Andyjr1515

This afternoon is the carve of the main controls chamber. For those of you who are paying attention ( ), you will remember that the back is also going to be scooped out. So the control chamber cover will also need carving...

[quote name='Jabba_the_gut' timestamp='1495113198' post='3301367'] Andy, I got a couple of drawings from John East - will send you a copy when I get home. Cheers [/quote] Great - thanks, Jez

While I work out exactly what type of pots I will be using with the pre-amp mixer, the fact remains that there will be only room for two of them The access chamber has now been forstner-drilled and chiselled out. Here you see it: ...and here you don't:

[quote name='samhay' timestamp='1495106871' post='3301295'] With the MPM01, you shouldn't need a dual-gang pot for the mix/blend control. [/quote] Oh...that's interesting, samhay. How do you get the blend? I assumed you would blend between the piezo pre output and the mixer output. Is it just a single pot off the mixer output? The PDF on the web site isn't overly clear....

Now I know broadly where the body surface is going to be, the next task is sorting the control chamber. This is the basic idea: Basically the controls will be accessible from the back but hidden from the front - a bit like Gelfin's Smoothhound on his Mouradian style: From the back it will look something like (without the sharp wing-tip): Basically it will have, as a minimum:[list] [*]Onboard mixing pre-amp [*]9v battery (18 v if it will fit) [*]Piezo / Magnetic blend control [*]Master Volume [*]Jack [/list] I think somewhere I've seen a mini stacked pot. If I'm right I may even be able to incorporate a master tone...time will tell on that one. If not, I'll probably pop a piezo tone trim pot under the cover just in case it's a bit too jangly After talking to Jez at the Basschat Bash, I've opted for the John East MPM01 preamp which should be with me early next week. I looked at a number of mixing preamp, including Fishman, L R Baggs Bartolini, Cafe Walter and John East. The John East has the advantage of having trims on both the piezo and the magnetic pickups so it should be possible to dial in the right balance for starters and then have the full live playing spectrum on the blend knob. I will hog out the chambers with a forstner but will probably use chisels to do the final shaping - I've got to get pretty close to breakthrough and simply too much can go wrong with routers.... I'll let you know how I get on

[quote name='Norris' timestamp='1495047043' post='3300888'] I had to buy her a new one for domestic duties [/quote]

[quote name='LukeFRC' timestamp='1495043217' post='3300837'] It's like if Ned steinberger took acid [/quote] Ooooh - that sounds even better than tea and biscuits!

[quote name='TheGreek' timestamp='1495036584' post='3300755'] "[color=#282828][font=helvetica, arial, sans-serif]I'm pleased with today's progress [/font][/color] [color=#282828][font=helvetica, arial, sans-serif] "[/font][/color] [color=#282828][font=helvetica, arial, sans-serif]Me too....sit down, put your feet up, have a cup of tea and a biscuit.[/font][/color] [/quote] Actually, I might just do that!

[quote name='Bigwan' timestamp='1495032489' post='3300704'] Looking awesome! [/quote] Thanks! Probably done enough for one day. Best to leave it and review it in the morning. This isn't the final roundover (and isn't all the way round anyway) but it gives me a lot more idea how close the carve is getting: It's pretty much there in terms of planing - before I then go onto sanding - for the lower large bout, but this view shows that I still have a 'hump' on the upper large bout relative to the fretboard: I'm pleased with today's progress

The carve is a softly-softly job. I started by using a generous round over router bit on the back to give myself a datum to carve towards: At the moment I'm just using a couple of hand planes. With a super-sharp blade, I'm taking off a thickness per stroke thin enough to read news-print through. This is a slow, careful job. Next job was to mark the fretboard-mating edge with soft pencil so that it doesn't get inadvertently planed and end up no longer flush...: The freshly planed surface shows the figuring very well: Here, the larger bout of the lower body half is starting to get there and the upper half is about halfway: In the meantime, I've been speaking to Martin at Herricks to firm up the custom coils he's doing for us. This is where the positions will be underneath the fretboard. The cable channel, already cut, is in the centre of the lower body half join: OK - that's the cup of tea done. Now it's time to hone the plane blades and continue carving

Yes - it's an old picture....

