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First Body Build


Unknown_User
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Inspired by all the threads in this here sub forum, I've decided to take the plunge and build my first ever bass body.  I made a J bass from a kit last year and enjoyed doing that, which has given me the bug for it.

I'm enlisting the help of my Dad, who has more woodworking skills than I (i.e. more than none).  Mainly I thought it'd be a good excuse for us to spend some time together at something.

Pa_User found some reclaimed mahogany in an antiques shop that'd work as the body:

40004616_1Wood.png.70376046a055bc8d7c198b18e1662dc9.png

Out of this he's cut a shape from a template I made on the computer and printed out:

1495112690_2Shape.png.498b79cdf0fd36e60639c86435323a12.png

Meanwhile I've been scouring eBay for the cheapest bits and pieces I can find to complete the build.  The mahogany is only 35mm thick, so to get it up to 4mm (which is the thickness of my Squire P and kit build J) I got some top wood.  It was the cheapest I could find and I thought it was alright from the pictures, but since I actually received it I think it looks absolutely gorgeous.

1022291557_3Bits.thumb.png.768f15a367676ba5fcce432480c40d50.png

I plan to go round tomorrow to see if we can work out a plan for putting all these bits together in something like the right order.  Maybe have a test go with the router I bought and have no idea how to use.

I'm hoping for the benefit of the experience of you all along the way.  My tentative plan is that the next jobs are routing out the control cavity in the body along with any channels for wires to go through to pickup holes and behind the bridge, etc..  Then to try and get the top on.  After that cut the neck pocket.  Am I missing anything from that?

Wish us luck!

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"Maybe have a test go with the router I bought and have no idea how to use.

For gawd's sake be careful with a router if you've never used one before...……..they bite. 

Enjoy making this with your pa...…..I'm making a Tele with my son, and maybe next we'll make him a P bass! 

 

Best of luck 

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Totally agree with Rubis. Routers can be viscous. Try it on scrap first and only take a little off at a time. The router can snatch and launch things across the workshop (learnt by experience!!) Always make sure your workpiece is securely clamped too. I’ve had a few issues with some cheap cutters too - get a few decent cutters rather than a selection box full of stuff you won’t use!

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5 hours ago, Unknown_User said:

I plan to go round tomorrow to see if we can work out a plan for putting all these bits together in something like the right order.  Maybe have a test go with the router I bought and have no idea how to use.

Routers are hugely fun, and they will also completely ruin everything if you don't watch them every second you are using them. They lull you into a false sense of security. you are shaving everything off nicely with a template and they same so simple to use and so great. Then you realise you just want to take a mm off the side of a cavity, you dont have a template for it but what is the worst that can happen right, just a little bit. So you shave that mm off, and it works fine. So then you notice another bit, so you do that. Now you are all confident, so there is just that other mm to shave off and voom - you go over by a bit. Oops, so never mind, you can just even it off by shaving the sides off. oops, that was too much. No problem, you can fix that.... :D

 

 

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Good luck with your build mate looks like an interesting body shape!! The neck looks great!! (but I am a sucker for maple and block!!) 

If your not too experienced using a router I would recommend making yourself a jig for the control, pickup cavities and neck pocket also get a top bearing flute router cutter that will reduce the risk of things going wrong very quickly

Looking forward to seeing this take shape......... 😀 

Edited by Jimothey
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Thanks for the encouraging words everyone. I'm definitely going to take things slowly with the router and try and make some templates for all the different bits we need to cut out.

@Jimothey for the shape I traced an outline around a picture of a Thunderbird from the Internet (my dream bass, hence me hanging around your Exploderbird thread like a bad smell) and then traced the top horn off a Jazz bass over that to reduce the likelyhood of neck dive.

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It's a similar-ish shape to my Overwater (I think this is the Deluxe model - I got it in the 1980's). Lovely shape but an absolute pain to get a gig bag for it!!

ZGFizrs.jpg?1

Edit: I got this bass off another kid when I was at school. It had fallen off a stand and taken the head off. I was going to have a go at making a bass back then so I bought it for parts. My dad glued the head back on and it's remained like that since - perfectly usable! I keep threatening to get the finish redone by the guys at Overwater but have never got round to it. Not a bad bass for £60....

Edited by Jabba_the_gut
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1 minute ago, Jabba_the_gut said:

The Overwater is lovely but feels very long due to the bridge placement and a 24 fret neck. 

Probably more to do with the bridge - the actual thunderbird neck seems very long just because the bridge is so far forward. Of course, if it wasn't you would have no high fret access at all, rather than being able to get to the 19th.

