LukeFRC

So you know at the top of the page when Norris asked if I were competent with a router and I didn't answer... well.... best way to learn is to try right? Kinda kidding there, I've done a fair bit of woodwork/metal work stuff in the past so quite used to picking stuff up and using the internet and/or books to work out how to use things. After using the good router bit to do most the side a guided laminate trimmer bit finished off the bottom. It's not perfect, but I went slow and did little bit by little bit and it went ok. The first section I did on the lower body I got too greedy on the last pass and managed to get a bit of tear out - and there's bits on that top horn where I went past my stop point on a pass and it took a slither too much out but it's not too bad and will all be saveable. It's amazing how it went from this heavy lump of wood to a lightweight feeling bass body just by making it the shape of a bass! So that was a good evening - I really really really enjoyed that. I used to do lots of little projects and creative things. Then got married and moved into a tiny flat and it had to stop as we didn't have space and the other half didn't apprciate mess in the spare room (given that it was a single bedroom already full of basses, amps and we had to store our bikes there too) Moved into our house two years ago and a lot of the projects have been bike related (anyone wanna 70's Harry Quinn?) or DIY and decorating. So this was fun. A good day was added to by what I can only guess was an ASDA pricing mistake, no label on the shelf so asked at customer services and paid what the woman asked for....! (as I said a good day)

Brushing guide on. It's a 17mm guide and a 12mm router bit which is why I offset the template by -2.5mm luckily illustrator can do that super easily. I went for one unguided router bit rather than two, more expensive guided router bits... cos it was cheaper. The hard bit is then making a template for the neck pocket as I can't draw it in illustrator and then offset it that accurately - so that will be the process of trial and error on a couple of bits of scrap pine to get right. Anyway lets turn the router on...

far far too long! So thought again and got the jigsaw out. It's a cheap jigsaw that I bought for about 50p in screwfix to chop two bootloads of decking up to take to the tip. Everything on the net tells you that tools that cheap will destroy everything you hold dear. In my case it worked.

no bandsaw here! this could take a while

So I made a template out of MDF then I looked at my router and asked you lot a few questions.... and made another template out of thicker MDF and twice as thick...

so one of the nine will be... what kinda finish is it going to have?

so we have sawdust! Woop! And a template. And a delivery of bits coming! and then after making my template... I started looking at router bits... so think going to make another slightly thicker template next!

[quote name='warwickhunt' timestamp='1497177289' post='3316268'] I've found myself dialling this to the neck 80-100%, can't think of the last time it was anywhere near centre detent and I've never used it favouring the bridge pup. [/quote] I have found that warwicks generallytend to be quite sensitive to pickup height - I find myself setting the 'middyness' of them by setting the pups slightly lower

[quote name='Kev' timestamp='1497169734' post='3316204'] Tracked her down in...London 😂 That was a couple of years ago now, I'm going back the other way! The pattern continues... [/quote] cool - if I ever end up selling or trading one of my warwicks I'll know to come to you first! So how does this one play and sound?

I thought that might have been Johns when I first saw it - rare bird indeed which country did you track it down in? Also- didn't you move a load of your basses on as you had switched to 5 strings?

What's the break angle like at the nut end?

Hello - I've been out the loop for a bit but keeping track of this mk2 version - It looks good. Are we at a point where there if I asked there is a definitive "this is the design" way of recommended building? One of the things with the MK 1 is that to build the thing you would have to read through pages of posts looking for the sizes etc and then read a few pages later that there was still discussion about tuning and size of ply. If there is a near definitive design and it would help then it would be great to help by pulling together a single PDF of how to build it. If Stevie or whomever bung me a PM if you'd like to do that. Of course the complication I guess is over things like 12mm vs 18mm ply and the like and the various pluses and minus of both with the different proponents of each - ideally there would be one design...

IM just glad that eBay monstrosity got a good home. Looks great! T40 are great - loved playing mine when I had it

Here's a true story for you: I finished work at midday last Wednesday and drove home to get ready for a holiday (where I am currently) on the way home 6music played this odd song- the text on the screen told me it was that mustang sally song that keeps being meantioned on basschat and talkbass. So I finally heard it! Now I'm in my early thirties but figure that A) the average age on basschat is way older younger folk either don't play bass no more or hang out other places than here , cos otherwise I would keep hearing about lots of odd new music people are playing rather than random rock numbers that passed me by But 2017 I know what song mustang sally is

On the headstock: the first sketches I saw of this I was getting the vibes of the many basses that influenced it, steinberger, the Greek's ACG harlot, Ritter, and a few others. Having been on basschat long enough to see a few of the basses he's bought and sold it's quite cool to see all the best bits of the basses he's raved about over the years come into one instrument. I think the headstock fits the design, and for a one off bass it makes way more sense to go for the headstock that fits the body best over worrying toomuch about slight similarities to other builders

I had similar sound issues with my SS1 - sounded like a machine gun rather than a bass. Bartolini pickups and a ACG pre got the sound where I wanted it. TBH it's more the pickups than the pre

cheers for this norris!

[b]Router based advice needed[/b] So cut the body out with a band saw or similar, then tidy up the edge with a router around a template seems to be the done thing? So got questions about trimming the edge of the body with the router... I've a collar guide for my router, so I could make a template Xmm offset from the edge and use that.... but on the net I see lots of people use the router bits with the top brushings on them for this... which is better method? How long a bit do I want? I'm using a hand held router that has a 1/4 inch collet. and... do you cut the neck pocket first, then the body shape? or the body shape then the neck pocket? Thanks!

[quote name='Al Krow' timestamp='1495049737' post='3300915'] I think the principle is exactly right. A used SS1 [i]should[/i] be a better bass than a "souped up" Rockbass Streamer NT 5, and I'd be happy to find the £extra to stretch to get one. But I am a bit pessimistic that there are SS1s with 5 strings (rather than 4 which seem to be a lot more common?) in good condition and in a finish that I'm going to really like, sitting around in homes where they are no longer wanted...but let's see. This is, I suspect, the largest bass market place in the UK (indeed possibly outside the USA) so if a fellow BC doesn't have one or know someone who does, then I think plan B of a souped up RB Streamer NT 5 won't be a bad one. Until Grangur brings his basses around again that is... [/quote] it's also a marketplace where no one seems to want to buy warwicks! Haven't for years. Try eBay, and eBay.de - I got my '85 thumb bass from Germany within your price range a few years back.