Jabba_the_gut

Quite agree regarding the Chinese hardware - I've found this to be a lottery. I've ordered maybe 4 sets of tuners in the past and 2 sets have been really good, the other two would be fine except the washer/ferrule has been the wrong size. I also bought the bridge being used on this build which is okay but the chrome plating isn't the best. None of these have been a patch on the Schaller tuners I've used before which I've found to be excellent (and have been very helpful when I'd managed to lose a ferrule once). Ultimately, you get the quality you pay for!!

Cheers for the comments. I've got some bits of hardware that I've accumulated along the way that I'll use - most of it is cheap stuff bought direct from China on eBay I the past. I am still thinking of making a piezo bridge for one of these basses hence one of them does not have any holes drilled on the plate for controls, just a jack socket. I've also got my hands on a bit more scrap wood that might be good, including what looks like another block of teak.

I quite agree Andy. I want it to be right else I won't be happy!! I've been in the garage tonight (very cold!) and trimmed the old binding off. I've sanded the neck and the fretboard and now I'll try again....third time lucky with this fretboard!!

Did some rough sanding to see if this would work and it won't! Shouldn't be too hard to fix - I'll use the router to remove the binding and trim the board a little. Then I'll redo the binding with a little bit more room for error.......

Cut the scratchplate today from the plastic that was in the back of a notebook - really pleased with it!! I've also done a little bit of rough shaping of the corners. Quite looking forward to seeing how this turns out!!

I like that - very nice build!

I've found something that might be good to recycle into a scratchplate for this build and quite an unlikely source. I've finished a notepad that I picked up at a meeting once and noticed the back cover is black plastic and about 1.5mm thick. It's really hard wearing and has a slight grain on the front. Hopefully it will cut ok. I will to reshape the scratchplate a little - I'll give it a try in the next couple of days! My issue now is that I need to find something to make the fretboard from so the majority of this bass is recycled from something. I was thinking about a spare board I have already but now I would much prefer to find something to make one from. Have to see if I can find some olf furniture at the tip!!

Cheers for all the comments and suggestions - much appreciated. There's lots to learn and always some part or method for all aspects that I didn't previsouly know about or wasn't ware of. Andy - Gotta say that Camphor is really nice. Shame you will have handed it over before the bass bash, would have been nice to see to see what I need to beat next time!!

This maybe gives a better idea of what I am thinking...

I've now added some binding to the fretboard by way of two strips of veneer. I think it looks quite nice but I have left myself absolutely no room for error when sanding the neck else I could go through the sycamore veneer and through to the wenge which won't look good. I'm going to pin the fretboard to the neck and sand it exactly to width to see if I can get away with it. If not, it will be back on the router and try again!! The issue is that the fretboard is very slightly wider than the neck in a couple of places, probably only by 0.3mm but the veneer is only 0.6mm thick and this could be an issue where the curve of the neck comes round to the side of the fretboard.Might be needing a rethink on this.......!! I have got some white LEDs prepared to install in this neck which I don't want to install until I know the fretboard will fit correctly as there are a complete pain to make up. I also have a replacement fretboard but it has a slight mineral mark in so I don't want to use it on this build - very picky I know!!

Not managed to do too much more recently but I found an old bit of sheet brass just big enough to make a control plate. Will try to see if I can get it chromed somewhere as I think it would look quite nice. Need to find something for the scratchplate now...

The last two have been excellent so I'll be there again. [color=#282828][font=helvetica, arial, sans-serif]1. Si600, GK MB212 (house rig), Fender P V.[/font][/color] [color=#282828][font=helvetica, arial, sans-serif]2. The_Ox (exams permitting)[/font][/color] [color=#282828][font=helvetica, arial, sans-serif]3. tauzero, Sei Original fretless 5, Sei Flamboyant 6, Antoniotsai 5, maybe something else interesting, and possibly Mrs Zero.[/font][/color] [color=#282828][font=helvetica, arial, sans-serif]4. Harryburke14[/font][/color] [color=#282828][font=helvetica, arial, sans-serif]5. Len_derby[/font][/color] [color=#282828][font=helvetica, arial, sans-serif]6. Andyjr1515[/font][/color] [color=#282828][font=helvetica, arial, sans-serif]7. seashell, Fender P[/font][/color] [color=#282828][font=helvetica, arial, sans-serif]8. Bottle. I[/font][/color][color=#282828][font=helvetica, arial, sans-serif]banez bass, Line 6 Lowdown 110, amp rack and effects boards.[/font][/color] [color=#282828][font=helvetica, arial, sans-serif]9. Annoying Twit. Who knows what I will bring.[/font][/color] [color=#282828][font=helvetica, arial, sans-serif]10. GrammeFriday - Sandberg VM5, TC RH750, TC RS212, maybe also pedalboard [/font][/color] [color=#282828][font=helvetica, arial, sans-serif]11. Jabba_the_Gut - A couple of homemade basses (if I finish them in time...again), Markbass head and TC RS112 cabs[/font][/color]

I pegged the original fret marker holes with some scrap wood and I've now trimmed the fretboard so I can run a couple of veneer strips down the edges. I'll have another go at the fret markers using something that isn't carbon this time.....hopefully it will go better this time.

