Andyjr1515

After trying a few passes, finally got a plate of around the right thickness: I will then be adding a couple of swifts to the plate and a couple of small mahogany wings to the headstock

And so to the headstock. I will be following the recent theme of trying to reflect the essence of the body shape in the shape and carve of the headstock. It will be faced with walnut from offcuts of the body top, filed away at the end to expose the maple and mahogany underneath. The challenge is trying to create a bit of harmony shape-wise, while still trying to fit the practicalities in (physical size and accessibility of the tuning heads, straight string-runs, etc.. This is what I've come up with so far: I'm going to have a bash at slicing a 3-4mm sliver of walnut on my extremely cheap and small bandsaw today. If I am successful, I can cut the headstock shape from it, including the tuner holes, and make absolutely sure that everything fits, is straight, etc, before taking a fretsaw or rasp file to the headstock bit of the through-neck!

With the fretboard now on, I have done the rough-carve of the neck and volute. These are my main weapons of choice: The main one of the three is the cabinet scraper - very controllable and yet quite quick to shape. I take the bulk off with the spokeshave but go to the scraper quite early because it is very easy to dig just a tad too deep with a spokeshave! The micro-plane (I have also a curved one) I just use as is (ie not attached to the handle), holding either end wearing thick gloves. I use the microplanes generally to tidy up the area round the volute. For most builders, doing the neck is the most enjoyable bit - certainly my favourite bit of a build. Here it is, rough-carved: Visually, the neck from the back is very similar to Nic's Mouradian-esque

Thanks for the update It's a great looking design and build and the learning points you raise bode very well for the future ones. Improvement on something that's pretty darned good to start off with is well worth following - can't wait

I generally loosely wrap the trussrods in plumbers PTFE tape. I wouldn't necessarily want to try it unless I had to, but in theory my truss rods should be removable and replaceable if needs-be. I do, however, also stress check the welds of all of the rods that I use. The PTFE tape keeps any glue that might seep past the capping (unlikely if it fits right) away from the truss rod itself. I use a length of 6mm binding from an old acoustic build as the cap: After rechecking the flatness of the neck, and chiselling flat the small section where the fretboard goes on top of the body, I then clamped the fretboard, using radius blocks as cauls to even the pressure across the length and sides. I won't know until it's fully dry just how successful this method is going to be...

Over the weekend I popped down to the cellar every hour or so to fit a couple of frets. By this morning, I'd finished all 24 I normally glue the fretboard on before fretting but thought I'd try a different approach this time - there are pro's and con's of both ways. The angle is lower at the nut end to lessen the impact of the fanning for the bulk of the first octave. As far as these things go, though, it is a relatively modest multiscale.

Looks good They're pretty darned good, the Harley Bentons, aren't they? What's the weight like on this one?

Can't wait, Norris!

It's certainly out of my league, but I'd love to see it when it was finished!

[quote name='Norris' timestamp='1487936924' post='3244311'] A quadrant cabinet scraper can help with rounding over in awkward places, especially if you cut it down a bit. It is quite easy to put a gouge in your top though It certainly helps to get a roundover started if it's too fiddly to get any power tools to it though [/quote] It's only a small area and the walnut is nice to work so I reckon a bit of sandpaper wrapped round my finger will be safer still! By the way, just catching up to date with your own build, I realise how close my f hole shape is to your very fancy feature... Apols if I've inadvertently and subliminally knicked the design!

Got the top curve planed last night. Still have to do the sanding and the sides - and still have to round the edges of the 'f' hole - but this is starting to get closer to the finished shape:

[quote name='Chris Sharman' timestamp='1487897097' post='3244064'] I didn't think Andy's work could get any better. I hate being wrong.That looks fantastic. [/quote] Thanks, Chris Andy

Lovely job. Top marks - well done

[quote name='TheGreek' timestamp='1487884208' post='3243954'] What are the string options with this size bass? [/quote] As it's guitar pitch and guitarish scale(s), then we are basically in guitar string territory. What I've gone for for starters is some flatwound jazz guitar strings with a wound G. The tighter E and lower tension on the G from the scale length difference should balance the strings out a bit. I will be wiring it up like a 50s Les Paul Junior to get the interaction between the volume and tone pot. Also, because it's a single coil sized humbucker, I will put a switch option in to allow split coil. It's very much a trip in the dark!

Well, as the saying goes, '' 'Tis an ill wind that blows no good...' And storm Doris meant that the planned trip out with the visitors was cancelled and therefore I was able to sneak down to the cellar a couple of times when no-one was looking. I cut the bulk of the the rough for the back scoop out with the very useful Veritas pull-shave: It's about a 10mm scoop from the highest point. It's still got to have a few of the lumps and bumps sanded out, but, with a round-over router bit round the outside edge, it's beginning to look the part: Next time I'm able to sneak out, I'll be trying to cut the concave curve of the top

[quote name='allighatt0r' timestamp='1487855491' post='3243556'] Cool! Looking good, Andy [/quote] Thanks, Bryan!

[quote name='TheGreek' timestamp='1487783925' post='3242883'] Good thinking - reduces weight (probably won't matter too much on this though) and the profile makes it easier to play - no jamming in the ribs (good album title?). Looking good... [/quote] Yes - and thanks My other thought, which was actually where I started in my thinking, is to do a proper top binding on it, and with the curvy/ comfortable back. Now I can actually pick the thing up, it makes it easier to visualise...

With everything internal routed, I stained the inside of the 'f' hole chamber and glued it all up. Then a quick wizz round with a top-bearing trimmer using the walnut top as the template, and then finish off the last bit with a bottom bearing trimmer bit with the bass the other way up. It looks deceptively complete at this stage... : And from the back, a similar arrangement to Nic's Mouradian, albeit this will be left natural mahogany: Note that the mahogany is at the moment deeper than the neck. I'm probably going to go for a scoop at the back and curve at the top as Mick's 'Silk' bass or my bubinga fretless: There's a lot of carving to do!

[quote name='TheGreek' timestamp='1487693938' post='3241906'] Visitors interrupting a man's bass build!!?? How dare they!! Have they got no manners?? [/quote] I know! Truly shocking

Got visitors over the next few days so I've tried to make some decent progress while I can. Basically I've done all of the machining I need to do before gluing the wings and top onto the neck: As you can see, the control chamber and cable run to it from the pickup position; the pickup cutout in the walnut top, the 'semi' chamber under the teardrop f-hole; the truss-rod slot. Final thing I have to do before anything gets glued is cut the neck plan-view shape. I'll do that once I've checked the positioning of everything...again....!

Sounds a very good way of making sure. I'll bear that method in mind in case I ever get asked to do one...

Now we're talking! Excellent - it's come out pretty well! I like the colour - much more defined than I think I expected. And, presumably, if your nails get too long you can file them down during the gig? Seriously, though - well done! That was a bigger challenge than I would normally want to take on and it's worked. How 'stuck' is the glitter?

[quote name='HowieBass' timestamp='1487594559' post='3240982'] Ahhhhh gosh yeah, was getting all mixed up with fret spacing. Mea culpa! Don't panic! LOL What threw me was the board looks wider on the right so I'd imagined that was the body end! [/quote] Actually, it's a poor photo - the wide angle lens has made the left hand side look narrower - it's actually a rectangle at the moment. I've tried a fret at the far end where I've got a bit of spare and it took it very well (I thought with it being so hard, it might have been brittle...) . Radiusing it is going to be a joy, though

Phew!

[quote name='HowieBass' timestamp='1487582255' post='3240812'] This is going to be a lefty? [/quote] I hope not! What have you seen that I haven't?