Annoying Twit

[quote name='yorks5stringer' timestamp='1442173274' post='2864907'] Keying surface/removing all clear coat is necessary depending on computability of glue with clear coat. You can clamp the veneer with wood on either side of headstock ( assuming you have clamps). Care with tuner peg holes and break-out... [/quote] Thanks. Andyjr1515 has posted a headstock veneering thread in 'build diaries'. He uses an iron-on technique for the veneer, not clamps (which I don't have). He also uses paper to make a blank for the headstock including holes, so that they can be re-made after the veneer is added. EDIT: Beatbass, 1975 Jazz Bass, and 4 string fretless acoustic all sold out. Anyone get something this time round?

I've got some excess veneer, a neck, and some evo-stick wood glue identical to yours. I want to give this a go. I would never have thought of some of your tricks such as the paper guide to find the holes and the iron-on technique. Did you sand down the headstock before gluing? Or does some finish on the headstock not make a difference?

This is absolutely fantastic. I've just read the build thread and it's fascinating to see this emerging from great big chunks of wood.

Thanks Tauzero. As in the deko thread, I used EvoStick wood glue as that's what I found in our big box of adhesives. I now have zebrawood veneer stuck in the slots and will leave the glue to dry properly, though the first few frets seem suitably firmly attached now. I have to work out how to flatten the veneer such that I can then sand it down. I'm hoping to use left over veneer to veneer the headstock as Andyjr1515 does to entire instruments. One problem is that this is a neck that Andytre recycled to me. I don't have a bass to put the neck in, but this is practice. If this turns out a success I could always buy a deko jazz bass and have a bass with swappable necks. Or, I might be tempted to defret my deko PJ.

DEKOS! Beatles bass. [url="http://www.thomann.de/gb/harley_benton_beatbass_vs_vintage_se_deko.htm"]http://www.thomann.d...age_se_deko.htm[/url] Jazz bass. [url="http://www.thomann.de/gb/harley_benton_jb_75_na_vintage_serie_deko.htm"]http://www.thomann.d..._serie_deko.htm[/url] Resonator thing already sold out. [url="http://www.thomann.de/gb/harley_benton_custom_line_resoking_b_deko.htm"]http://www.thomann.d...king_b_deko.htm[/url] Four string fretless acoustic bass back after being sold out before. [url="http://www.thomann.de/gb/harley_benton_b_30_nt_fl_acoustic_ba_deko.htm"]http://www.thomann.d...tic_ba_deko.htm[/url] EDIT: Whoops! Just noticed that these have already been posted. Also, I just noticed this advice that I somehow missed the first time. [quote name='yorks5stringer' timestamp='1441796629' post='2861805'] Have you tried a piece of veneer in the slot, just cut a piece off to use as you will have loads left. I found I had to actually thin my veneer down by sanding each piece on a flat surface and on both sides. Would be surprised if the slot is as wide as you think once the veneer is in [/quote] [quote name='blablas' timestamp='1441797542' post='2861818'] Standard fret tangs are 0.6 mm thick so the the fret slots won't be that much bigger. One layer should be enough, you probably won't be able to get two layers in the fret slot anyway. [/quote][quote name='blablas' timestamp='1441797542' post='2861818'] Standard fret tangs are 0.6 mm thick so the the fret slots won't be that much bigger. One layer should be enough, you probably won't be able to get two layers in the fret slot anyway. [/quote] The veneer fits very loosely into the fret slots. It's the middle of the night now (unfortunately woke up needing to pee) but today I'll cut off some veneering and see if i can fit two layers in a slot. The veneer feels very thin and I'm not sure that it's the 0.6mm that the eBay listing said it was. EDIT: The veneer is wider than I thought. When I actually put strips in, I could only fit one strip per slot. I've glued them in with EvoStick Wood Glue, as that's what I found when I looked in the 'big box of adhesives' that we have. Zebrawood appears to be a poor choice of veneer, as it splits along the grain. The first few frets are filled with veneer cut against the grain, the rest cut along the grain. There may be some visual inconsistency between the frets but C'est la vie. I'll leave them for at least a day, but the veneer strips for the first few frets done seem to be glued in firmly. I've now got strips sticking up. I was planning to trim them down closer to the fretboard with a Stanley knife, and then sand them down flush. I hope this will also remove excess glue. I've got enough veneer left over that I could veneer the headstock, Andyjr1515 style. I'm very tempted to do so, but will sand down the headstock first in the belief (incorrect?) that this will make the veneer stick better. Further apologies to Andytre for once again massacring the neck he gave me.

