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Finished Pics! A build for our own Len_derby


Andyjr1515

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1 hour ago, Andyjr1515 said:

Having worked out the carve shape - and therefore the thickness of the body at various points in the cross-section - I was able to rout the main chambers and cable routes. 

Control chamber-wise, we are going for a Master Vol/Master Tone/Blend option, with the pots following the curve of the lower bout. 

LN2eUQal.jpg

Theoretically, I could rout deeper at the areas further from the neck but the swampash is so light it really won't make a difference.

The rout in the top is more for aesthetics than weight.  Bear in mind that the top will be curved and so this will slim quite a bit, it will eventually give the illusion of being a semi, when it's actually basically a solid:

dbFxvArl.jpg

Before popping the top on, I will line the f-hole chamber with some redwood veneer to further give the illusion of depth.

That's gonna be a highly desirable residence for today's thrusting young bachelor hamster.

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Just a touch more sanding on the top with a large flat block to ensure good flatness and the top's then ready to be glued on.

As you see, I've added the veneer in the f-hole chamber:

SUL2qJyl.jpg

 

It certainly gives the illusion of a deeper chamber than it actually is:

4E8m7OPl.jpg

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Final two things before closing the top. 

First - a tip I learnt on my veneering jobs - is take a paper template of the chambers.  Especially as this will be carved to within an inch of its life, knowing where the chambers are is pretty crucial.   All I do is make an indentation on some standard photocopying paper, including some positioning datum marks:

t1u5FGvl.jpg

F1cg0O3l.jpg

 

The second thing I do is WAIT!

Once it's glued, it's permanent.  So I need to walk away from it for an hour or so, then come back fresh-minded and recheck: has EVERYTHING that needs doing before that top goes on been done? :D

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So a couple of hours have gone past since I did the above and I've come back to it and I can't think of anything I've missed.

And so, having popped a couple of locating screws in in the pickup positions, it's being glued as I type.

And you all know the mantra.  This time it's in the key of F#:

"You can NEVER have too many clamps!!!"  :D

4xqHr1Sl.jpg

 

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3 hours ago, Andyjr1515 said:

Just a touch more sanding on the top with a large flat block to ensure good flatness and the top's then ready to be glued on.

As you see, I've added the veneer in the f-hole chamber:

SUL2qJyl.jpg

 

It certainly gives the illusion of a deeper chamber than it actually is:

4E8m7OPl.jpg

It's a funny shaped f.  That's all I can say.  If you don't want to call it a hamster-nest-orifice what about calling it an eyebrow hole?

/larks

I like the way that you have lined the visible bit of the cavity interior.  Is there any further finish going on that?

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2 hours ago, Andyjr1515 said:

So a couple of hours have gone past since I did the above and I've come back to it and I can't think of anything I've missed.

And so, having popped a couple of locating screws in in the pickup positions, it's being glued as I type.

And you all know the mantra.  This time it's in the key of F#:

"You can NEVER have too many clamps!!!"  :D

4xqHr1Sl.jpg

 

There are far too many G clamps for the key of F sharp.  Would you settle for G flat?

Clamps

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1 hour ago, SpondonBassed said:

It's a funny shaped f.  That's all I can say.  If you don't want to call it a hamster-nest-orifice what about calling it an eyebrow hole?

/larks

I like the way that you have lined the visible bit of the cavity interior.  Is there any further finish going on that?

I could call it the 'I can't be certain I didn't subconciously steal this shape off @Norris hole' :lol:

Whether I put any finish on the veneer depends if any finish drips through said hole when I'm slurrying the top :)

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Anyway - using router guide bushes and bearing cutters to take the ash excess off about 2mm at a time, some noise and lots of dust later, we have a basic body shape :)

Bfww3VGl.jpg

 

You can see here how much scooping's going to go on in the next stages!  And that's to get it to 30mm max.  I might go even slimmer if I think it's going to balance OK...

0aqASHel.jpg

9h1eaUrl.jpg

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11 minutes ago, Andyjr1515 said:

I could call it the 'I can't be certain I didn't subconciously steal this shape off @Norris hole' :lol:

Whether I put any finish on the veneer depends if any finish drips through said hole when I'm slurrying the top :)

Norrisole it is then.  Official.  It's good to get clarification on that.

I suppose deepening the colours in the red veneer by applying oil is without value if it's at the back of a Norrisole.

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1 hour ago, Andyjr1515 said:

I could call it the 'I can't be certain I didn't subconciously steal this shape off @Norris hole' :lol:

Whether I put any finish on the veneer depends if any finish drips through said hole when I'm slurrying the top :)

Oi! I'll have you for copyright!

1528735678834979362871.thumb.jpg.863f4bd1e33a21a6ff8c4fb972cf472c.jpg

:D

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And to the next scary bit - cutting and gluing the ebony blocks.