OK - spent the evening sharpening the planes, spokeshaves and scrapers so everything is ready to go. It will be a long job, removing tenths of a mm at a time. The profile obviously varies depending on the width at each cross section, but the slimmest it will get will be where the two bouts are at their widest, here: The cross section here will be something like this (this is full size): The minimum radius at the edges will be 12-15mm at these two extremes and larger where the body is narrower

Just to illustrate how much wood is going to disappear - this is the carve so far: ...and this is where it's heading: That's why it may take me most of tomorrow. And that's just the top

[quote name='stearstree1304' timestamp='1494948709' post='3299882'] Hi-tech display unit that Andy - My wife has a couple of these - can you believe she hangs clothes from them??? [/quote] That's quite shocking... I can't believe that MrsNorris would do such a thing. And anyway, Norris tells me she's much too preoccupied trying to work out where on earth her clothes rack went to worry about trivia like that

Like all steps on this build - first comes a significant time just looking at , measuring and thinking about the action before it's taken. This is a 20" template, roughly equal to the maximum width of the bass. That's quite a curve! I will spend the evening thinking it through before I get the scrapers out for the final carve

Back from a couple of days away and raring to go Tomorrow is going to be 'carving/sanding day' with a target to finish the top carve before the end of the day If you didn't see the shot in the 'Events' section, this was at the Midlands Bass Bash on Saturday - many compliments received (phew!) . It's hanging on Norris's super-high tech drying and displaying equipment next to his sublime tele first-build. I think it is really starting to look like a bass here.... :

Now THAT'S going to sound nice

[quote name='Si600' timestamp='1494848566' post='3298919'] [URL=http://s1118.photobucket.com/user/SOrchard6/media/Bass_zpstdvpan7u.jpg.html][IMG]http://i1118.photobucket.com/albums/k605/SOrchard6/Bass_zpstdvpan7u.jpg[/IMG][/URL] Sure? [/quote] NOW look what you've done!

[quote name='owen' timestamp='1494799600' post='3298652'] I am not feeling that headstock. Sorry, I'll get my coat.............. [/quote] Blast! And it was my favourite feature 'The Big Carve' is next and then we will be able to see exactly what works and what doesn't, so the headstock will probably be done quite late in the build process. The great thing about fixing the strings with the clamp block behind the headstock is that the headstock can be any shape at all. Just think what mayhem we can come up with!

[quote name='markstuk' timestamp='1494751124' post='3298239'] more pictures here... Let me know if the link does not work.. [url="https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/0B6oFnWtRjlTpMk9TOVhWNkdmV3c?usp=sharing"]https://drive.google...V3c?usp=sharing[/url] [/quote] OK - [i]those[/i] are better pictures!

These are stupendously rubbish photos, but hey.... Norris's fantastic 'First Build': Some of Chris Sharman's basses - just look at that beauty on the left!!!: A cupboard hinge (I told you they weren't great photos): Some absolutely beautiful Warwicks and a sublime Letts (not that you can see any of them!): A couple of Harry's beasts: Talking of beasts, Jez with his raffle winnings : Mick's new build on Norris's custom hanging system next to Norris's build and Ric: Did anyone else take any [i]proper[/i] photos?

Sublime

I'll post some photos when work out how to get them off the iPhone but a few highlights among many that spring to mind: - Mrs Sharman's and Mrs Norris's cakes - Jabba-the-gut's builds...all of them - Norris's sublime blue wonder - the Letts and Warwicks and Westones and so many other utterly wonderful basses - the sounds of people who clearly know how to play bass - Chris's electric upright....and the acoustic double bass taking up 3/4 of the floor space - seeing so many of my past and future customers - and that Seashell could make it again this year - and that Harry's red veneered Harley Benton still looks good - and putting a face to Joe's PM's - and did I mention the cakes? Great stuff

Yup - great, great day. Thanks, Si....I know how much effort these things are. You're a superstar, mate But completely eclipsed, I'm afraid by MrsChis_Sharman's (Jo's) macaroons......

I think I have a raffle prize people might be tempted to put their hands in their pockets for...