Andyjr1515 Posted January 16, 2016 Author Share Posted January 16, 2016 [quote name='sblueplanet' timestamp='1452957533' post='2955069'] Nevermind the whole bass, that headstock is quite beautiful. [/quote] Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mixingwithtom Posted January 16, 2016 Share Posted January 16, 2016 The headstock is a crowning glory haha Jokes aside, fab looking bass & I'm keen to hear how it sounds Andy I had one of your instruments out last night (the infamous Afro bodied fretless) and I have to say, soundcheck was one of the best "bass tone" moments of easily the last year! Really excellent, and entirely DI'd so a true testament to the instrument and in particular the 3pce neck you put together for it. Keep up the splendid work! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andyjr1515 Posted January 17, 2016 Author Share Posted January 17, 2016 [quote name='wwcringe' timestamp='1452987723' post='2955406'] The headstock is a crowning glory haha Jokes aside, fab looking bass & I'm keen to hear how it sounds Andy I had one of your instruments out last night (the infamous Afro bodied fretless) and I have to say, soundcheck was one of the best "bass tone" moments of easily the last year! Really excellent, and entirely DI'd so a true testament to the instrument and in particular the 3pce neck you put together for it. Keep up the splendid work! [/quote] Thanks, Tom! I have high hopes of this one too. The SD EQ unit I'm putting in is the same one as my Bubinga fretless. In that one it gives a superb range of tones with a nevertheless straightforward set of controls. Finished the fret dressing last night and fitted the tuners. Not too long now Andy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andyjr1515 Posted January 17, 2016 Author Share Posted January 17, 2016 I fitted the tuners last night. The Hipshot drop D works a treat and the ultra-lites are noticeably lighter: Here's the drop D in 'E' position: ...and in 'D' position: With the frets polished, I couldn't resist a quick mock-up: Always more stuff to do than you think there is, but it really is rapidly coming together now Andy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DarkHeart Posted January 17, 2016 Share Posted January 17, 2016 looks amazing.... as usual! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PlungerModerno Posted January 17, 2016 Share Posted January 17, 2016 [quote name='DarkHeart' timestamp='1453035056' post='2955728'] looks amazing.... as usual! [/quote] +1. The bass is coming together beutifully! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andyjr1515 Posted January 17, 2016 Author Share Posted January 17, 2016 Thanks, folks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FuNkShUi Posted January 17, 2016 Share Posted January 17, 2016 Not long now...... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andyjr1515 Posted January 17, 2016 Author Share Posted January 17, 2016 (edited) [quote name='FuNkShUi' timestamp='1453064316' post='2956127'] Not long now......�� [/quote] Not long at all, Kert It's been a good weekend all round for progress. While the varnish has been drying, I managed to get a bit more done on the dreadnought acoustic 6 string. Did the rosette and soundhole: ...and curved the top braces to the 25' radius: ...and in the last 20 minutes have got the X braces into the go-bar to press the braces and top into the 25' radius dish while the glue dries: So now I'm off downstairs now to have a whisky and continue the warm glow feeling of a successful weekend Edited January 17, 2016 by Andyjr1515 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rk7 Posted January 18, 2016 Share Posted January 18, 2016 Lovely work! RK Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andyjr1515 Posted January 18, 2016 Author Share Posted January 18, 2016 [quote name='rk7' timestamp='1453112733' post='2956359'] Lovely work! RK [/quote] Thanks, RK ! By the way, folks. Sorry if some of the photos aren't coming through.... Imgur seems to be having some issues this morning! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
6v6 Posted January 18, 2016 Share Posted January 18, 2016 Looks very nice indeed! Care to share any more details on your finishing process? I've sprayed guitars with both poly and nitro in the past (with a proper compressor/spray gun) and the finish you've achieved is easily as good if not better - no mean feat given the time of year! I've got a bass to refinish and there's no chance I'll even attempt it before about June when it warms up because I also have to work outside or in a cold shed! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andyjr1515 Posted January 19, 2016 Author Share Posted January 19, 2016 [quote name='6v6' timestamp='1453153353' post='2956974'] Looks very nice indeed! Care to share any more details on your finishing process? I've sprayed guitars with both poly and nitro in the past (with a proper compressor/spray gun) and the finish you've achieved is easily as good if not better - no mean feat given the time of year! I've got a bass to refinish and there's no chance I'll even attempt it before about June when it warms up because I also have to work outside or in a cold shed! [/quote] Hi, 6V6 I started doing the wipe-on approach for the same reasons - no workshop, no garage, just the spare bedroom in the house and the outside patio! I've referred to the approach in a number of my threads, but probably worth putting a specific thread into the Repairs and Technical section. I'll cut and paste some stuff I did on another forum and post the link shortly Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andyjr1515 Posted January 19, 2016 Author Share Posted January 19, 2016 [quote name='6v6' timestamp='1453153353' post='2956974'] Looks very nice indeed! Care to share any more details on your finishing process? I've sprayed guitars with both poly and nitro in the past (with a proper compressor/spray