The process was straightforward but needed to be quite accurate.  Not only does the ebony have to be cut spot on, but because of the radius, it needs to be certain that the middle is proud of the fretboard but the sides set into the fretboard so, when attacking it with the radius block to smooth them flush, I don't sand into fresh air.

Here's 6 done and 4 to go:

lSmXB3Sl.jpg

 

And here's all 10 in place:

qYcxbfHl.jpg

 

I'm going to leave it on the template until I've sanded them flush - in the event that any or them are flawed, it then would be a simple job to rout out the ebony with the index pin still in the right place and re-do. :D

 

In the meantime, I popped across to Neil's and took some profile and depth measurements from his favourite playing neck:

eMeZvGOl.jpg

  Every bass has its own feel, but making the new one to similar profile and measurements should make it have a comforting familiarity when Neil gets to play it :)

 

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1 hour ago, Daz39 said:

Very nice; but you appear to have made a left-handed fretboard!

Blast!

Well, based on it feeling like the fretboard has taken longer than the body so far, I'd better just remake the body and persuade Neil that learning to be ambidextrous is a real life-skill! :lol:

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Last time I went for a 'well person's checkup' at the local surgery, the GP told me that for the health of my heart, I should do "1/2hour of intensive effort at least once a week that you enjoy and that makes you hot and sweaty" and then gave me a big wink.

How the Dickens did he know I have a Veritas Pullshave???

QN0lY3rl.jpg

 

Sure enough, 1/2 hour later, I'm hot, sweaty and pleasantly fulfilled:

VcmGSOBl.jpg

What a doctor!  What great advice! :D 

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15 hours ago, Andyjr1515 said:

Last time I went for a 'well person's checkup' at the local surgery, the GP told me that for the health of my heart, I should do "1/2hour of intensive effort at least once a week that you enjoy and that makes you hot and sweaty" and then gave me a big wink.

...

Sure enough, 1/2 hour later, I'm hot, sweaty and pleasantly fulfilled:

I re-read that but let me just make sure... wink is the correct spelling isn't it?  Otherwise I'd say your doctor is extraordinarily friendly, if a little dodgy with it.

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15 hours ago, Andyjr1515 said:

Last time I went for a 'well person's checkup' at the local surgery, the GP told me that for the health of my heart, I should do "1/2hour of intensive effort at least once a week that you enjoy and that makes you hot and sweaty" and then gave me a big wink.

How the Dickens did he know I have a Veritas Pullshave???

QN0lY3rl.jpg

 

Sure enough, 1/2 hour later, I'm hot, sweaty and pleasantly fulfilled:

VcmGSOBl.jpg

What a doctor!  What great advice! :D 

But seriously,  it's great to see shavings so soon.

Pure sculpture.  Lovely.

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Quite a bit of the bulk is now removed.  The lower bout will be slimmed (to maintain the radius as it is shorter) and there is now quite a bit of more subtle carving to be done to get the curve even and smooth.  I will be shortly moving to cabinet scraper for the rest of the back carve.  You can see how much wood has gone, though, already:

5LQTBm5l.jpg

 

And maybe you can see why I took the template of the chambers:

INg3N1nl.jpg

The chambers are as deep as the ash is thick where it meets the neck, so too shallow a carve and I could break through the back.  Knowing exactly where those chambers come to is therefore essential.  I will be aiming at 3mm from breakthrough at their thinnest.

 

I won't be carving the top until the pickup routs have been done, but this is a decent time to start checking the weight.

This is most of the weight componentry, less the pickups and pots, still with a lot of wood to take off - especially the neck carve with a lot of heavy maple to remove.  Yes - MrsAndyjr1515 was out:

3OT7T0Gl.jpg

RXJrbi6l.jpg

So just under 6 1/2lbs.  The pickups, truss rod, and electrics will add around 3/4lb,  but I should lose most of that with the further wood removal.  Target for finished bass will be 6 1/2lbs or less.

Ref neck dive control, there are a number of things in play:

  • The bridge is well back
  • The strap button is in the 'goldilocks' zone
  • I'm fitting these really nice lightweight Schallers:

 PCtEUBal.jpg

 

Final update, Neil has chosen the pickups.  A couple of Nordstrands, passive, master vol, master tone, blend. Great choice! :)   

 

Edited by Andyjr1515
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Starting to get there.  And no break-through into the chambers! :)

RsCiy2ll.jpg

And why is the grain pattern so different on the two halves?  It's the same timber but simply that the carved side is flipped between the two pieces.  There was what looked to be a void on the smaller side that I couldn't afford to risk breaking into at this point of the carve (sometimes these voids appear from nothing in the middle of a solid piece of wood!).  It was safer to flip it over and have that area a no carve zone than risk what would look like a flaw in the finished back.  

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