Andyjr1515

OK - finally, finally finished I was doing the final checks and realised that the frets - straight with my initial quick check - in fact weren't terrible level at all. I used my 'crimson guitars' rocker and realised that there was unevenness on quite a few frets down the length of the frets. This is usually where the frets have been hammered rather than pressed in, and hammered without a caul (shaped block). It was a nice morning so I spent an hour over a couple of cups of coffee on the patio, levelling, recrowning and polishing them. For a 'light' job like this, my favoured leveller is this small diamond block: For the bigger jobs, I use a full length straight beam with sandpaper stuck on, but that can be a bit harsh and less easy to control for a smaller job like this. The other thing I do for light crowning, is use the crowning file as a former for fine wet ' dry rather than using the file's actual teeth: Again, if there is not a lot of material to remove, this is a lighter treatment and less likely to overdo it or leave difficult-to-remove file ripples. I start with 600 grit, then 1000, then 2000 and finally with 12000 grit micro-web. On a 6-string, because of the bending, I then finish the very top of the crown to a mirror finish with a japanese water-stone, but it really isn't necessary for a bass: So here it is, finished and ready to ship back to Paul with it's original partner As always, thanks for looking, folks, and thanks for the very encouraging feedback Andy

This is pretty much done. The satin varnish has deepened the stain colour in a pleasing way - no where near as warm orange as the original (which is lovely) but pretty reasonable for a new neck trying not to look it: I popped the bushes in and fitted the tuners: One of the last jobs was to drill the fixing holes. This is always a bit tricky if you don't have the body, but Paul hadn't done it before and I figured the risk of trying it for the first time was probably higher than someone whose done it a number of times doing it 'blind'. It does need special care, mind you. How I did it was first to build a template 'neck pocket' that fitted the old neck: Then check the fit of the new neck...spot on! Next was to cut out a card template and find the old neck screw holes: Use this to mark and drill the holes in the dummy neck pocket: Then double check with the old neck that the holes line up exactly by putting the neck into the dummy pocket and pushing a spike through into the neck screwholes: Then put the new neck into the dummy pocket and drill the pilot holes. Finally, add a bit of soap to the screws and cut the thread: Why, you may ask, is there a 5th hole? Well, after all that care, I still managed to get the first pilot hole in the wrong place... No matter...it's far enough away from the others to be of no concern (phew!) I fitted a nut and, well, sort of done!

[quote name='Matt P' timestamp='1432640284' post='2783427'] I'm really loving this, the cap on the back of the headstock is just beautifully done, I'm now wondering if I can afford to ask you to build me a bass! Matt [/quote] You can always afford to ask . Mind you, the answer might depend on how just crazy a bit of wood you have in YOUR mind

Great feel good story . The bass looks fab....

Warwick Thumb NT. it's round, it's tiny but it has mass and resulting gravitas from the very heavy Bubinga wood

[quote name='sblueplanet' timestamp='1432568852' post='2782761'] Q:Would an endpin jack socket been at all feasible for connecting a cable instead of the jack mount on the front? Just my 2 cents....:-) [/quote] Tom was quite keen to use a Neutrik (I suspect from experience of jacks coming out or failing in important concerts / recordings?). For pure aesthetics, an end-pin al l'acoustic would have worked very well indeed.

Before passing this across, Tom and I need to meet and I will:[list] [*]position the neck 'thumbrest' to Tom's natural rest postition [*]scrape, sand and finish the neck to his preferred thickness and profile shape [*]fit his preferred strings and final set up [*]record Tom playing it! I've recorded ME playing it (albeit with the borrowed acoustic strings) but, trust me, that does the bass no favours at all [/list] In the meantime, you'll have to trust me that it plays and sounds just fine, but you can judge for yourselves whether it looks as great as I think it does I'll post some shots and clips when Tom has taken it over, but in the meantime, thanks once more for your interest and very encouraging comments Andy

Final two bits - apart from the final finished shaping of the neck profile to Tom's ideal - was the side markers and the straplocks. Tom opted for the small blue Luminlays positioned at each of the odd fretting positions with double dots on the 11th and 13th but no 12th. The 3mm holes were drilled: ...and the luminlays installed: The straplocks had been another major concern - what about neck dive and how were they going to be able to be fitted to such a thin top horn. Lady Luck provided a solution to the former, and Tom provided a solution to the latter Against ALL of the odds - ultra-slim body, long neck, relatively long headstock, standard tuners - the neck dive is almost none existant. With a slippy strap and hands-off unsupported it starts to dip, but with a normal strap and just the weight of the normal right-hand arm position it sits just fine. So the good news was the top horn straplock could be put in the standard place...but how? Tom's suggestion of the Dunlop recessed straplocks was perfect. Being recessed, there was now plenty of support for the ferrules in spite of the negligible thickness of the horn...perfect So - apart from the final neck fitting - it was finished and ready to be strung up. Tom will be bringing his favoured strings, but to ensure it all held together and played OK, I fitted it with the only strings I had handy that were long enough - some bronze acoustics. Next post, shortly, will publish some finished shots. Andy

[quote name='scojack' timestamp='1432503387' post='2782184'] Can't believe how well this all going (considering )......brilliant [/quote] Thanks, scojack . Nor can I, to be honest....I had hoped for the best but feared the worst....

