Andyjr1515

What's the finish again, Ian? Was it Chestnut Melamine? If so, you certainly have worked how to get the best out of the product - it's top drawer stuff . I tried it on the last veneer job I did. I liked the way it went on but was staggered how strong the fumes were. In the end MrsAndyjr1515 suggested it wasn't perhaps the healthiest thing to be doing in the cellar, respirator or not

Got some paint trials tomorrow

You've convinced me, Ian! Lovely job

[quote name='Harryburke14' timestamp='1483810724' post='3210326'] Have some faith in yerself [/quote] I do....but this lot might not!

[quote name='Paul S' timestamp='1483808166' post='3210297'] Colour me, and my tad heavy Yamaha BB425, interested..... [/quote] Yes Me too...

OK - this is the part where those of a nervous disposition must look away. For an instrument that is already built, there are basically three ways of removing wood to remove weight. [list] [*]Slim it down from the back [*]Cut and cover chambers in the back: [/list] This is my Indie Les Paul. Beautiful and totally over the top. Full over the top spec. Still heavy after THIS, but now playable rather than (reinforced) wall hanger material [list] [*]Do the same but from the top. With Paul_S's Sterling, we kept it under the scratchplate - more limited weight reduction but doesn't require re-finishing: [/list] With Harry's, we are going to have to take much more wood out. So the option is: [list] [*]Route out large chambers where there is the depth to do so [*]Cover them as you would a wood control chamber cover [*]Sand it all down [*]Veneer over the top [/list] And this is the veneer we're going to try: and....please, those of a nervous disposition and those who hate real wood veneer being stained...it's going to have the Andyjr1515 fountain pen ink approach to end up this sort of color: For those who think the whole thing is a travesty, you'll just have to trust me... ...that if it all goes well, it will be stunning ...and if it all goes badly, I will have to buy Harry another Harley Benton (but happily for him, therefore without the gig dings!)

[quote name='Rumple' timestamp='1483807495' post='3210290'] I'm along for the ride [/quote] Happy New Year, Rumple!

Hi With Nic's Mouradian style just entering the 'coat and wait a few hours to dry' stage, and Pete's (our old-gits-band's bassist) piccolo short scale still in the 'how the hell am I going to do that!!!' stage, I've gone a bit back to my roots. I started the building lark, like many of us, as an evolution of modding first the electrics and hardware, then moving on to pimping up the looks or playability of entry-level guitars and basses. In all the years I've been playing guitars and basses, I've never seen so much range at so much affordability at, generally, such good quality. Take Harryburke14's HB bass. He loves the way it plays; he loves the sound. But it looks nice but a bit plain. And it weighs: Yes - 10lb 11oz!!!! And yes - I know we all know of basses and guitars that are up to 13lb and that there are those who love heavy basses. And fair enough, but I think most of us start getting a bit uncomfortable beyond 8 1/2 lb if we are playing or practising for long. Here it is, and it's beautiful. For the money it cost Harry, it's mind-boggling: This complete bass cost the same as the unfinished neck wood cost me for Nic's Mouradian. So it must be rubbish... Well, actually, far from it. The neck - and I've used a few and I've built a few - feels silky smooth and is nice in the hand. Frets look OK, fretboard looks well finished. The fit of the neck is as good as most Fenders I've personally worked on and a lot better than some: Yes - a bit of sawdust from the scratchplate fixing screws - but only one is going to need a cocktail stick. It plays nicely. It sounds pretty good. Yes - a set of Seymour Duncans would sound even better, but it really isn't bad. Here is the surprise, given the weight and price-point. I was pretty sure it was going to be a photo-image of the grain and underneath ply (albeit Ash ply). But no. It's solid Ash: Three-piece body, but well matched and executed: Lightening by removing wood is all about the sheer volume of wood you can take out. Off comes the scratchplate to see if there are already voids in there (such as the entry level favourite of a swimming pool rout to allow different models out of just alternative scratchplate (P/J etc). Nope - just as you would hope to find it: So as a bass, it has my tick of approval. As a basis for modification, ti also very much has my tick of approval...the plans for which I'll post shortly I'm really looking forward to this one

[quote name='MoonBassAlpha' timestamp='1483795403' post='3210167'] Am I the only one on here who thinks it would be a real shame to cover all that nice wood up? Especially the nice neck through and cover detail on the back [/quote] No you're not. And I'm not. On the back, the only things that are going to be cream are the two mahogany wings. The complete neck, including the through-body section, will be left visible and the matching cover too Does that make you feel better?

Actually, it all seemed to come together quickly. I use the sanding sealer not only to seal it but also to see if I've missed any sanding dints or lumps...but I think we can say that finishing has commenced!

The cover will be held on with neodymium magnets. From personal experience, I find it helps to have a thumb-hole! The plan is to get this sanding sealed by the end of tomorrow latest. Lots of little tidy up jobs, mainly involving sanding. However, I managed a reasonably neat chiselled rebate to drop the Model One away from the low-set strings: I've also slimmed the neck a bit - the bridge is quite a narrow spread - and tried to get the neck profile as close to Nic's favourite bass as possible. I find the easiest way to fine tune a neck is to use a scraper and hold the bass like a back-to-front cello! I do the final shaping based on feel. I think this one is going to be quite close, but I regularly do the final tweaks with a bass fully strung up because then you really CAN feel what it's like! So all being well, tomorrow final sand and sanding seal, then the finishing process starts

[quote name='Harryburke14' timestamp='1483551450' post='3208180'] Its what we in the industry call clickbaiting. [/quote] [quote name='White Cloud' timestamp='1483554008' post='3208218'] Love the truss rod cover...great idea well executed. [/quote] Thanks! Again, the inspiration was very much Nic's. But then I suppose I had that little flurry of creative thinking too : What's the phrase - hide it or flaunt it!

