Andyjr1515 Posted November 17, 2015 Author Share Posted November 17, 2015 I've done the final fit of the top to neck join: Popping a spare fretboard just to illustrate (still have to agree the actual upper-fret shape with FuNkShUi for the slotted board), it will sit pretty flat like this: I've also lined the alder / neck faces with wenge veneer: There are some bits and pieces I can be getting on with indoors, but now I really need a dry morning or afternoon to: [list] [*]weight-relieve the alder top bout [*]cut the control chamber [*]rout the control routes in the neck and alder for the pickup to pickup and pickup to control chamber wires [*]rough-cut with the band-saw the neck plan and side profiles [/list] Then (and I still haven't decided which way round to do it), I can glue the camphor top to the alder back Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
allighatt0r Posted November 17, 2015 Share Posted November 17, 2015 Sweet. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andyjr1515 Posted November 17, 2015 Author Share Posted November 17, 2015 [quote name='allighatt0r' timestamp='1447778313' post='2910283'] Sweet. [/quote] Hi, Bryan! Yup - this one's coming on nicely. A very satisfying build so far Andy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andyjr1515 Posted November 18, 2015 Author Share Posted November 18, 2015 Hopping in and out between showers and wearing lead boots to stop being blown away in the gales, got the bit of routing done on the back pieces. There's a lightening chamber in the upper half (I've left the LHS alone because there is too much going on around there with p/ups, bridge, arm relief carving etc) and the main control cable routes in the lower half. The eagle-eyed will probably be able to see the pencil lines that the two halves will be finish-routed to. I will do the control chamber after it's been glued to the top and carved and I know exactly where the back flattens out... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andyjr1515 Posted November 18, 2015 Author Share Posted November 18, 2015 ... and one of the alder back pieces glued and clamped In the end, I have opted for my unconventional approach - hence the cling-film round the neck so that doesn't get accidentally glued just yet. Everything is square and tight, and I have a clamp holding the alder firmly against the neck. I will do the same with the other side, then lift the neck out again so that I can do the finish external shape routing and edge shaping without the neck in the way. As explained above, it also allows me to check absolutely the neck angle and position before committing it to titebond! Later this evening, I should be able to glue the other side on. It will start looking more like a bass soon Andy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Norris Posted November 18, 2015 Share Posted November 18, 2015 Nice work and quick progress too Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andyjr1515 Posted November 18, 2015 Author Share Posted November 18, 2015 [quote name='Norris' timestamp='1447869466' post='2911128'] Nice work and quick progress too [/quote] Hi, Norris Thanks! To me, it seems to be taking a long time but I'm doing the 'little bit each day' approach which actually keeps the project moving Andy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andyjr1515 Posted November 18, 2015 Author Share Posted November 18, 2015 The first half can now be unclamped and the second half is trial-fitted: You can see the perils of when the weather turns your practice room (or as my wife says, with a touch of aggression in her voice, 'it's SUPPOSED to be a study, not a practice room!!!') into your workshop So, again, a couple of side clamps in place to hold it tight against the neck, then loads of clamps to glue the alder to the wenge / camphor: As always, thanks for looking Andy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maude Posted November 18, 2015 Share Posted November 18, 2015 My only concern with bonding the neck in last would be that you can only clamp it to the top as the two wings are now fixed, will not being able to clamp the neck to the wings be an issue, also if the gap for the neck is nice and snugg will the glue scrape off as you insert it? Or am I overthinking it all as usual? Certainly not knocking it as I've never built a guitar before, just curious . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andyjr1515 Posted November 18, 2015 Author Share Posted November 18, 2015 [quote name='Maude' timestamp='1447876646' post='2911202'] My only concern with bonding the neck in last would be that you can only clamp it to the top as the two wings are now fixed, will not being able to clamp the neck to the wings be an issue, also if the gap for the neck is nice and snugg will the glue scrape off as you insert it? Or am I overthinking it all as usual? Certainly not knocking it as I've never built a guitar before, just curious . [/quote] Very logical and valid concerns, Maude, and quite right to ask. However, the above are not ones I've personally had any problem with (so far). My weird methods are, of course, why the decent luthiers on this and other forums often shake their heads in disbelief.... . Nor would I advocate this as the way it [i]should[/i] be done, especially if you have the tools and skills to do it the conventional way. But....this will be the 7th guitar or bass I've built like this (all of which are gigged and 4 of which are gigged multi-times a week by