Andyjr1515

[quote name='Andyjr1515' timestamp='1453709903' post='2961913'] I'll pop a summary thread of the progress so far later today in 'Other Instruments' [/quote] [url="http://basschat.co.uk/topic/277619-dreadnought-acoustic-build/"]Dreadnought Acoustic build thread is here[/url] for anyone interested

Hi I posted a pic of a build I've started now that the Camphor Single Cut bass is nearing completion. It's a 6 string Dreadnought Acoustic being built as a surprise gift from our old-gits-band to our old-gits-band's even older git vocalist on a 'special' birthday in July. I won't do a detailed build thread but, if anyone's interested, will post progress shots as I go along. This is the progress so far: First - and essential - task is building the body 'mould'. You can see the lacewood back pieces here too before slimming and joining: Next, thicknessing the lacewood back and spruce top to 2mm and 2.9mm respecitvely and joining. The mahogany/walnut/mahogany splices for the neck are also in this shot: Next the thicknessing of the side lacewood - again down to sub 2mm: Last year I invested in an electrical bending iron. Compared with my previous gas blowlamp into scaffolding tube self-destruction kit, it's LUXURY : Here are the sides bent and drying in the mould. They are hand bent to shape but then clamped in the mould to help prevent 'relaxing' back straight as they dry: Mahogany heel block and tail block added to the trimmed sides and slotted kerfing added to both sides: Top is finish sanded and then the soundhole rosette and purfling slots routed: Then the soundhole cut out: The top is dished to a 25' radius. The braces are cut and sanded to that radius relative to their respective positions in a carved-out radius dish made from MDF: The braces are positioned, glued and pressed down on the back of the top into the radius dish in a 'go-bar' rig, made from chipboard and threaded rods/wingnuts using fibreglass and dowel rods: Result is one subtly dished top and braces ready for shape carving and the dark art of 'tap' tuning.... That's it so far. I'll post pics as I progress Andy

[quote name='Chienmortbb' timestamp='1453653594' post='2961424'] Please post the dreadnought too Andy. Hopefully I will learn more on there. [/quote] I'll pop a summary thread of the progress so far later today in 'Other Instruments'

[quote name='Manton Customs' timestamp='1453653749' post='2961427'] Sorry to hear that. I'm assuming it's a 74 Gibson SG, which means Nitro. So it sounds like a reaction with the Dunlop stuff. There is Silicone in the Dunlop 65, which is not good for Nitro. Can you post pics? I'm pretty sure I've used Autosol on Nitro before, as well as the Meguiars Ultimate I mentioned earlier. This (Ultimate) is more mild in terms of abrasive so I usually use this on Nitro (nitro is generally softer than Poly). [/quote] +1 I've also used Meguiers Ultimate Compound with good results on nitro

[quote name='sblueplanet' timestamp='1453650091' post='2961380'] Not getting tired of looking at this. Supreme skills On show here Andy. Look forward to seeing that dreadnought completed too. [/quote] Thanks!!! The main thing is that Kert hasn't got tired of looking at it yet, either! I have high hopes of the dreadnought (top braces are now fitted!!), but it won't be quite as eye-popping as this camphor has turned out to be! If anyone is interested, I can post a summary build thread on 'Other Instruments'?

[quote name='TheGreek' timestamp='1453647595' post='2961340'] Looking great Andy...I'm sure that Kert must be itching to get hold of it. [/quote]I think that might be an understatement