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2 minutes ago, Woodinblack said:

Probably more to do with the bridge - the actual thunderbird neck seems very long just because the bridge is so far forward. Of course, if it wasn't you would have no high fret access at all, rather than being able to get to the 19th.

And feels very long after my recent short scale and mini basses!!! I've never actually played a Thunderbird - must try one sometime.

Edited by Jabba_the_gut
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8 minutes ago, Jabba_the_gut said:

And feels very long after my recent short scale and mini basses!!! I've never actually played a Thunderbird - must try one sometime.

Actually lovely necks apart from the fret access. But the headstocks are very ungainly and are the main reason they don't fit into gig bags. Then there is the 3 point 'collection of metal held together by will power' bridge..

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1 hour ago, Jabba_the_gut said:

The Overwater is lovely but feels very long due to the bridge placement and a 24 fret neck. Your neck is a 21 fret one so will sit further into the body - have you worked out how far back the bridge will be?

That's my main job for today!

26 minutes ago, Jimothey said:

@Unknown_User I did think it had a bit of a Tbird vibe? I keep on toying with the idea of blending an Sg and a Tbird to make something a bit different?? 

I meant to ask earlier what top wood is it?............ 😀 

Golden phoebe.

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My Dad and I spent a few hours in my parents' garage yesterday thrashing out a plan of action for this. 

There is an ugly screw hole in the back of the body, behind the lower horn, so we've decided to cut right through that to put the pots in there.  Which does mean a fairly long run of wire across the length of the body to connect up to the jack socket.

We measured and marked up where the cavities for the neck and pickups will go.  So Pa_User is going to work on making a router template for them this week.

The next job will be getting a router bit and making the control cavity, the hole for the jack socket and a few channels to run wires between the back of the bridge, the socket, the pickups and the pots.

There's a lot of work and learning ahead, but I'm getting excited about making a proper start on it.

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You defo need an extra long drill bit for the grounding wire to the bridge.

I nearly hammered the whole body using a normal length one.....🤦🏾‍♂️

May be teaching you to suck eggs, but if you haven’t got a Pillar drill either get one (they are not too expensive) or see a mate who has one.

Neck holes on the body and the holes into a neck itself are the crucial ones to be dead arrow straight.

Looking forward to progress!

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14 minutes ago, Cuzzie said:

You defo need an extra long drill bit for the grounding wire to the bridge.

I nearly hammered the whole body using a normal length one.....🤦🏾‍♂️

May be teaching you to suck eggs, but if you haven’t got a Pillar drill either get one (they are not too expensive) or see a mate who has one.

Neck holes on the body and the holes into a neck itself are the crucial ones to be dead arrow straight.

Looking forward to progress!

Thanks!  I did a J bass from a kit I got for my birthday last year and I came across both those issues. 

For drilling the screw holes for the neck I just clamped it in place and drilled through the body and into the neck as slowly and carefully as possible. 

I did nearly make an unsightly mess drilling the hole between bridge and pickup with a normal length bit and only just about got away with it. 

Thankfully on this one we have top wood to go over the face of the body, so I'm going to cut channels through the body for running the wires.  Which can then be covered by the top. 

I've no idea how they do the solid bodies with the holes for the wires drilled horizontally through.  I'm presuming it must be a tiny team of Lemmings, like in the old computer game.

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Ha!

No worries

i clamp the body/neck and use a drill press, when I did a graphite neck I couldn’t  be off even in the slightest, also controlled the depth nicely.

If you want to do ferrules instead of a plate using that and a Firsch Forstner bit is a nice touch, Personally I prefer them

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You can get some cheap and cheerful drills off eBay such as these

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/7Pcs-Extra-Long-Wood-Drill-Bit-Set-12-300mm-Woodworking-Tool-4-5-6-7-8-10-12mm/162806105922?epid=4011493968&hash=item25e8000742:g:YJwAAOSwmWNclKKx

if you are are running wires pretty much the length of the body you would be best routing a channel before you put the top on. You might also want to do something to protect the channel from glue ingress. There would be nothing worse than having the channel blocked by glue once the top is on. I have used things like milkshake straws for this - sounds daft but works for me!!

Edited by Jabba_the_gut
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Its a great idea

i used an old guitar E string to keep the bridge to ground wire hole patent while gluing a body together to repair it

You can keep cheesewiring it back and forth as it sets so it doesn’t get stuck,

Kitchen Metal skewers also work

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