£720 for a Westone Rail? http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Westone-The-Rail-Bass-Guitar-80s-headless-bass-Matsumoku-Japan-/111768452655?hash=item1a05eb3e2f

[quote name='yorks5stringer' timestamp='1441908628' post='2862901'] Is there a Plenary Session at the end which no-one attends as they are back off home? [/quote] No, it ends with lunch. Free food, or off home early? EDIT: The plenary sessions we've had have been more like invited talks than what I think of as plenary sessions. They've been very good so far. Back to Dekos: When I was on the train I used my phone for internet access. Up popped a deko. http://www.thomann.de/gb/harley_benton_d_120ce_lh_bk_deko.htm

This is an older model that isn't available any more. The current most similar looking model is a PJ.

I'm at a logistics and supply conference. I've just discussed 'dekos' with an academic specialising in the 'Reverse Supply Chain', which is where end of life / faulty products make their way back to the original manufacturer or some other organisation for remanufacturing, recovery of parts/materials/etc. She thinks it entirely plausible that given the prices of the full price instruments and how large organisations work that: 1] Thomann may be pretty much getting their investment back given the deko and full price. So, they aren't losing money on the dekos, just not making a profit. Margins will be small enough that even checking them properly may not be worth it. and 2] The previously mentioned theory that whole batches may be assigned as dekos based on some samples being faulty could be true. Again, checking things carefully may be unprofitable. Plausible does not mean likely of course.

[quote name='tauzero' timestamp='1441834203' post='2862252'] It's not about chords though, it's melody and drones (also cf. sitar). [/quote] I would prefer to be able to play both. I tried both styles, the melody + drone, and fretting all strings to play power chords. I'd like an instrument like this that can play more notes.

[quote name='tauzero' timestamp='1441619138' post='2860204'] Just think of it as a string version of the Highland bagpipes. [/quote] I saw and briefly played a Seagull Merlin SG today, one of these: Very easy to play, but it would be frustrating to not have all notes. A chromatically fretted version would be very interesting. But, even though some chords could be played by fretting fruitlessly between the frets that are there, I would think that the limitation to diatonic chords would be frustrating.

Me? Re-profile a fretboard? I was hoping that I could sand it carefully so that the profile doesn't change significantly.

[quote name='yorks5stringer' timestamp='1441751657' post='2861561'] I just used PVA as it gives you some time to make sure the veneers are firmly in and your fingers don't end up sticking to each other. Superglue is quicker and just seeps into the gap but is harder to remove once dried, a damp cloth removes PVA before set.. I found it useful to shape my veneers with a small curve and a tiny hump in the middle as whilst I did clean out the nuts slots and deepen them slightly, the veneers were tipping when put in the fret slots. It just helps them seat better. [/quote] I've bought some zebra wood veneer to put in the slots. Since the veneer is 0.6mm wide and the slot looks about 1mm, does that mean that I need to put in two layers to fill the slots? Or does the glue fill in the rest?

[quote name='yorks5stringer' timestamp='1441751657' post='2861561'] I just used PVA as it gives you some time to make sure the veneers are firmly in and your fingers don't end up sticking to each other. Superglue is quicker and just seeps into the gap but is harder to remove once dried, a damp cloth removes PVA before set.. I found it useful to shape my veneers with a small curve and a tiny hump in the middle as whilst I did clean out the nuts slots and deepen them slightly, the veneers were tipping when put in the fret slots. It just helps them seat better. [/quote] Thanks. All the frets are out now, so I need to order some veneer. The fret slots are a bit sharp and rough, but I don't think this is damage done when removing frets, but is the way they were cut originally. I'll definitely use PVA rather than CA glue, as it's more reversible.