Thanks everybody - it's great boost Next challenge has been those pickup covers. The challenge was to get them, obviously, well clear of the strings, but also - especially for the P cover - well clear of picking fingertips, nails or picks. Visually - as well as the practicalities, I was aiming also for a stepped look. There clearly is an option to raise the slugs to maximum and poke them out of carefully drilled holes in the covers. However, for starters, I wanted to try to maintain the flat look (there will, of course, be fixing screws at some stage) as much as possible. Nevertheless, things are so tight here that ever a teeny bit of slug screw jiggery pokery was worth doing. I [i]very [/i]gingerly chiselled and sanded slots for the slugs to within 1mm of breakthough: You can see the ebony here - it is sub 1mm Then, having agreed with Kert that balance was the aim rather than volume, I did a load of trials of pickup heights, using my Squier VM P-J Jag (see avatar) as the comparison. Can sing the praises here of the Seymour Duncan STC-2P EQ. Although I have always been pleased with the SD-designed pups in the Jag...there simply is no comparison with what was coming out of the relatively modest DiMarzios fitted to Kert's bass. It is like a completely different instrument! Quieter than the Jag at neutral settings because of the significantly different pickup heights but this beastie has a HUGE range - even at neutral EQ. Add the treble or bass boost and you really can get from 50's smoky blues-bar thump to Entwistle with the twist of a knob. The pull-up 'slap' setting adds yet another dimension (interestingly, I think the 'slap' setting is less slap than the normal setting, but it's definitely a different tone set. What ever sound Kert is looking for, I have no doubt he will be able to find it and thousands more . Volume-wise at the lowest pickup heights I was comfortable with (sort of academic because you can just raise the volume at the amp) versus my Jag - tangibly quieter with no boost, about the same with bass boost only, louder with bass boost and treble boost. By the way, the DiMarzios were picked after a lot of internet review and user opinion searching. They're basic to look at, but they sound great. Also - a big plus - the Jazz single is, in-fact, a stacked humbucker, so is noiseless Our house has crazy dimmer switches all over the place and my bubinga fretless which (used to) have the same EQ but with SD Jazz p/ups buzzes like crazy when the lights are switched on. I didn't hear anything with Kert's Anyway - to cut an EXTREMELY long story short, this is how low I've been able to get the covers: Thanks for looking and your great feedback Andy

Just north of Derby. I can help out with most things except spray jobs. Do stuff mainly as a hobby so for fellow BCers, happy to do small jobs for free or just the cost of the bits, low rates for medium jobs and a mere kings ransom for the bigger ones

And we have SOUND I fitted the pickups and EQ this afternoon / evening. Almost stymied at one point - the Seymour Duncan treble tone control from the EQ set from Thomann is faulty!!!! To make sure that the process of getting Thomann to exchange the unit didn't hold up anything, I've taken the EQ out of my bubinga fretless and put that in the camphor build instead. I'm not using the fretless much at the moment so can afford to lose the use of it for a couple of weeks while Thomann do their stuff and it's hardly been used since I finished it late last year, so the pots are pretty much "as new". I have to do some volume comparisons with my passive P-J Jag tomorrow as I lower the pickups to the absolute minimum, but WOW - it sounds good. I can't of course compare with the bubinga, having ripped out its innards, but I reckon it sounds BETTER. And the bubinga fretless sounded great. I'm well chuffed. Going downstairs for a beer and a sit down..... Still got a fair bit of finishing off to do but I can see completion happening very soon

[quote name='blablas' timestamp='1452786548' post='2953516'] Did some refining of the headstock design. Placed the tuners closer together and added a lower wing to the headstock, looks more balanced to me now and now it can be put in a guitar hanger, given the body shape it probably won't fit a guitar stand. [/quote] Yes - like this a lot more. Love the 'been there, done that' headless, by the way...

[quote name='allighatt0r' timestamp='1453390179' post='2959070'] It's alright, I suppose... ;-) [/quote] Thanks, Bryan By the way, did the finish on your green Westone ever drop down from high gloss - or was that just another example of "builder's bulls**t"?

[quote name='Chris Sharman' timestamp='1453468289' post='2959755'] This is easily your best work yet (in my humble opinion). If this sounds as good as it looks you will have one very satisfied customer I am sure. and several VERY jealous ones! [/quote] I think your humble opinion is quite correct, Chris Indeed, I'm not at all sure I can top this. As you say, fingers crossed that it also sounds OK. Based on yesterday's try-out, I certainly think it should play OK Jealous customers (as well as satisfied ones) is, of course, a mission