[quote name='PlungerModerno' timestamp='1432508934' post='2782242'] Interesting thought - it's possible - But I'd imagine it's just the standard size they drilled all the tuner holes to, to fit their biggest tuner - and all the smaller ones with the generous bushings covering the gap! [/quote] Yes - I think it's the most likely reason. Incidentally, I'll post a few photos later today. I'm on the final varnish coats...it's looking good

[quote name='blablas' timestamp='1432396749' post='2781155'] Crowning and polishing the frets, halfway.... Man, I always hate this job, it seems to take forever without any variation! [/quote] Yup - my least favourite job too...

Thanks folks! So - to the headstock. All along, Tom had been asking if a cocobolo plate would be possible on the top AND the bottom of the headstock. Again with an eye of the practicalities and functionality, I was fine with a top plate but really wasn't sure about a bottom plate. The problem is that the maximum depth of the headstock is determined by the height of the tuners to allow enough post to be above the fixing nut for the string windings. I was also still concerned about strength and the probable propensity for this one to neck dive. From an aesthetic point of view, I wasn't sure how a bottom plate could segue into the volute, rising from the bottom of the headstock to the neck. The options for the shape of the headstock could be more flexible. Again, the positions of the tuners are restricted to a certain degree by the need to keep the string runs straight wherever possible, but the specific shape was less critical. I put forward some more or less conventional - but admittedly a little dull - design thoughts Tom put forward some very unconventional - but admittedly much more exciting - alternatives We firmed up on one of Tom's designs and boy am I glad we did! This was Tom's concept: It looked SO MUCH better than any of my own designs and - if the cutout could be angled, top to bottom - simply cried out for a bottom plate as well as a top one... But how was I going to do that, with the volute pulling away from the back of the headstock? It really was another one of these one-step-at-a-time situations. First cut out the outline and see what we had at the back: This was what we then had at the back: OK - so what if I extended the headstock flat area through part of the volute rise? A bit like this: OK - now I have a bit of continuity for the plate, all four tuners on the same level and still have retained the strength of the volute. Time for cocobolo plates, epoxy and clamps! Repeat after me..."you can't have too many clamps!" Add my moniker 3 mother of pearl inlaid swifts.... ...and here's the back... ...route an extra swift into some leftover maple for a trussrod cover, add the tuners and the nut: Love it! Well done, Tom. Excellent demonstration of vision

That is soooooooooooooooo good, scojack Andy

Lost for words....that is SO good.......

[quote name='lemmywinks' timestamp='1432315076' post='2780434'] You might be relieved to know they're amazingly expensive over here when you can get them. There was a supplier a while ago who had them up at £120 and wouldn't budge on price, looks like he sold them all too. You can buy import them for about £85 excluding duty etc, so after all fees you're looking at well over £100 for a single pickup which is a complete unknown. [/quote] Thank goodness for that!

[quote name='allighatt0r' timestamp='1432298179' post='2780157'] I remember this part of the process! Your thoughts and suggestions were a great part of the Thunder Jet build for me such a fun/interesting process to work out these evolving changes. [/quote] Which, ladies and gentlemen, is Bryan's very polite way of saying "Yes - and I knew MY idea would work too!"

[quote name='lemmywinks' timestamp='1432296151' post='2780120'] A much less scary (although more espensive) pickup option might have been the Lace USAB: [url="http://www.lacemusic.com/USAB.php"]http://www.lacemusic.com/USAB.php[/url] Was considering one for my Sinsonido (have a friend from the USA who visits here regularly) but they're too wide. [/quote] Ooooh - that looks interesting for any future super-slim projects..... .....what am I saying???? NOOOOOOOOOOOoooooooooooooo

