BassTool

On 3/15/2018 at 19:24, Bastav said:

Will post some fancier pics later but here´s proof it´s now actually strung up!

.....and....back on topic 

 

That looks absolutely amazing. Well done that man, stunning work 

On 11/22/2017 at 16:17, T-Bay said:

sooooooooo do I stick with the headless idea or change and go for a Fender bird?

Headless 

 

If only to see the perplexed look on the average punters face when you step onstage with it 

Great work and pics, I'd like to hear them too 

Just caught up with this build diary, superb workmanship 

On 1/17/2018 at 23:08, owen said:

No mention of colour and/or matching headstock. Poor show.

 

Agreed...

On 1/18/2018 at 08:18, JimBobTTD said:

Sorry, Owen with a small o. I am a bad person. 

 

In good news, the body has been painted and is ready. It looks lush. The neck is not ready yet. 

....and then he teases us that it looks lush without any photographic evidence 

 

Oooh Lordy.... what a finish 

[quote name='stingrayPete1977' timestamp='1509533553' post='3399632']
Our band during school years had a carslbro amp with four inputs hooked up to a single 1x12 but in a 4x12 sized home made box, we had no idea what the ohms switches on the back did so we messed with them which made no noticeable difference to anything, we put a Tandy mic in one jack, an Aria pro guitar in one (that was a good guitar) and an Avon SG copy bass in another, we then ran that flat out against the drums but it had a spare input so there's no way we could have been overloading it right?
[/quote]

Pretty much this ^ 😂 with our guitarists unbranded but marked '50W' amp...

Good thread 😉

Have a bump on me for a bit of nostalgia!

Great job Bass

Enjoyed this thread and the end result looks mega

Didn't understand the technical graphy stuff but that's 'cos I didn't stick in at O Level physics....possibly

[quote name='umcoo' timestamp='1507476685' post='3385718']
After sanding the sealer with 400 grit, I moved on to primer coats, colour and clear. I only used enough primer and colour so that the body was covered, as I wanted to keep the finish relatively thin.

Primer went on easy enough and about 2 or 3 coats were all that were needed to get full coverage.





I didn't sand the body at all during this stage. As I'm sure you know, nitro melts into itself so there was no need to. Once I had the primer covering the body, I began colour coats. I knew I wanted one of the Fender custom colours and something a little out of the ordinary, but it would also need to look good with the gold hardware the bass came with. So I went for....Shell Pink! As soon as I started spraying the first coat, I knew I'd made the right decision. It's really hard to get an accurate picture of it, but it looks to me like strawberry milkshake. 60's Fender goodness!

Here's the body during one of the coats. It doesn't actually look this dark at all. This was taken in the evening, but you get the idea.



[/quote]

Good job umcoo being a bit of a keen gardener I like the way you matched the colour to your fuschias

Nice transformation

GUMPH.....

That's all really

Looks great, really unusual too

Stunning work

You Sir, are a genius

Nice job

Amazing work ! Well done Andy

[quote name='Bassassin' timestamp='1502140876' post='3349612']
Might make for an interesting hybrid/mashup to build it up with a nice Precision body - not 100% sure but I think the neck should fit a P pocket.
Shame about the original body - lovely finish, don't remember seeing that on a Blazer before.
[/quote]
Yes that's certainly one of the options, the early Blazers could give Precisions a run for their money according to some a P body would go well, meant to say that the neck is really nice too, and in very good condition!

[quote name='AndyTravis' timestamp='1502141220' post='3349614']
Would a luthier made body be an option? Use the original as a template?
[/quote]

The photos don't really do it justice - it is a beautiful lump of whatever it is 😁 I have not seen that particular see through finish or that wine colour on any Blazer either.
A luthier body would guarantee a perfect fit to the neck, and also options to change pickup config (I'm thinking adding a Jazz pup at bridge) and preamp space in cavity...or I may just have a go myself, after all - I'd never be short of decent advice on here 😊


Thanks all

[quote name='Meddle' timestamp='1502047686' post='3348992']


I wonder if it went through a lot of thermal cycles, either seasonally or it was kept near a boiler or something?
[/quote]

Exactly that - its been in an unheated empty house for over ten years....and the man whose expertise I was about to seek has just replied below!

[quote name='Andyjr1515' timestamp='1502046606' post='3348982']
I have a bit of a reputation for tackling stuff other folk wouldn't bother with but honestly...if it was mine I wouldn't be trying to repair the body. I have no idea why the wood would do that - particularly if as you say it isn't water damage - but what is certain is that there is something fundamental that is going wrong and, even if you glued it all back up, it will probably carry on splitting over time and possibly in places where the structural integrity is critical.

The options are probably:[list]
[*]sell the neck and pickups (has it got the original tuners?) separately
[*]keep your eye out for a donor (pref a cheap 'project' one) with an OK body and swop the good bits
[*]get a replacement body made for it
[/list]
For the hell of it, as long as you manage your expectations, you could just fill the main crack with Titebond and clamp it, and then at least you can see if the bridge holds in place for you to actually play it - but, if it was me, I wouldn't put in the time to try any kind of refinish on the existing body.
[/quote]

I was hoping you would chip in Andy! After following a lot of your builds on here, that is the expert advice I was after.

All the other parts are fine, so I'll use it as a project at some point and marry a body up.

Thanks for the advice

[quote name='TheGreek' timestamp='1502041114' post='3348915']
If this can be repaired I'm pretty sure yours can:





Check the thread:

[url="http://basschat.co.uk/topic/283510-thegreeks-mystery-bass-rebuild/"]http://basschat.co.u...y-bass-rebuild/[/url]
[/quote]

WOW!! Incredible transformation! What a bass!

[quote name='Meddle' timestamp='1502041435' post='3348919']
I'm wondering if the body was built from multiple laminations to begin with, or it has split along grain lines. Odd that the top and sides are splitting.
[/quote]

That is what has me wondering - it looks like a slab, but could be a face and back laminated together?

Not sure Meddle, it was kept in a house in its case untouched for over 10 years - the way it has come apart is just weird...

What a great read, well done so far!

Got this given recently and wondered if you clever builders could say if it is beyond redemption.
Old Ibanez Blazer, unusual cherry wine colour over a beautiful figured lump of maybe Ash?
I was thinking of stripping it back to reveal the grain and leave it natural, but then again it looks like it's just too far gone in my eyes..

Any input I'd be grateful.

[quote name='wateroftyne' timestamp='1471634451' post='3114708']
Hot off the press, here's another:

[media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=korYVsdP_Zg[/media]
[/quote]

WOW Just seen this - superb!
Congrats on getting the vocals going with the bass too - sounds great Michael

Always loved these since trying one back in the eighties - way out of my price range at the time, but what an amazing bass, and the condition of this is stunning for it's age. Lovely to see such a well looked after instrument GLWTS

Oh my goodness the figuring on that neck is awesome, and the body's not bad either

That looks lovely