It's beginning to feel like the home straight Last night sorted the nut and shielded the cavities: This morning, electrically connected all the cavities together (easily forgotten!) : Also lowered the bridge a tad and then earthed it. Jack socket has arrived this morning so this afternoon, going to see if / where the electrics are going to fit. After that, I can sort the lowest the pickups can drop to, then how thin the covers can be, then work out how am I going to fix them in place, then 'satin' the neck and then clean up / oil the ebony, and then I think it's done

[quote name='Chienmortbb' timestamp='1453422248' post='2959479'] It is a beautiful instrument Andy. When you did the Hayman headstock refinish you had Evostik wood adhesive, on this build you are using Titebond. I notice that a lot of luthiers use Titebond. Is there any reason you choose Titebond over the others and which Titebond did you use on the build? [/quote] Thanks, Chienmortbb! It's a case of specific properties for specific jobs. I use Titebond original for most of my builds. There are other good glues about, but this is pretty much the 'standard'. It grabs quickly and dries hard, which makes it easier to sand. It also has good gap filling properties. For longer fiddly jobs, I use the Titebond Extend, that gives 10-15 minutes extra before getting too dry to use. For veneer, ironed on, I need easy to apply thinly, dry quickly but with flexibility and fast and low temperature melt. I find the Evostic version of what is basically standard white PVA ideal. However, for general build, it doesn't grab quite as well and doesn't dry quite as hard or fill gaps quite as fully. Interestingly, Titebond do a 'cold press' veneer glue. Probably thinner but haven't tried it either for cold application or iron on. I'm sure there are valid alternatives for both needs, but it's a case of when you find something that works, there's less incentive to change. Hope this helps

[quote name='sblueplanet' timestamp='1453408587' post='2959338'] Just amaze-bops!!! I could imagine a headless version of this design looking rather tasty also. [/quote] Before anyone asks - [i]none[/i] of you could afford it... ...I would make absolutely sure none of you could afford it

[quote name='blablas' timestamp='1453394555' post='2959126'] Looks fantastic! The only thing I'm not really fond of are those gigantic pickup covers, way too big for the design of the bass to my taste. [/quote] Thanks, blabas With the quality and innovation in your own builds, your feedback means a lot The covers will look better when they are lower to the body but there is a lot of area to cover a 'P' split pickup (there's only a couple of mm extra for the seatings) and my mockup didn't look at all right with the option of a smaller one for the 'J'. I wasn't too sure about them when they were plain camphor, but I'm pleased with the ebony inset - it's the old addage that if you've got to have it, then you may as well flaunt it

Thanks, folks I know what this looks like, so I shouldn't need to keep looking at it, but here's the latest mock-ups: What I'm now doing is sorting the pickup heights to allow the pickup covers to have adequate clearance without losing too much of the signal strength. It will be helped by the splendid Seymour Duncan powered EQ - allowing both bass and treble boost through passive pickups. But the covers are big and need to be as low as possible to keep out of the way of the strings and the player. What I will do is rig up all of the electrics, set the pickup heights at their minimum practical through an amp, and then slim down the covers until they are just short of resting on the p/ups. By the way, Kert was keen that - even though this is a single cut - the weight was minimised. It's one of the reasons for such a large back chamber that will nevertheless only be housing a standard Jazz pickup. I'm pleased with the result. All up, it is sitting at 7 3/4 lb (3.5 kilo). That's lighter than my Squier!

I'm onto the final tasks. The most critical one is the bridge positioning and fixing. This really is a case of "measure 15 times and drill once". The tape is to protect the varnish and to avoid the bridge sliding around during the measuring process! And then the really, really scary bit - putting the strings on and tightening them up! So, in terms of the basic checks:[list] [*]Did the neck break? No [*]Did the truss rod break out of the back? No [*]Did I put the right scale length on and the bridge in the correct position? Yes [*]Will it tune up correctly? Yes [*]Is the neck relief correct? Yes [*]Is the action OK? Yes It's actually pretty spot on to my recommended minimum heights. However, the saddles are fully down at the moment so, if Kert wants a super low 'buzzy' action (some players do) I'll check whether the pickups pull them down to any great degree and, if not, file off a touch off the bottoms of the saddles. [*]Is the nut OK? Yes That, on the other hand, is at the top of the adjust-a-nut's travel, so I will pop a sliver to raise the bottom plate a touch before I glue it. I really love adjust-a-nuts. It gives you a degree of control that filing nut slots never does [*]Does it sound OK? Yeeeessssss Actually, it's quite loud acoustically - MUCH louder than my bubinga fretless [/list] Next jobs: Drill hole for bridge earth; trial-fit pups; copper shield cavities; final-fit covers; install electrics; check Kert's preference for neck final finish and 'satinise' if required once the varnish is fully hard