animals - actually great guys, but animals all the same ) and, so far, I haven't lost a neck. There is a logic for the approach not to be a recipe for disaster, which is this:[list] [*]The critical strength in a thru neck is just that...the neck. The bridge screws into the neck; the tuners are attached to the neck - both anchor points are therefore secure as long as the neck has been constructed correctly [*]The top helps to maintain the rigidity, and helps to maintain the structural integrity due to the little detail that the slots you have to cut for the pickups, actually cut 2/3 into the depth of the neck! [*]So the bond between the top and the neck is critical [*]The "hanger's on" (ie the alder wings in this case), on the other hand, serve many purposes but not actually much to do with strength or stiffness (think cigar-box guitars...) [*]...so as long as they don't actually drop off... [*]...and they aren't going to do that because they are extremely well bonded to the top [/list] The logic is probably deeply flawed, but it does work. Also, the neck will be pretty much smothered in titebond and, other than the danger of hydraulicing, there will be plenty of coverage in the slot sides. To be honest, you only have to look at the tiny, tiny stub of an original Gibson SG 6-string set neck, to realise how little glue (and wood!) is actually needed to hold a neck on. I don't know if you followed my "Tom's African Fretless Bass" thread last year (built for Tom, our very own wwcringe) but that was a fascinating project - convention said that it should not have held together at all. Tom and I, at one point, said it probably wouldn't hold together at all But it did - and it cemented my confidence that, providing the fit is accurate, through necks can bypass a lot of structural challenges a builder normally has to overcome I don't know if any of that makes any sense. Of course, when FuNkShUi posts the photos of the finished product after it has 'clapped hands' in the middle of his most prestigious gig, the decent luthiers on this and other forums will nod knowingly and mutter, '...told you so...' All - keep firing the questions. It helps, because at the very least one in three of them makes me think, 'Oh, cr*p!' Andy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maude Posted November 18, 2015 Share Posted November 18, 2015 All that makes perfect sense Andy, and yes you're right, now you've pointed it out to me, the wings are almost just cosmetic the way you've done this. I did follow the other build you mentioned, and your others. I really admire your builds, more than most, as you approach it in the same way I do with most things, ie work out a way that works for you that isn't necessarily the 'done' way but nonetheless achieves the desired result. And very nice results you get. I was actually very pleased with myself when you commented on my Variax makeover. Anyway I'm sounding creepy now . Looking forward to the progress on this one . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andyjr1515 Posted November 19, 2015 Author Share Posted November 19, 2015 [quote name='Maude' timestamp='1447888964' post='2911343'] I was actually very pleased with myself when you commented on my Variax makeover. [/quote] Without turning this into a mutual appreciation thread, that variax is probably the most stylish and elegant paint job I can recall ever seeing. In my eyes, all you need is a slightly more dodgy neck joint and it would be bloody perfect Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andyjr1515 Posted November 19, 2015 Author Share Posted November 19, 2015 (edited) The good news is that the neck slid out perfectly The other good news is that the forecast for today is [i]no rain[/i] The bad news is that the weather forecasters just tell porkies Anyway, made a bit of progress before it did start to rain. Here's the slotted body, trim-routed at the sides using the camphor as the template : I started also my favourite bit - the carving I started with a plane but the camphor is quite brittle under this kind of cut, so - to make sure a vital bit didn't go pinging off into the garden - I reverted to a rasp file. I hadn't got very far before the rain came, but what I did manage to do has got me very, very excited : Using files, the carve will take some time, but it will be worth it. Andy Edited November 19, 2015 by Andyjr1515 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cheddatom Posted November 19, 2015 Share Posted November 19, 2015 wow, can't wait to see this finished Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bastav Posted November 19, 2015 Share Posted November 19, 2015 Very pretty! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PlungerModerno Posted November 20, 2015 Share Posted November 20, 2015 Sweet. The camphor will really come to life when finished. