Andyjr1515

After a bit of a disrupted week and weekend (real life getting in the way!) I've been polishing the top to see if the gloss is good enough without a re-flattening and re-application. The reason there can be a doubt is that: You can't polish it up until it is properly hard (c 2 weeks) My method - as I always stress in my build threads - will never match a well-applied and buffed poly spray finish. However, it should be 'fit for purpose' in terms of surface finish and overall look. BUT - you don't know if it's fit for purpose until it's polished... Anyway - while this does not bear well a very up-close oblique-light scrutiny, I think it is fit for purpose and doesn't need flattening down and reapplying (which, of course, can sometimes come out worse!): Now - the good thing about THAT, is not only that I don't have to do a re-application and suffer further two weeks of uncertainty, but also I can now drill the remaining control pot holes and try and fit all the fancy electrics in (because while ever there is a possibility of having to re-gloss, the fewer the streak-producing holes in the top the better ) I've started the job - I live in hope that I'll have some sound coming out of this sometime by the end of tomorrow (I could do with finishing this one now!)...although it will take me another week to work out how to get the hatch to sit properly :

Sorry to disappoint, but the ultra-light is another 6 string electric (but same shape as the piccolo bass). I know - well and truly, though temporarily no doubt, shifted to the dark side

Thanks, folks I'm hoping today breaks the back of the remaining jobs....

Thanks But actually no - that's the sister build that is shaped like the piccolo bass. It's the same woods so should look pretty similar but with that one I'm going ultra-light and ultra slim. That one is progressing slowly in the background but will generally always be second fiddle time-wise because it's for me so there are fewer time expectations

Hi. I'm in Derby if tht's any good?

Just hiding

More still to do than perhaps it looks. In house builders terms, we are at the 'First Fix Snagging List' stage The pickups are in, with sparkly covers subtley dulled with some Tru-oil Conditioner (basically T-cut!) and gold adjustment screws working against bass pickup type foam buffers. The tuners are final-fitted. Snag list, so far not too bad. It includes: A couple of high spots on the frets Bridge is sitting a tiny bit too high (about 1mm). I don't want to slot the saddles so, instead, I will score round the whole unit and carefully chisel the required drop - only needed in the black saddle area as they individually flex a few degrees up and down from the gold base fixing base Number one fretmarker is off. Bugger. Teeny, tiny amount but it would bug me so has got to be sorted! Luckily, with an ebony fretboard it's an easy and invisible fix The fret ends (spherical) are too prominent. The fret ends are now well clear of the strings so I'll go for a more standard chamfer. The nut (still loose fit) is a bit high and, once I've reduced that, the truss-rod cover will need slimming a tad. Easy job. Other than the remaining jobs of magnetic catches, electrics installation, volute tidy up, strap locks and final polish that were already on my list, that should be it.

Yes - lovely Can't wait...

And found the sapele that I was sure I had in the shed. And it's wider than I had remembered so we have a one-piece back I will add the wenge demarcation veneer to the sapele before I cut out the shape. Should be able to do that later today....

I can see the picture now I'm back on the desktop - it looks great!

My ipad isn't picking up the picture for some odd reason so I'll have a proper look when I'm on the desktop, but the spec sounds great

I'm glad yours is...mine disengaged a decade ago and hasn't re-engaged since

As you say, you are planning paint finish therefore no real issue. Having said that, if you did want to veneer the top, it is only adding 0.6mm and therefore you wouldn't need to do anything to the neck pocket at all...

Yes - the first time I saw the thread, the photos were side by side I prefer the smaller pickguard and splash of chrome on the control plate....

Onto the final tasks while the gloss varnish hardens enough to polish it up (about 2 weeks from last coat) The main one was levelling, recrowning and polishing the frets. Done I'm pleased the subtle figuring in the ebony still shows after the final treatment

This double posted so this is just my way of deleting the duplicate!

And...admittedly to my surprise...it seems to have worked. Once this is sanded flush and stuck round the edges with thin 2-sided tape, I'm pretty sure it's going to look fine. The 2-sided tape will only to keep the edges secure - the plate itself will be secured by the tuner bushes and the string tree It certainly balances the look of the bass a bit better: Next job is to find the sapele that I'm sure I've got somewhere in the shed for the back

Decent question but no, not at all The plate really does, as you say, weigh naff all - but the main thing is that the Lyte top horn is longer. This will place the strap button at about the 12.5th fret, as opposed to the Rascal which places it at the 14th fret. This makes a big difference. That is quite important, also, because the new body will be much lighter than the Rascal and this, if nothing else was done, would certainly give some issues. I suppose the only slight unknown is going to be the 'sit' of the bass on the strap. It is likely that it will sit further to the player's right than the Rascal - this will make it feel a very short scale indeed (although still longer than a 6 string electric). Time will tell on that one

Can't be absolutely sure yet, but at the moment I'm planning to be there, Mike

OK - so maybe we've got the chances of success a whisker ahead of evens... It's bent. Next test is will it stay bent once it's dried... I knew the scraper burnishing rod would come in useful one day....

So what are the thoughts I have about hiding the Rascal colour of the headstock and still making it a reversible mod? Well....this may not work but: I've managed to cut a 1.5mm sliver of the walnut offcut which will scrape down to 1mm: The idea is to try to stick this on with very thin double sided tape. But what about the bend?? OK ... this is why it might not work but - an acoustic guitar side is around 1.5mm thick. And I have built a couple of acoustics and have a bending iron. So I'm going to try to bend the walnut to shape. I told you it might not work!

While I've been waiting for Tim's Alembicesque's gloss finish to dry, I've done a little more on this. Pickup chambers cut out, back trimmed, carve started, edges rough-rounded and first tru-oil slurry fill done: Next big job is probably fret-slotting the snakewood board... I'l do that when I've made a bit more progress on @scrumpymike 's Rascal conversion

The one on the right for my money

And this is probably the final gloss coat on the top. It is dust buggy free but there are still very fine brush lines from a slightly 'draggy' varnish in spite of it being warmed a touch and using a very fine fan brush. Having said that, I'm pretty sure they will polish out once the coating is fully hard:

Hi Well done to ped and all others involved on what was clearly a major upgrade. Great stuff and much appreciated folks Andy