benh

Thanks @Andyjr1515 - glad to know I'm not alone 🙂 although I'd never dream of putting myself in the same league as your esteemed self!

Carefully marked and cut the fret slots - as I don't have the funds or inclination to buy a slotting jig, I marked each position with a marking knife, and cut the slot using a set square to keep the saw dead level - measured after cutting and all lines up as it should (phew!)

Well, one learning experience (schoolboy error) out of the way - check things still line up when applying clamps. Not that it matters too much, as it'll be covered with a spalted top, but irritating non the less. Ah well, onto the fretboard - another job to pink torpedo up! This is the fretboard blank stuck to a flat bit of melamine faced chipboard, after flattening with the hand plane.

Decided on an angled headstock - the neck blank isn't thick enough to cut the angle out of it, plus as I'm working without a bandsaw it could have been tricky. So spent pretty much the entire day in the garden measuring, cutting, flattening and gluing a scarf joint for the angled headstock.

Finally plucked up the courage to remove clamps... and it didn't fall apart (phew). Still needs cleaning up/flattening, but very happy with how this is turning out!

You should see the left one... All jointed and glued... fingers crossed!

Treating this as a learning experience, so as I had a pretty straight grained ash offcut and some thin strips of walnut veneer, thought I might as well have a bash at a multi laminate neck! Not jointed yet, just a mock up with the cut pieces.

Well, not much has been happening between work and naff weather on my days off. Putting off the neck as it's the bit I'm most likely to f*** up! But got the body blank flattened and the top jointed and glued. Slow progress is still progress as they say.

Can't wait to see it! From the pics so far it looks pretty special already.

Really neat work! Can't wait to see the finished bass.

Pickup arrived - single EMG 40TW rather than MM5TW. Lots to do before it gets fitted but getting close to having everything I need here now.

Now THAT is a good looking neck, and I don't normally like maple boards - very nice!

Well, NPD (new plane day) today! Tooltique did a good job with restoration. Pretty much ready to go, just a quick sharpen/hone and away. Was going to start with the neck but the ash body blank was too tempting, so jointed and glued.

WOW. That is all 🙂

Not much happening in the world of bass building for me, as my no 6 plane decided to give up when I was getting ready to joint some boards 😡 good excuse to look for another though. Haven't got the time/patience for fettling a knackered old plane, so ordered from Tooltique who apparently do it for you. Will update when it arrives!

Templates MK2. Wanted to finalise a few curves and see how it looks/feels before cutting actual wood!

Not much of an update, but template making today!

That's going to look great 🙂

Absolutely mind boggling skills. Can't wait to see it finished!

Also after much deliberation I'm too tight to drop 200 quid on a pickup, so going for a single EMG MM5TW as mentioned earlier in the thread

I've had a rummage through a few bits I sequestered away under the stairs from non-bass related projects. Forgot I had some 1.5mm walnut veneer, thinking of laminating them into the neck wood - similar enough in colour to the wenge fretboard to look OK I think. Should have some sawdust made and progress pics to post in the next few weeks.

Clever, I like it! If only one could get away with that on a full headstock.

It's coming together - inspiring stuff!

Looks great!