Andyjr1515

Couldn't resist a quick mock-up

The edges are sanded and I've put on an initial 'revelation' coat of clear varnish: I do this coat, primarily, to reveal any spots of glue that haven't been sanded off the walnut at the edges. They show up as white patches like this: There are fewer than usual. I think the titebond - while a little less 'grabby' when applying the veneer in the first place than my usual Evostick 'W' Wood Glue - dries a little harder and is therefore easier to sand away from the join line. When this coat is dry, I will give those areas a quick sand to get rid of the residual glue and then the finish gloss coating can start.

And this is after just the second sealing coat. I must point out also, that CCD SLR chips are rubbish at capturing a 'proper' red. This shows an orangey red - the thing in real life is a proper blood red. Unfortunately, the only person who will see its actual colour (leastways until Bassbashes are possible again) is going to be Rog (which is fine ). Anyway, wrong red or not, it's starting to look OK: So this will harden overnight enough for me to start the delicate work of sanding the overhang off which is tomorrow's job. Then the finishing can start

Often, depending on the wood and degree of figuring, the veneer will split and those splits need filling. Now, as it happens, this veneer seems to be very crack resistant, so the only major area I will need to use filler to make sure there is no gap whatsoever at the join line. For a natural veneer, filling is easy - pop some tru-oil on, slurry it up into a paste with some wet and dry and you have instant sandings-coloured gap filler. But that's not so easy if you are staining. For this job, this is wonderful, wonderful stuff: Last time I looked, I had to search hard to find the stainable versions (there's a light and a med/dark) but decent builders merchants or joiners merchants should stock it. 'Stainable' here means that you can mix stain into it (water or spirit) and also, to an extent it will absorb stain in its dry form. The great thing is that it is easy to apply but dries rock solid (including in the opened tub!) but you just need to add a drop of water and it will soften up again. So - as I have had this tub for a few years, I literally chiselled some scrapings of the solid filler into some of the red stain, and I instantly have a fully colour-compatible filler: So I leave that to dry (about 30 mins) and then sand it down and any gaps are colour-filled So what stains am I using? Well, those who have followed my previous threads know that I favour inks. Yes, yes, I know that everyone (especially guitar dye manufacturers) will say "They'll fade!" And yes, some colours do. But other colours are pretty stable. Especially calligraphy inks, which are designed to remain fully legible for hundreds (if not thousands - think Lindisfarne Gospels) of years. And the particular colour in the particular calligraphy ink that I am using for Rog's, I actually know, is fine. How do I know? Because this guitar that I built for our band's bassist, hmmm, 8 - 9 years ago?, and which is kept on a stand in his house next to a South facing glass patio door and which - before Covid - he was using to accompany my dubious sax and singing every week , definitely still looks like this...and used the same ink : ...and there are others. So these are the inks I'll be using on Rog's Status: I don't go for the technique of staining black, then sanding off - the results can look a little artificial and forced. I just do a couple of coats, let them dry, and sand lightly to lighten the high spots in the figuring and then add the final couple of coats. This is where @Roger2611 has to look away, because he will say, 'Where did that figuring go? And know I said I wanted red, but that red is too...too...well, too red!!!' To which my answer is, "Don't panic." Because, with quilts, it ALL happens with the gloss coats. And the more the gloss coats that there are, the more that happens This is just with the very first sealing coat - it's not even gloss yet... : When this sealing coat is dry, I will then sand the sides and see if my gamble well considered plan for keeping the light demarcation veneer light has paid off As always, thanks for looking

Phew! However, the next bit is going to be a bit more tricky for you the viewer(s). I will be showing the whole staining process to all - but be aware, in progress it will look nothing like it will when it has its finish applied! As the famous phrase goes, "Don't Panic!!!!" I have the advantage of knowing what it is eventually going to look like

Looks like that to me too. Clearly, if it does, you don't want it interfering with the pickup. If there is a clash, I would go the other way and have the adjuster further forward - you could probably extend the trussrod slot a touch depending on your trussrod cover or, if not, then just cut an allen key closer to the bend - it only need to be long enough to fit properly in the adjuster...