[quote name='Matt P' timestamp='1432242652' post='2779721'] I'm loving that little fillet. Really works. [/quote] Thanks, Matt So the final strength worry was just how deep I was going to have to route the pickup slot. Think about it:[list] [*]the whole premise is that everything has to be bolted to the neck [*]it is the neck that connects the bridge to the tuners [*]and now I'm going to cut a bloody great slot through it, to fit a (theoretically) 1" deep EMG pickup into a 1" deep body [/list] The chosen pickup was the passive EMG 40HZ. I spoke to the nice people at EMG to find out EXACTLY how deep the pickup was, including the bottom-placed connector. I had also thought ahead ( yes, I know...yet another new skill for me...) and not carved the neck absolutely down to body level, but left a slight rise of a couple of mm. I judged that a gap between the strings and the top of the pickup of 2-3mm would be about right. If I'd got my measurements right, and with the pickup flat on the boards, it would leave 10mm of neck left. That's only 4mm thinner than most headstocks and it would be surrounded by body wood. I guessed that would be adequate. So the deed was done! : Yes....pretty scary if you didn't double check with calipers, but I did and, yes, there was 10mm of neck still there Now I could flatten the bridge base and temporarily fit it. Here again (always with bridge positions) was double check, triple check before committing the drill - a short drill hole...yes, you guessed it...normal bridge fixing screws would have poked through the back - these had to be checked and sorted for length. Here is the 'first fix' of the bridge. You can also see the hole that the Neutrik will fit in...even with the pyramid of cocobolo, this chamber is only 2mm short of breakthrough out of the back... But now it really was starting to look more like a bass and less like a potential pyre: So to the neck - this will be fitted specifically to Tom's ideal when he visits soon to pick up the bass - but I worked on getting a special volute carve at Tom's suggestion and a generic 'thick and chunky' profile that we will turn into the final shape when he has a chance to see how it feels to play. Tom's idea on the volute is quite a clever one...with a fretless, you clearly have a datum. However, that is affected by the bass's 'sit' on the strap and Tom will be using this bass with a number of others. It is also a slightly unconventional scale - 34.5". So, reasoned Tom, what if the volute was extended to form a thumb rest position? Actually, seemed a very good idea and quite easy to achieve. This is during the initial rough carving process: Again, the exact position of the thumb dip will be sorted during Tom's final fitting. Here's the generic neck carve: Incidentally, the nut width is the wider traditional 44mm - luckily Warwick do a brass Just-a-nut (my preferred nut for a fretless) in this width Then, before I could do the final carving of the volute, our thoughts needed to turn to headstocks....I'm away for a couple of days so it will be Sunday eve before that is revealed but even I'm excited by that bit and I know what's coming As a taster, let's just say it's the bit in the story where I put a number of suggestions that countered Tom's thoughts and Tom stuck to his guns and - inevitably - Tom's vision was absolutely spot on ...best headstock I've ever done... Thanks for looking Andy

[quote name='blablas' timestamp='1432236714' post='2779638'] Very elegant solution! Looks good. [/quote] Thanks, blablas ! Very much appreciated

Do you remember the neck pocket that, as originally carved, was wider than the neck? Well, the intended cutaway curve at the bridge end of the fretboard gave me an idea. Rather than add an out-of-place fill-in fillet, how about continuing the curved lines seagull style? I did a rough carve in cocobolo, set it in and dry-fitted it to see if it would work: With a bit of luck, once it was sanded, it might even look like it was SUPPOSED to be there The cocobolo fretboard wood that Kirk at www.exotichardwoodsukltd.com sent me was lovely - but again, it was a pig to use. Putting a 12" radius with a radius block took for ever with the need to wire brush the waxiness off every 30 seconds or so. The finished result was worth it though: Next was gluing it to the neck. The carbon rods were put in place and trimmed, the truss rod was capped and tested...the cocobola was going to need to be epoxied on (yes - quite!) so no room for error: So nothing for it but to commit it to the epoxy... as the old adage goes again, 'you can't have too many clamps!!!!' Note also the addition of the two cocobolo strips either side of the headstock - needed for the width and matching the two strips running along the body either side of the neck. Once glued, I could start firming up the final position of the bridge, start looking at the pickup position options, and I could carve the fretboard curve. Ignore the epoxy splashes on the fretboard - those would come right off in the final post-messing-about micro-sand:

Very nice indeed

[quote name='FuNkShUi' timestamp='1432217028' post='2779310'] A lesson in perseverance! Amazing work Andy [/quote] Thanks, Kert - means a lot

[quote name='Matt P' timestamp='1432217617' post='2779320'] looking good! I think the curve on the fretboard will really add something to the overall look, is the jack going to be front mounted? could it not be hidden on the back to keep with the smooth minimalist look of the front? some kind of angled cover/ socket? like a strat jack plate but inside out and made of wood., I know I've seen something similar on a guitar or bass but I can't find a picture of it. EDIT! I've just remembered where I've seen it, GUS guitars! Matt [/quote] Hi, Matt Yeah - considered that but then, depending how you play, they can sometimes get in the way and the lie, position and sit of the body in relation to the player was at that time unpredictable. The expectation was, because of the lack of body weight, the sit would be unconventional and the neck would probably dive dreadfully. We worked on the basis of 'if you've got (to have) it, then flaunt it!' I like the system, though...and GUS guitars are sublime Andy

[quote name='alittlebitrobot' timestamp='1432216160' post='2779294'] ahhh, brilliant! This is really coming along. This is infectious, though. I'm not even finished my current build and I'm designing my next one. [/quote] Yup - that's how I got into this mess in the first place

[quote name='scojack' timestamp='1432219807' post='2779345'] Looks good Andy...how thick is that body blank? (I know you remove more than usual with this style of carve). It's one end of the spectrum to the other when you look at your other project that's on the go. Ian [/quote] Hi, Ian Yes - this one's about the size and weight of four housebricks put together at the moment It's 2" (c 50mm in new money) back to front. As you say, most of that, however, will be needed for the curve. The body cross-section will be as thin as I can get allowing for the depth of the electrics, probably 1.25" ish Andy