Andyjr1515

I like the look of that. I was staggered how normal @eude 's sixer felt to play too. I think you'll love this.

Well, that looks absolutely spot-on in relation to the nut spacing. To be honest, you wouldn't want to be much closer to the edge and so you would be looking at a tighter string spacing at the nut too too. And @Grangur is right - the taper basically has to be done along the length of the board

Just seen your earlier post that came through as I was posting mine - slimming down to this degree should not require any re-fretting at all. By the way - have you got a photo? It is interesting that the nut isn't to stated spec and also that you reckon the strings are a long way from the edge. Sounds odd to me. Was it bought from new? If so, worth going back to the original dealer...

I'd forgotten that one, Paul! Lovely old bass Hi @petergales Yes - you should be talking to your local trusted luthier - these sorts of things are always easier if you can easily meet face to face and talk through the issues. But just some things that come to mind: In order of preference, if it was my own bass - 1st I wouldn't do it; 2nd If It was in all other respects an absolute keeper, I would consider the fully reversible option of a replacement neck...but I would be looking at more than just the width; 3rd I would only mod if I knew I would never be getting rid of it or if the bass was already of low value. And then, only after talking through in depth with a trusted luthier in terms of exactly what the problem was. Expanding: Are you sure it's the width that's causing the cramping? It's worth seeing if the neck is also slimmer in depth than your more comfortable necks as that is often a factor in hand cramps. Slimming the taper of a neck to this type of degree is actually perfectly feasible BUT, as @Grangur and others say above: it WILL decimate the resale value of the bass (and, on a bass like this, I do mean decimate); it may give issues with side dots or may not - it depends on the dot depth and material; it will, of course, give issues if the fretboard is bound at all; it WILL require a full refinish of the neck as well as work on the affected fret-ends. Custom necks are not cheap.... So I think it boils down to whether it is an absolute keeper or not. I guess, if you've had this up for sale before, it's not really? Hope this helps Andy

What routers are on your shortlist? EDIT...just seen your other thread. Ignore the question

The crack at the end of the horn is no concern. It is just a split against a join line. The one that is closer to the neck pocket is an odd one. Maybe the neck's been whacked in the past and the bottom of the pocket stressed causing the split? If I'm right, this is the one you need to concentrate on otherwise the neck pocket could flex and affect the tuning stability. Once you've worked out the best way of clamping this, I would be tempted to use a very thin superglue and wick it into the gaps. Capilliary action will suck the glue deep into the gap. Keep squeezing glue in until it won't take any more then clamp up and leave for an hour or two. It should then be plenty strong enough so you would just use a filler to cover the dips and gaps.

The crack next to the neck pocket...where does that go along the length?

While the festives and family stuff has been going on, progress has been a bit spasmodic but by the end of tomorrow, I should be able to put some quality time into finishing this - hopefully by the end of the week. I've got two more slurry and buff grades to do on the body - 1500 and 2000, but already it is feeling right and looking pretty even. Here's how the back presently stands: The basic back carve shape is the same as on @Len_derby 's build. What I liked about this variation is that it still looks and feels a substantially thick body and yet still has the comfort and weight advantages of the arched back - some of my other builds have tapered more at the sides, making it look super skinny which freaks some players out (especially 6-string electric guitar players ) This variation softens the carve towards the edges, so retains the edge and front view thickness: Still to do - Final two grit levels of the body oil slurry and buff – 1500 and 2000 grit Sort the magnetic hatch and trussrod cover fixings Fit the jack-plate, set into the body the same way the bridge is Copper-foil line the control chamber Fit the electrics and pickups Level, re-crown and polish the frets Micro-mesh the neck and fretboard progressively to around 8000 grit micro-mesh Fit the nut, bridge, tuners and strap buttons String up Set up

Looks pretty splendid from here...

Ssshh..... while they carry on talking in that beautiful language it gives me a chance to tip-toe away........ ... Is it safe yet???????

Blast! sorry hindi ako nagsasalita ng marami english!

Perdon, @AndyTravis. No hablo mucho ingles!

Ouch!

Brilliant! I fitted one on Kert's Camphor single cut. I was dubious at first and surprised just how expensive they are but they are easy to fit and VERY easy to set up and use. I'd certainly use them again

Ooooh - I like THAT! Very stylish....

Waiting James' reply, but I know which one I would have It was a great suggestion, @TheGreek

Another job off the list, other than the dots (I've put luminlay as an option to the customer, @TheGreek - thanks for the suggestion) and the tru-oil, I've done the knobs Same method as on @Len_derby 's: Drilled a hole in some thicknessed ash: Without moving the drill or wood positions, then used a forstner for the nut relief: Then a plug cutter to cut it out: Drilled a grub-screw access hole and pressed the insert in, with grub-screw lined up with that small hole and also used the plug cutter to cut out a disc of top wood: Then, adding a disc of veneer between the two, glued and clamped it together: Finally sanded to shape: So just the dots to add once I've had an answer of luminlay or MoP

Hmmmm...it's a thought. The luminlay dots might be a bit big but it's definitely worth thinking about...

OK - a bit of a respite between visiting one set of relatives for Christmas and another set visiting us running up to New Year While the finishing process is progressing, I'm knocking off a few of the remaining jobs. First is recessing the bridge. It's a small change but makes such a difference. From this: To this: using these simple tools: This is one of the only thing I use the little Veritas hand router for - but it's great for ensuring the bottom is completely flat. This small version is actually a bit of a flawed design but I think I've used it often enough to consider its bigger brother which is a much better design. Other things done are the luminlay side dots: And in the meantime, the finish is becoming silky smooth to the touch and nice and satin to the eye: Tomorrow I'm going to try to make a trio of knobs and also sort the truss rod cover

That is quite, quite stunning! Lovely.

I dont know if this thread is any use: http://forums.ernieball.com/ernie-ball-music-man-basses/47670-differences-body-thickness.html It reckons 2006 - 2009 models are 44mm? Might not be accurate, of course... I think I'm right in thinking the present ones are 1 5/8" which is slightly slimmer at 41.275mm

You say the nicest things Merry Christmas!

I like poplar burl. It's the mix of quilting and burl that makes it so attractive when the finish is applied

By the way - it isn't too much Christmas spirit got into Andyjr1515...the through neck IS parallel and the hatch IS parallel to that...it's just the camera angle and lens distortion that makes it look squiffy Of course, if YOU have had too much Christmas spirit, it might look perfectly straight

As amongst the final tasks before the Christmas period, I managed to sand down all of the body and side stain trials and reapply properly. Over the last couple of days I've started laying down the initial tru-oil coats ready for the final slurry and buff coats that will be finished after Christmas. This is how it's looking now: While the final coats of slurry and buff are hardening over the post Christmas period, I will be starting the finish jobs. Allowing for family stuff over Christmas and New Year, it should be ready to ship mid-January Have a great Christmas, all. As always, many thanks for the support and encouragement over 2018 and see you all the other side! Andy