Andyjr1515

Hi Yes - some images would be helpful. +1 on @DoubleOhStephan 's suggestion too. Heat applied in the right way and in the exact spot can raise dints very well. Have a look on Youtube - there will be a number of videos showing how people do this without leaving marks in the finish. Often, this is all that would be needed. Even if it does need the more extreme measure of sanding down, it is usually best to raise such dints before starting sanding in any case.

Does the bridge dimension fully cover the present Jazz p/up chamber, @Pea Turgh ? Usually, Jazz pickups are wider than mini humbuckers...

Splendid. Excellent result even ignoring it's your first build :)

If it's a commercial poly finish then yes, it will put a fight. There are various ways of speeding it up, but the safest way is using a sanding block and frequent changes of paper. Off and on, it can take a couple of days but you are much less likely to end up with gouges or burns which are always possible with some of the alternative ways.

The bit I don't quite understand, @Olivetti17 , is - if you are considering the cost of prep, paint and finish coat - then isn't sanding back to bear wood, thus removing the aberation, then (restaining if necessary) and recoating in clearcoat going to be just as cost effective? That is, refinish back to its original look rather than overpaint. A quick photo really would help...

You see....that's where people with vision have something I never will have When I first saw it, I was in the 'isn't that a bit big?' camp. Then, when the outer thick ply sections went on, I was in the 'Yes, that really IS too big!' camp. And now it has the covering on, I'm in the 'Wow! That looks SO right!' camp. So no marks for me on my vision capabilities, but I reckon maybe 8/10 for my flexibility of opinion?

There's something a bit special about a fretless bass for certain numbers. Personally, I would have a fretted...but I'd keep and practice with the fretless too. It really doesn't take too long to make the small adjustment in finger positioning and be able to play either. In terms of playing your fretted bass, I'll bet your fingers always hit the same position with the same precision regardless of the presence of the frets...

Hi Just woken up from my slumbers... Somehow, I'd missed this thread - apols. Beautiful bass! I suspect the problem isn't about the action height or the geometry - it's much more down to earth than that. It's about how you cut the frets themselves. And it's about the area once the fretboard gets to the body. Normally, the board would be slotted before being glued to the neck. Generally, this will be: using a fret saw; using a very fine circular saw; using a CNC router Usually, the fret positions would be achieved using a specialist jig or the CNC programming, etc. It is possible to mark by hand and use a mitre block when using a saw, but this can be error prone - even with the ability of handing and clamping just a flat board. The options with a board already glued into a through neck are very limited. You can't use a fret saw; you can't usea circular saw. Theoretically, you could use a CNC router, but how do you jig the bass (and not damage it with the clamps) so that it is EXACTLY in the correct position, accurate in all planes to a hundredth of a millimetre? I used to run a factory of CNC routers and that would have been in the category of 'tell the customer he couldn't afford it' category. So the only practical answer if likely to be to replace the fretboard (and even that isn't easy to do on a finished through-neck bass. Hope this helps Andy I think this is probably where Chris is coming from

Looks great

Haha! Yes, the sound will noticeably improve over the first three months or so of playing as the top loosens up. Some commefcial builders put a multi-frequency vibration plate on the top to accelerate this process.

Lovely

I passed this over to Matt today I'm pleased and relieved in equal measure to report that he is very, very pleased with it He will do some proper videos of him playing it sometime in the future but, in the meantime, I grabbed these quick mobile-phone clips of his first go with it, as they say, 'straight out of the box': https://youtu.be/-Bckzvnup7I https://youtu.be/4qQ9iHK22IE Well chuffed....

Thanks, @Hellzero

I'll suggest it to Matt

Great build.

That is such a good solution. Engineered sculpture.

If the capacitor is where you show it on your diagram, it looks to me like it is just bleeding some treble off at all settings.

Wonderful build! Going to be spectacular.

Lovely job.

Excellent

I think he will Having pretty much finished the setup, I put the 'proper' strings on today - and I reckon this sounds every bit as good as my own. So that means I get mine back too! Result

It'll be worth it, though. Looking good

And finished, bar the final set-up tweaks. Forgive the self indulgence: ..and the obligatory artyish fortyish shots:

I've yet to see a poor Darrell Braun video. They are always balanced, informative and based on fact rather than myth. And yes - heeding the 'don'ts' that he mentions ref vintage, lacquered or bound boards - this is a perfectly good way of doing the job.

Excellent!