Andyjr1515

If anyone is wondering how Pete will reach the top fret... The original EB-3 was a 20 fret bass at 30.5" scale. This one is 22 frets at 34" scale and with the bridge set rearward to reduce neck dive. Although you can actually quite easily reach the 21st fret, the extra two frets were really put there so that the gap between the bridge and neck pickup could be proportionately close (although probably won't make any perceptible sonic difference) but that visually the neck pickup remained close to the end of the fretboard for at least a passing nod to the look of the original. Luckily Pete rarely tries to reach the 22nd fret on his present basses...

[quote name='TheGreek' timestamp='1474289817' post='3136827'] Lovely looking bass - more great work Andy....obviously Mrs R doesn't read this forum otherwise your voice may just get one octave higher... [/quote] Hi, Mick....I have to watch out for the eye in the back of her head, though.....

Major domestic duty backlog is back under control and we've had our few days away in beautiful but very, very wet Florence so there should be nothing stopping me now other than the normal distractions and infirmities Yesterday managed to finish off the headstock plate - gluing in the inlays with z-epoxy mixed with fine ebony sanding dust: It makes the bass start looking like a bass:

[quote name='JPJ' timestamp='1474027483' post='3135082'] At the rate you are progressing with this build I'd have thought Swift's were more appropriate than Swallows? Lovely work by the way, can't wait until I have time to get back to building stuff myself. [/quote] ...which is just as well as they are swifts I'd better put that down as 'must get better at drawing', then

[quote name='PlungerModerno' timestamp='1473795072' post='3133226'] Niiiiiice I think the Headstock will look great, and will work better with straight string pulls. P.S. Just seen the latest post . . . Hope you have mapped out the clearance between the tuner pegs & those inlays. P.S.P.S. I assume you have! [/quote] Happily, yes. They're fine

While MrsAndyjr1515 was busy preparing her next set of spells, I sneaked out and did a bit more... I pencilled out and jeweller's sawed out a trio of swifts: Then laid them out and pencilled round them on the ebony: Then got as far as setting the router depth before I was called to stir the cauldron... Oh well....it'll have to wait until Sunday

[quote name='W1_Pro' timestamp='1473775616' post='3133022'] So, having got back to the UK at the weekend, I finally got to play the bass. I really am over the moon with it. The bass plays beautifully and sounds great. The neck repair and the handy addition of the control cavity cover have been done very well indeed. It was, essentially, a paperweight before Andy worked on it. Now I can't put it down. Sincere thanks for doing this Andy. I cannot recommend your work enough. [/quote] Thanks, Stuart - means a lot

Slow progress this week - many domestic duties to fulfil and no building likely until the end of the weekend. Mind you, I can still snatch the odd moment to plan the next bit The headstock will have an ebony headplate and I will add the swifts logo before I cut it to shape and attach it. It's a familiar shape but slightly modded to make sure I can maintain straight string runs:

No idea what it is, but it's a very pretty piece of wood, Bastav

Excellent work, 3below I also basically do the neck profiles by eye and feel. I actually rough out with a spokeshave first but pretty quickly move onto the humble scraper. Much more controllable and, as you say, it really doesn't take long. The bit where I'm a bit unconventional is that I do the final, final scraping once the bass is finished and all strung up. Then I can really feel whether it plays comfortably. I'm very impressed with your build - top notch

Thanks, folks Very much appreciated I spent most of today sorting out my new-found cellar space. Having said that, the provision of a proper workbench that's also not on the back patio means that an hour before tea this evening allowed me to:[list] [*]slim down some neck offcut to 12.5mm [*]add a sliver of the wenge veneer [*]glue as wings to the headstock [*]plane and rasp down to size (allowing for a 3mm ebony headstock plate) [/list] Here are the wings in place: That's one job ticked off the finish list

[quote name='Beer of the Bass' timestamp='1473537108' post='3131120'] I like the veneer pinstripe under the fingerboard. I've seen it on fancy banjo necks, but not on a bass. [/quote] Thanks I thought I'd created a new 'feature' when I did this on the acoustic build I did last year. Then I met Jez (Jabba_the_Gut) at the bass bash and realised the he does it on all of his basses. His are masterful too...I'm pretty sure the stripe carries on under the nut and headstock. Wonderful stuff Jez - got a photo or two to show everyone?

