Andyjr1515

[quote name='PlungerModerno' timestamp='1482261025' post='3199058'] Coming along... ...swiftly Seriously though it's beautiful, in an unusual way. And it's progressing well. Thanks for taking the time to share! [/quote] I've heard worse! ..and thanks - very much appreciated

[quote name='TheGreek' timestamp='1482254273' post='3198948'] Has one of the Swifts flown away?? [/quote] No - there were always just two on the fretboard. There are another three on the headstock (and one on the truss rod cover). That's enough swifts...even for me

I've covered the way I do frets in previous threads. In brief: I file a small relief at the edge of the slots with a triangular needle file: I run a small bead of titebond along the tang. Note the fret wire I buy comes coiled, so I don't have to pre-bend: With the back supported, I hammer one side, then the other, then the middle. The squeeze out gives me a good indication that it's properly seated. Every two or three frets hammered in, I 'walk' the radius block up the neck and clamp while the glue sets: Where the frets are next to the body, I roughly pre-finish the ends to minimise the amount of bevelling: Note the dampness where I've wiped off the titebond squeeze-out so it doesn't stain the fretboard. And with a few ends still to trim once the glue has dried sufficiently, done

[quote name='Fabrocker' timestamp='1482235121' post='3198642'] Awesome job! For the Chris Squire! [/quote] Thanks Not a huge amount to show, but two more important items crossed off the list. First the final flattening and radiusing of the fretboard before the frets go on. Now THAT'S what I call a levelling beam : I'm trying to replicate the general feel of Nic's erstwhile Ric as far as possible. That had quite a tight radius of 10". This gets the fretboard end very close and personal to the top, which was another preference of Nic's: It's that much tighter than a 'standard' bass that the fret slots will need deepening! Once I've done that, I can install the frets. The other important progress step is that the Model One has arrived. It's going to look beefy!:

[quote name='Andyjr1515' timestamp='1482183862' post='3198330'] Luckily, MrsAndyjr1515 knows that the best Christmas present I can be given is being permission to spend another hour in the cellar workshop [/quote] ...and that would be a bit of Christmas present for MrsAndyjr1515 too

[quote name='gelfin' timestamp='1482182643' post='3198318'] I think a break for Christmas is perfectly justified Andy. [/quote] Luckily, MrsAndyjr1515 knows that the best Christmas present I can be given is being permission to spend another hour in the cellar workshop

[quote name='TheGreek' timestamp='1482170007' post='3198204'] What! No update today?? I'm having withdrawals and it's not even my bass... [/quote] I was doing a 'basschat helping other basschat members' stint today, helping to bring a lovely early 70's Precision back to life The DiMarzio Model One should arrive tomorrow, so there might be a bit more progress before MrsAndyjr1515 insists that I take the rapidly approaching festivity preparations seriously

[quote name='mcnach' timestamp='1482143043' post='3197893'] Do try the bass first. Despite having the same scale, some basses feel like they have a very long neck compared to others, which is just due to where the neck meets the body and bridge placement [/quote] Very much this ^ Try a few 34" basses where the bridge is set well back...a Cort Curbow is a perfect example (and maybe a perfect bass for you). Although being, and sounding, full scale, the nut is inches closer to you than many other basses...

That's going to look splendid, Kert. I suspect it will take a load of clear to get anywhere near covering the flake but the more that goes on, the better the effect will be

[quote name='ezbass' timestamp='1482074000' post='3197392'] Neat! [/quote] Thanks, ezbass. Nic's concept, to be honest, but happy to take the plaudits Obviously, there's some tidying up of the curves and edges, but it will look quite good when it's finished

[quote name='Chienmortbb' timestamp='1482066393' post='3197304'] My old Peavey P bass copy is plywood and it is why I was eventually convinced that the wood of the body does not affect the tone much (hardly at all). The Peavey has a great necl and I was gong to build a new body but I might try this instead. [/quote] That Epiphone Junior turned out to be plywood. One of the best sounding guitars I'd ever had.... Other than the tendency for it to be a bit heavy, structurally there is nothing wrong with plywood at all

Last job off the list for today - sorting the jack/Tx socket and deepening the open-backed chamber. A bit scary, this one If you remember, Nic wanted it hidden from the front but open and fully accessible at the back. With lots of lateral support, I used a couple of forstners to drill the holes for the tele-type jack holder: Then deepened the chamber with a router, roughing out with a guide-ring and then finishing with a roller-guided edge trimmer. From the front it looks like this: From the back it looks like this: and from the end it looks like this: And if the battery goes, just pull it out and plug in a standard jack

