6feet7 Posted July 6, 2022 Share Posted July 6, 2022 Thinking of doing a short scale 5 string headless rickenthingy, so watching with interest. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bassassin Posted July 7, 2022 Author Share Posted July 7, 2022 After some delays, and stuff getting in the way, it would seem that I have taken something functional but ugly, and repurposed it into something weird and functionless. An improvement? Who am I to judge? Anyway - next, a little bit of fret dressing, then slapping on some Danish Oil. Wonder if I can get the cloth to spontaneously combust this time? 6 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Munurmunuh Posted July 9, 2022 Share Posted July 9, 2022 1 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bassfinger Posted July 9, 2022 Share Posted July 9, 2022 Is that a smarties lid? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bassassin Posted July 9, 2022 Author Share Posted July 9, 2022 37 minutes ago, Bassfinger said: Is that a smarties lid? Wot - the blue bit? It's a bit of clear blue acrylic rod poked through the hole. So to speak. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MoonBassAlpha Posted July 12, 2022 Share Posted July 12, 2022 On 09/07/2022 at 19:45, Bassassin said: Wot - the blue bit? It's a bit of clear blue acrylic rod poked through the hole. So to speak. When you say the hole, I assume you mean the carefully designed bass hanger feature? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andyjr1515 Posted July 13, 2022 Share Posted July 13, 2022 Looking OK from here 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bassassin Posted July 27, 2022 Author Share Posted July 27, 2022 From this: To this... And 5 coats of Danish Oil later... Going to want a few more, but we're getting somewhere. 12 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andyjr1515 Posted July 27, 2022 Share Posted July 27, 2022 2 hours ago, Bassassin said: From this: To this... And 5 coats of Danish Oil later... Going to want a few more, but we're getting somewhere. That's what's known in certain circles as a transformation Great job 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bassassin Posted July 27, 2022 Author Share Posted July 27, 2022 29 minutes ago, Andyjr1515 said: That's what's known in certain circles as a transformation Great job Getting there - but I'm having to live with the realisation it's always going to look better from the back! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richard R Posted July 27, 2022 Share Posted July 27, 2022 1 hour ago, Bassassin said: Getting there - but I'm having to live with the realisation it's always going to look better from the back! What does the front look like? Surely it can't be too bad? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JPJ Posted July 27, 2022 Share Posted July 27, 2022 1 hour ago, Bassassin said: Getting there - but I'm having to live with the realisation it's always going to look better from the back! I once had a girlfriend like that 😂 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bassassin Posted July 27, 2022 Author Share Posted July 27, 2022 1 hour ago, Richard R said: What does the front look like? Surely it can't be too bad? Still a lot like this, only with the headstock lopped off! If all goes well there will be a few details to make it more eye-catching - but that's pretty much it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richard R Posted July 27, 2022 Share Posted July 27, 2022 That looks alright to me. Though I do agree with you, the back looks really smart. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bassassin Posted August 31, 2022 Author Share Posted August 31, 2022 A month since my last update, and progress has been, let's say - incremental. After applying a couple more coats, the plan was to give it a week or so to let the layers of Danish Oil harden off, after which a final (or so I thought!) light sand to smooth it, before one last thin coat of oil, which should have resulted in the expected lustrous, satiny sheen I've achieved from this process before. The hardening phase was rudely extended by (having successfully dodged it for 2 & a half years), me finally being afflicted with The 'Rona, which was thoroughly horrid. So that basically added another week, and once I'd recovered sufficiently to be able to perform basic manual tasks (whilst still being a brain-fogged snot factory), it got a gentle and thorough wire-wooling, then that last coat of oil. To my surprise (and mild dismay, considering how long this was taking) the finish on the body wings set to a very varnish-y looking bright gloss, quite different to the expected satin finish on the neck & centre sections. The oil itself was also slightly gummy to the touch, not cured properly hard. However, after various pissings-around & experimenting, I found that, quite counter-intuitively, T-Cutting the shiny bits seemed to remove the top layer & restore the expected satin finish, and also seemed to encourage the stuff to harden off properly. So after a lot of buffing, coughing, sneezing and sniffing, this is where we are: And I think that's a finished finish, apart from removing some little bits of Danish Oil residue from the top & fretboard edges. Then just a couple of little aesthetic jobs to do, and I should be able to start welding & nailing all the bits back on. 11 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pea Turgh Posted September 1, 2022 Share Posted September 1, 2022 That do be nice. Are you doing the same to the front of the body? