gary mac Posted November 1, 2010 Share Posted November 1, 2010 (edited) Japanese Fender P bass body that I intend to relic, and transform in to something resembling a 1958 model. [attachment=62836:001.JPG] 01/11/10 First job was to remove bridge and strap locks. Next the ageing, which I felt really nervous about as the body looked so good. I decided to just work on the rear of the body at this stage as given my lack of experience it seemed like the safest bet. So starting with 1000 grade wet and dry I nervously made a start. Then moved on to 1500 and finally 2000. At this stage it didn’t look good. Gave it a T cut which improved things marginally but the sanding had left the surface covered with fine scratches, which surprised me given the fine grade of paper that I was using. I stopped at this stage to do some more research. I’m not sure whether I need to buy one of those buffing pads to fit on a drill or to carry on with T cut and polish. That's it for the first session. Not much progress really, sanded the back, t cutted and polished. It doesn't look much different to when I started other than a whole load of fine scratches. But have now got a gold anodized pickguard and pups on their way from BC members. Checking the sale forum and ebay regularly for a maple neck and tuners. [attachment=62837:004.JPG] Edited January 26, 2011 by gary mac Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gary mac Posted November 3, 2010 Author Share Posted November 3, 2010 02/11/2010. Postie delivered the gold anodized pickguard and even though it was well packaged with “do not bend” written large on both sides, it had been nicely bent out of shape by some heavy handed royal mail git. Given that it hadn’t been insured, I felt that that there was little point in even contacting Royal Mail and therefore decided to attempt to straighten it out. Tool of choice was a rubber mallet. After a few minutes bashing it was reasonably flat again, with just a slight crease visible. Just about acceptable on a reliced project. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gary mac Posted November 5, 2010 Author Share Posted November 5, 2010 04/11/2010. Pups turned up today. Yet more frustration. Looks like the pick guard needs filing to get them to fit. I can now see that some filing has already been attempted, I would presume because of the same problem. 05/11/2010 Feeling in a more positive frame of mind I unsoldered the pickups from the pots and screw them in place. Sat the pick guard over them and marked out with pencil where to file. Set up the workmate and got to work with a couple of files and emery cloth. Twenty minutes or so later and it was looking much better, not perfect but that being mainly due to the filing carried out by a previous owner. At this stage had to drill one additional hole in the body and then screwed down the guard to see how it all looked. The answer being not as good as I would like, but it will have to do for now. I may fit a chrome pick up cover. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cat Burrito Posted November 6, 2010 Share Posted November 6, 2010 Hey Gary Just to say following our PMs I'm reading this thread. keep at it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gary mac Posted November 6, 2010 Author Share Posted November 6, 2010 [quote name='BurritoBass' post='1013926' date='Nov 6 2010, 01:42 AM']Hey Gary Just to say following our PMs I'm reading this thread. keep at it! [/quote] Will do matey. Having a break today as I'm gigging this afternoon. It's our first proper outing, as everything got put on hold when the cancer came along. We've got a half hour set at a fireworks party. Looking forward to kicking up a din again. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cat Burrito Posted November 6, 2010 Share Posted November 6, 2010 Yeah, first post cancer gig is a biggie - I will never forget mine & thankfully it was also my favourite ever gig too (or certainly top 3). Have a blast mate Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gary mac Posted November 8, 2010 Author Share Posted November 8, 2010 Decided my old tin of T cut was past it's best as it was in the shed all last winter and probably spent a few weeks frozen. Paid a visit to the local car spares shop and got a fresh one. I'm sure it was about two quid last time I purchased, now best part of seven. Did a bit more fine sanding, then a t cut and a final polish up with a buffer pad attached to my drill. Still can't see much difference really but I'm going to leave it as it is and go for discreet rather than fully mojo'd. The body has a number of small dings and a little wear and I think my efforts have probably given it a slightly aged look. I won't put any pics up as I dont think they will look any different to the earlier snaps. Meanwhile experimenting with a couple of suggestions from bass chatters regarding ageing of hardware. So far just risking the pickguard screws. Some soaking in salty water and some in vinegar. Will leave them overnight and then investigate. I think my next task will be to install the pups and wiring. Once that's done and the bridge is re-fitted, I'm done until I get hold of a neck. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gary mac Posted November 9, 2010 Author Share Posted November 9, 2010 09/11/2010 The screws do not appear to have altered although the water was rusty looking. Rinsed them off and dried them. Installed the pups, fitted the pots and socket to the pick guard. Checked out a few web sites for details on wiring/soldering. Just to ensure my confused state continues, they all seem to recommend slightly different ways. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
7string Posted November 10, 2010 Share Posted November 10, 2010 I know what you mean about there being different wiring diagrams. Even for a Precision. The Fender and Seymour Duncan websites are good for the wiring diagrams, so go for one of those. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gary mac Posted November 11, 2010 Author Share Posted November 11, 2010 11/11/2010 Set about sorting the wiring this morning. It took me a while to get the soldering carried out, but finally managed to get it all fitted and hopefully in the right places. Quite a fiddly job really, particularly getting the capacitor in the correct position. As can be seen in the photos my soldering could be better, but hopefully it will all hold...... It didn’t, when I moved it to get it in to place, the capacitor popped off the volume pot. Stupidly I had already packed away the soldering kit and cleared up. Lesson learnt. Re soldered the capacitor. Had a cuppa and left it alone for a while. Refreshed from my tea, put the pick guard in place, being careful to tuck all the cables in. I just know that something will be wrong with the wiring so I decided not to screw the guard down just yet, but then against my better judgement screwed it down anyway. [attachment=63710:066.JPG][attachment=63711:069.JPG] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gary mac Posted November 29, 2010 Author Share Posted November 29, 2010 [attachment=65328:neck7.JPG][attachment=65329:neck4.JPG] 25/11/2010. After weeks of countless trawls through the for sale forum and Ebay, I’ve got a neck sorted, a Fender Japanese one. From the photos it looks to be exactly what I’ve been looking for. Maple fret board, period correct decal, skunk stripe and in good nick. After some negotiating with the seller we reached an agreement and he kindly offered to deliver it to me tomorrow, which was extremely kind, saved me some postage and also the trauma of waiting for a courier to deliver it, hopefully in one piece. 