BassTool

I've literally completed it today, and I have got to say a big thanks to John East for helping me via email to get the wiring right. (No welding rods required!)

I emailed him with a query at 8.50 this morning and he had got back to me with a detailed answer by 9.30!

Brilliant service John if you're on here 😎

2 minutes ago, BassBus said:

Mighty impressive. Looks like the real thing. Well, it is the real thing. There's only one Blazerray. 👍

Cheers BassBus 👍

2 minutes ago, Pea Turgh said:

Bloody brilliant!  Now for some side by side before and after shots, then another project please!

I'll try and sort pics @Pea Turgh but I started with the bass in bits and am gutted I never took a full on shot of the Blazer before starting - and I don't know what I'm going to do next if anything! This truly was a first for me, a big undertaking and I've learned a lot from it. I took a punt on the gluing thing first and it just snowballed from there! After following build diaries for so long and finally doing my own I've got to say I've loved almost every minute 😆

Ladies and gentlemen, I give you....

The BlazerRay 😊

Well the rest of the job was connecting up wires and installing the control plate and jack socket, no pics necessary really.

After two months, my project was finally finished. 

I'd used the copper tape everyone advocates using in both the pickup cavity as well as the control cavity. It's quite therapeutic putting this stuff in and smoothing it down!

You can see where I built up the areas for the control plate screw holes, as well as a glimpse of the final colour 😎

Then onto the string guide - I deliberated briefly over where to put this, some early Rays are between the G and D, I've just gone middle for diddle.

The nut needed finishing off in situ so I masked off the neck and headstock and it was then out with the big file and some needle files..

15 minutes ago, Rikki_Sixx said:

Have you now taken that maple fretboard down to bare wood? Or just taken the shine off that lacquer?

Just taken the shine off 😎

40 minutes ago, Jabba_the_gut said:

Managed to get on with some more work on this today. I have been doing quite a bit on this prior to today but that is just sanding and doesn't make for the most interesting of posts!! I've also been doing quite a bit of work on the Telecaster I'm putting together for a friend of mine (guitar teacher neighbour).

I have started sealing the body for spraying and given it a quite coat on the top as this will probably require a fair bit of work to get a really nice finish.

Today, I've fretted the neck using a small arbor press and a fret caul. I was quite lucky that a friend who worked at an engineering firm was able to modify the press to accept that caul. I've used this press for fretting all of my basses and I much prefer it to trying to use a hammer - it is much easier and more accurate but it is also more expensive than a hammer...

Note the best pictures, I'll take some more tomorrow, but this is where I am currently at:

 

Incredible the way the wood grain mirrors the pickup, what an amazing coincidence they match (as well as great placement!) 😎

On 01/03/2019 at 16:00, BassTool said:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The body went two weeks ago...

....and came back looking quite differently to when it went away

After reading all the horror stories and failed attempts at rattle can finishes on here I thought, 'nyeh bollocks', hang the expense, I'm dropping this off with Rigga, my mate the car paint expert 😎

I've invested too much time and effort in this bad boy to mess up at the final hurdle, and... at the end of my efforts in transforming this guitar, I wanted it to look the real deal...

Time to start putting stuff back together...

I knew I'd seen this somewhere, this guy absolutely nails it, lovely playing IMO 

On 26/02/2019 at 08:13, Rikki_Sixx said:

Can't believe how that brass bridge has come out, it looks better-than-new! Amazing what can be done with elbow grease (and petrol 😆)

Cheers Rikki, brass is great stuff because it can almost always be saved in the same way this bridge has been 👍

I meant to say, there's been a huge amount of elbow grease involved in this whole revamp, I really did not imagine I would sand stuff down - not just wood - as much as I have over the last two months 😆

It's all coming together rather nicely now though

I finished the fretboard off with a coat of Lord Sheraton Caretaker Beeswax formula. I've used it for years on my Warwick Thumb body and it gives a lovely finish to wood.

Then stripped off the protection

mmmm shiny 😃

Much happier now 😎