Maybe I'm less fussy than other people. The fret edges of my PJ feel fine to me. Not the smoothest I've felt, but I can't feel anything sharp. The bass won't take a super-low action without buzzing. I did buy a fret file with my last deko purchase, but haven't tried using it yet. My acoustic is fretless. I've looked carefully, but can't see any sign of the hump in the fretboard that some people have had.

That's a great result Low End Bee. I've just used my ground pincers to try pulling at the frets of the neck that Andytre gave me. They are in firmly, but don't appear to be glued in. They pull out. I pushed them back in again when I realised that they were moving, but I guess that since I've started, I should continue. Now to work out what glue I need to sick in some veneer.

I'm back here in this thread after months. I bought some pincers as recommended and had them ground down a bit in the machine shop at work. I thought that perhaps I hadn't ground them down enough, but I just tried using them on the neck. They work too well, as a fret I pulled at just came out. I pushed it back in again, but probably this means that I'm past the point of no return and should defret. The frets don't appear to be glued in. They are reasonably tight in the wood, but they just pull out. Now to go look for some maple (or similar) veneer on eBay. And some glue. What sort of glue should I use? EDIT: CA glue it says above. My memory is a sieve. EDIT: Cyanoacrylate glue? Similar to superglue? Really? Not wood glue? I can see myself making a mess. EDIT: Oh dear, all frets removed. Some were bent a bit as they were removed, so there's definitely no going back now. I haven't made the big hash of the fretboard that I expected.

That does look nice. However, Hook is a very long way around from The Midlands. Surely someone has to buy it.

If Oasis is covered, I do like the Beady Eye song "Four Letter Word", would it fit? Agree with the Ramones suggestion, Sheena is a Punk Rocker is outside of your genre but would be fun? 90s/00s? Something from Bob Mould's Sugar, such as "Changes"?

This is an interesting reason for an instrument being a deko. Good luck with sorting it.

@Paul-h: I hope your bass is moving now @Merton: Happy NDBD. Sounds like you have yet another bargain. How is the B string on your acoustic?

The demos are very impressive. The voice demos sound a bit samey however. But the Requiem string demo sounds beautiful IMHO.

The guitar was relisted after the £510 'sale' and then the second listing (£30 start price) was ended 'because the item is no longer available'. The seller doesn't have any completed listings on eBay. IMHO it's clearly not a valid sale. It could be that someone was deliberately ruining the seller's auction. Or that the seller was shill bidding for some reason. I've seen claims that someone who has various items will create fake auction results on eBay in order to try and boost the price for what they're selling. As so many people look at past sale prices when judging value, if they find a few auctions with guitars of this brand/sort selling for high prices, that is supposed to make them more likely to bid high for future items. I'm not sure how much that actually happens.

[quote name='TenLetters' timestamp='1441560023' post='2859829'] Awesome - Thanks. Hans Zimmer seems like a genuinely nice guy with a great outlook on things! I've started trawling through Vi Control as well, some really useful stuff there! Sorry to have to ask this - I have tried finding out but cant get a clear answer - with the VSL libraries do you know if you need to buy the sampler software on top or do you get a basic version with the samples? [/quote] I don't actually know this, but was curious about the samples so looked at the page. There are some free bits of software including a 'Vienna Instruments Sample Player'. [url="https://www.vsl.co.at/en/Software/Vienna_Instruments"]https://www.vsl.co.a...nna_Instruments[/url]

A long time ago someone on here bought one, intending to use the tuners, electronics, and other bits for a project they were working on. If I remember correctly (ha!) they paid about £34 for it or something. Unfortunately I never noticed what happened with that project, I must have missed that thread.