Andyjr1515

So this is the neck @fleabag is sending me: And this (again, can't credit anyone because it's just a stock picture) kind of shape: But with a few tweaks, some aesthetic and some to fit front and back onto this piece of lovely English Walnut: ...cut down by @scrumpymike 's late great mate, Merv, and also used on Mike's Rascal conversion: And this is as far as I've got design-wise: Who said precise technical drawing was dead?

Hi All OK - while I've gained a bit of a reputation for being mad enough to take on stuff that any sane builder wouldn't touch in a million years - well, this one could indeed be my Nemesis There's a bit of well-founded and quite logical conventional wisdom that says that you can't use a stock P-bass type of bolt-on neck in a single cut bass re-body. Why not? Well, I can't find who's this beautiful example is, but here is a typical bolt-on single cut: And here is (actually, this is an electric 6-string) a typical big F type of neck carve: And the basic problem is that the neck carve carries on to about the 16th fret - and the neck tapers too But a single cut top horn extends down to around the 12th fret: And that means that the body needs to be carved to the same shape, but mirrored, so that it wraps around the neck between the 12th and 16th frets. And no one would be crazy enough to try that, would they? Hmmmm….. Well, after all, it is our very own @fleabag who's asking And, let's face it, what could POSSIBLY go wrong?

I'm interested in how your experiments go with the router jig. Never thought about the 3d printer stuff...sounds a good idea!

Interestingly, this has the button at the 16th fret - proportions based on the Warwick Thumb. Can't believe Thumbs ever have a neck dive tendency.

To be honest, it's more about physics than aesthetics or ergonomics The interesting thing is that it is a rule of thumb that is just as relevant for 6 string electrics as it is for basses... Of course the rules can be broken, but - in general terms - at 12th fret, the body can be pretty light and/or the headstock pretty heavy and it will still sit OK on the strap. At higher than the 13th fret, then you have to be aware of the relative weights of the two ends leading to corrective action such as light tuners, strap button positioning, weight addition to the body, even! One of my basses has fishing lead shot in a chamber under the bridge - and that has a tiny headstock, light tuners AND a very heavy solid bubinga body!...

Long top horns generally mean decent balancing on the strap. I always regard the button somewhere between 12th and 13th fret as being in the Goldilocks zone. As @eude says, a long bottom horn helps if playing over the knee.

Here's the quick soundclip of the blend set at Bridge / Mid / Neck recorded on a hand-held Zoom and played through a Yamaha Stagepas PA. Tone on max treble; PA EQ neutral Ignore the noisy fan on the PA and some domestic noises off!

OK - the experiment worked. Basically, I took two more slices off the offcut, cut away the tight grained bit and then book-matched. There was less than 1/2mm excess to fit the shape of the cover onto! But this looks more like it's meant to be there: Again, even when adding finishing just one side, no warping at all - but Hawaii is a long way if there are problems the other end so I will be adding a backing plate with grain at 90 degrees to eliminate the possibility of there being an issue. So final set-up and tweaking ongoing before it gets shipped Andy

Not at all worried about standard plastic covers, to be honest, @honza992. BUT I have a bookmatched ash cover gluing at this very moment, such is the crazed world of Andyjr1515 guitar and bass building! Did anyone ever tell you what a mighty fine bass that one of your looks....

I've seen those - they are cool. No - James is on the other side of the scale and prefers more traditional looks (hence the amber stains on the neck and body, etc.) My crazy idea is linked to another consideration - with the Hawaiian climate, is a solid thin wooden cover going to warp? So - what if I DO do a bookmatched cover with a better grain orientation and then pop a plate on the back with grain at 90 degrees to prevent any warping and to help hold the very thin bookmatch together... It'll only take an hour to try it out...I'll have a go in the morning

Yeah - crazy. I had a number of offcuts big enough but with the grain direction 90 degrees out. This was the only one and - because it was the offcut from the waist - it already had a curve there so, other than doing a book-matched two piece, there was no option. Hmmm... and that's given me an idea...

OK - although there is one variation I'm putting in, explained below, its as finished as makes no difference. It's now got a set of heavy gauge NYXL's (James' request) which, so far, hasn't snapped the neck! They are pretty mighty, though at 55-110. They even added 2oz to my weight check with my set-up medium string set!! But, wow, they sound good. I've recorded a tiny bit just to show the bridge, middle, neck on the blender and played through my mini PA (don't have a bass rig, I'm afraid) which I will post shortly. In the meantime, here are a few finished shots with the arty farty black background. Forgive the self-indulgence, folks : The variation I'm toying with is a request by James to see what a matching control cover rather than a contrasting one would look like. In both cases - because they are made from the few offcuts of the top or back timbers that are big enough, I'm not able to choose matching grains. This is what a control cover from an Ash offcut looks like: It's a pity the offcut wasn't big enough even to have it the other way round but it wasn't In real life, the contrasting one actually looks better because it is clearly matched to the top wood but it's no problem either way - I'll send both and James can fit whichever he prefers. They have magnetic catches so it only takes around 2 seconds to swop them. With the (literally) heavy-gauge strings, it's final playing weight is an ounce over 6 3/4 lbs. A few ounces heavier than @Len_derby 's Jazz p/up version, but still not bad for a long-scale PJ I'll see if the sound clip has come out anything like OK and, if so, will post shortly As always, many thanks for the very encouraging feedback along the way Andy

