Andyjr1515

@fleabag sent me some impressively detailed dimensions and shape for the 2-a-side headstock. This look about right, @fleabag ? Next job will be putting a new blade on the band saw (rock maple is tough stuff!) and cutting this out, including a few mm 'just in case' oversize for the neck length itself. The neck is going to be the length of a standard Fender (23 57/64 inches from zero fret to end of heel...don't you just love 'em) and shaped to fit a standard Fender pocket but there will be a substantial overhang of fretboard

That is so, so, good. Mine still keeps me down in the small, damp cellar. Probably more than I deserve, though...

This is the blank on my router table, with the 6mm bit sticking up from underneath. I've just done a 1mm cut here to make absolutely sure this is going to be in the right place before I deepen it to 9mm. The datum side, which I planed square first, is, in this photo, on the LHS and will butt up to the router table fence on the right: The yellow pusher is an essential piece of kit when you are dealing with something as potentially dangerous as a router table: Raising the bit 3-4mm per pass, the slot was now 9mm. And - with the slot widened and deepened for the trussrod adjuster - the first step is done Just as an aside, for anyone interested or anyone thinking of trying a neck build for the first time: on this type of truss rod, the adjuster has a surround. Functionally that is great because, apart from anything else, it keeps the fretboard fixing glue out of the truss-rod threads. That will be particularly helpful on this neck where the richlite fretboard is going to need to be glued with epoxy resin. But that surround adds a quite a bit of extra depth needed in the slot at this point. This will be fine with the rock maple I'm using here (and they are good adjusters) but, for mahogany necks, I tend to use a type with a more basic but slimmer adjuster (the maths is: neck depth at nut, say 21mm minus 6mm fretboard minus 11.5mm trussrod slot depth at the adjuster on this type of rod = only 3.5mm of timber under the trussrod end that is actively pushing all its force against it at this point. And yes - truss rod ends sometimes do pop out to say hello on slim mahogany necks The volute helps, but that is more there to strengthen the neck where the headstock cranks down and tends to start thickening slightly behind where the trussrod end would make its grand entrance if it felt inclined. It doesn't happen often...and I've never seen it happen on a maple neck. But if you are venturing into the dark art of neck building for the first time, always double check by doing the maths

I always draw the headstock angles full size - as you are drawing it your mind is almost sub-consciously double checking everything, something that still feels different to me with CAD (then again, I am an old git). At 28mm, the blank is deep enough to be able to get a 6 degree angle for the headstock - plenty enough, given the raised position of the fretboard and nut slots for a decent break angle, of the strings over the nut The sequence of most things on this neck is going to be slightly different to most of my necks as the blank is full width so that everything, including the full headstock width, will be out of one piece of maple. I will double check my sequence over the afternoon, but the first thing I will probably do is cut the truss-rod slot while I have still have side of the blank as the datum for the router fence. Then (I think) the blank will go into my thicknessing rig jacked up at an angle to get the top face of the headstock ( the width is too great for me to be able to cut that on the band saw). Then I can cut the plan and side profile shape. I will sketch those phases out to see if there are any fatal flaws in the plan!

And we have wood! Oh - hang on...wait a minute...that means I have to get off my f*t a**e and actually do something now. Didn't think that one through!

The knobs on the front sheet on the site say 'in stock' but when you click each of the product, they are shown as 'Unavailable'

Down to my last stick...just enough for @fleabag's neck. Same problem. I've been in contact with the owner of Luminlay and the problem is that the direct flights,that cross Russia or Ukraine from Japan, have stopped. Makes you wonder what else from Japan will hit problems... Hopefully, they will find a way of shipping but, without a distributor network, it may well take the product from expensive to unaffordable. Hosco do glow dots but they don't have the black surrounds and currently are out of stock in many sources (possibly linked). Not great news, I'm afraid.

That looks lovely!

Ooooo.... UPS notification of a delivery Monday

Well, they tend to be all pretty much different shades of mud - but yes, you can tell the difference with the different settings.

I haven't hibernated, folks. Waiting delivery of the thicker neck wood blank from David Dyke's - they are clearly still busy!

Great job. Undeniably, one on its own. Love it!

I agree - definitely sounds like it needs looking at. These things are usually relatively easily fixable. Let us know how you get on

I agree. Truss rods need to be handled with care. One more thing you could try is the D string in the A string position. You would want to use the normal D tuner, but have the saddle to nut in the A position. The slight kink at the nut shouldn't be any more strain on the string than the normal break angle of the string over the nut in its normal position. Then tune it up to D. If it buzzes in the same place, then yes - there is an issue with the fretboard. If it doesn't, it's more likely to be the string.

