mrbacco Posted April 25 Share Posted April 25 (edited) Hello again and again, from your favourite (hahahaha) OSB_floor_mrbacco maniac fellow 🙂 I have another project in mind. I have basically sold all the other basses I made/assembled (except for the red and the carbon looking which is still on adverts.ie) so I was thinking of something a bit different this time. A custom bass with sharp edges like the one in the pictures. Pine wood, with a small back layer of MDF ( the upper half of the back of the body). Attached a semi glossy pre-pre-loved neck 34 inches scale with 21 frets (if I remember correctly) which is maple + maple. I might add a quad could humbucker green pickup that I found very cheap on ebay and I might paint it green too, not sure yet. The half of the body has a layer of veneer that was applied before, and I thought to make it a bit more aggressive by sanding it and giving some personality, I kinda like the result, but I am not sure how it fits with the overall idea, I'll have to brainstorm a bit more. I know it is not an original idea, a lot of basses like this have been made, there was a nice person here, from Ireland too, if I am not wrong, who had one, and that where the idea come from. I don't remeber the brand now. .. apology Hardware wise I was thinking chrome all around, and contols cavity on the back (if I succeed this time). I might try the aerodyne style jack , but I cannot guarnatee anything to myslef now ... haha ... Also, I will upload some more picture in the future with the OSB floor for sure, thanks. Edited April 25 by mrbacco 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mrbacco Posted April 25 Author Share Posted April 25 I found the gentleman and the topic on the bass body I mentioned above, here it is ... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mrbacco Posted April 25 Author Share Posted April 25 I might have to cut some extra wood from the sides, I guess the body is still too chubby on the sides! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doctor J Posted April 25 Share Posted April 25 (edited) If you're using pine and MDF, removing so much wood from around the neck pocket might not be the best idea. I would expect that to flex quite a bit, as is. Edited April 25 by Doctor J 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MartinB Posted April 25 Share Posted April 25 Cool! Puts me in mind of these: 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mrbacco Posted April 25 Author Share Posted April 25 2 hours ago, Doctor J said: If you're using pine and MDF, removing so much wood from around the neck pocket might not be the best idea. I would expect that to flex quite a bit, as is. That's a very good point, I was thinking, since I have room in the bottom of the bass body, to move the neck a bit lower so the pickup and the bridge in order to have more body wood for the neck? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Baloney Balderdash Posted April 25 Share Posted April 25 (edited) Definitely paint the bass green. Not enough basses in green finish, which is the greatest finish ever for a bass (even if I sadly own non myself). Red would look great with the green pickup too though. Cool project. I like the rough look. Edited April 25 by Baloney Balderdash 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mrbacco Posted April 25 Author Share Posted April 25 (edited) 6 hours ago, MartinB said: Cool! Puts me in mind of these: this is a nice design for a body ... well picked!! I'll try to keep mine a bit more even on the two sides as much s I can, as I like the balanced between the two sides and the even bottom 100% oarallel with pickup and bridge ... (I know ... booooriiing!!!) Edited April 25 by mrbacco Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mrbacco Posted April 25 Author Share Posted April 25 (edited) 2 hours ago, Baloney Balderdash said: Definitely paint the bass green. Not enough basses in green finish, which is the greatest finish ever for a bass (even if I sadly own non myself). Red would look great with the green pickup too though. Cool project. I like the rough look. cheers!! torn between the colors myself too ... wanna something a bit different this time from the wood looking colour of my my first 2 bass ... pastel and not glossy thou ... Edited April 25 by mrbacco Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LeftyJ Posted April 26 Share Posted April 26 21 hours ago, mrbacco said: Attached a semi glossy pre-pre-loved neck 34 inches scale with 21 frets (if I remember correctly) which is maple + maple. Any idea about the origins of that neck? The glue joint down the length makes me think of a pre-2007 G&L neck, when American models had the "Bi-cut neck" that featured a compression-style truss rod that was put in from the side. I would expect the two pieces to match more closely in colour and grain though, as those started off as one-piece necks that were cut down the middle and then rejoined after installing the truss rod. