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Finished! Tom's African Build 2


Andyjr1515

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And to the nut.  I have to say that, now I've got over the slightly nauseating smell when you are filing a bone blank (and a mask is essential due to the very fine and dubious-looking dust), cutting a bone nut or saddle is a very satisfying thing to do.

First stage was to cut it to length and file the slight curve at the two sides:

uBnWbq7l.jpg

 

Next, I used feeler gauges to mark a line a gnat's whisker higher than the maximum fret height:

OBpxktFl.jpg

 

Then - with the spare strings fitted - filed the slots at the correct angle and spacing with my trusty Hosco nut files:

aqtDpVfl.jpg

 

Finally, filed the dropaway behind the string contact point for each slot and then took off all of the sharp corners:

6mwBoTEl.jpg

 

This allowed me to tension up the strings and try to play it a bit.  Felt fine!

Next job is the side dots using the last strip of green luminlay I have in my bits draw :)

 

 

 

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  • 2 weeks later...

OK - we're on the final furlong.

- Grandparenting duties done and a clear run until Christmas (and maybe beyond!)

- MrsAndyjr1515 sufficiently irritated with my week-long presence in the daylight to actively encourage (ie, push) me back down the cellar

- Frets levelled, re-crowned and polished

- loads of 'air-bass' playing on the test strings to confirm action heights and intonation ranges

- final bits all on hand (I'm pretty sure) to finish the job

And today I sorted the truss-rod cover magnets:

gfegC0bl.jpg

bjRQVW1l.jpg

 

The wenge cover will match the colour and sheen of the headstock once they have both had the same number of finish coats.  I have chiselled a tiny nail relief at the apex for easy removal:

oaKA5eZl.jpg

 

The finishing of the neck (silky smooth Tru-oil slurry and buff as done on the other basses of Tom's I've worked on) has also started.

So remaining jobs:

- fit luminlay side dots

- fit the pickups 

- install the Dunlop inset strap locks

- string it up with the new Status strings

- take the arty-farty shots

- wait for a Covid-secure time corridor for Tom to be able to pick it up! :)

 

 

 

 

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"So remaining jobs:

- fit luminlay side dots

- fit the pickups 

- install the Dunlop inset strap locks

- string it up with the new Status strings

- take the arty-farty shots"

And the one I forgot ;)  

- earth the bridge blocks

Pickups are in:

gI6LR4Ml.jpg

And a blurry picture of the inset strap locks installed:

2lVxZzFl.jpg

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Just waiting for some info from Tom to do the side dots and then it's pretty much done :)

Neck finish is all done, bridge elements are all earthed and the pickups are wired up to the jack.

Getting individual bridge elements earthed can be a problem - it's one reason why some folks use a ferrule block rather then individual ferrules.

So how I have solved it is like this:  I will earth the G string ferrule with a wire into the chamber and then daisy chain an earth from the G bridge block to the others.

So a hole is drilled from the ferrule hole to the jack chamber and a stripped wire end wrapped round the ferrule and led through to the jack chamber:

huSsHORl.jpg  

So, once the blue wire is earthed to the jack, that is the G string and bridge block earthed.

Then I put some copper foil in each of the bridge-block recesses and soldered a shunt running through a small drilled channel between each:

RzMiETGl.jpg

 

And a G string threaded through the ferrule should mean earth continuity between the blue wire and the E-string bridge block.  And we have continuity:

L5VlnJJl.jpg  

 

So now the jack can be wired up direct to the humbuckers.  Here it is just ready for the final earth connection from the blue wire to the jack.  I have a choice of parallel or series across the two humbuckers - I'll decide once it's all strung up and playable through an amp but for starters this is parallel.

CrAQcMBl.jpg

 

And all done (including a tap test through the amp) :)

zRzk2WEl.jpg

 

And so - just the side dots, re-assemble and its done :)

 

 

Edited by Andyjr1515
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4 hours ago, Andyjr1515 said:

Then I put some copper foil in each of the bridge-block recesses and soldered a shunt running through a small drilled channel between each:

RzMiETGl.jpg

 

And a G string threaded through the ferrule should mean earth continuity between the blue wire and the E-string bridge block.  And we have continuity:

Love this solution! I went the easy option and bought a brass nut, but this is a really neat and clever solution.

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