That is possible. The ideal relief is actually almost none! When you hold down at the 1st and the 16th, the mid point should have 'just perceptible movement' when you tap it. If it is hard against the fretboard on either the top string or bottom string, then the trussrod needs slackening off, but as long as there is air underneath both strings, that is enough relief. And yes - if you are trying to spot a high point, the fretboard should be ideally flat to start with. But, with you trying the action on that string so much higher and still getting the buzz...and only on that string, is a bit odd and I would have said, if it was caused by a high spot, that would be high enough to be able to pick up even if there was some relief there. @Dad3353 's suggestion is a good one. If raising the action significantly above the other strings (especially the E) doesn't stop the buzz, it points to something else. Experimenting with the tuning might give a clue. Tune up a tone too and see if it makes any difference. It might also be a duff string with more 'slop' than the others.

Excellent job. Good on any level but impressive as a first...

2mm is a bit low, but not ridiculously so. Have you tried a 1/4 to 1/2 turn of the saddle height screws on that string? If so, does the buzz go away? If it does, then maybe the action is a touch low for your set-up.**I've just re-read your post and see that you've already covered that** If it still buzzes, then there may be high spot. Finding (or not) lumps and bumps in specific positions on fretless fingerboards is a bit more tricky than on a fretted but the principle is the same. You use a 'rocker'. The principle is straightforward. On a fretted bass, you hold a straight-edge across three frets at a time and see if it rocks when you put vertical pressure alternating either side of the straight edge. If it rocks, then the middle fret of the three is high. If it doesn't, it isn't. And you basically go up the whole fretboard, at each string position, 3 frets at a time to the end. The further up the board you go, the closer are the three frets and so you have to use a shorter and shorter straight edge. The principle is the same for a fretless. So, you need a short straight edge, equivalent to covering three fret positions. For checking at the 7th, the long side of a credit card would be OK: - Pop the bass on the floor or on a worktop and pop some books under the neck so that it won't tip or rock if you apply gentle pressure to the headstock. - With fingers of each hand holding either side of the credit card, and with the middle of the card over the 7th fret position, hold the card against the A string with the bottom edge on the fretboard (so one end of the card is near the 6th fret position and the other end is near the 8th) - press vertically down gently on either side of the card and see if it rocks slightly - If it does, then yes, you have a localised high spot at the 7th Sometimes - particularly with a fretless - the lump is slightly longer and so you could try the same thing with a slightly longer straight edge (6" rule is ideal)

Interesting timbers! Look forward to how this develops

This maybe illustrates the point: It is unlikely that your body is heavier than a Thumbs so it gives an indication of how much weight you could take out and still not affect the balance (and remember that much of the weight comes off the neck side of the body, not the very back)

Well, certainly on the strap, you are not likely to have a problem with this. There is a 'goldilocks zone' for the position of the top horn strap button which is around the 12th/13th fret. When the button is here, then the neck would need to be massively top heavy (I've never come across one that heavy) for it not to balance OK. You can see the difference of the position with my fretless...I still get a double-take, but the two basses are exactly the same scale length and width...where the strap button is closer to the 16/17th fret (as with the Warwick Thumbs) and where the body has to be therefore very heavy to counteract the dive. Which is why Thumbs tend to be very heavy basses. I love them - but it is a fundamentally flawed design from a practicality point of view.

The leverage resulting from the length of a bass neck certainly means that you get a disproportionate advantage from removing weight at the headstock. Lightweight tuners make a big difference but yes - you can also take wood out also as long as it remains strong enough for the tuners to hold the tension of the strings with nothing breaking, moving or bending. As an example, I did a Jack Bruce Warwick Thumb 'tribute' for our bands bassist. Plays great, but as you say, always on the edge of neck dive, not helped by the very rearward top horn strap button. But loved playing his so much, I did another one for myself that has the same timbers and dimensions but different shape - and a much smaller headstock: And it balances fine

Not sure. They didn't stick with it for very long - it didn't do it any harm (still great basses and undeniably Wal) but also presumably didn't show any major advantage either and must have added cost and complexity.

Well, a bit of progress with the neck. Maple is here. Mahogany spices should be with me mid next week. And @Fishman is happy to sell me the Wal fretless fretboard I took off his Wal Pro 1e neck when I repaired the trussrod action and replaced it with an ebony fretted one a year or so as part of his Pro 1e refurbishment This is a shot back then after I'd managed to get it off in one piece: Should be with me next week By the way - ref the discussions earlier in the thread - you can see the major layer of carbon fibre on that model's neck. The really unusual thing is that this isn't fully resin encapsulated fibre which they used - underneath the surface, it's loose carbon fibres. There is a splendid video somewhere on the net of a guy trying to remove it all...what a mess!!! I did the sensible thing - I fixed the cracked carrier at the heel end to make the rod work again...and got the new fretboard on as quick as I could (and happily it worked fine )

Sorted

Got me to a T Richlite it is. What was I thinking (generally not about much)