So after ten months or so since starting this thread.......it's finished, well, as near as dammit.
I cannot put into words how happy I am with this bass. It looks, plays, and sounds amazing (imho),
So, what did I do since the last post?
First off I screened all the cavitys with graphite paint, a lot neater and a lot easier to use than copper tape, though I did still use tape on the rear of the pickguard. All the cavity screening has worked a treat, there is no unwanted noise whatsoever.
The pickguard itself was a job and a half for Howard. I went for carbon fibre in the end and it was a bugger to work with, so much so that Howard said he would never work with it again, so thank you very much Howard for your perseverance, it really makes the bass look fantastic.
On to the neck, this had a light rub down to clean off the years of grime that had built up, then the headstock was painted to match the body. I had a major problem getting the decal on so in the end just decided to ditch it and leave it blank. Once the headstock was painted, I gave the neck a few coats of danish oil, then set about drilling new holes to take some treaded brass inserts. These would turn the neck into a proper "bolt-on" and would make life easier as the neck has to come off to adjust the trussrod.
Next it was just a case of soldering the electrics and putting it all back together. There are still a couple of little jobs to do, but nothing that can't wait.
So here are some pics, hope you like what I've done with her and would love to hear any feedback.