Andyjr1515

And so to the slightly scary bit - fitting the machine screws In principle, it is straightforward - -machine screw fits nicely in the ferrule: - and screws into the threaded insert which, itself is threaded into the neck: The challenge is that, whereas with wood screws you can get away with quite major misalignments, with machine screws you can't. They have to be square to the surface and in exactly the correct position...or you just aren't going to be able to screw them in. To illustrate "whereas with wood screws you can get away with quite major misalignments" - Mike Lull basses are beautifully made basses. But on the original neck - with the two bottom screws in place and the neck fully seated and straight - this is where the two top screw holes are: See how offset the hole is to the edge of the ferrule? With a wood screw, this is no problem - it will be tight but will screw in. With a machine screw, you simply wouldn't be able to get the screw into the insert in the first place. And so I have to reposition any holes that are out of line. Which is the scary bit Still, it could be worse. It could be my own bass's neck

Actually, because all of these settings are sweeping (Matt 'numbers' them just to give you some idea of where he is in each sweep from zero to full) - and each of the settings interact with each other - there are an absolute myriad of sounds that can't really be demonstrated fully in a short, one-take, video. It's closer to an on-board effects pedal in many ways than just an EQ. And that actually gave Matt a few challenges - because some of the combinations of settings put out such a different shape of sound, he had difficulty fitting it into a single 'live' set of DAW recording settings. There is the potential for major differences in tones. Of course, it does need some time set aside to experiment and find the spectrum that suits your own needs. But that's just the external controls!!! Because there are 6 (from memory) adjustable internal gain pots too that Matt didn't alter...but they are all alterable, cutting / boosting / moulding different ranges of frequencies for each pickup.

Just a bit of a post-script on this stunning build. If you haven't ever read this thread, then pour yourself a beer or a long soft drink, find a comfy chair and read it from the start. On every one of the nine pages of the thread there will be things you see that, I guarantee, will leave you open-mouthed in amazement. For those of you who have read the thread, then you will remember that not only is the bass a stunning build, but also that @mhoss32 designed and made his own pickups and @mhoss32 also designed and built his own powered EQ. And, what seems like an age ago (covid lockdowns/covid lifting restrictions/etc/etc) @mhoss32 sent me one of his prototype EQ systems to try out in one of my basses which I was delighted to try out and suggested I got Matt Marriott (an excellent musician who has done a number of videos featuring my builds) to do a couple of videos with it fitted. It's taken a while (Matt is a pro-musician so half the time he was prioritising trying to make a living when everything was locked down, and the other half trying to make a living when things started opening up again!) but here they are. The first video is a run through just a very few of the myriad of settings and the second is a short original piece he used to demo the sound 'in the mix'. The donor bass is the camphor-topped single cut. The pickups are DiMarzio PJ s. Matt is recording directly into the DAW. As always with these things, best heard through headphones. Video 2

Better light today - and I've added the decals: And so 2-3 overcoats of clear to put over it and the headstock is basically done.

Bit of a dull day to be trying to take natural light photos - but I'm pleased with the colour match: When you hold a sheet of white paper next to the body, it is surprising how cream it is. The headstock has had its final clear coat, currently drying, before the decal goes on and then it will have a further 2-3 coats of clear. I will leave the masking over the ebony runaway until all of that is done. After that I'll sort the machine screw inserts and then do the finish on the maple (which is actually quite a quick process). The last task will be fitting some hipshot-type string retention bars. Assuming suppliers have the string retainers in stock, both necks should be ready by around the end of next weekend.

Sounds very nice Looking forward to see the photos

Nothing clumsy about big Luminlays, is there @TheGreek

The headstock is basically having one clear coat a day. So the time to do further stuff is in the morning, when it is dry from the previous evening's coat. And this morning was Luminlay Day Method was the same as with the fretted neck a few pages back but, this time, the dots are on the fret, not between. I've also added a dot for fret 1 - I personally find that a help on a fretless because I don't have to guess the progressive shortening of the space between those first three semitones. Jack opted for the large Luminlays again for the main part of the neck. For the 12th, I've put a couple of small ones either side and also small ones for the narrow strip for the upper positions where the neck pocket joins. It will have another coat of clear on the headstock this evening. Otherwise engaged tomorrow but Friday should see the final sand and start of the finishing process for the neck and headstock back - oh and the small but vital step of adding a coat of tinted varnish to the headstock front And then, I'm afraid I won't be able to put off sorting the machine screw inserts on both necks ANY longer!