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bassassin Posted September 1, 2022 Author Share Posted September 1, 2022 2 hours ago, Pea Turgh said: That do be nice. Are you doing the same to the front of the body? The front's properly lacquered - thick, gloss poly over a flamed veneer. Decided to leave it, but seeing how nice the back's ended up looking, I'm not sure that was the right choice. I doubt I could have removed the poly without destroying the veneer though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Happy Jack Posted September 1, 2022 Share Posted September 1, 2022 Sorry Jon, but I'm still struggling to get past the ... erm ... well, it's where a headstock would normally be. 😂 For (originally) a £99 bass the rest of it looks seriously fit for purpose, mind. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bassassin Posted September 1, 2022 Author Share Posted September 1, 2022 1 hour ago, Happy Jack said: Sorry Jon, but I'm still struggling to get past the ... erm ... well, it's where a headstock would normally be. 😂 For (originally) a £99 bass the rest of it looks seriously fit for purpose, mind. Can't please everyone! In fairness it's a necessary compromise (IMO, anyway) because the sticky-outy tuners mean I won't be able to park the bass in a corner or on a rack/stand, so it's gonna have to hang by the neck. Possibly until dead. If not for that, the headstump would've been a lot more minimal & just big enough to accomodate the string retainer block. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tauzero Posted September 9, 2022 Share Posted September 9, 2022 On 01/09/2022 at 18:31, Bassassin said: Can't please everyone! In fairness it's a necessary compromise (IMO, anyway) because the sticky-outy tuners mean I won't be able to park the bass in a corner or on a rack/stand, so it's gonna have to hang by the neck. Possibly until dead. If not for that, the headstump would've been a lot more minimal & just big enough to accomodate the string retainer block. One of my headlesses sits on a stand as the tuners protrude past the body. It's one of this type, though it has a solid pivoting safety thing rather than a big rubber band: 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bassassin Posted October 4, 2022 Author Share Posted October 4, 2022 (edited) Well - I think I mentioned that I have a predisposition for getting bored and wandering off, or (more specifically) succumbing to my innate tendency for existential ennui and spiraling into the depthless, howling abyss of my own internal hellscape. Or something. Well - whatever it was, it happened, quite predictably and my Stupid Headless Bass Project got ignored for the better part of a month. However! Having eventually succeeded in prising my head from between my own gargantuan, corpulent and quivering buttocks, I cracked the f*ck on and levelled & dressed the frets, tidied up a few scratchy fret ends, foil-lined the cavities, bunged all the wires & pots back inside and then glued the lot back together. Before: And after: I bet some of you contrarians won't think that's an improvement. Anyway, in detail: The shoddy budget tuners! The cheap Chinese knobs! The stupid, wonky headflap! The Really Very Convincing inlay stickers! The much more aesthetically pleasing back view! And that (apart from minor details like a proper setup & plugging it in to see if it actually works), is a wrap. Over to you... Edited October 4, 2022 by Bassassin There's always room for improvement, right? 7 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rushbo Posted October 4, 2022 Share Posted October 4, 2022 (edited) That's great, that is. The tuners are a wee bit sticky-outy (technical term) but I would seriously rock the snot out of that bad boy. The "inlays" look ace too. Even the rather idiosyncratic pseudo-headstock looks very cool, in situ. Have a cup of tea and a biscuit. That's a job well done sir. Edited October 4, 2022 by rushbo 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crusoe Posted October 4, 2022 Share Posted October 4, 2022 That looks great. It does look like you've whacked it on the door frame on the way out, but looks well. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SpondonBassed Posted October 4, 2022 Share Posted October 4, 2022 (edited) 4 hours ago, Bassassin said: gargantuan, corpulent and quivering buttocks Not something I was expecting to read in a Build Diary but I do like what you've done with the bass. Probably best not to post this: Edited October 4, 2022 by SpondonBassed 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andyjr1515 Posted October 4, 2022 Share Posted October 4, 2022 Yup - I like it 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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