Thanks for that - another option! I'll have a look at a natural scratchplate as that is something I can make from recycled wood though I might buy some plastic sheet just based on colour. I've rough cut the second body and trimmed the dowel on the first one - looks quite acceptable I've weighed the bodies - both come in at 1.95kg so are reasonably light by my reckoning. Just a shame that it's back to work tomorrow to slow this down a bit!!

Hi Rubis. Thanks for the comments. I'm not familiar with Luminlay so just looked at their website and they have something that would be perfect!! Many thanks for that. Jez

Progress on this one is a bit slow - been distracted by my 'door' project but also I spent quite a bit of time tring to find the right material for the fret markers. I was after something very specific; I wanted something black, 3mm diameter with a 1.5 mm hole don the centre for the led. After a lot of searching I found some carbon fibre tube that met this spec which I thn fitted. The problem was when I sanded it back the dust was so fine it filled and small pores in the wood and, being very picky, I wasn't happy with it. I'm trying to re-use this fretboard so I have planed off the wenge veneer on the base of it and have drilled out the carbon dots. I'm going to put veneer strips down the end of the board and try again. I have found another material that I think will look better - I hope!!

I've now glued and trimmed one of the bodies - the other has been glued and is currently clamped. As to be expected with using recycled wood, there are areas of the wood where the previous use can be identified. On this body I tried to work around the original doweled joints of the door but was about 5mm out on one of them. I've had to create my own dowel from scrap to plug the hole thie left. Would have preferred it not to be there but I'm not overly bothered. I will either finish it in a solid colour or just leave it - the idea is for this be to a useable, practical bass rather than a show bass. I'm also thinking of making a scratchplate for this bass something like the shap below. I've only modified plates before so would be good to try making one from a blank sheet.

[quote name='sblueplanet' timestamp='1451680847' post='2942475'] When it's finished are you gonna play through some Doors covers on it? [/quote]

The top I'm using for build #4 on here was from another wenge floor board that I was given. Cut it down and got it planed to the right thickness. The grain on that board is lovely. I'm sure there is more wood like it out there that would otherwise go to waste.

I’m probably going to have a go at a scarf joint on this neck as that is something that I haven’t tried before and would be going to try on something that doesn’t matter too much. I’m also thinking of making this 32” scale just to see how I like that. No ideas as yet as to what finish I’ll use on the body. I might use oil if it looks okay once sanded or I might try a solid colour – a little way off from that at the moment.

Once dried this was then planed to make it nice and level – turned quite nicely I think. I have an old ebony fret board blank I’m thinking of using with this but I’m waiting to see if I can get hold of some recycled wood first just so I can say the whole bass I made from recycled wood. It does look nice on the neck.

I had a strip of wenge from an old floorboard I was given and a scrap strip of some other hardwood which contrasted nicely with the bit of neck wood. The neck was cut down the centre line and the three strips added. The whole lot was then glued and clamped.

There was enough wood for two bodies so I’m thinking a passive PJ bass for one of them to use some Fender MIM pickups I have in my ‘bit’ box. With the second body, I was hoping to make an electro acoustic (think recycled version of a Rob Allen bass...) using the two larger panels from the door as the top of the bass but one of the two panels was such a poor piece of wood that idea has been abandoned for the moment.

This is something I have been messing with over the past month – still very much work in progress but just a bit of fun whilst I sort out what I am doing with another bass build that has been ongoing for far too long! I picked up an old hardwood front door off Freecycle that I was looking to see if I could repair and replace my current front door. Once it had thoroughly dried out over summer I could see it was going to be scrap. Rather than take it to the tip, I broke it down to see if there would be enough wood to make a bass! There aren’t any pieces long enough to avoid dowels etc used in the door construction to make a neck but there was enough wood to make a couple of simple bodies. The main frame sections of the door were cut up then planed to shape in order to make two four piece bodies. I’m not sure what the wood is – it’s not the best in the world but should be adequate for a couple of simple bodies that can use some of the bits of old hardware I have acquired over the past few years. I also acquired another piece of hardwood from my dad which I think was a bit of an old shelf or desk – might be Sapele but not sure. It’s a pretty hard piece of wood and straight grained so should be good for a neck. There’s a few holes from screw and nails in it but I should be able to work around these.

Welcome! These look really nice - I'll be following with interest. Cheers