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5 string Stingray Bass Build


Jimothey
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Yes, I get the neck straight before I start, although it normally straightens itself when you take the strings off!

But I also have the other part of that neck kit, which is this: https://crimsonguitars.com/store/notched-straight-edge-for-bass/ but you can get it pretty close with a ruler.

The crowning and polishing of frets isn't very hard at all, its just a lot of work because there are so many of the bastards :D

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41 minutes ago, Woodinblack said:

Yes, I get the neck straight before I start, although it normally straightens itself when you take the strings off!

But I also have the other part of that neck kit, which is this: https://crimsonguitars.com/store/notched-straight-edge-for-bass/ but you can get it pretty close with a ruler.

The crowning and polishing of frets isn't very hard at all, its just a lot of work because there are so many of the bastards :D

Normally that would be the case that the neck would straighten itself but because I had to put a back bow in the neck to compensate for the extra tension so once I remove the strings I will have to straighten the neck again 

I am going to make my own notched straight edge with an 600mm metal ruler I've got and I've got a rectangle box section of alu that I'm going to use as a fret levelling bar but I just need to dig out my needle files so I can crown the frets 

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8 hours ago, Jimothey said:

am I right in thinking I will have to adjust the truss rod again to make the neck straight then do the work on the frets then adjust it back again before I string it back up?? 

Woody ( @Woodinblack) might be better at answering that one with his course knowledge but yes, I think so.

My understanding is that the truss rod should not have any tension on it with the neck as supplied.  Although with my own kit all I did to verify this was to visually check that the neck was straight, I went on that basis anyway.  First thing I did was to use a magic marker on each of the fret crowns and then I ran a 2'6" steel rule across from one side of the neck to the other to identify the highest frets.  I had relatively few frets sitting up and then only slightly so I went straight in with a crowing file and repeated the marker/check/file/marker/check routine until the rule was removing marker uniformly from the crown tops.  I finished with light abrasive and metal polish.

It was a crude fret dressing but it is playable if you don't look for low action.  One thing to note is that metal polish and masking tape aren't a good mix.  Solvent in the polish makes the adhesive under the tape very sticky and it is difficult to remove the residue after the tape is taken off.

I will need to revisit it sometime because my neck/bridge relationship is not quite right.  I am going to sink the bridge into a carefully calculated rout rather than alter the snug fit of the neck with a shim job.  It's a job that is on the longer of my short lists.  My whole life became a backlog of necessary but minor jobs during my first mid-life crisis.  I say my first - it hasn't ended yet if I'm honest.  One day I'll catch up.  (Crosses fingers behind back.)

Over to you Woody...

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My course was only a one day thing, so nowhere near an expert, just gave me enough confidence to actually touch the thing (which I think was the point).

But yes, pretty well exactly what you do. Lots of tape across the neck, my favourite green sharpie across the frets and going over and over until there weren't any frets with green lines on them, and checking with the rocker. Takes ages but pretty satisfying once you have it done.

 

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Just a quick update on the neck situation after a lot of checking and double checking it turns out that the neck is twisted (probably why I got the kit so cheap thanks Mr honest eBay seller!!! 😠

So my thinking is now is to buy a proper 5 string neck and do the pickups etc make it into a proper 5 string......... 

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53 minutes ago, Woodinblack said:

But if it is only choking on one fret, fix that and if the twist is so slight you didn't notice without a lot of checking, is it that bad?

I suppose you've got a point but it's very noticeable when I'm trying to get the action where I want it the G string is really high around the 5th fret then goes OK again the further up the neck and I can't get the intonation anywhere near right on the D and G strings?

Also I don't know if this is related but as soon as I tuned the D string up it sounded dead so I just thought it was a dead string so I put a brand new string on yesterday and that one sounds dead as well?? 

Edited by Jimothey
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I keep looking at this bass and I can't get it out of my head that the chequered body is a bit too much!?! I really love it on the chequered pickguard on my other basses and also the vinyl is lifting in places and won't stay down when I stick them back down so I'm considering 1 final refinish. 

This is what I've got planned sorry the picture is a bit crappy but you get the general idea

_20180815_113811.thumb.JPG.147b17f79bb8c036007d4cc18c181db5.JPG

Also once I get the neck sorted I'm going to do self adhesive block inlays on it...........😀 

 

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On 15/08/2018 at 17:09, Woodinblack said:

I like chequer too - I have my chequered iceman, although that is painted like that.

But the yellow does look nice

I think if I do it again on another build I will paint the chequer on instead......... 

Edited by Jimothey
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On 15/08/2018 at 11:45, Jimothey said:

I keep looking at this bass and I can't get it out of my head that the chequered body is a bit too much!?! I really love it on the chequered pickguard on my other basses and also the vinyl is lifting in places and won't stay down when I stick them back down so I'm considering 1 final refinish. 

This is what I've got planned sorry the picture is a bit crappy but you get the general idea

_20180815_113811.thumb.JPG.147b17f79bb8c036007d4cc18c181db5.JPG

Also once I get the neck sorted I'm going to do self adhesive block inlays on it...........😀 

 

Looks somewhat familiar 😉

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The frets have been levelled, crowned and polished (it was easier than I thought it was going to be!) Now the buzz has stopped!! Thanks for all the advice everyone

Just got to sort the electrics out, do the refinish then do the shielding then it should be good to go 😀

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  • 2 weeks later...

The AA yellow spray paint came out very orangey so I've bought some Sun Yellow instead which looks a lot better and I've used tinted Danish oil on the neck as I thought it would be a nice contrast with the yellow, I'm also doing a matching headstock 

I'll post pics tomorrow 😀 

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