[quote name='gelfin' timestamp='1483480232' post='3207604'] So am I. So much so that I sometimes go to the start of the thread and read it all again. [url="http://s970.photobucket.com/user/gelfin5959/media/Snoopy%20happy_zpsi3rmoywo.jpg.html"][/url] [/quote] Excellent - adds to the 'views' One of the thoughts that Nic triggered was whether the trussrod cover could reflect in someway the cutaway. With a bit of coaxing of my very basic and very inaccurate bandsaw, managed to cut this slice from an offcut of the neck: ...and that got me thinking. If I can coax the bandsaw to cut a longer sliver, use the same wood for the control chamber cover? All being well I will be able to use magnets to hold that in place, whether this wood or a standard cream-painted mahogany

I love the look of the Ibanez basses, but the Yamaha will be a better instrument hands down in my view...

[quote name='W1_Pro' timestamp='1483455140' post='3207230'] Lovely work Andy. Enjoying this one. [/quote] Thanks, Stuart. So am I

That's the back starting to tidy up nicely. Hmmm...pesky sides next!

[quote name='Andyjr1515' timestamp='1483366834' post='3206529'] [/quote] I've done a dye test on the veneer, Grangur, and the figuring actually shows through surprisingly well. Fully understand that dyeing nice wood figuring is a bit of a Marmite issue but I'm pretty sure this can be done 'sympathetically'

[quote name='Harryburke14' timestamp='1483385149' post='3206761'] If i wasnt following this keenly before, I definitely am now. Looking good, I must say. [/quote] Now you see my ulterior motive for doing a deal on the veneering. A guy has to get thread followers somehow!

[quote name='TheGreek' timestamp='1483368697' post='3206555'] I'd turn it around personally. It would be a shame to hide all that beautiful grain. [/quote] I know where you're coming from, Mick, but actually you lose most of it that way round, including the starburst (the fretboard would cover the centre of the burst):

[quote name='Harryburke14' timestamp='1483353252' post='3206372'] A full build diary just for me? I feel all VIP [/quote] ALL the people I do jobs for are VIP's There are a lot of if's and but's involved, but this is the veneer that Harry and I are focusing in on: ....in this colour : Assuming all goes to plan, it should look absolutely splendid!

Well, apart from the control chamber cover that I am still pondering on, the physical build is pretty much finished I slimmed down the back of the headstock to suit the Schaller lightweight tuners, levelled and polished the frets and now have started THE BIG SAND! : Because complexities of the shape, the sanding and grainfill will probably take a few days. In the meantime the spray primer should arrive through the post (isn't it annoying that the near monopoly retail park stores sell spray paint but almost never stock the primer that the instructions on the tins they do sell emphasise MUST be used! White surface primer shouldn't be an internet job, for goodness sake!) . I've started doing some colour tests. Nic is after cream for the top, the sides and the wings at the back, leaving the through neck natural. This is one of the colour samples I've tried so far: Probably not a lot to see over the next few days...except sanding dust

[quote name='timhiggins' timestamp='1483348088' post='3206307'] Lovely work very impressive,as a matter of interest does the veneer have to be thickened [backed] when adding to a chambered bass or is it stable enough with the 0.6mm top ? [/quote] The veneer has no real structural strength at all. If you chambered from the top, you would need to cover it - a bit like a control chamber cover - and then veneer over that. It is probably how we will tackle this one. I'll be doing a thread on the progress so you'll be able to see how it all pans out. Quite often, on projects like this, decisions need to be made on the hoof, so it will be interesting how close the final method is to the present thoughts.

[quote name='Cato' timestamp='1483301326' post='3206065'] Now that's a major result. Love Andy's work. The man's an artist. [/quote] Kind of you to say so, Cato. Though some might add the qualifier of p**s artist Having said that, all going well, this one's going to be a stonker

[quote name='Harryburke14' timestamp='1483285809' post='3205919'] Im going to make a serious effort to be there this year, seeing as i can now drive and all. Exciting ... [/quote] You could bring your newly-veneered Harley Benton!

[quote name='Grangur' timestamp='1483282224' post='3205872'] Ash may look ok stripped and oiled. It may look a bit bland though, and be prepared to see knots and 'interesting' grain. The benefit in Andy's veneer proposal is it would cover all ills in the look of the wood. The down side is its adding back all the wood thickness you may have sanded off; adding back the weight. [/quote] To be honest, the veneer would add a few ounces at the most - it's only 0.6mm thick. Wow, though, 11.5 lb is VERY heavy. Is it a visible all-round natural finish? ie, can you actually see that it's solid wood at the sides? The good news is that if the wood, ply ash or solid ash, is that heavy, then a decent amount of weight comes out with each chamber cut.