Andyjr1515

Final mock-up before I fit the electrics. After that I'm pretty sure it's just the strap buttons and a final tweak of the frets and action

Talking of magnets, I'm also attaching the control chamber cover with magnets. I don't know how other folk do this, including the positioning, but for what it's worth, this how I do it. The magnets come in a stick, all stuck to each other [list] [*]I drill a hole just a tad less than the depth of two magnets [*]I pop a tiny drop of thick cyano (I use Gorilla) onto the bottom of one of the magnets and push it firmly to the bottom of the hole [*]After I'm pretty sure it's set, I open out the edges of the hole a little with a sharp knife: [/list] [list] [*]Then I drop a second magnet in and pop a drop of cyano onto the top: [/list] [list] [*]Then I carefully position the cover in the right place - the cyano has about 20 seconds working time. The cyano sets, attaching the second magnet to the cover and, when you lift the cover off, the second magnet should come with it!: [/list] [list] [*]Repeat for the other holes (I used 4 for this one) and the magnets literally suck the cover onto the back, perfectly lined up every time. Well, much better lined up than if I'd tried to measure and drill locating pegs, which I'm rubbish at! : [/list]

Not done this before, but I've attached the trussrod cover with a neo magnet. Works well :

[quote name='Bigwan' timestamp='1486025302' post='3228546'] Hi Andy, do you have a link to the string retainer you used for this bass? My HB-50 arrived yesterday and the fitted tree isn't fit for purpose. Neither are the tuners but the Wilkinsons are sitting ready to be fitted - unclear whether they'll need ground down like these at the minute. Might get a way with a light filling going by initial investigations! [/quote] Hi, Bigwan Harry tracked this down for me to use - it's a Northwest Guitars product and is basically a Hipshot clone: [url="http://www.northwestguitars.co.uk/hipshot-style-string-retainer-string-tree-for-electric-bass-guitars/"]http://www.northwest...c-bass-guitars/[/url] The only thing I would suggest is that you consider some better screws (or maybe even go BA nuts and bolts all the way through like Ibanez). Because it is holding down three strings, there seems to me to be a hell of a lot of force bearing down on two not-overly-long and very thin screws. With a tiny pilot hole and much care, it is actually doing the job, but it must be on the very edge of its design capability. The tree itself, though, seems to be very good quality.

I'm going to leave it overnight fully strung, but now with the nut and neck relief correctly set, the action gets pretty much down to the level where I personally would play. Having said that, two of the saddles are at the bottom of adjustment. There is plenty of break angle if the slots need filing down a touch but I won't do that until I know what action height Nic normally prefers. I had a little flash of inspiration, by the way, when it came to earthing the bridge. Normally, you basically splay out the wire under the bridge, or hammer a little dent for it to sit in but I always worry that either it may not give good electrical contact, or at the other end of the scale, may prevent the bridge from completely screwing down flat against the body. I then remembered the copper I use for shielding. With a small offcut, I soldered a tab to the earth wire: Then fed the wire through to the chamber, bending the very thin copper flat against the body: Result is excellent earth, very strong and with no tone-sucking lumpy bits under the bridge

[quote name='TheGreek' timestamp='1485968285' post='3228129'] Love the headstock.. The truss rod cover just oozes class. [/quote] Thanks, Mick

[quote name='W1_Pro' timestamp='1485960468' post='3228033'] Looking really classy there Andy. [/quote] Thanks, Stuart Now....this is where I have to urge Nic to keep hanging onto his patience because [b]"Nic - there actually still is a fair bit to do!" [/b] And the temptation to throw patience to the wind and just blast to the end is with me too...but softly, softly catchee monkey ...but this is admittedly very exciting: Nothing has bent Nothing has broken Nothing has twisted Here's the top end closer up: ...and here's the body closer up: Of course it's a bit like the first fitting of a made-to-measure suit (or so wealthy people tell me who have experienced such things). Now it's about getting the action height right and that may even need sinking the bridge a touch - I won't know for sure until the nut and neck relief is adjusted. Then there's the electrics and securing the hatches and finishing off the slurry and buffing of the neck....hmmm...well it shouldn't be [b]too[/b] long....

