kodiakblair Posted December 24, 2018 Share Posted December 24, 2018 Few weeks back a fella over on the TB site was asking about 51 style P-basses,namely the Harley Benton PB-50 and the Squier CV. Couple of folks moaned about slab bodies and comfort then got weird when it was pointed out neither bass mentioned was a slab body. Jumping to conclusions then getting weird when corrected is standard practise on TB 😁 Anyway I've never owned a slab body so decided to build one.Added extra was I've often wondered about the early pine body Fenders,now was my chance 👍 Parts list 600mm x 400mm x 47mm yellow pine blank (folks on the telecaster form all said 47mm or 1 7/8" was the norm). £54. Got shafted on VAT & delivery 😠 2 saddle bridge. Took 10 days delivered from Arkansas Musicworks,also cost just £14 inc delivery 😱 PB-50 neck from ebay.£30 Wilkinson tuners bought from here. £15 Knobs,control plate,string tree and strap buttons from Axecaster. £12 Pots,string ferrules from NW Guitars £9 Cup style Tele jack socket £4.50 Black Dog Music Bloodstone staggered 51 style pickup from here £35. Call it £175 even 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kodiakblair Posted December 24, 2018 Author Share Posted December 24, 2018 Printed out a PDF template then made one from MDF. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kodiakblair Posted December 24, 2018 Author Share Posted December 24, 2018 Over to the blank. I forgot to take a photo of that. There's the remains and the mock-up after cutting. Neck pocket cut,pickup routed out and bridge position set. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kodiakblair Posted December 24, 2018 Author Share Posted December 24, 2018 Good time to mention what it's like working with pine. The yellow pine I bought is South American and quite stable. A 47mm thick slab of it is a bandit to cut. Shaft on 1st cutter bent after 6", I was using a template bit. Next cutter,the tip snapped 🤬 At that point I flipped the blank over and started cutting with a guided bit. The bearing sheared off so lucky I'd bought 2 🙂 This stopping/starting and swapping cutters played merry hell with the cut so there were gouges and lines to be sanded out. The 47mm was also a bit too thick for the length of router bits I had. After the bent shaft I was a concerned about exposing too much out of the nut. Be bloody careful of the top surface, dents can happen but tear-outs are easy done. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jus Lukin Posted December 24, 2018 Share Posted December 24, 2018 (edited) - Edited March 2, 2022 by Jus Lukin 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kodiakblair Posted December 24, 2018 Author Share Posted December 24, 2018 Cut out the control cavity this morning and sanded round the edges. Test assembly with neck and bridge. Happy to report I got the pickup placement right and the strings will run over the poles 😎 The control cavity is massive and with good reason. 1st. I've a few options for the pots. Original 51, varitone or a Noll preamp. 2nd. It's a damn sight easier to drill or pickup wires and bridge ground. That's enough for today, I've toys to build for the wee fella across the landing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kodiakblair Posted December 24, 2018 Author Share Posted December 24, 2018 3 minutes ago, Jus Lukin said: I like it already! Thank you. No scratchplate going on it and I'm thinking some form of blue wash to show the grain. What's your feeling on blue ? Neck will be getting an Amber tint. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trueno Posted December 24, 2018 Share Posted December 24, 2018 I like this. Trans blue with the grain showing would look good. I always like honey coloured with 51 P basses... but if you're making it for yourself the world's your lobster. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kodiakblair Posted December 24, 2018 Author Share Posted December 24, 2018 6 minutes ago, Trueno said: I like this. Trans blue with the grain showing would look good. Thanks. I've just mixed some linseed and turps for a sealer coat,when it dries in I'll do some tests on the scraps. BTW forgot to mention . Neck,body,pickup and bridge comes in just under 8lb 🙂 Expect knobs and machineheads will add another 1lb. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jus Lukin Posted December 24, 2018 Share Posted December 24, 2018 (edited) - Edited March 2, 2022 by Jus Lukin 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kodiakblair Posted December 31, 2018 Author Share Posted December 31, 2018 I've did very little over the last week except play with stain. Can't believe just what a pest this can be 🙂 In the photos, the pale areas look great. In real life they look crap 😊 They were also done with water-based stain so the grain rises and you lose a good bit sanding smooth again 😞 Tried some artist inks then some light fast spirit based wood dye arrived 🙂 A high gloss finish would be great but after the Paisley bass there'll be no more spraying in this house 🤐 Could be tung oil or a wax. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kodiakblair Posted January 1, 2019 Author Share Posted January 1, 2019 The job is done 😎 Started the tung oil coats very early yesterday morning and did last coat around 11.30pm. Gave it a buff over this afternoon then came assembly. Still a small amount of fettling to be done, couple of touch ups to the finish and a wee bit off the saddles to tighten up the string spacing. Comes in just shy of 10lb. 7 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Merton Posted January 1, 2019 Share Posted January 1, 2019 Very cool! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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