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Pair of Semi Hollow 4 strings - Fretted and Fretless


Jabba_the_gut

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The neck is starting to look more like it now!! I cut it roughly to size then trimmed on the router table. This is a little more difficult to do than a Fender type neck due to the angled headstock. Just takes a little more thinking about. This one is even more fiddly as it has a finger rest built into the fretboard, just needs a little patience and a bit of swapping of router bits to complete.

 

A smidge of sanding later and it fits really nicely into the neck pocket:

6oxOSvl.jpg

 The headstock has also been drilled to accept the Gotoh tuners. This was done using a Forstner bit to get a really neat cut and finish - the head was clamped to an offcut of wood to ensure there was no tear-out when the bit cut through to the other side. And the fifth hole? Just decoration as I have done on my previous basses.

3sP78CY.jpg

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Next task will be to fit the Luminlay side dots whilst the fretboard is still square after which I'll start the neck carve and radiusing the fretboard.

 

Cheers

 

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  • 2 weeks later...

First task is to make very obvious chalk marks on the fretboard to show where the dots will go. This is to prevent holes being drilled in the wrong place for the side dots (guess who got that wrong in the past when not paying enough attention....)

8Tqkuui.jpg

 

One of my favourite tools is this - makes finding the centre line for side dots so easy. I then use an engineers square and a white pen to mark the side line for drilling.

O4BX6Uz.jpg?1

 

I drill the side holes on all my necks using a piece of right angled aluminium with a hole in it as a template. Once all the holes were drilled, I glued in some Luminlay, cut flush and tidied it up.

a1evEUM.jpg?1

 

Then turned out the lights to see how it looks.

kF0vJz8.jpg?1

 

I've also fitted a small piece of the offcut from the neck rods into the back of the fretboard where the thumb rest is just to add a little more strength. With that done I'm now onto shaping the neck and radiusing the fretboard.

 

Cheers

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Had an enjoyable couple of day where I've been able to get on with the neck carve. I always like this bit as the block of wood turns into something very tactile.

 

Out with the Shinto rasp and start the shaping:

rRms4IT.jpg

 

vUGU6UY.jpg

 

xXRLFqv.jpg

 

This neck is a little more tricky as it is being fitted to an existing body so sanding the contours to match the body takes a bit of patience as to avoid removing any of the finish:

fRVHVR3.jpg

 

After a fair bit of time with a mini rasp and some sandpaper I got to something I'm happy with. Only shame is there is a a small mark in the maple but that's what you can get with a natural material.

YuVcMNG.jpg

 

ux7c315.jpg

 

D4kt3om.jpg?1

 

Now it is starting to look really nice! Still got quite a few jobs to do - quite a few of these are decorative and I've still got to work out how to do them!! But that the enjoyment of making stuff - always something new to learn.

 

Cheers

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12 minutes ago, Jabba_the_gut said:

After a fair bit of time with a mini rasp and some sandpaper I got to something I'm happy with. Only shame is there is a a small mark in the maple but that's what you can get with a natural material.


I love marks like that. My old Rob Allen had a similar odd mark on the body, just adds to the character in my book. Excellent.

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7 hours ago, Stub Mandrel said:

 

Is it feasible to bleach it or use hydrogen peroxide to lighten it?

I have tried bleaching in the past but not too keen on it. When I tried it on a sample of sycamore previously it left a bit of a stain that looked worse than what I was trying to remove!

 

I don't think it would do much to this particular blemish. If I want to remove this one I would remove it with a Dremel and infill it with an offcut of maple.

 

Cheers

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7 minutes ago, Jabba_the_gut said:

I have tried bleaching in the past but not too keen on it. When I tried it on a sample of sycamore previously it left a bit of a stain that looked worse than what I was trying to remove!


As you said yesterday, …but that's what you can get with a natural material. It’s now part of the character of the instrument, I’ve got my fingers crossed that the fretted has some quirky marks in the wood too!

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  • 4 weeks later...

I've been trying to make some knobs for this bass - it's taken a little while to work out how to do it when I don't own a lathe. I've also made quite a few as I've been trying different things:

H7HTivP.jpgALNusNi.jpg

 

I will post some picture of the process later but for now here's some different designs. I'm thinking of the one on the right with the marker but without the veneers as I think they are a bit fussy.

ApNH0QZ.jpg

 

I'm also waiting for my planer blades to come back from the sharpeners so I can get on with the second body.

 

Cheers

 

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Why not put an aluminium disc in your knob to reference the fret markers ? so a silver line is seen just below the knob “head” ? A silver ring amongst the wood, a knob ring, if you will 

 

 It would have to be the right girth though 
 

heh heh 

 

 

 

Edited by Geek99
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Well I’ve messaged Jez yet again this morning about the choice of controls. I’ll be amazed if he’s still talking to me let alone working on the bass. I went from choice A. through choices…

  • 7.
  • Q.
  • Ovaltine.
  • A keep left sign.
  • Borneo.
  • ♾️.
  • 🆙.
  • Wantage

…before essentially settling with A. again.

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