sound like a DB or an electric. An EUB sounds pretty much the same as a bass guitar (unless it's bowed), and asides from the playing style and tunings, they DB and EUB are different instruments. I would say that if you only have a budget of a few hundred quid it's still worth getting a relatively cheap ply DB and spend a bit of cash on a setup and some decent strings. It'll never have the tone or volume of a carved solid top (or a high quality laminated) but IMO even a cheapo DB is better than no DB so long as you've got the budget to make it a bit more playable.

[quote name='skelf' timestamp='1320332904' post='1425444'] Selling original designs is hard work. I have tried to design things that are of the beaten track. I have seen numerous posts on various forums say how ugly,stupid, don't see the point, any number of other disparaging remarks about my designs. Fortunately I have found enough people or they have found me to make a business out of this. But if I wanted to sell a lot of basses I would build copies because that is what the majority want to buy. I am working on a production Jazz type bass for that very reason. I tried producing an entry level hand made bass with better hardware pre-amp etc than a Fender for a lot less than an American Fender but not Fender shaped. I have given up because I can't sell them. [/quote] Yeah I'm working on some Fender-esque ideas. There's a huge chunk of the market that simply won't consider anything else, but I think Fenders foray into outsourcing has kind of made buying basses like Laklands and Sadowskys ok. You're buying a stock, standard design which has a guaranteed quality and maybe some features that are better thought out than Fender themselves, often made in the US when Fenders often aren't and often top shelf pickups and hardware when Fenders are usually built down to a price. Most successful Fender cloners offered a bit more equipment and better quality compared to the bog standard Fenders. The skill (or luck) is knowing what features to keep and what to improve.

The point that's missing here is that people are generally very conservative in their outlook when it comes to stuff like this. Most players don't like basses that look too radical or stray from the formula, hence why (to the untrained eye), even more modern basses like most multi laminate, thru necked double soapbar 'superbasses' look essentially the same too. The same theory can be applied to anyone wanting a Fender - they do the job and look normal enough for the player to be comfortable. Anything that isn't moves the player outside of the comfort zone. It's the same reason why nobody mass produced a motorcycle with a fairing 'til the very late seventies. Riders before that simply wouldn't buy them.

[quote name='EssentialTension' timestamp='1320274644' post='1424835'] Have you got a link for that? [/quote] [url="http://www.talkbass.com/forum/f8/club-dark-star-731040/index5.html"]http://www.talkbass.com/forum/f8/club-dark-star-731040/index5.html[/url] Posted by 'mungi' on page 12. It's a long thread, basically anything about Darkstars, so you can sort of follow the recent history.

[quote name='Ou7shined' timestamp='1319799639' post='1418699'] As part of a 70's restoration, last night I made a bone nut to replace the disgusting original plastic one. Difference in tone?.... next to nowt. [/quote] That's a lovely nut you got there

A bit thinner - It's meant to be a half inch for a Fender (12.7mm) but my '57 measures 13.8mm with a cellulose finish.

It didn't sound much different to some of Stanley Clarke's electric stuff. At least they didn't look like they were taking themselves too seriously. Yeah, I'm after a whammy bar for my bass too

I used to use sticky dots I nicked from the office at work.

[quote name='Vibrating G String' timestamp='1319327593' post='1412843'] My opinion too, along with compensated nuts and the Buzz Feiten system. A good pitch to people who don't understand science but have heard some of the words before can be a very profitable thing. It's very important in these campaigns to get people to agree with you publicly as once they do they will defend your scam to the death as they have become invested in it. And this is coming from someone who creates these campaigns based on this psychology. People would rather be ripped off than wrong, I make money on this principal [/quote] Well it probably works ok for mid-level mass producers. You don't expect much in the way of setup and finish with a cheapo guitar and if you're buying something high end or bespoke I would want my bass finished and set up by an artisan, not a machine, but there are plenty of reasons the process should be automated for mid-priced instruments. I suppose that's where Chandlers made a mistake, being led to believe customers would prefer a machine to set their guitar up rather than a trained technician.