[quote name='Oopsdabassist' timestamp='1482063593' post='3197271'] I love watching you work........beautiful stuff [/quote] Thanks Funnily enough, a lot of my bosses over the years have said they love watching me work.... Another small one ticked off the list. I won't decide what colour to do the truss-rod cover until the finishing is done (or maybe even leave it natural), but it wants to be slightly contrasted to the fretboard and headstock:

The nice thing about the scarily long list of 'to do's' is that you can find the easy ones and tick a few of them off A bit of chestnut stain on the headstock and, once it is varnished and the fretboard is properly oiled, they will compliment each other pretty well:

Starting to get my head around the final building jobs. When you put them down on paper, there still seem to be an immense number left! The last one, 'Finish' isn't like the french cartoons 'Fin', it's actually 'Start the finishing process' . Not too bad, though...the trick is not to write this 'finishing' list too soon otherwise it really CAN be disheartening! I'm going to start routing the control chamber and pickup chambers soon so am talking to Nic about preferred knob positions. He sent me some very fancy knobs to fit, wherever we finally decide they should go:

Mahogany not yet stained, but the epoxy now sanded off:

Like the swifts in the fretboard, I used the Dremel on a precision router base with a 1.5mm and 0.8mm bit, cut freehand after tracing round the mother of pearl cut-out shapes: This gave a 'not perfect but quite tight' fit: Which, squeezed into epoxy mixed with some rosewood sanding dust, should look the business once sanded down and the mahogany stained to match the fretboard: Loads and loads still to do on the build, but not so many scary jobs left Thanks for looking

Another one of the remaining 'scary' bits sorted - drilling the holes for the tuners. I am fitting Schaller lightweight tuners - smooth as silk, very good fine-tune turn ratio and, with a combination of lightweight metals and GRP, 50% of the weight of standard tuners. Here they are on: They have pegs rather than positioning screws, similar to the original Fender guitar tuners - super for rock-solid positioning, but by heck you have to drill them in the right places! Luckily, my measuring and drilling skills are getting better with each project...: Now I've got those positioned, I can also sort the positioning of the logo swifts....something like this:

[quote name='roman_sub' timestamp='1481818171' post='3195437'] For some reason (i guess the awesome body shape and associated excesses!), this build made me think of the 80's Washburn EC29 and EC36 neck-carve: [url="http://images.postadsuk.com/2015/06/06/postadsuk.com-washburn-ec-29-japan-1988.JPG"]http://images.postad...-japan-1988.JPG[/url] not sure you'd want to attempt, but just to throw it out there as an idea [/quote] On the correct topic, this time That neck carve is also very similar to Stuart's Mockingbird which I did the recent refurb thread on. They are great but don't really work with the way I construct this type of build...I have a notch where the Washburn has a neck. The main thing to get right with this one is to account for how much further back the bottom wing is than the top wing. It could be left as I have it here, but there is the opportunity to have a 'half-round' along that length. Easier to describe it with a photo once I've done it

[quote name='Andyjr1515' timestamp='1481818611' post='3195441'] Oh, wow! Happily, Nic wants cream [/quote] Ah...but you were talking about the neck carve.....

[quote name='roman_sub' timestamp='1481818171' post='3195437'] For some reason (i guess the awesome body shape and associated excesses!), this build made me think of the 80's Washburn EC29 and EC36 neck-carve: [url="http://images.postadsuk.com/2015/06/06/postadsuk.com-washburn-ec-29-japan-1988.JPG"]http://images.postad...-japan-1988.JPG[/url] not sure you'd want to attempt, but just to throw it out there as an idea [/quote] Oh, wow! Happily, Nic wants cream

[quote name='cheddatom' timestamp='1481795281' post='3195149'] I love watching these come together [/quote] Thanks, cheddatom . To me, it all starts looking right once the neck is carved. Still got to tidy up the neck / body join area, but the rest of it is starting to look right. Still got a few scary bits to do, but not too many, to be honest.

[quote name='White Cloud' timestamp='1481745596' post='3194853'] Lovely work! [/quote] Thanks, White_Cloud

[quote name='Andyjr1515' timestamp='1481738660' post='3194755'] Ah...too modern for me, them new fangled scarfe thingies In terms of the peak, I've always figured that is positioned directly beneath the angle break...certainly this is where there is the least amount of wood in the whole neck. In fact, if you draw a cross section, it is a tiny, tiny amount of wood here! [/quote] ....and if there is no scarfe, the grain direction is at its most vulnerable here...as the thousands of broken head stocks on Gibsons over the years will support

[quote name='Norris' timestamp='1481738085' post='3194742'] On modern scarfed joints it's more of an end-stop isn't it? [/quote] Ah...too modern for me, them new fangled scarfe thingies In terms of the peak, I've always figured that is positioned directly beneath the angle break...certainly this is where there is the least amount of wood in the whole neck. In fact, if you draw a cross section, it is a tiny, tiny amount of wood here!