It came from the black lagoon...

[neepheid]

1 minute ago, tauzero said:

 

https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005003662960717.html is a bit cheaper.

 

Thanks, but these are not applicable to the situation - Hipshot Ultralites are screw fit bushings and the spacers are simple round rings which fit entirely inside the tuner hole and go around the supplied screw fit bushing to fill out the gap:

 

https://btnmusic.co.uk/products/hipshot-licensed-ultralite-adapter-bushings

 

The product you linked are press fit bushings which sit proud of the surface of the headstock and are for "traditional", non threaded tuners.

[BassTool]

On 20/08/2025 at 00:53, neepheid said:

 

 In the fullness of time, something decorative on the headstock.

 

 

Great work!!

 

Don't bother being overcharged on a simple decal by the likes of Rothko and Frost - they wanted £57 for my 'complex design' which was simply a take on the Stingray logo 🙄 and since completing my BlazerRay build I've always recommended folk on here to use Rob at https://www.guitardecals.co.uk/

Two (in case you mess up!) top quality ultrathin waterslide transfers to finish your headstock 👍🏼

[neepheid]

Lots of progress yesterday and today.  The final piece of the puzzle (from the procurement point of view) arrived from South Korea:

 

 

So, the cavities got new copper lining, then wired to the cavity, then the pickups went in.

 

 

Strings went back on to check alignment and roughly set heights, then it was on with the mounting of the electronics (Artec SE-2 - which had also been in the shed this whole time...)

 

 

That was me done with it yesterday, but tonight I wired it all up.  

 

 

Unbelievably, it worked first time!  So I loosely put some knobs on it (not wedded to these ones yet)

 

 

And had a bloody good play with it.

 

It still needs quite a few things done to finish it off (in no particular order):

 

• area around the neck pocket which I routed off, smoothed, rounded off and refinished
• suspect I might have to give the neck a full fret level and crown
• decorate the headstock
• finish off the control cavity cover (put screwholes in it, then pilot holes in the body, then screw it down)

But for now, I can be happy with my work so far.  It works, yay!

Edited 19 hours ago by neepheid

[Hellzero]

It's alive!

[BassTool]

Well done!! 👍🏼

[neepheid]

Well, that's the simplest of the jobs off the to-do list - fit the control cavity cover.  Had some old screw holes to fill, and one to avoid because it has a broken, rusted out screw in it.  Very pleasant hour or so spent pottering with a Stanley knife/blade, mallet, some wood glue, a bradawl and hand drill.  

 

Found my nice countersink bit in the shed also, so that was a bit of a bonus!

 

 

This cover might end up serving simply as a template and might get replaced with something 3D printed, but for now, the gubbins have a functional cover.

 

Totally not putting off the other jobs which involve taking the neck off...