[quote name='murrmac123' timestamp='1319285653' post='1412243'] With respect, you could not be more wrong. The fretboard should be brought to straightness under tension by means of truss rod adjustment.(straightness being defined as the first fret, the fret over the truss - rod anchor, and the mid point all being co -linear.) . The frets should then be dressed with the neck under string tension, and you then slacken off the trussrod to give the required amount of relief. Doing it this way absolutely [b]guarantees[/b] that the instrument will play cleanly with no fret buzz. as long as the rest of the set-up is correct.( Obviously you still need to sand a fall-off in the upper frets) Doing it your way (presumably you slacken all the strings and then straighten the neck with the trussrod prior to leveling the frets) will indeed work adequately in the majority of cases, but there will be a significant number of cases where it doesn't work, because the neck is behaving differently than it should when subjected to string tension, ie it is not curving as predictably as one would wish, resulting in fret buzz. even after the frets have been leveled. Every guitar tech with any degree of experience will have encountered this phenomenon. The solution, as I said above, is to level the frets with the neck under full string tension. There is indeed a situation where dressing frets with the strings off is advisable, and that is when the frets are badly worn and grooved, but the customer just wants them dressed but does not want a refret. In that case, it is a [b]lot [/b]quicker to do a conventional fret dress with the strings off , and hope for the best. If it works, (and it probably will) and there is no fret buzz, then well and good. If there[b] is [/b]any fret buzz, then the only solution is to redress the frets with the neck under tension. That is why it is called the Advanced Fret Leveling System. You pays your money and you takes your choice ... [/quote] Ahh, I think I see what Technofret are getting at now! The truss rod needs to be adjusted to make the board dead flat before you use this sanding stick. Obviously I didn't read [i]your post[/i] properly I'm not sure levelling frets under string tension is just more snake oil - if the frets are moving when the neck bows under string tension they aren't fitted properly and will need some work done to them before they're levelled.

[quote name='JimBobTTD' timestamp='1319293826' post='1412376'] My thoughts exactly. My understanding of the Plek system is that it sets up your neck the way you want it, dresses your frets etc. [/quote] Yeah, although the Plek is quite misunderstood in some respects. It levels your frets, crowns and smooths them but it doesn't adjust your truss rod or smooth off the sharp ends of your frets. It measures the fret levels whilst the guitar is strung but the strings have to be removed before the machine can do the work, it just compensates for the (obvious) change in the bow of the neck once the strings are off. It's hugely expensive for what it does but I guess once you get past a certain number of guitars or basses it makes it worthwhile in comparison to dressing the frets by hand. There's the rub though, the Technofret is meant to be used while the guitar is strung, yet if you level off the frets while there is a bow in the neck (a proper bow from string tension) it won't play properly. The Plek uses a big computer to compensate for the change in neck bow, whereas the technofret is meant to be mega-flat. Maybe I just read it wrong.

Am I missing something here? Both these systems look like glorified sanding sticks. Flame away.....

[quote name='apa' timestamp='1319278999' post='1412121'] What gets me is that the bodies can sit there for weeks looking peachy but as soon as I buff it up the peel appears!! The question now is: Can I save the finish without having to start again? A [/quote] The thing about pre catalysed paint (pretty much anything in a spray can) is that once the solvent has gone and the paint is 'dry' it's only then it starts to 'cure' and it can take weeks to harden properly. So you mix two different paints, one on top of the other whilst it's still curing and sanding/polishing will just interfere with this process even more. I would strip them back and start afresh rather than take the risk trying to salvage the finish you've got there, you'll be building on suspect foundations.

Rustins Plastic coat? I know that you can't use this over [i]any[/i] other finish as the hardener reacts with other paints and fillers. If it's not Rustins, it could still be a problem of incompatible finishes. Halfords rattle cans are generally too soft to work well on a guitar body and it's usually asking for trouble if you mix different types of paint, even if you leave it a good long while before you recoat. Try Manchester Guitar Tech. They have a range of cellulose rattle cans - they're a bit more money than Halfords but you'll be guaranteed a good finish and total compatibility. They have a good 'how to' page too. [url="http://www.manchesterguitartech.co.uk/shop/category/nitrocellulose-lacquer/"]http://www.manchesterguitartech.co.uk/shop/category/nitrocellulose-lacquer/[/url]