Well there you go...

Certainly Sellotape and similar have a bit of a tint to start with and I don't think I would guarantee that wouldn't darken further. That's why, for the actual decal, I'll be using a reel of some ultraclear commercial tape I got hold of years and years ago. It's fancy stuff - glass-clear even as a full roll. I've recently seen a couple of the original decals where I used this method (I built pretty much all of our band's guitars and basses) and - must be getting on for 10 years later - they still look fine. But yes - some of the commercial decal papers are also OK nowadays, although you do have to be more careful with the first subsequent clear coat which can take the ink off. A spray dusting is the best way but, as I generally don't spray, it's a bit of a wasted can of clear. The nice thing about the tape method is that the ink is underneath the tape and not on top of it so you don't get that issue. ...but the main reason I use this method** is that it's such a cool and unexpected property of sticky tape and laser ink that it gives me a kick every time I try it! **and a reminder that in these threads I'm always happy to explain how I personally do stuff and why...but please NEVER assume that it's how it should be done!

And I've been promised the video by Matt this week! (it's taken a long, long, long, long time!)

Fascinating! The one thing I don't know (happily not relevant here because this was always going to be black) is whether the method works on a colour laser print. That said, there are a number of decent decal makers around nowadays.

Oh...and there is no technical reason whatsoever why maple shouldn't be used with it...

A pal of mine has a Cort Curbow that has a wenge neck and rosewood fretboard and...it's a lovely, lovely neck. Disadvantages: - it is a heavy wood...the wood database puts it at 54/44 compared with rock maple and 54/37 compared with mahogany - from a builder's point of view, it is a challenging wood (certainly out of my league) But that Curbow was the nicest neck I have EVER played. Beautiful to look at, smooth as silk and very rigid (which does indeed make a difference when it comes to sound ) And I played it a lot. The reason was that my mate liked the Curbow, he LOVED the neck...but he didn't like the luthite body (luthite is a man made material). And so he asked me to make him a walnut replacement body for it. This is it with the new walnut body - and the wenge neck:

All masked up, paint coat is on and first coat of clear varnish on top. I'll do a couple more clears and then a tinted coat, and finish with a couple more coats of clear before putting on the transfer - and then two or three more coats to seal and hide the transfer edges. And as for the transfer(s) themselves - I can't remember which genius it was who came up with this but how cool is this? This isn't the actual design I'll use but hopefully you will get the picture - You print any type or picture on a laser printer (note - has to be a laser. An ink jet printer doesn't work): Then cover the print with Sellotape (actually, for the actual one I will be using some ultra clear packing tape): Cut it out: Leave it to soak in water for a minute or so: Then rub the paper fully off the film: And one already sticky and re-peelable transfer ready to use:

OK - we have a plan We're going for clear-finished maple for the neck and headstock back and sides and a colour-matched headstock front. The top one of the sample stripes is probably getting pretty close: That's white primer with clear varnish mixed with b****r-all yellow dye. The ivory-looking sample at the bottom is the same but two times b****r-all yellow dye. Tiny amount more makes a big, big difference. As it is a painted finish, the logo will be decal - I have a cunning plan for making the decal. I shall reveal my method if it works... The neck is ready for final sanding and so one last check with the side-by-side profile check. This is how I checked: The observant of you will spot the reason for doing the double check - the profile here, just before the heel, was a teeny, weeny bit flatter. Tut tut! Fixed These were better: 1st 7th 12th So next job is luminlays, then final sand and then finishing while I muster up courage to fit the machine screw inserts

My thoughts would be that the whole neck and headstock would be natural maple, but I understand that amber has been used so often and for so long that the natural wood look is not to a lot of folks' taste.