Another few jobs off the finish list. Final levelling and polishing of the frets, oil slurry and buff of the fretboard, slurry and buff (first of a few) of the neck and headstock varnishing. This is what the headstock is starting to look like: And the pre-hardware overall look: This afternoon will be the last crossed-fingers bit - fitting the bridge and tuners and stringing it up under full tension for the first time

[quote name='Lorne' timestamp='1485891471' post='3227580'] The Bridge on the N.J. (Nagoya Japan) Series Wave bass is from 1983/4 the Mockingbird above is obviousley from 1985 and after and would have had this Gotoh made bridge on it [URL=http://s169.photobucket.com/user/share6_album/media/1985%20bridge_zpsounx5b9s.jpg.html][IMG]http://i169.photobucket.com/albums/u230/share6_album/1985%20bridge_zpsounx5b9s.jpg[/IMG][/URL] Also the tuners on the Mockingbird are later additions, they would have originally been Gotoh made tuners with "R" backplates I might have one or 2 USA made B.C.Riches [URL=http://s169.photobucket.com/user/share6_album/media/ST_zpsme85ye8c.jpg.html][IMG]http://i169.photobucket.com/albums/u230/share6_album/ST_zpsme85ye8c.jpg[/IMG][/URL] [URL=http://s169.photobucket.com/user/share6_album/media/Wave_zps4cwtllt1.jpg.html][IMG]http://i169.photobucket.com/albums/u230/share6_album/Wave_zps4cwtllt1.jpg[/IMG][/URL] The Wave bass ($$ bills) I built myself, it does not have a serial # even though I have pictures and serial #'s of over 14,000 B.C.Riches :-) [/quote] Very useful info ref the bridge and wow! What a collection!

[quote name='AdamWoodBass' timestamp='1485884424' post='3227498'] This is stunning, excellent work! [/quote] Thanks!

[quote name='Chienmortbb' timestamp='1485877962' post='3227435'] How did you find the Wilkinsion bridge Andy. I have had trouble with other bridges without grooves/guides for the grub screw and although I have been tempted by the Wilks, something always held me back. [/quote] I think it's absolutely fine. It's a mid to light mass design but looks nice and seems to be very well made

[quote name='Marc S' timestamp='1485860135' post='3227197'] This looks amazing! Great finish, colour & grain. I like the headstock & logo. Also like the contrast of the colour with the maple board I'm surprised that the HB looked such a great piece of wood to begin with. Looks better quality and construction than the price might suggest - which can often be the case with some of today's "budget level" instruments... Fantastic work sir [/quote] Thanks Marc I've found most of the entry level mainstream makes pretty good in terms of build quality. It is a pleasant surprise that the body wood is so good, though

Great job

[quote name='Stylon Pilson' timestamp='1485784712' post='3226636'] It certainly looks tasty, but I'm not convinced by the shape of the pickguard. The thing about the Jazz control plate is that its shape flows into the Jazz pickguard, whereas what you've ended up with here sort of bulges out and back in again. I feel like if you weren't constrained by the shape of the control plate, you could have come up with something more fluid. S.P. [/quote] Yes - that was one of the constraints. It would have been possible to grind down the plate to take the flare off, but that might have looked like a bit of a bugger's muddle . The shape of the bass also makes a difference - this is my Squier Jag and that is able to flow a bit better with much the same arrangement: If metal pickup rings for jazz pickups were still obtainable we'd probably have gone for a different solution, but they seen to have disappeared completely off the market (which is a bit odd). Having said all of that, in real life the richness of the colour and figuring simply takes your breath away and contrasts so beautifully with the black pickguard that it actually becomes a bit academic - the flow of the curve isn't where your eyes are looking. I'm more than happy with the result