[quote name='deksawyer' timestamp='1453322391' post='2958500'] Andy, I've read a lot of your build posts, but I have to say I've never noticed the shine before. Amazing. I'm considering a refin on my Stingray body - would you be willing to take that on at all, albeit NOT [color=#282828][font=helvetica, arial, sans-serif]under duress but WITH suitable cautionary words to manage expectations? [/font][/color] Not sure of colours but its natural ATM. And BTW, it's the very first time I've considered having it refinished.... cheers D. [/quote] PM'd deksawyer Andy

[quote name='Grangur' timestamp='1453324785' post='2958536'] Thanks for this Andy. I've been wondering what to do with an 80s bass with a ply body. You've got me thinking now. [/quote] Why not have a go . You know you want to

Happy New Year and welcome back!!!!! Looking forward to seeing the progress....

[quote name='Chienmortbb' timestamp='1453294842' post='2958144'] Andy you are a star. I am just about to finish my bass and this is brilliant. I have a couple of questions, 1. What grit do you sand the body to? 2. Can you varnish straight over wood dye or do you need to seal it first? BTW have you tried Rustins Plastic Coating? Thanks [/quote] I've never tried Rustins Plastic Coating...it can produce excellent results but can go horribly wrong too. Also there are some modern water based varnishes that are actually CLEAR and dry properly hard, (although some of the better ones are only available in industrial quantities). I have it in mind to do some experimenting this summer. In the meantime, this technique does me OK with my limited facilities...

[quote name='Chienmortbb' timestamp='1453294842' post='2958144'] Andy you are a star. I am just about to finish my bass and this is brilliant. I have a couple of questions, 1. What grit do you sand the body to? 2. Can you varnish straight over wood dye or do you need to seal it first? BTW have you tried Rustins Plastic Coating? Thanks [/quote] Hi, Chienmortbb Thanks! I usually take any ridges or debris down with 1000 grit used wet, and ditto for the final flattening, but then take it to 2000 grit used wet before the final few finishing coats. You can seal first or not - in the latter case, it will take 4-5 coats before the true gloss gets there on any end grain. The nice thing is that it is pretty un-reactive - I varnish over plain wood, stained wood, painted wood, primed wood, sanding sealed wood, tru-oil, other varnish, etc, quite happily and personally have never had anything react badly (except, of course, trying to varnish over wax polish or silicon!). Andy

[quote name='PlungerModerno' timestamp='1453212138' post='2957437'] Interesting - I hear you about the dust. Do you cover the instrument, or just put it in a room where nothing is allowed to deposit dust while it drys? It does seem to be a very good method - I'll probably do some test pieces using this method in the coming months - I think it should produce very acceptable results with great care. [/quote] Just sensible precautions. I try to use a room that hasn't been occupied for an hour or so; take off jumper; roll sleeves up; approach body from each side rather than leaning across it; exiting room slowly (especially door) when varnish applied and leaving room undisturbed for the first 3/4 hour or so...oh...and not letting the f*****g cat get in there!

[quote name='Bastav' timestamp='1453213357' post='2957451'] Im keen to try this method aswell, seems to be working very well for you in any case. Do you do front and back all at once or one side at a time? [/quote] Hi, Bastav When it's a bolt on neck, I bolt the body onto a long piece of timber and clamp that in the workmate so I can do all 4 surfaces at the same time. Much easier to avoid runs that way. With a thru neck, it's one side at a time but taking as much care that there are no runs as possible. With wipe on, holding the body horizontally is much more successful than hanging vertically as is more normal for spray finishes.