No problem, Jack - I have the same stain as the back of the slimmed fretted and have also been experimenting with some white's I have here. If we go for tinted, the swifts can be inlaid in MoP or ebony. If it's paint, it will need to be a transfer, but that would be OK too

As luck would have it, my brother-in-law's 70+ year old tortoise has been looking a bit peaky for at least the past 20 years (like all of us older folk, he also has a tendency to drop off now and again...usually around November to February). I'll get the fret-saw ready just in case

Before I set the heel angle and depth, I have to level the fretboard. For a fretted neck, that is straightforward - you get a dead straight levelling beam with fine emery on one side and run it up and down the fret tops evenly across the width of the board. The fret filings tell you when the tops are all flat and even (or not yet in this example): But for a fretless, it's a bit more awkward. You still use a levelling sanding beam, but black dust on black makes it difficult to see if you are getting there. So I tend to use an old mechanics' 'Engineers Blue' trick, but with blackboard chalk. I cover the beam with chalk and run it from one side of the board to the other. Where you see chalk, there is a high spot: All I have to do is scrape or sand gently wherever the chalk is: This is repeated until the beam leaves an even layer of chalk over the whole surface. With the fretboard levelled, I strung it all up and then measured the string heights at the same places that I measured with the fretted neck: It was about 0.5mm lower than the fretted at the G string and 1.5mm lower at the B. I measured and drew an accurate pencil line round the bottom of the heel and used a jack plane with a very fine cut to bring the heel down and angled, checking frequently for flatness (using the chalk trick here too). And here it is - within a 10th of a mm of the string heights when fitted with the fretted neck. And it sounds great! A nice subtle touch of mwahh And so the geometry bit is now complete and so that just leaves the side dots, the probable conversion to inserts and machine screws and the aesthetic bit And here I have a thought I'm going to pm @Happy Jack with. This is the colour maple goes with finish but without the ubiquitous amber stain: And AJR's moniker swifts don't have to be mother of pearl. In the past he's done them in ebony too: Just saying...

It's going to look greater!

I won't be doing the actual graphic - it's not a Lull neck - but actually, it's not something we've discussed. I'll have a think and maybe put forward some suggestions.

Decent progress today. It's safer to start from scratch in terms of the tuner positioning to ensure that the string runs from the nut to the tuners are going to be straight. After doing the geometry, always a good idea to physically position the tuners to make sure that is 'looks right' and also that nothing is going to clash between each unit: Then - to replicate the recess that Lull put in for the tuner washers, that's the first size of Forstner bit to use: Then simply line up the central prong of the smaller bit to drill the through-holes: Also, the first rough cut for the fretboard ebony extension to at least give me initial string clearance for my first trial fit of the neck: And this allowed me to fit the Licenced tuners: And finally, a slice off the heel to get it to broadly the right thickness. I was pleased with the accuracy of the cut as, for hard maple, this is at about the limit for my hobby-grade bandsaw: And taking that slice off allowed me to - in made-to-measure suit terminology - do the 'first fit'. It's actually pretty close for a first fit Tomorrow I will cut the nut (more of a spacer than a full nut on a fretless - the slots will take the strings to within a gnat's of the surface of the fretboard) and then I can bring the strings to tension and see how much I need to tweak the angle of the heel so that the action is correct under tension whichever neck is on without having to adjust the saddle heights (even though, as discussed earlier, the intonation probably will need to be tweaked due to the different strings that will be fitted).

Christmas/family stuff all sorted and so it's back to the important stuff So that Jack doesn't have to keep changing the tuners round, we agreed that I should get a set of tuners for the fretless neck. Problem is that - like most things guitar/bass build related - the prices of stuff is going through the roof. The Hipshot Ultralites fitted to the Lull are now £40 EACH! That's £200 just for the tuners!!! Happily, Hipshot have started allowing 'Licensed' tuners to be sold - and even happier is that Bass Direct have quite a few models in stock...and they arrived today. Hipshot USA at the back, Hipshot Licenced at the front: The licenced ones are about 10% heavier (still very light) but 60% cheaper. And very nicely made. That'll do. And so there's not much stopping me from getting on and finishing this...

It's going to look great