The list of outstanding tasks is getting tangibly smaller I'll post occasionally as each gets ticked off. This is the first lick of varnish on the headstock. When that's had the requisite number of coats, it should tone well with the rosewood fretboard once that's also been finish-oiled:

For what it's worth, my take is that: As most have said, unless you are doing heavy bends on strings, flatness of fingerboard profile has nothing to do with ability to get a low action Flatness of the frets or board along the length of the fretboard is, however, critical. As is neck relief and absence of neck twist and absence of large temperature changes (such as cold garage to hot venue) The flatness of the fretboard profile itself is a very personal thing and depends on hand size and shape, thumb position, playing style and simple personal preference, in addition to neck depth, width and profile, which is why you need to try them - there is no universally perfect profile. But it is probably no coincidence that there are very, very few totally flat profile basses about...

It's quite a big subject, donslow, so probably need to answer in stages. Ref the basic definitions, levelling is where you file down high frets - or high spots on a fret or frets - so that they the same height as the other frets down the fretboard. In doing this, the bit that you file off is the top of the semi-circular profile - you start off with a nice rounded hill shape and you end up with a flat-topped hill! Crowning is simply recreating the rounded hill shape, without taking any more off the height. And yes, if you are levelling across the whole fretboard, you are absolutely right that you need to use the truss rod to straighten the neck before you start. Otherwise, you will be filing down frets that are only 'high' because of the curve of the neck. If the neck is as straight as possible to start with, you are now only filing down frets that are higher than their adjacent ones.

[quote name='Harryburke14' timestamp='1485705886' post='3225961'] Look at what weve caused Andy [/quote] I know "Light blue touch paper and then run like hell!!" Seriously, folks, we'd all love to see your projects and progress - it's part of the reason I do such detailed build threads

...and the pickup chambers copper lined:

[quote name='Harryburke14' timestamp='1485691378' post='3225803'] But unlike all the other ones, this ones mine [/quote]

[quote name='jimbartlett' timestamp='1485700350' post='3225894'] Amazing! Great job Andy! I'm now trawling eBay looking for something to tempt you with for maybe doing for me !!! [/quote] Always interested in exploring options, Jim There is something especially satisfying about these kinds of project...

I've judged that the varnish is now hard enough for normal handling. I also gave it a test light polish to make absolutely sure the final varnish coat was OK before starting the finish tasks. I think it's fine... Into the remaining tasks. The first one was quick and easy but strangely satisfying - lining the control chamber with copper foil: It's sticky backed so the joins inside the chamber will be solder-connected to ensure continuity, and also connected to the foil that will shortly be put into the pickup chambers. The top is also done - note the folded-over connecting tabs to ensure a complete Faraday Cage effect is achieved:

[quote name='aDx' timestamp='1485683457' post='3225702'] It sounds like a monster! (to my surprise) big sound from such a little fella! ok so the build quality is crap, the rear pup is useless ish, and the bridge has the adjust screws sticking out (which hurts my hand sometimes) have tweaked it tho and it is now playable! gonna replace bridge sometime anyway (babitz?) and may get bridge and frets done at some point I use the bridge pickup only turned up slightly (when turned up full it cuts the volume... a lot!) and the main tone turned down a lot I can get a chris squire rick sound!! if I turn the tone full up So .. I am surprised! [/quote] Great news! I'm a big fan of Squiers. Yes, they are built to a price, but they are pretty easy to make into little beauties, play-wise and looks-wise

It will have one last polish before it goes back to Harry next weekend, but it's finished The tuners were pretty heavy so have tipped it over the 9lb mark, but it still hangs level on my slippy strap and it's still 1.5lb lighter than its backbreaking former self! Here are the obligatory arty-farty shots: Thanks for all of the very encouraging comments along the way, folks

Wow - that's quite something Cracking job!