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mrbacco Posted April 26 Author Share Posted April 26 (edited) 35 minutes ago, LeftyJ said: Any idea about the origins of that neck? The glue joint down the length makes me think of a pre-2007 G&L neck, when American models had the "Bi-cut neck" that featured a compression-style truss rod that was put in from the side. I would expect the two pieces to match more closely in colour and grain though, as those started off as one-piece necks that were cut down the middle and then rejoined after installing the truss rod. Thanks @LeftyJ, no idea where it comes from. I bought it on an auction from a charity shop, loooong time ago. But it seems solid and, even if it is very very pre loved, seems in good conditions: straight enough. Yes it seems to be made by attaching 2 sides together, the grains and colour are slightly different between the two sides and also you can clearly see a piece attached in the headstock. Edited April 26 by mrbacco Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Baloney Balderdash Posted April 26 Share Posted April 26 (edited) Also, you might want to invest in a neck plate (or make one yourself) to prevent the screws from gradually sinking into the pocket wood over time from the tension, potentially causing the neck to loosen in the pocket, and to help distribute the tension of the neck screws over a greater area, giving an overall more tight and study neck/body connection. Edited April 26 by Baloney Balderdash 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mrbacco Posted April 26 Author Share Posted April 26 (edited) 5 minutes ago, Baloney Balderdash said: Also, you might want to invest in a neck plate to prevent the screws gradually sinking into the pocket wood over time from the tension, potentially causing the neck to loosen in the pocket, and to help distribute the tension of the neck screws more, giving an overall more tight and study neck/body connection. yes thanks, this is a good point also ... As I will have to move the neck a bit further down the bottom of the body to make sure it sits on a bigger slab of wood and have a bit more wood around the neck as suggester by @Doctor J (maintaining as well my 34inches scale) I will put a chrome plate for that, after the body is fully painted without the neck, of course! Edited April 26 by mrbacco 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Baloney Balderdash Posted April 26 Share Posted April 26 (edited) 6 minutes ago, mrbacco said: yes thanks, this is a good point also ... As I will have to move the neck a bit further down the bottom of the body to make sure it sits on a bigger slab of wood and have a bit more wood around the neck as suggester by @Doctor J (maintaining as well my 34inches scale) I will put a chrome plate for that, after the body is fully painted without the neck, of course! Remember to plug the current screw holes. Just fill with wood glue and squeeze down some slightly oversized sticks/strips of wood. Edited April 26 by Baloney Balderdash 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MartinB Posted April 26 Share Posted April 26 18 hours ago, mrbacco said: this is a nice design for a body ... well picked!! I'll try to keep mine a bit more even on the two sides as much s I can, as I like the balanced between the two sides and the even bottom 100% oarallel with pickup and bridge ... (I know ... booooriiing!!!) The thing I really like about it is the way the edges of the two horns form a V, with the body being thicker in that part and the two "wings" being thinner. So something like this... 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mrbacco Posted April 26 Author Share Posted April 26 (edited) 1 hour ago, MartinB said: The thing I really like about it is the way the edges of the two horns form a V, with the body being thicker in that part and the two "wings" being thinner. So something like this... Brilliant... Thanks for this ... I can't say it was by design because it was not, but I tried to make the two wings similar degree angle, never thought of a V shape. Yesterday I was redesigning it with pencil and paper to cut a bit the waist ( it's chubby like mine !!!) and make it a bit more lean ... Thanks for this insight!!! Edited April 26 by mrbacco 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mrbacco Posted Tuesday at 15:31 Author Share Posted Tuesday at 15:31 bit of an update here. I had lowered the neck to a more comfortable spot in order to minimize the possibilities of wood bending (thanks @Doctor J for the suggestion). Also, cust a bit the waist (no dieat has ever been that fast in my experience) cutting a bit of wood on the two sides. Colored the body with a couple of coats of green. Basic glossy green. The color is still draft, in the sense that I will have to spray it another wee coat to make it more even, but I think I like the combo of colors in this bass. I still have to finish the back, but I think I like keeping the two different colors in the back side of the body. Yes, I started coating without having routed the pickup area yet (pickup is arriving, but it's late), I know: I could not wait, I had some more time available so I wanted to go ahead, but since it is the first layer of paint, I think it might not be a big problem. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doctor J Posted Tuesday at 21:14 Share Posted Tuesday at 21:14 This has got an 80's Voivod vibe about it, which is a very good thing indeed 🙂🤘🏻 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mrbacco Posted Thursday at 14:20 Author Share Posted Thursday at 14:20 (edited) Now the pickup has arrived, so I finished routing the cavities for it and for the control plate. I modified the P51 standard plate into a sharp edges one, and ready now to solder the controls to the pickup. I'm happy with both cavities, finally I think I did a better job than with the other basses. I used a home made template made of pine sticks to route the edges. One quick question: what is the best way to drill the holes from the pickup cavity to the control cavity in your experience? And what drill bit to use? Thanks! Edited Thursday at 14:59 by mrbacco 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Si600 Posted Thursday at 16:32 Share Posted Thursday at 16:32 (edited) 2 hours ago, mrbacco said: One quick question: what is the best way to drill the holes from the pickup cavity to the control cavity in your experience? And what drill bit to use? Carefully... A normal twist drill bit will do it, but, and it's a very big but, it needs to be long enough so the end of the drill comes out into the other cavity before the drill chuck hits the body. You also need to be aware of the angle you're drilling at, it's all to easy to get the angle wrong and come out too low, too high or out the back of the body. Looking at your picture I personally would come from the pickup to the control cavity because the control cavity looks too narrow to get a decent approach to reach the pickup if you get what I mean. In the spirit of full disclosure, the only time I've tried it I made such a mess I cut a channel and put a scratchplate on it. Edited Thursday at 16:54 by Si600 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Si600 Posted Thursday at 16:33 Share Posted Thursday at 16:33 (edited) Alternatively....... as you're painting it you could go through the right side of the body, through the control cavity and into the pickup cavity in the same plane and then just plug the hole in the side. Edited Thursday at 16:33 by Si600 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mrbacco Posted Thursday at 16:49 Author Share Posted Thursday at 16:49 15 minutes ago, Si600 said: Alternatively....... as you're painting it you could go through the right side of the body, through the control cavity and into the pickup cavity in the same plane and then just plug the hole in the side. I like this one more, thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Si600 Posted Thursday at 18:39 Share Posted Thursday at 18:39 (edited) 1 hour ago, mrbacco said: I like this one more, thanks! Or.... put a side jack on it, then you don't even need to fill the hole! Though looking at your angles I think you will have trouble making the holes line up. Edited Thursday at 18:40 by Si600 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mrbacco Posted Thursday at 19:23 Author Share Posted Thursday at 19:23 42 minutes ago, Si600 said: Or.... put a side jack on it, then you don't even need to fill the hole! Though looking at your angles I think you will have trouble making the holes line up. Yeah. Exactly. I wanted to put the jack on the side, but I "engineered" (hahahahah, big word for me) a P51 style plate to host 3 holes and modified it to suit the shape of the bass. I'll show yousss soon! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Baloney Balderdash Posted Friday at 10:20 Share Posted Friday at 10:20 (edited) On 30/04/2024 at 17:31, mrbacco said: bit of an update here. I had lowered the neck to a more comfortable spot in order to minimize the possibilities of wood bending (thanks @Doctor J for the suggestion). Also, cust a bit the waist (no dieat has ever been that fast in my experience) cutting a bit of wood on the two sides. Colored the body with a couple of coats of green. Basic glossy green. The color is still draft, in the sense that I will have to spray it another wee coat to make it more even, but I think I like the combo of colors in this bass. I still have to finish the back, but I think I like keeping the two different colors in the back side of the body. Yes, I started coating without having routed the pickup area yet (pickup is arriving, but it's late), I know: I could not wait, I had some more time available so I wanted to go ahead, but since it is the first layer of paint, I think it might not be a big problem. 20 hours ago, mrbacco said: Now the pickup has arrived, so I finished routing the cavities for it and for the control plate. I modified the P51 standard plate into a sharp edges one, and ready now to solder the controls to the pickup. I'm happy with both cavities, finally I think I did a better job than with the other basses. I used a home made template made of pine sticks to route the edges. One quick question: what is the best way to drill the holes from the pickup cavity to the control cavity in your experience? And what drill bit to use? Thanks! Looks awesome! Great work! Though remember bridge ground wire as well. Edited Friday at 10:24 by Baloney Balderdash 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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