Yes - I agree ^ this I'm making an assumption that there are no pins and under the bridge is just a smooth top like this (ignore that this one has two control panels!): And your bridge is something like this? : It takes a bit of getting your head round the concept but basically you can both move the little fretlets up and down the slots on the bridge BUT you can also move the bridge itself by just sliding it up, down - straight or diagonally. Now - it is admittedly a bit trial and error, but it is very unlikely that there isn't a combination of fretlet positions AND bridge position that wouldn't get you to an intonation on each string that is pretty much spot on. There are a number of ways of getting there. This is just one: Personally, I would start with the positions of the fretlets like this above - one in each slot diagonally with the G closest to the nut. I would intonate the G by sliding the G side of the bridge towards or away from the tailstock Once intonated, I would pop a little bit of masking tape on the body to mark where this position is Then, keeping the G side of the bridge in the place I'd just put it, I would then move the E side of the bridge backwards or forwards until the E intonates I would mark that too with a bit of masking tape I would then check the intonation of the middle two strings and move the fretlets of those to intonate them, leaving the bridge itself at whatever angle it ended up with over the first 4 steps Generally the middle two strings will intonate with fretlets in one of those four slots But if they don't - that is, if the intonation range of the middle two strings is too coarse, I would: Move the fretlet of the E string up one slot Re-intonate the E as above, keeping the G side of the bridge where it originally was, next to it's bit of masking tape Now see if the middle two strings will intonate with the choice of slots for the fretlets As I say, it's a bit trial and error, but remember you only really have to do this once! Once it is spot on, personally I would commit sacrilege and pop a tiny sharpie dot either side of the bridge so I could always find that position again! Different kinds of bridges really aren't an option on a violin bass - it is designed to have this curved, sliding bridge and almost all other bridge designs are either flat bottomed or wrong height and, worse, mean drilling holes in the very thin, curved top of the bass (and probably wouldn't work anyway). Incidentally, Jazz guitars often have this kind of sliding bridge (and they don't even have the adjustable fretlets) as do, of course, violins, cello's and those types of instruments. Hope this helps!

..and we have sound....

On the final knockings (hopefully!) Just weighed it. Full playing weight 6lbs 11oz. I estimated to James 6 3/4lbs so I'm 1oz inside that. Result!

Not on this design I wouldn't (but that's just my view - you have to remember that with your own designs, it is only your own preference that actually matters )

OK - I'm a bit confused. If it is a true floating bridge - ie, if you can place it anywhere - then it is impossible that you don't have enough adjustment options. Forget the options of the little 'fretlets' on the Hofner-style bridge. You can just move the whole bridge forward, back or at any angle until it intonates properly. If it is a pinned 'floating' bridge - so it falls off when you take the strings off, but the pins actually locate it in a specific position - then the pin holes are probably in the wrong place (or there are other factors - action too high, old strings, etc that are affecting the intonation) Have you got a photo? - I'm sure we can help you sort it without it needing a different bridge...

Ooooh. I thought the other ones were fine, but this is VERY nice.

As a builder - and one who generally builds through-necks - I'm actually in the camp that says it makes no discernable difference to the tone or quality (assuming each has been built to the same standard, woods, etc). As someone above inferred, I don't think many people grumble about the tone of a Fender P bass. On quality, all I can say is that one of the nicest basses I ever had the pleasure to work on - a beautiful old Wal - was bolt on and was top drawer and a half! I personally think it's more horses for courses: I think getting elegant heels is easier with through-necks; it is certainly easier to achieve the super-slim lightweights I've started experimenting with using through-necks...but those aren't everyone's bag. But then for bolt-ons there is more flexibility to get the geometry just-so. And - for a volume manufacturer - much better flexibility to be able to offer alternative woods and configurations at an affordable price. It could even be argued that the chances of a visual aberration (knots etc) is lower for bolt ons - a through-neck on a full scale bass is a long, long piece of wood to guarantee not running into any kind of natural void or ripple! Just my tuppence worth...

I think scratchplates can look very good even with fancy woods.

Sorted the nut height and then put my 'see if it all fits together' set of strings on. At my action height starting point (medium) there are no buzzes at all so I think the basic levelling job was OK. When the proper strings are on, I'll set it up properly and do a double check with the fret rocker and the buzz check at low action in case there are some high spots anywhere. This is how the tru-oil slurry and buff has ended up, finishing at 1500 grit. This is an oblique shot to the light so you can see the surface finish: ...and this is tilted to see the figuring better: It's LOVELY to the touch. Still got to do the final 1500 slurry and buff on the back - and I've still got to do the final buffing of the fretboard and neck - but this is how the whole thing is panning out: All being well it should be finished by the end of the weekend

Great to see you kicking off a new one! I quite like the look of a scratchplate on a bass - especially light or white plates. It does fundamentally change the visual 'feel' though so usually depends on the bass itself whether it works or not. To my own eye, but it's a personal thing, the above would enhance the same bass built without an f hole but is a bit of a 'culture clash' on the same top with the f hole. Dunno, really. Nice thing is that you can fit a plate with light double sided tape so just try it - totally reversible. With long shaft pots, you can do the same with the controls plate - the pot nuts and washers will hold the plate on. It would be an interesting 'with and without' comparison on a finished bass

And another job off the tick list - levelling, crowning and polishing frets: I'm going to temporarily string it up later today to see if it frets OK all the way up the board Only a few more things to do before the big assembly and test stage

Well, definitely on the final furlong! I inset the jack-plate into the body wood in the same way as I did for the bridge: Then fitted magnets on the ebony truss-rod cover. The 3mm magnet at the apex does all the work - the 2mm ones either side at the nut just positions it: And put the magnets on the copper-lined chamber cover - these are 5mm in the nodes and 4mm on the cover itself: I will be disappointed if this isn't all finished by the weekend

I agree with @Maude. They are beautiful