Andyjr1515

I have a couple of thoughts...I'll have another ponder ("Oh no - he's pondering again!!!!")

It's getting close. I've added a narrow sided pickup ring just to hide the gaps around the pickup: Not much left to do - swop the electrics, fit the string tree and then just a few tidying up things and set up. All being well, should be all done and dusted by the end of the weekend

Yup - it looks good. so no apology demanded @Richard R

If I thought I could do it without c*cking it up, I would say yes...so probably no

Well, no-one could accuse me of lacking in self-confidence but, word-not-allowed me, I was not expecting that! Just got to trim the excess round the sides and that bit is pretty much done

Last hole cutting job for the plate was the trussrod access. I used the same method as with the tuner holes: And then back to the trials. Well, I reckon that scotchbrite is indeed the way to go @Aidan63 This is the Dremel disc I was using for the previous trial, and pictured with it the 'hi-tech modification kit' : And modded: And..in action!!! As the saying goes...'that will do nicely' So - plate is now glued to the headstock (using the same impact adhesive) and, after a cup of tea, we shall see where we get to

Well, barring unforeseen events, I think, @Happy Jack , that you may well be able to go to the ball, Cinders

Good suggestions, all. Those tests were a dremel sanding disk in the pillar drill, which is the right size but has a flexible outer and a too-rigid inner. I will try bonding some scotchbrite (great minds @Aidan63 ! ) onto the disc which would maybe even out the pressure. If that doesn't work I'll have a try of wood/grinding paste as @JPJ and @itu suggest. I have plenty of aluminium sheet to practice on and I know that @Happy Jack has the absolute patience of a saint 😇

If you have the choice, I would say before every time. If you are going to be using radius blocks with sandpaper, there is a LOT of sanding involved - it doubles the difficulty if you are trying to clamp a neck at the same time.

Banking on the hoover sounding louder than the pillar drill, and risking that it will be a few moments before MrsAndyjr1515 realises that the sound of the hoover is actually coming from the cellar rather than the spare bedroom... ...it'll take a bit of practice and more trial and error and probably a different sand pad but I reckon we can get at least into the realm of 'essence of':

Only the best for a @Happy Jack job!

Well, MrsAndjr1515 tells me that I am out of time for the rest of the day (as @Aidan63 guessed I might be ) , but it's been quite a productive afternoon. I set out just to experiment how best to cut the aluminium sheet but it went a bit better than that. And so - this is 0.2mm aluminium sheet. And it is proper strong and resilient sheet. But - it's actually just thin enough to be able to cut at least the outline with some decent scissors - and without deforming! Ignore the swirly bits, I was just experimenting. Hmmm...it's a long shot, but I might be able to use this as a real version rather than just a trial... But how to cut out the tuner holes. Clearly scissors can't be used and it's too thick for a Stanley knife. But maybe a curved chisel? I tapped both sides round the circle and then stuck the Stanley knife in every mm or so round the work-hardened punch line and, with a little bit of wiggling, the bonds snapped and the centre came out fine: Then, a clean-up with the Stanley knife to the pen line: And I just have the truss rod access and final external shape trimming to do...which will have to wait until I've served my penance helped round the house a bit, starting with hoovering the little bits of sharp aluminium stuck in the spare bedroom carpet Oh...and the weight? 8 grammes - exactly half way between the weight of a gnat's whatsit and a smidgen! Who'd have thought?!!

I've got aluminium, I've got CTS pots, including one of their push-pulls for the series/parallel. What I don't have any more is...any excuse not to just get on with it!

Family stuff has subsided for a while and so it's back on the bench. And - well, may as well see if it adds to or detracts - I have a sheet of 0.2mm ali on the way. I couldn't get hold of any scrap lithographic sheet but, from memory I reckon it was around that gauge when I used to use it in RC aeromodelling. It will add less than a gnat's whatsit to the weight of the headstock. I won't bond it to the headstock face until I'm certain that it enhances rather than detracts but, if I do it well enough (yes, I know...that's a big 'if' ) it should balance the look nicely.

With the caution of 'always try first in an unseen area' , for gloss I use Meguiers Ultimate Compound from Halfords with one of their white lint free polishing cloths.

More than happy to fit one. Gives you the option depending on the venue/arrangement

Yes - thanks. I'll see if @Happy Jack wants switchable but my question was ref the existing simple circuit and actually, when I took the green white and red out of the connector, it turns out that the white and red were already soldered together and so will have been originally wired in series, which is what I would have expected. So removing that pair from the connector and insulating them and yes, I have a fully working humbucking pickup. And that means that I can move to thinking about the pickup ring/scratchplate Got a busy family week coming up so am trying to make as much progress as I can before MrsAndyjr1515 says the inevitable and well-used phrase 'That mess has got to be tidied up! And that means now!!'

Yes - popped the black back where presumably it had come from and we have sound And yes - only one coil operating. I don't know the actual make of the pickup so will need to get my multimeter out and see if I can work out which colours are which coil. Once I've done that, what do folks think - go the standard humbucker series approach or parallel?

Well call me presumptuous, but I suspect this might have something to do with there being no signal: That will be easily fixed. Slightly odd, though - the red white and green all joined together - surely that shorts out one of the coils?

I found the tuners. The bushes were nominally the correct size but were a little loose in the headstock holes - nothing that some decent quality plumber's PTFE can't sort. Now they are a firm push-fit With the tuners fitted, the next decision was 'which of the two sets of strings that Jack sent should I use?'. While the Thomastik-Infeld ones look very interesting, the blurb on the back makes it clear that they are intended for use with fretless. Probably best saved for one of Jack's fretless basses (maybe the Lull?) so I fitted the D'Addario XL's for the first trial fit. I will probably add a degree or so neck angle so that the bridge can be lifted enough to give a decent break angle rather than lower it any more (which it has the clearance to do) but, that said, this is one of the best 'first fits' in a long time! No signal coming through at the moment - I will investigate that before cutting a pickup ring/scratchplate just in case it is the pickup (unlikely - more likely to be just a loose connection/earth). Weight is coming at at around 5kg / 11lbs Based on that I've come across Gibson Les Paul guitars at over 13lbs, that is actually not too bad. Hangs level on the strap (again, not too bad).

The new neck fixing holes are only 5mm or so away from the originals and so, to ensure that the surrounding wood to the new holes has no unnecessary weakness, I have plugged those and, after measuring and checking and measuring and checking the requisite number of times, drilled the new pilot holes on my small pillar drill. It fits! I haven't checked yet, but in the stuff that @Happy Jack sent, I reckon there's a set of compatible tuners and so later today I should be able to get some strings on and see if/how the geometry works.

Lovely

Very nice indeed. Lovely job.

Great job and great result.

Beautiful job!