26/11/2010. Got the neck today, hand delivered as promised by a very decent seller and all round nice chap. My first impression is that it was worth waiting for and looks like a good one. Slightly concerned that three of the four screw holes look a little large. Presumably just due to the fact that it’s been on and off a few basses over the years. Anyway it’s soon sorted with some wood and glue, ready to be re drilled tomorrow. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gary mac Posted November 29, 2010 Author Share Posted November 29, 2010 28/11/2010. Set about fitting the neck today. The four fixing screws bit in nice and securely. The sharp eyed amongst you will notice that I’ve not used a period correct neck plate. I was just keen to get on and I had this one to hand. I do intend to replace it soon with a plain one with my initials and birth date engraved in the style of a serial number. Naively I was hoping that the truss rod would not need adjusting as I hadn’t grooved out the body to allow access to the adjustment screw, which is located at the heel end on these necks. Once I had put some strings on though it was very obvious that an adjustment was needed. This was a stupid error really, that now meant the strings would need to come off and the pick guard yet again to allow me to form the necessary groove in the body. This was soon completed with a small chisel. Got the strings back on and with some assistance from Mrs Mac (I haven’t got a capo), adjusted the truss rod Decided after a tune up, that this would be a good time to plug in and see if everything functions as it should. Well nothing exploded and it makes a noise. Enough for today. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gary mac Posted November 29, 2010 Author Share Posted November 29, 2010 29/11/2010. The neck really does fit well, better than some of the examples I’ve seen in the shops. The neck pocket is nice and tight with no obvious gaps; hopefully this can be seen in the relevant photo. Got the action sorted to how I like it and fine tuned for intonation. The only other job I wanted to do today was to sort out the protruding saddle screws. I’ve cut my hand in the past when playing basses with the screws all standing proud of the saddle, it’s a real pet hate of mine. So although I had just completed the set up, I decided to take out the screws and cut them down to cure the problem. A tedious job but ultimately very much worth the effort. It took a couple of hours of sawing, filing and adjusting but finally all done. [attachment=65361:neck8.JPG][attachment=65362:neck10.JPG] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gary mac Posted December 5, 2010 Author Share Posted December 5, 2010 02/12/2010. The ebony thumb rest arrived today and was soon fitted. Still a few finishing touches needed. A strap button for the back of the head stock, ash trays and a replacement neck plate. I’m still not sure about fitting the ash trays as although it would be correct for the period, I think they will just get in the way, given my playing style. So it’s pretty much finished and I’m very pleased with the result. My plans changed a little as the project progressed, my initial idea was to go for the road worn look but I couldn’t actually bring myself to do the whole relicing thing, it just seemed like abuse. I did complete the fine sanding and buffing, which maybe gave it a slightly aged look. The body came to me with a few knocks and blemishes so from here on in I will play it and let it age naturally. Given that it’s not all pristine I won’t be worried about the almost inevitable knocks that occur when gigging. Acoustically it sounds good. I know from plugging in to my little practice amp that it makes a noise and my soldering/wiring is ok. I’m looking forward to playing it through my rig and will do so this week at band rehearsal, weather permitting. As an additional bonus it’s come in at a pleasing weight of 8lb 12oz, making it the lightest of my basses. My thanks to the Bass Chatters who helped me with advice and some of the parts. [attachment=65727:complete2.JPG][attachment=65728:complete3.JPG][attachment=65729:complete12.JPG][at tachment=65730:complete13.JPG] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clarky Posted December 5, 2010 Share Posted December 5, 2010 (edited) Very nice job! There have been some fantastic self builds recently on BC (cd_david's Roger Waters Precision, BurritoBass' latest stripped Precision and now this one) Edited December 5, 2010 by Clarky Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gary mac Posted December 9, 2010 Author Share Posted December 9, 2010 Thanks Clarky Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gary mac Posted January 25, 2011 Author Share Posted January 25, 2011 Got myself a new neck plate from the states for a bargain price. Got it engraved yesterday with my initials and birth date. Fitted it this morning along with a nice new set of DR Highbeams. This bass has turned out so well and was a really worthwhile project for the winter months. Looking forward to gigging it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cd_david Posted January 28, 2011 Share Posted January 28, 2011 [quote name='gary mac' post='1048107' date='Dec 5 2010, 11:51 AM'][attachment=65727:complete2.JPG][attachment=65728:complete3.JPG][attachment=65729:complete12.JPG][at tachment=65730:complete13.JPG][/quote] Jesus that's beautiful Gary Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sshorepunk Posted January 28, 2011 Share Posted January 28, 2011 That looks really cool, good build! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gary mac Posted January 28, 2011 Author Share Posted January 28, 2011 Thank you for the kind words chaps. (Why haven't we got a bashful smiley?) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Old Horse Murphy Posted January 30, 2011 Share Posted January 30, 2011 Wow! JUst found this thread again Gary. Well done, I love it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gary mac Posted January 30, 2011 Author Share Posted January 30, 2011 Thanks Nick. So glad that I spotted your ad for the body. I've just bought a set of U.S. pups off of Cd_David, from whom you bought the body I believe. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.