Andyjr1515

Final knockings before this gets passed over to @fleabag on Saturday. I'll make those couple of changes that @KiOgon recommends and then the only other thing I wasn't happy with was the headstock. The stain was a bit patchy and the gloss sub-base of finish that the decals went onto wasn't quite flat enough. These decals are so super, super thin, the sub-base has to be pretty perfect or the decal itself shows the undulations as a series of stripes where the decal is fully contacting and not quite fully contacting. So off it's all come and I've started again. Stripped it down to wood, re-stained and re-gloss varnished before applying the couple of spare decals I'd ordered. In the flesh, this is MUCH better: So just got to add the satin sealing coats and then bolt it all together and get it to @fleabag !

Good tips. I did think about the insulation but the gap is greater that it looks on the photo and I couldn't think what would ever bend them. Mind you, you never know what @fleabag might be planning to store in there so maybe I'd better pop a couple of sleeves on!

Yes - very bad. Very, very bad!

Absolutely what he ^ said!!!! That is so top-drawer it hurts. It's also probably tipped my wavering on investing in a turbine spray set up too.... Oh - and your photo set up is really very professional, as well Top class - all of it!

Oh my goodness! That is breathtakingly beautiful...

Well, the radio silence has simply been while the final coats on the body have been hardening. I'm actually re-doing the Nemesis transfer on the headstock - I got a spare and think I can do better than the first go by getting the headstock coating a bit flatter before I apply it. BUT...the rest is pretty much done. @fleabag sent me the pots and switches to do a series/split coil/parallel option and also a 250k tone pot vs a 500k tone pot. For starters I've put the same cap value on those two but @fleabag will be able to experiment simply by swapping caps as he wishes. Here's the finished circuit: And here's how the body is looking:

Paua dot? Looks nice, whatever

Beautiful job, @Merton !

Only just spotted this. Good call. Personally, I tend to use EVO Gold, but my alternative would always be NS. SS are, in my view, problematic from a builders point of view.

As you know, any advice Andyjr1515 gives has to be treated with a certain amount of caution However, happy to outline how I personally go about it nowadays. I run a triangular file very lightly along the slots just enough to take the sharp edge off each side - not to widen the slot itself Nowadays I use a tang nipper to de-tang the ends, but that isn't essential. I cut the fretwire 3-4mm oversize. By the way, I buy coiled wire so it already has a radius on it, usually at a radius a touch tighter than the fretboard. I run a scalpel blade or similar along the slot to check it's clear of sandings and to double check that the slot is deeper than the tang across its whole length I run a tiny bead of titebond along the tang and then place the fret carefully in position in the slot, making sure that it is upright. I press the fret gently to ensure it is properly seated in the slot I then hammer firmly one side, then the other side, then the middle. This has the effect of first pushing the barbs in vertically at the sides, leaving a hump in the middle. When you hammer in the middle, the sides splay, moving the barbs sideways and locking the fret in place. I wipe any titebond squeeze-out off the fretboard with a dampened cloth. I then clamp my fretboard radius block over the fret to ensure it is fully seated and to radius while the titebond does its initial grab. I do the next fret the same way, first releasing the radius block and wiping any remaining titebond squeeze-out from the previous fret. Once the new fret is in, I then move the radius block up a fret and clamp them both. I repeat this, moving the radius block a fret at a time until all frets are in I leave overnight before cutting the fret overhangs flush with the fretboard edge using some decent long-handled fret end clippers Let me know if you need me to expand on any of the points. I may have some photos somewhere if needs be.

Clearly it's totally different in the case of an active eq circuit but yes - in all practical terms I've come across - turning down the tone of a passive circuit just bleeds off the treble. As such, it won't get any bassier, just more muted to the point, eventually, of muddier.

I'm also not convinced it makes any perceptable difference provided, as many above say, they are well seated and secured on a flat base. It does make a tangible difference on an electric stratocaster trem system, but I suspect that's the increase in inertia preventing loss of string vibration by the trem vibrating rather than the effect of the extra mass per se. But on a bass, or a hardtail electric, I've never been able to hear a difference.

A number of things I was going to bring are off to a guy who's going to do some pro-recordings with them (he's a great player - I'll post the links when they are available) so I'll probably be bringing, instead of the items on the list: - Pete's piccolo bass - Pete's EB-3 ish - My veneered Squier Jag

Yes - I agree. That looks a mighty fine and smooth finish

Lovely!

Well, I'm definitely on the home straight at last with this. The final finish treatment is drying on the neck, the body is done so it's shielding and wiring, fitting the pickup and cover, and fitting the hardware, then final assembly. @fleabag will be fitting his preferred strings, strap buttons and doing the final set-up. If I have the right coloured screws in my bits box, my bit should be finished by the end of the weekend.

Ref talks / demos, I have two thoughts if there is an interest: Either: A talk through my journey towards lighter-weight instruments, including some of the design and construction considerations and practicalities. I (and @Len_derby) can bring along a number of instruments that people can try 'on the strap' including Kert's Camphor single cut bass (weight lightened conventionally), and then illustrating my present construction approach Pete's piccolo bass (& my almost identical electric guitar) and @Len_derby 's full-scale Swift Lite bass. or A repeat of the veneering demo Doing both is probably a touch too much Andyjr1515 for one session! What do you reckon? Andy

@fleabag wanted some specific designs of decals for the headstock. I followed up a link that @BassTool put on his recent thread for Rob at GuitarDecals.co.uk. Superb! Best decals I've ever used - super, super, super thin and including whites! Still have to do the overcoating of finish on them, but this is how they look at the moment:

+1 on this! Great find and link, @BassTool ! Best decals I've ever used, including white ones, and ridiculously good value for 3 of each of two designs at £15 total. Wow - they are super, super, super thin. Never come across anything like it. Good comms with Rob and fast turnaround too.

Nicely done, whatever! Great job Andy

Any in-process shots of how you went about this? It's not actually an easy thing to do well - this looks a decent job

My goodness! Unbelievable!

New one on me too! Thanks for the link

We haven't talked through yet but happy to do a demo of something - or maybe a talk through my experiments with lightweight builds - if wanted. Are you sorted now ref transport?

OK - hauling it all back... Two or three jobs ticked off the 'to do' list. Because the final finish coats will go on shortly, it's time to fix anything that needs sanding or fettling on the body. One of these was to tidy up the fit of the pickup chamber that was still a bit uneven. That's now pretty even all the way round: I then bolted the neck on to check the neck angle and also mark the fixing position of the bridge. Neck angle is pretty much spot on so I could then position the bridge. Pretty normal stuff. First was winding the G saddle to its forward position and popping a bit of masking tape, 90 degrees to the body join line at the position corresponding to the scale length at the G saddle. Then popping a couple of strings through either side of the bridge and clamping them loosely at the nut. I used a guitar capo for this: Then it was a case of moving the bridge left or right along the scale length masking tape line to ensure the E and G were equidistant from the edges of the neck: Then popping a couple of pieces of masking tape to record that position in case the bridge got knocked, and then centre-holing the positions of the screws ready to drill the pilot holes: And that leaves 12 to-do's to do!