So the more important veneer - the top bookmatched one. So the main learning from the plain maple was that it is likely to shrink a mm from wet glue to bone-dry ironed First, as with all bookmatching, was to work out which is the best way round out of the 4 options. For this, I cut out a full-size paper template - it is amazing how often the nice figuring is not inside the body shape area! This will work, though: So same process as the demarcation veneer - apply the Titebond to both the veneer and the body and let them dry. When I applied the titebond to the plain maple, this happened: So there was a patch I didn't iron well enough yesterday. And is this going to be a problem? Well, no. Remember that you can reheat and remelt the glue as many times as you want. As long as there is actually glue there (and I know there is) then I know that when I iron on the bookmatched sheet, it will remelt this area too and glue them both So the first side gets positioned. The great thing about the glue being dry is that you can take as long as you like making sure it is where you want it: So that one is ironed on and the bulk excess cut off. Then for the second sheet, I matched up the figuring - but then overlapped the first sheet by 1mm. With luck, it will then shrink by a mm and be a perfect centre join (fingers crossed) Bingo! (Private "Phew!") So am I going to finish sand the edges? No - not yet. This is my cunning plan to try to keep the demarcation veneer white, even though I am going to be dying the top red. If I leave an overlap, then the dye won't soak into the white maple. Then I sand the edges of the dyed top veneer and reveal the white demarcation line! And (really) I have absolutely no idea whether that is going to work!!

So - the PVA ironing method. Actually, having done some trials, this time round I am going to use Titebond wood glue, but usually I use the Evostic 'Compound W' Wood Glue (the green bottle sold in Homebase etc). Both work the same. Normal reminder - this is how I do it but, always with me, never assume that "this is how it should be done" . There are other ways, but personally this is how I find best for me and my limited facilities. Basically, I turn wood glue into an iron-on glue. Proper woodworking PVA and also products like Titebond melt when they are heated. That's why you can remove a fretboard with an iron. So this method uses that principle but to glue the veneer in the first place. Now it is a luxury that I am doing a demarcation veneer. Firstly, it's been a while since I've done a veneer job. But also different veneers have different characteristics and while the top veneer will have its own, nevertheless both the demarcation veneer and the top bookmatched are maple and therefore in some respects will have similar properties...which is useful to know when planning the all important bookmatched top! But an essential first - it will become impossible to find the bridge holes once you have veneered - so I do a simple paper template with my fingernail. When it's veneered, I will line up with the neck pocket and control pot holes and then I know where to plunge my centre point to re-find the bridge holes and earth wire hole : Then this is essentially what I do. I use a gloss paint small sponge roller to apply the glue both to the body and to the veneer : It is ESSENTIAL that there is glue at all of the edges. Same with the veneer. If you do nothing about it, then the moisture from the glue will make the veneer start rolling in on itself: And so I use a little travel perfume spritzer bottle from Superdrug to spray water on the other side - that side then expands too and, hey presto, it flattens by itself: Now remember that bit - the veneer tangibly expands due to the moisture of the glue. With this method, that is an important thing to understand...because the amount it expands, depends on the wood type Then, I let the glue dry. Takes about 20 minutes, but now it means I can position the veneer on the body with ease, dry glue next to dry glue. To get it to bond, I heat it with an iron. Any household iron will do (but use it dry - don't use it on a steam setting). I happen to use an old heat-shrink iron but that is simply because MrsAndyjr1515 is a very scary woman who, I discovered, objects strongly to me getting PVA on the soleplate of laundry iron. So, I position the veneer and then, starting at the join line and working outwards, iron it on. I hold the iron in an area for a few seconds, then use an old duster to put pressure on that area for a few seconds until it cools enough to hold together. This process is completely repeatable, that is, you can go back and redo - it will re-melt and then re-cool. When the main area is secure, I work on the edges, pressing hard with the iron to make sure the glue is fully bonding the veneer: And that's that side done! Now - this whole technique takes a bit of practice, and not least cutting the excess. I use a Stanley disposable knife or a Swann Morton disposable hobby knife and use a sawing motion, using the body side as the blade guide. I remain acutely aware of where a split will run so always cut 'downhill' to the grain: By the way - the other side is glued - you can see here just how dry it can be before you apply the second veneer sheet! And repeat the whole process and finally sand the edges: Now - for the top veneer, this wouldn't be good enough - see the gap in the middle? Yes it can be filled and stained, but it needn't be there. I will show (hopefully) in the next post how this can be avoided. But remember earlier - that the veneer expands with the moisture of the glue? Well, of course, when you iron it dry, it shrinks again. And now I know, for maple, how much it is likely to shrink. And that knowledge IS part of my cunning plan for the next stage...applying the book-match quilted maple veneer

