PlungerModerno Posted March 3, 2016 Share Posted March 3, 2016 (edited) Coming along very nicely - I'd say the saddles will work well as long as the holes the screws thread into are tapped suitibly (I assume you've got some more ovankol or rosewood to make more if things don't turn out perfect the first time!). Edited March 3, 2016 by PlungerModerno Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bastav Posted March 4, 2016 Author Share Posted March 4, 2016 [quote name='PlungerModerno' timestamp='1457042930' post='2994859'] Coming along very nicely - I'd say the saddles will work well as long as the holes the screws thread into are tapped suitibly (I assume you've got some more ovankol or rosewood to make more if things don't turn out perfect the first time!). [/quote] Yes im a off cuts hoarder so theres plenty of potential saddles where these came from thanks for looking! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bastav Posted March 12, 2016 Author Share Posted March 12, 2016 Fretboard on! Bridge in! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cLepto-bass Posted March 15, 2016 Share Posted March 15, 2016 I am keeping a keen eye on this thread. Absolutely cracking stuff so far. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PlungerModerno Posted March 17, 2016 Share Posted March 17, 2016 [quote name='uzzell' timestamp='1458062791' post='3004339'] I am keeping a keen eye on this thread. Absolutely cracking stuff so far. [/quote] +1 - It's lovely to watch a one of a kind like this coming together! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andyjr1515 Posted March 20, 2016 Share Posted March 20, 2016 Any more pics, Bastav? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bastav Posted March 22, 2016 Author Share Posted March 22, 2016 Thanks for showing interest! Glad you like it I've mostly been carving away at the neck, taking it slow. Working with the wenge veneers around the neck/body transition has been a bit tricky with the wenge splintering every chance it gets. If i was picking out veneers for something like this again I'd be staying away from wenge... It's getting there though... PICS! Also inlayed the 12th fret marker. It turned out alright I think, though it looks better up close than from a distance... I'll probably put a few coats of danish oil on the FB, Im hoping that will make it a bit more distinctive. Thanks for looking! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paulnb57 Posted March 22, 2016 Share Posted March 22, 2016 Thats not a guitar, that a sculpture! Very nice work, skill envy here... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andyjr1515 Posted March 23, 2016 Share Posted March 23, 2016 [quote name='paulnb57' timestamp='1458683400' post='3009892'] Thats not a guitar, that a sculpture! Very nice work, skill envy here... [/quote] +1 on this. There are some lovely features there. I agree with you about wenge veneer....the final result is lovely, but it's a complete pig to work with. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bastav Posted March 23, 2016 Author Share Posted March 23, 2016 Thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scojack Posted March 23, 2016 Share Posted March 23, 2016 Out of interest....how thick is the neck? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bastav Posted March 23, 2016 Author Share Posted March 23, 2016 Right now its about 23 mm at the first fret and about 25 at the 12th including the fingerboard... A little thicker than average but i think i like it. Its also a matter of the truss rod being quite deep... How many mm of wood is standard under the truss rod? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scojack Posted March 23, 2016 Share Posted March 23, 2016 (edited) If that includes the FB then seems about right Bastav, just looks much thicker in the photos. PS ..Wenge ...is one of the worst woods to work imho. Used it once and never again. Ian Edited March 23, 2016 by scojack Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bastav Posted April 2, 2016 Author Share Posted April 2, 2016 Got some more work done, first of, knobs! They turned out quite petite, we'll see if they work out, otherwise I shall have to think of something else... Next up, I had a bit of a screw up. I had the bright idea to start experimenting with the headstock very late one night, perhaps not the smartest thing to do on a close to finished bass... Long story short I ended up with a hole in the headstock, not all the way through but it wasn't pretty. I started contemplating an inlay of some sort, after one failed attempt and some sleepless nights I settled on a design and an approach that seemed doable. Turned out pretty good I think, not perfect but for a first crack at inlay work I'm calling it a success. Also inserted som grade AAAA toothpicks as side dots Thats all folks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Norris Posted April 2, 2016 Share Posted April 2, 2016 Nice save and a good job on the impromptu inlay work. Those side dots look great too. /Adds late-night changes to the NOT todo list Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blablas Posted April 2, 2016 Share Posted April 2, 2016 That's the way to do it, turn a screwup into a feature, well done! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PlungerModerno Posted April 3, 2016 Share Posted April 3, 2016 Nice. . . as has been mentioned - good save on the headstock! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bastav Posted April 3, 2016 Author Share Posted April 3, 2016 Thanks! Just got done routing out the pickup cavitys... Had been putting it off for some time and it was quite nerve wrecking but it went well. Now i just have to finish the neck and sand everything an put the darn frets in! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bastav Posted May 8, 2016 Author Share Posted May 8, 2016 Well im in mourning. I was banging the frets in and the head fell clean off. I might have been banging a bit excessively but i couldnt get the damn things to seat properly. Dont know what i was doing wrong in regards to the frets but i already had my suspicions about the headstock. I didnt think it would fall off during fretting but i was a bit nervous about it surviving string tension... Oh well, live, learn and all that crud Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sblueplanet Posted May 8, 2016 Share Posted May 8, 2016 A headless design it is then! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bastav Posted May 8, 2016 Author Share Posted May 8, 2016 Now that the initial disapointment has subsided im thinking i might try to remove the fretboard and adding a scarf headstock... Bu how to remove the fretboard i wonder? Btw i tried bangin a few more frets in with a hard hammer head and that worked great... The first one was kind of rubbery which seemed like a good idea at the time Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bastav Posted July 4, 2016 Author Share Posted July 4, 2016 Ok, this bass is now in the finishing stages so it might be time to reveal what I came up with. I'm about 90% sure this is gonna work... well maybe 85... Anyways, it has taken on a life of it's own. Now we're looking at a headless design with the strings going through the body and then through the body again, ending up at the tuners located at the side of the body. First I removed some wood with a saw, then went on to routing the rest away Then I drilled for the tuners Then I went out and bought myself a very long drill and drilled sneaky stringpaths I've made a small cover to hide away all the holes and the mess I made after this picture was taken trying to achieve smooth travel for the strings. And here's a pic of the headpiece... before sanding and final shaping Since these pics were taken I've leveled/crowned the frets, sanded everything smooth and begun putting oil on it. So... what was already a quite unique bass has gotten stranger looking still... Oh well, if it ends up playing I'm calling it a win Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Norris Posted July 4, 2016 Share Posted July 4, 2016 Wow! That's different. Have you had to use extra long scale strings? Great looking bass - I love the top horn carving Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andyjr1515 Posted July 5, 2016 Share Posted July 5, 2016 Stunning! Thats what I call lateral thinking!! Great work Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bastav Posted July 5, 2016 Author Share Posted July 5, 2016 Thanks! Im using short scale strings and then the 25" scale turns them into extra long. Im not entirely sure just how floopy the strings will be but ive done som experimenting... i think itll be fine... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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