Jabba_the_gut

Definitely. I have a Markbass 801 and a Line 6 Studio 110 that I can bring along for comparison if anybody wants to hear them.

And a little more done.... Before I start applying the final finish, I wanted to make sure everything fitted together properly so any adjustments could be made without creating more work! I've fitted threaded inserts for the pickup screws again - just something about them that I like but a minor detail. The strings for this bass are custom made by Newtone strings, this set is .105 to .025 so tuning E to C. I'm quite pleased how the tuner arrangement has worked out - the headstock isn't much bigger than the four string versions I've made before. I will use this headstock layout again on a longer scale 5 string at some point soon. I've played it acoustically and I'm really liking it! The pickup is and EMG 40TW so has a pull switch on the volume to split the coil and give a bit more variation to the sound for a single pickup bass. Next task is to fit the other hardware and electrics so I can finish the body. The neck then needs the frets dressing and I need to make a nut. No too far off so should be ready for the SW Bass Bash.

Just a quick update. LED issue sorted - won't make that mistake again!! Holes drilled for tuners, headstock edges rounded, neck sculpted and sanding sealer put on the neck and body. Next task is to make a truss rod cover and nut and to install the frets.

My son went to this with group of friends and left early yesterday as the mood changed. It was his first festival and he said he wouldn't go there again. He went off to get some (overpriced) food and came back to find the tent slashed, camp chairs had been put on the fire, bottles being thrown etc. So they left.

Only 7 weeks? Damn, I need to get some things finished to bring with me!!

I've had a lot going on recently outside of the bass world but finally got a few hours on this today. This was divided into two hours assembling this for the first time and an hour playing it!! Got a little bit of fettling (the bridge needs raising slightly on the treble side) but apart from that it sounded rather pleasing!!

Wow. Just looking at the pictures around the neck ferrules……it really has been attacked!!

A little detail finished - an aluminium thumb nail cover opener thing. This is what will be the back of the second bass. It needs to be flattened before I do anything with it as it has cupped slightly since I bought it a year or two back. Should look alright though!! In the meantime, other bits of wood have been turning up so they can stand for a good while before I work on them. Nice slab of ash which will become a Telecaster shape (might be a bass, might be a guitar - no, no, no you say...)

The only good thing was I spotted it before I glued the fretboard in which would have made it far worse!!

Measure twice, measure twice again then cut. Then kick yourself…… Then spend some time removing LEDs and fit correctly!!!

Yep, I have one bass I made with a reverse headstock. Deliberate of course……

Just a quick update on this build.

I'd also be careful using a non-bearing cutter. If your template is plastic you might find it melting with the friction and the bit wandering. I've had this happen once when I was using a bearing cutter!! Must have had the speed all wrong.......

So this is my Katsu palm router as it comes - this shows the rack and pinion type depth adjustment. This is the plunger base for it. Yep, makes it more expensive but it still lighter and easier to use than a 'normal' 1/4" router And these are a selection of bearing cutters I use. The large one is a 1/2" one for trimming sides (scares me...), the middle one is a standard 12mm template cutter and the small one is a 5mm diameter template cutter for really tight corners!!

And yes, a template bit with a top bearing is what you want.

The Katsu palm router has a sort of rack and pinion adjustment for depth (like quite a few of this design). Not too expensive and pretty decent. I’ve ended up using it more due to it being lightweight. The plunger base was almost as expensive as the router but makes a great unit.

Oh, and you can get plunger bases for palm routers. I bought a Katsu one and it’s great.

You can adjust the depth on them - absolutely fine for pickup cavities. Don’t move the bit out of the router - that is a recipe for something to go wrong (in my experience!!)

Not as bright as the white ones I used previously!!

Blows the dust off this post...... Various things have caused me to have paused building for a bit but hopefully I can continue and finish a few builds I started last year. It looks like I've rounded the body since I rounded the body edges since my last post. I also got round to installing some LEDS in the fretboard - I've taken the feedback from previous builds and made them not so blinding!!

Just love the design of LeFay bridges

This is what I was trying to explain earlier regarding using standard double ball end strings for a multiscale. Not sure how string tension would be affected or what scale lengths you could get from this but it was just a thought. Both drawings have strings of the same length As you will also see, drawings are not my forte!

Personally, I like double ball end strings. I’ve always found the tuning to be very stable and not requiring any tools to change strings (including snips to cut the excess off normal string) is great. Speed to change strings is also really good especially on the Steinberger type bridges though this isn’t something done that often. The downside to me is choice. That is limited in terms of the different types, makes but also scale length. There’s also lots of pros and cons regarding the bridges based on price, adjustment, how the strings are threaded through, if tools are needed, if they work for multi scale, ease of installation, ease of adjustment etc. I like the ABM style single tuners but they are expensive - pros and cons again!!

Something like this came up in the past and I wondered if you could do a multi scale headless with double ball end strings and a one piece bridge. Essentially the strings are all the same length but the nut would be angled and individual saddles used to give the required string lengths (if this makes sense). I did a simple drawing on here for this a while back but can’t remember where!! No idea how this would be for string tension- I really should mock it up sometime to try. I’ve had a few ideas in the past that I think would look neat but no-one makes the hardware that I would need and I’m not going down that custom route!!

Hi Andy. Didn’t have any issues with the bottom sections splitting in these. I drilled the hole with a 10mm Forstner bit - the inserts pushed nicely into this with out much force. I then secured them with CA glue. I think if I had drilled at 9.5mm (which is what I was initially thinking) they might have split. I was looking back for the thread where you made some previously but couldn’t find it so this is what I came up with. I did try some experiments at first trying to cut out the knobs with a hole saw but that was, er, less than successful shall we say!! Cheers