Yes. And next post I'll cover the basic method for those who weren't at the Midlands Bass Bash While it may soften, it won't move - it can only move if ALL of the area is soft (which is relevant in the next post too!) But there is a challenge - how do I have a white maple demarcation when I am going to stain the top veneer.... ...and I'm hoping that over the next few days I come up with a cunning plan. Or any plan, really!

Finish is stripped - to be honest, it was an easy job. It had only had a light coat (not sure what Status use/used) and was off pretty easily. While I was there, I sanded out the dints and scrapes from the back and the sides. Here it is in bare walnut: Clearly, that is fresh sanded. The best way of telling how it will look with any standard clear finish is to simply wipe it with a dampened cloth. Based on this, I reckon the original finish was just clear without any tinting: When I have both veneers on the top, Rog and I will be able to see better what he prefers me to do with the back and sides. Next job is to add the maple demarcation veneer on the top. All being well, should be able to do that before the end of the day

Excellent job! ...and that IS what I call a cellar! Mine is around 8'x4'

And so to cellars and moisture rather than cellars and oblivion If it is a moisture problem (and I'll leave that to the spray gurus), then yes - the cellar might be an issue (and I can maybe add something here because my workbench is in our fairly small cellar). Not all cellars are the same, but ours has a relative humidity issue in the warmer weather. When it is cold outside, it is bone dry. But when it warms up outside in the late Spring, in the corners and smaller spaces it is (literally) dripping wet. Basically, the warm wet air from outside hits the cool walls and floor of the cellar and condenses out. The air becomes super saturated and water droplets start forming on the surfaces and cold objects. More ventilation doesn't really help (although is essential if you are spraying, see above)), because it just brings in more moist air from outside. So the irony - and I'm just about to switch it on - is that we have a thermostat-controlled oil/convector heater on ALL SUMMER! We switch it off again in the autumn. Which is bizarre, I know. Now yours may be different, but yes, moisture might be an issue in a cellar.

I'll do a separate post about cellars and moisture - yes they can be a problem. There cellars and there are cellars, but a general warning to anyone reading this who may not be aware (I am assuming, @donslow you are fully aware and therefore have all of the necessary precautions in place ), spraying anything - but especially nitro - in a confined space can be exceptionally dangerous. We are talking fatality risk dangerous. The precautions include, as an absolute minimum, appropriate and effective extraction facilities and the use of a purpose-designed and properly fitted respirator.

I'm not a spray man, I'm afraid. There will be someone who knows what they are talking about passing by soon, I have no doubt

So today was the stripdown. Noting that all of the screws were Pozidrive (these things matter) I first took the neck off, the bridge and the rear hatch. Always a quick photo of what's in the chamber and where it fits. Never think "Oh, I'll remember that!" : And likewise a shot of which side of the blend pot is attached to which pickup: and, lastly, a useful way of keeping all the wires where they originally were - it is remarkable how quickly they twist and tangle up otherwise! Finally, drove out the neck screw bushes and we have a body ready for initial sand-down: Rog and I had a discussion about the wood - walnut - and whether it had been stained. I thought it had, based on the top colour. And now I look at it here, I wonder if it is just the top that has had maybe a tinted finish to lessen the contrast of the centre section. In real life, it is certainly an unusually muddy colour for walnut. Of course, it is academic to a certain extent because the top will be veneered, but there will remain the question of what to do with the back and sides. We'll know better when the finish has been sanded off - which will probably be tomorrow

MrsAndyjr1515. Though she doesn't make enough of it (she's very good but doesn't think she is) and certainly not enough to keep me in the manner I would like to get accustomed to...

