Geek99 Posted June 18, 2020 Share Posted June 18, 2020 12 minutes ago, Jabba_the_gut said: It is an option I've consider trying as there would be less fiddly wiring and it would be possible to use something like a tri-colour LED for more tarty options! The downside would be more fine routing on the back of the fretboard to accommodate each piece of optical fibre but also to ensure the light from the LED was evenly distributed as not to end up with one side dot being brighter than another. I might try this on a bit of scrap at some point to see how do-able it would be. Could you have bright dots for 3,5,7,9,12 and smaller ones/a different colour for each fret Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Owen Posted June 18, 2020 Share Posted June 18, 2020 I have a bass with one LED and optical fibre. The light is very small. But not unpleasant. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RichardH Posted June 19, 2020 Share Posted June 19, 2020 9 hours ago, Richard R said: Question: rather than LEDs at each position, is there any manufacturer using a single brighter LED and running optical fibres to the position dots? I suspect not, but it would be interesting if anyone has. Yes - from talking to Mike Walsh (Zoot) about it, he has done it that way in the past. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richard R Posted June 19, 2020 Share Posted June 19, 2020 9 hours ago, Geek99 said: Could you have bright dots for 3,5,7,9,12 and smaller ones/a different colour for each fret It's 25 years since I did anything with optical fibre, but you can colour the inboard end of the fibre to filter the colours. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SpondonBassed Posted June 19, 2020 Share Posted June 19, 2020 Have you any images of the back of the fretboard? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Owen Posted June 19, 2020 Share Posted June 19, 2020 18 hours ago, owen said: I have a bass with one LED and optical fibre. The light is very small. But not unpleasant. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Owen Posted June 19, 2020 Share Posted June 19, 2020 Face on they are fine. Side on they lose a bit of vim. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richard R Posted June 19, 2020 Share Posted June 19, 2020 Do they need to be especially bright? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jabba_the_gut Posted June 19, 2020 Author Share Posted June 19, 2020 11 hours ago, SpondonBassed said: Have you any images of the back of the fretboard? This is the back of it with the LEDs installed. I cut a channel about 4mm wide and 4mm deep which everything sits in and is then glued in place. Two wires then stick out the back of the neck which will be connected to copper tape that makes the contact with the body. I'll stick a photo of that up (if I remember!!). 3 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jabba_the_gut Posted June 19, 2020 Author Share Posted June 19, 2020 Now glued and clamped. I check the LED function at each little stage of construction to make sure nothing has got trapped or damaged anywhere in the process as there is still the possibility of fixing up to this point. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jabba_the_gut Posted June 21, 2020 Author Share Posted June 21, 2020 Quick early morning bit of band-sawing - I've cut off the excess so the neck is ready to trim using the router. Now that it is trimmed, I'm glad I replaced the veneer on the front of the headstock as the replacement is a really nice match to the body wood. The black mini toggle switches I want for the pickup and LEDs have turned up. Easy enough to get a chrome finish but a black finish is harder to find and seems to have a premium attached - worth the extra though so they fit in with the general look. 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ezbass Posted June 21, 2020 Share Posted June 21, 2020 Damn, these threads give me Jabba Custom Build GAS! Having played one doesn't make it any less GAS inducing either, in fact it amplifies it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jabba_the_gut Posted June 22, 2020 Author Share Posted June 22, 2020 After work and going for a walk wasn't too much time left this evening but enough to get the neck trimmed and the tuner holes drilled. Careful use of templates and router table - always makes me nervous at this stage as it is the final outline and you really don't want anything moving or cutting were it shouldn't!! This had to be done in two stages due to the angled headstock - template for the fretboard and a second small template for the headstock. Next task to trim the body and start routing that. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HazBeen Posted June 24, 2020 Share Posted June 24, 2020 Lovely! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chopthebass Posted June 25, 2020 Share Posted June 25, 2020 Looking very nice! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jabba_the_gut Posted June 28, 2020 Author Share Posted June 28, 2020 Pockets and cavity routing has been the next task. As with most people, I find it quicker to remove the bulk using a Forstner bit then finish off with the router. I've had five bits of routing to do here; neck pocket, bridge pocket, pickup cavity, battery box cavity and control cavity. I've got template that I have used for each of these before so it isn't such a time consuming task this time! The pieces of spalted beech next to the body will be used to make the control cavity cover. Always nice to have a couple of pieces for this so I can either pick the one that looks the best (if all goes well) or use the spare (if it doesn't!!). 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jabba_the_gut Posted June 28, 2020 Author Share Posted June 28, 2020 How it is at the moment next to how it should look when done. 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jabba_the_gut Posted June 28, 2020 Author Share Posted June 28, 2020 Next task was to drill the holes for the neck bolt and threaded inserts. I drilled and countersunk the holes for the inserts I always use an offcut of the neck wood to try the inserts in as sometimes they are a bit soft or crack so always good to get the hole diameter right and test it first because this can happen: Even doing this, one of the insert snapped in the neck and had to be removed. I really need to find some better quality inserts - they are absolutely fine when they are in but getting them there can be a pain!! Anyway, got them all fitted and the wires for the LEDs are still intact (they have just been protected by a piece of masking tape). But once it was done and fitted together it looks like this 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jabba_the_gut Posted June 28, 2020 Author Share Posted June 28, 2020 So with the neck still bolted on the first but to the back of the neck can be made using the body as a template Once this was done the neck was removed and the edges all rounded taking a bit off at a time. As soon as this is done I think the look is completely transformed A quick fit of the bridge and nut and (thankfully!!) everything lines up nicely A bit of carving and lots and lot of sanding are the net jobs!! 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cuzzie Posted June 28, 2020 Share Posted June 28, 2020 Looking good my man. How much Brass is in the inserts? I hear that brass is bad and more stainless steel the better. I couldn’t find any I was happy with either so I went normal for my last build Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andyjr1515 Posted June 30, 2020 Share Posted June 30, 2020 Getting decent inserts is a bit of a minefield. Even from the same suppliers, the quality seems to often vary either with their hardness, or the accuracy of the hex slot or with the sharpness of the outer screw threads. I sometimes find some brilliant ones, then reorder from the same supplier and get the plasticine ones! Nowadays, I've started using the 'bolt with a locknut' method of inserting them to avoid the breakages you show above. 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andyjr1515 Posted June 30, 2020 Share Posted June 30, 2020 Looking great, by the way Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jabba_the_gut Posted June 30, 2020 Author Share Posted June 30, 2020 1 hour ago, Andyjr1515 said: Nowadays, I've started using the 'bolt with a locknut' method of inserting them to avoid the breakages you show above. And that is what is great about these forums - I hadn’t thought to try that locknut method and it may well save the hassle caused by these breaking. Cheers for that one @Andyjr1515!! You’re quite right about the variability in strength of the inserts. Sometimes you put very little force on the Allen key and it rounds the socket, yet other inserts bought at the same tome will be fine. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HazBeen Posted June 30, 2020 Share Posted June 30, 2020 Man, some skills on show here.... am picking up lots of ideas. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jabba_the_gut Posted July 3, 2020 Author Share Posted July 3, 2020 I've not had too much time spare this week to get on with this but I managed to get a couple of little tasks ticked off today. First up was making the control cavity cover using one of the offcuts I saved earlier. I kept a few pieces for this as in case something went wrong but I didn't need them as the first one worked out fine. I need to get the magnets fitted to this and the cavity but I'll do that a bit later. After this I used a rasp to shape the body for forearm and tummy. That's all the bulk shaping on the body - now just the sanding... 6 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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