[quote name='Paul S' timestamp='1473532191' post='3131070'] Is this your best yet, Andy? I am transfixed... [/quote] You are most kind, Paul While every build gets some aspect a little bit better than the previous one ( this one definitely is the best for half decent gap-free joints !) but I think Kert's (FuNkShUi) camphor single cut will take some beating

Beautiful job

[quote name='6v6' timestamp='1473291060' post='3128859'] I think it's a trick of my dodgy photo, the wings are solid (I've stripped the back and most of the sides now) [/quote] In that case maybe mahogany (or similar species). If it's as heavy as hell, it might even be iroko? Whatever - those look to be mighty fine woods. I reckon a clear/natural finish of some description should be there amongst your considered options...

Superb. No other word seems appropriate....

Wonderful. Love this kind of thing.

Fretboard has been radiused to 12" using a wooden radius block. Still got to tweak the body join on the treble side for those eagle eyes amongst you : ...and the rough carve of the neck has been done using shinto rask, spokeshave and cabinet scrapers. Didn't take too long - about half the time as a very simple question to the vodafone webchat helpdesk: I will be rounding off the heel transition a bit more and have still got some tidying up to do near the volute, but the basic profile and thickness are in place.

[quote name='ezbass' timestamp='1473324314' post='3129011'] Ooh, this is getting really good now. Love your build threads, Andy. [/quote] Thanks ezbass

[quote name='White Cloud' timestamp='1473280462' post='3128725'] Loving this build, also loving your truss rod method. [/quote] Thanks, White_Cloud ! Fretboard is now on: I repeated what I did for the recent dreadnought acoustic - putting a maple veneer between the fretboard and neck - at that time smugly thinking it was a 'new Andyjr1515 feature' only to find at a basschat meeting that Jabba has been doing that for years ... and doing it much better than me Anyway, this is the difference it makes: When it's carved and varnished, it adds a definite touch of class.

Interesting Much more likely to be ash than oak. In terms of the wings, is that a veneer on top? The edges look much lighter...

The truss rod has arrived and so we're back in business. I have a slightly unconventional way of sorting the trussrod and capping which I find speeds up a lot of fiddling. As always for my threads, not suggesting you do it this way - just showing you how I personally do it. The truss rods I use are 6mm wide. As it happens, the middle neck splices I use are also 6mm. If you remember, I offset the centre splice by the trussrod and cap depth when I glued the neck together: This created a naturally central trussrod channel on the reverse side, but I also cut the overhang off and kept it, effectively a 9mmx6mm strip of walnut. I try to make my trussrods removeable (still wouldn't be easy but at least possible)so first thing I do is cut a bit of walnut offcut as a spacer in terms of the basic trussrod position: Then loosely wrap the trussrod in plumbers PTFE tape: Then cut the walnut strip to length, lay it on top of the trussrod and wick some thin cyano to hold it in place. I tack it in two or three places first, then when I run the bead of cyano all the way down, I move the trussrod a few mm back and forth with some needle-nosed pliers to make sure it hasn't been inadvertently glued: Finally, plane down the excess and there is the truss rod in place, capped and potentially removeable with a pair of needle nose pliers and a hefty tug... Finally, I trimmed the ebony fretboard to approximate size (not profiling at this stage) and have a piece of 1mm maple veneer currently being glued to the bottom, clamped between two pieces of marine ply: Later this evening, I'll be gluing the fretboard onto the neck

Watching with interest . You do realise that in 30-40 years, that colour is likely to be de rigueur...

Looking good . My preference is how you're done it - fretboard on, then shape it. It makes it much easier to clamp it properly. You are also right about ratchet-type clamps. They are great for holding things while you position, but useless for exerting the types of forces needed to glue panels and fretboards. Screw-type clamps (sash, C, F or whatever) are all much better at that job! You are also right that 1mm off-centre in your truss rod channel isn't going to affect anything So, Mr 3below, that's 3 out of 3 correct which, by my reckoning, is 100%

+1 for tc polytune clip-on