Hi All Having finished the Yew SG-style guitar, it's still lockdown and we're back to basses! I've got a couple of smaller jobs that I will be kicking off and one of them is doing 'something special' with @Roger2611 's lovely Status Bass : And what's with the red knobs? Well - what Rog has asked me to do is one of my veneering jobbies. With this (bookmatched) on the top: In this kind of colour for the top... ...with natural (walnut?) on the back and sides, with a bit of this as a demarcation line between the two:

That is delightful!

Can't do any harm, especially if it is thin superglue. The very thin stuffs 'wicks' into tiny cracks, sucked in by capillary action and can do a great job of stabilising split woods. I used it on my recent Yew guitar build to stabilise the knots. For the gluing of the fretboard, Titebond is the recommended wood glue. It is used by most guitar and bass builders. Easy to apply and very, very strong when set.

Ash was my first thought too.

Unless you have massively thick strings (I'm talking size of a bishop's finger) I am pretty sure it would be sonically undetectable and probably immeasurable. And even if it was, you could file a small flat at the top edge of the nut with a needle file. It would be pretty invisible - you would only be squaring off the edge of the groove for half the width of the string. But personally, I reckon even that would be more trouble than its worth

The last couple of days have been about the final knockings - final shaping and refinishing of the neck, set-up and strap buttons I had built a couple of tweaks to help the balance but the main one - fitting Axesrus' wonderful lightweight aluminium tuners - was dashed because of (presumably Covid-related) non-availability. Instead, I have fitted some really, really nice open gear Hipshots - but, honestly, they are quite a bit heavier than the Axesrus ones. But when Matt tried it out. I watched how he played and we discussed that yes - he does want to get to that 24th fret..and with his thumb wrapped round and so the back button wanted to be in the 'traditional' place if at all possible. But what I do (with all of my builds) is first fit the back button, then pop a slippy strap on it, over my shoulder and, holding the strap in various positions while supporting the guitar, gauge where the balance was going to be. And it looked like we could get there. So on went the back button (and nowhere near the 'goldilocks' zone of 12th -13th fret I always recommend!): ...and then popped a slippy strap on and hands off... So, whatever position Matt likes to play, it should be absolutely fine Final bit of polishing up tomorrow and it's ready to go to Matt. So one last glance before it goes into the gig bag: Yup - that'll do Thank you all again for your kind words and encouragement along the way - always immensely appreciated

Not sure what problem this is trying to solve...?

Splendid on all counts

Thanks again, folks. And now we are onto the final knockings. Firstly, suitably masked and gloved (which used to be the tip to the police to stop and search...how times have changed!) I popped the pickup across to Matt for him to reverse the phasing, which he did while I waited. I took the guitar along, fully strung up and watched from the regulation 2m while he tried out the neck profile. I noticed how much he uses the thumb wraparound - even at the very top frets. He was happy with the feel but this morning - with both pickups now in phase and sounding good, I played it for real, also trying more thumb wraparound. My conclusion was that there is still too much bulk either side of the centre line, and that the spine thickness could lose a mm also. So, having checked with Matt that he would be OK with it, I set about the profile one more time, concentrating on playability in the style Matt prefers. And - boy what a difference! I also took more away from the bass side of the heel: I'm sure his guitar teacher won't thank me for it, but he should now be able to thumb wrap all the way up the fretboard until the body stops him So now the final danish oil slurry sanding has been started and the next three days will see the final slurry and buff finish completed. Two final jobs while that's all going on - final set up and fixing the strap buttons. So I reckon Wed / Thur should see it ready to hand over