gun) and the finish you've achieved is easily as good if not better - no mean feat given the time of year! I've got a bass to refinish and there's no chance I'll even attempt it before about June when it warms up because I also have to work outside or in a cold shed! [/quote] Wipe-on [url="http://basschat.co.uk/topic/277188-wipe-on-varnishing/"]finish thread is here[/url] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andyjr1515 Posted January 21, 2016 Author Share Posted January 21, 2016 I'm onto the final tasks. The most critical one is the bridge positioning and fixing. This really is a case of "measure 15 times and drill once". The tape is to protect the varnish and to avoid the bridge sliding around during the measuring process! And then the really, really scary bit - putting the strings on and tightening them up! So, in terms of the basic checks:[list] [*]Did the neck break? No [*]Did the truss rod break out of the back? No [*]Did I put the right scale length on and the bridge in the correct position? Yes [*]Will it tune up correctly? Yes [*]Is the neck relief correct? Yes [*]Is the action OK? Yes It's actually pretty spot on to my recommended minimum heights. However, the saddles are fully down at the moment so, if Kert wants a super low 'buzzy' action (some players do) I'll check whether the pickups pull them down to any great degree and, if not, file off a touch off the bottoms of the saddles. [*]Is the nut OK? Yes That, on the other hand, is at the top of the adjust-a-nut's travel, so I will pop a sliver to raise the bottom plate a touch before I glue it. I really love adjust-a-nuts. It gives you a degree of control that filing nut slots never does [*]Does it sound OK? Yeeeessssss Actually, it's quite loud acoustically - MUCH louder than my bubinga fretless [/list] Next jobs: Drill hole for bridge earth; trial-fit pups; copper shield cavities; final-fit covers; install electrics; check Kert's preference for neck final finish and 'satinise' if required once the varnish is fully hard Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paulnb57 Posted January 21, 2016 Share Posted January 21, 2016 Pukka! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bastav Posted January 21, 2016 Share Posted January 21, 2016 Ay may zing ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ezbass Posted January 21, 2016 Share Posted January 21, 2016 It looked the biz before, but now that there're strings on it, it looks like a proper bass. That finish looks sooo deep. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Norris Posted January 21, 2016 Share Posted January 21, 2016 That's scrubbed up well Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
allighatt0r Posted January 21, 2016 Share Posted January 21, 2016 It's alright, I suppose... ;-) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Simon. Posted January 21, 2016 Share Posted January 21, 2016 As the Blues Brothers did once upon a time declaim: J H G-D C! I've never been a fan of single-cut shapes, but that is ludicrously good looking. I really like what you've done with the pup covers as well. Merely saying "Good work" somehow seems a bit shallow... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andyjr1515 Posted January 21, 2016 Author Share Posted January 21, 2016 Thanks, folks I know what this looks like, so I shouldn't need to keep looking at it, but here's the latest mock-ups: What I'm now doing is sorting the pickup heights to allow the pickup covers to have adequate clearance without losing too much of the signal strength. It will be helped by the splendid Seymour Duncan powered EQ - allowing both bass and treble boost through passive pickups. But the covers are big and need to be as low as possible to keep out of the way of the strings and the player. What I will do is rig up all of the electrics, set the pickup heights at their minimum practical through an amp, and then slim down the covers until they are just short of resting on the p/ups. By the way, Kert was keen that - even though this is a single cut - the weight was minimised. It's one of the reasons for such a large back chamber that will nevertheless only be housing a standard Jazz pickup. I'm pleased with the result. All up, it is sitting at 7 3/4 lb (3.5 kilo). That's lighter than my Squier! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blablas Posted January 21, 2016 Share Posted January 21, 2016 Looks fantastic! The only thing I'm not really fond of are those gigantic pickup covers, way too big for the design of the bass to my taste. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andyjr1515 Posted January 21, 2016 Author Share Posted January 21, 2016 [quote name='blablas' timestamp='1453394555' post='2959126'] Looks fantastic! The only thing I'm not really fond of are those gigantic pickup covers, way too big for the design of the bass to my taste. [/quote] Thanks, blabas With the quality and innovation in your own builds, your feedback means a lot The covers will look better when they are lower to the body but there is a lot of area to cover a 'P' split pickup (there's only a couple of mm extra for the seatings) and my mockup didn't look at all right with the option of a smaller one for the 'J'. I wasn't too sure about them when they were plain camphor, but I'm pleased with the ebony inset - it's the old addage that if you've got to have it, then you may as well flaunt it Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blablas Posted January 21, 2016 Share Posted January 21, 2016 P split pickups claim a lot of real-estate, when looking at them in the original housing it's not that obvious but once you try to cover them up you realize how big they are. Had this experience when I replaced the P pickup on my old Westone Thunder I, it needed a BIG pickup-ring to cover up the original cavity! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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