Andyjr1515

Coming on nicely. What gloss are you using?

For a through neck, the determining factors are generally the depths of the pickups and pots or switches. For a bolt on it's more about the amount of meat needed underneath the neck pocket. It's worth checking the heel depth and resulting neck pocket thickness, but I would have thought 30 to 32 would be OK. Then you need to check how you are going to fix the neck - you will need shorter screws than the 'standard' ones or you could use set screws (which bring their own challenges!)

I've not done block inlays before and my conclusion is that the only way forward is a template. I have the G&W fretting mitre box and they do a block inlay 34" template for it: The challenge is how to use it. I will probably rig up a table and index pin to fit my little press drill and use the press drill as a mini router. I've done some trials today and you never know, it might work!

Top joined and shape now cut out, including the 'f-hole'. The final colour will be closer to the pic above (sprayed with a meths solution) rather than the 'dry bright' look here below. Also in the pic is the lightweight swamp ash.

Neil will correct me if I've got this wrong, but I'm not sure we've decided yet. It will be while before I need to know for sure.

And it begins! I bought the top and body woods today from Kirk at Exotichardwoodsukltd.co.uk - excellent 2-piece swamp ash set for the back and a lovely bookmatched set of poplar burl for the top. I took along a dimensioned paper template to make sure it was going to be big enough for a bass and to get a decent idea what kind of figuring will show on the finished shape: I think this piece has everything! Got it home and routered the join line square and straight using a rigid aluminium beam as a guide. Then glued and clamped it with sash clamps - the small grey clamps are just to stop it bowing under the clamp pressure and so are just loosely tightened: With luck, I will be able to cut the shape out later this afternoon or evening. This afternoon, I will order the neck wood (already have the maple fretboard wood) and a square-block/34" steel template from G&W for the block inlay routing and corresponding fret slotting - Neil's preference is maple fretboard with ebony block fret markers. While the template is on its way, I'll be trying to work out how best to use it. Bit of experimentation is going to be needed!

Beautiful.

Looking good from here. You've probably said, but what's the thickness of the top? Looks about 5mm?

I know it's been a long journey, but those are starting to look special

Well, for the specific question I'm not much help - but I do know that some builders do use tung oil. Personally, for exactly that kind of finish and organic feel you talk about - and the ease of application, I use Tru-oil (for which a small 3fl oz bottle will do a couple of basses). For that (and I would have thought Tung Oil would work in a similar way) I use a 'slurry and buff' approach: Couple of coats let soak in and dry to do an initial seal A coat, using 400 grit wet and dry with the wet provided by the oil rather than water (rubber gloves essential) creating a slurry of oil and very fine sandings. This acts as a superb colour compatible grain filler. Wipe off back to wood after 5-10 mins. Let it dry Repeat last step Repeat last step but this time using 800 grit and not only wipe off, but buff it dry with a lint-free cloth (this is the bit that may be different with tung-oil) Sometimes needs a final repeat of the last step This bubinga fretless was done like that and, other than an occasional dust, has had nothing done in the past 3 years. The guys at the Midlands Bass Bash will vouch that it still looks like this and feels just how it looks: I used the same technique with Osmo Polyx on @TheGreek 's Psilos bass (sycamore and maple) and that worked just as well - which is why I suspect it would work just as well with tung oil...

Hmmm...well I suppose theoretically. Certainly, when Jez (for example) and I put black and white demarcation lines between the fretboard and the neck that, essentially, is what we do: However, like @ikay 's lovely ACG, it has the stability of being sandwiched under some thick flat wood. If I hadn't used my last piece of myrtle for the Bassbash demo (it would be a shame to cover up such a lovely veneer) I'd have a go. I have done some daft things with veneer, though:

Can't quite work out what I'm looking at here..

That is flippin' gorgeous!

No problem. I'd have only had to explain it to the probation officer in any case

I'm not sure quite what stages you are talking about but you can certainly rout chambers into an already veneered body. I would be a touch more cautious about the edges and neck pocket, etc, as the chances of a semi-supported edge of the veneer pinging off is quite high. I noticed @Si600 was videoing some of the demo - any of that worth posting, Simon? By the way, I used a bought Paulownia Jazz body for the demo. VERY light, but very, very soft. When I was demoing sanding the veneer edges, the 0.6mm veneer edge was remaining proud as the 35mm thick paulownia body was sanding away to dust!

Yup - and bear in mind that the deko ones are the quality rejects sold as 'not for playing'

Hi It sometimes takes necks a little while to settle. Also, extreme temperature and humidity differences can make a big difference (in many parts of US, winter / summer adjustment of trussrods is routine) and we've had some extremes this last couple of weeks (assuming you are mid to south UK). You can help to accelerate straightening a neck by physically bending it, but as long as the truss rod isn't getting worryingly tight, I would carry on tweaking it and leaving it a day to settle then check again and repeat if necessary.

^ This It will probably be a bit heavy and you will want to put some better strings on, but I would heartily recommend something like this Harley Benton from Thomann: https://www.thomann.de/gb/harley_benton_b_550fl_bk_progressive_series.htm?sid=df3d9ef6c1dcc84bc1c58f4f3e612d3d Other colours are available, but at around £140 this will be unbeatable value for money and almost certainly a decent player - and probably a lot cheaper than defretting your Ibby (which would be a shame and a compromise)! If you read my build threads, you will know that I build high-ish end custom basses....but I never hesitate recommending Harley Bentons for people to try out new things and styles. I personally have never come across a bad one yet. And you can get a decent one for less than it costs me for the wood for just the neck alone of one of my builds!!!!

Beautiful...

That sounds pretty close @Skezza ? @pete.young - are the bridge and neck pickups supplied the same size if a set is ordered? As far as I can work out from the EMG site, the LJV and LJ pickups - which appear to be pretty close to the required size - are both voiced for bridge position. Whether that makes any difference in reality I really don't know....

It reminds me of old fashioned chocolate neopolitan icecream Lovely contrast

Back and unpacked. Huge thanks to @Si600 for organising it once again. I thought @Jabba_the_gut 's and @Norris 's presentations were excellent...as were their builds. Mind blowingly good. Great to catch up with everyone

Thanks @naxos10 ! @Skezza - pm'd you since our telecon. Based on the telephone discussion - which is that the main issue is the single-coil hum buzz rather than the preamp itself - my suggestion is that you look at stacked humbucker options before worrying too much about the pre-amp at this stage (someone else above, I think, beat me to it with the same suggestion ). Single coil J pickups will 'humbuck', to a limited extent, when used together in the same way as a Stratocaster position 2 and 4 does (it's OK, folks. @Skezza is also a guitarist). But used individually, they are all susceptible to mains interference, regardless how well the cables and control chambers are shielded, and the pre-amp is unlikely to have any positive impact on this. The key thing - as there is no such thing as a 'standard size' for J pickups - is to find some suitable ones that are the correct size. Specifically, the length, width and distance between centres of the fixing lugs. If you can check these dimensions and post here, I am sure that I - and a host of much more knowledgable folks than me around us - will be able to come up with some options for you to consider. Andy

I absolutely love the look of this bass! Ref the jack socket, when you get a moment, swop it for a Switchcraft one (Axesrus, Allparts and many others). They are only a few £ and are fitted to most top flight makes. If you've had to bend the contact, it will fail again at some stage. I have never had, or even personally know of anyone who has had, a Switchcraft one that has done the same...

I don't think there's any danger in me not doing that, Silvia You know me - I even stop strangers in the street with an 'Excuse me, but have you seen my new build? Here, I've got a few hundred photos. Oh, wait a minute...can you see them properly if you're walking this fast???'