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FuNkShUi Posted November 20, 2015 Share Posted November 20, 2015 Looking brilliant in my totally unbiased opinion Don't worry about it falling apart, i've seen how many clamps you use, and i'll be gentle Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris Sharman Posted November 20, 2015 Share Posted November 20, 2015 That is looking gorgeous Andy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andyjr1515 Posted November 20, 2015 Author Share Posted November 20, 2015 Thanks for all of the encouraging feedback, folks! This morning was a bonus because it was dry and bright and we had someone coming to sort some of our windows which meant I had to be home Started the carve proper. I roughed it out with a rasp file, then moved to scrapers, and then to the first rough smoothing (if you know what I mean) with the sander. Here it is after the rasp and scrapers: And then after the first rough-sand: Note how quickly the originally skimmed to has already oxidised from the red / purple hues towards terracotta. Clearly, before finishing the body will be sanded all over so there won't be any demarcation of surfaces. What I normally do at this stage is leave it alone and let the shape concept sink in for a few days - then decide whether it needs further tweaks or not before final sanding. Sometimes these things have to gestate a while. I'm pleased with it already, however, and have high hopes. In the meantime, I have got back from FuNkShUi his favourite bass's neck dimensions and shape so will move onto making progress with the neck while my sub-conscience continues to cogitate over the body carve. Thanks again for looking Andy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ezbass Posted November 20, 2015 Share Posted November 20, 2015 That sure is pretty. I think we're all hoping the weather stays dry so that there's more progress. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Norris Posted November 20, 2015 Share Posted November 20, 2015 Good progress. I'm a great believer in subconscious thinking. I'm a computer programmer by day, and with tough problems I just load up my brain with the facts and an answer pops up a day or two later Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andyjr1515 Posted November 20, 2015 Author Share Posted November 20, 2015 [quote name='Norris' timestamp='1448047882' post='2912766'] Good progress. I'm a great believer in subconscious thinking. I'm a computer programmer by day, and with tough problems I just load up my brain with the facts and an answer pops up a day or two later [/quote] I had a tough computer programming problem about twenty years ago. I'm still waiting for that answer to pop up Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andyjr1515 Posted November 22, 2015 Author Share Posted November 22, 2015 (edited) I'm probably 'pushing the envelope' as far as MrsAndyjr1515 is concerned with the reckless neglect of jobs around the house and in the garden, but when it's not raining, bass building is what has to be done! It's now starting to look like a bass proper - I got the bandsawing of the neck done. First of all, slimmed it down to body depth: and then within a mm or so deeper than the final neck depth, got the basic side shape of the neck and headstock cut: The fretboard shown is still the spare one and the headstock will have extra 'wings' and will also be ebony plated on the top. For the slotted blank of the real fretboard, I've thinned that down by 1.5mm based on my calcs to get down to the slimness of FuNkShUi's favourite Warwick bass - a slim 23mm non-tapered depth. The reason is simple - with the blank ebony being a generous 8.5mm, once you'd added the depth of the truss-rod slot, there would only have been 1.5mm or so of depth left under the truss rod. Slimming down the ebony a tad has helped get that to a functional and safe thickness even when fully replicating FuNkShUi's slim profile. There [i]should [/i]be no reason why I can't fully replicate the dimensions and shape of the Warwick... Now, for all of the reservations and downsides of my odd way of building, this is where is really comes into its own for me personally. Once I've finish sanded the top and sanded the straightness and radius on the fretboard, I can still final fit the neck depth and angle so that I know that the bridge is going to be in its optimum adjustment range for the correct action height of the finished bass. While you can calculate these things in advance and try to build exactly to plan, having glued the neck / top early, with hand tools and basic facilities, there are too many things that can be slightly different and which cumulatively can give you a problem. With a bolt-on neck, you just bung a shim in. But with a thru-neck that is already glued in, it can get a bit more complicated. I'm still enjoying this build enormously Thanks for looking! Andy Edited November 22, 2015 by Andyjr1515 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andyjr1515 Posted November 23, 2015 Author Share Posted November 23, 2015 (edited) Another dry morning, so attacked the 'real' fretboard. I first planed it to closer to final width, then used a 12" radius block to start the profile shaping. I put a central line down in pencil to give make sure that the profile retained its straightness up the length - when the pencil mark disappears, you know you've got the desired curve and any more sanding will simply make that area thinner! I always take the opportunity to collect the ebony dust - it's great mixed with epoxy used as a gap filler - particularly for mother-of-pearl logos on ebony plates and fretboards! Here's the profiled fretboard, down to 120 grit. Once it's glued onto the neck, it will have a final profiling and then sanded down to 1000grit before putting the frets in. Andy Edited November 23, 2015 by Andyjr1515 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
White Cloud Posted November 23, 2015 Share Posted November 23, 2015 Smashing work, really enjoying this build. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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