3below

Side angle on strings prevents rattling / spurious vibration in nut slots ☺ Measurements to follow on return to Mid Wales. Are you contemplating a routed recess for the whole bridge to lower into 📥? That would be very skilled and brave 🚫 The zero fret is an interesting issue. Logically (unless I am missing something) the zero fret is no different to any other fret in the near vicinity. Why does the zero fret need to be higher but the first fret does not? Is the amplitude difference between zero and first fret that great?

Looking good, commiserations about the blunder. I keep hoping I will not drop a serious one in my build. I could measure the lowest and highest string height available on my supertone 3 pointer if that would help. Am away from bass until Weds.

[quote name='Manton Customs' timestamp='1476010812' post='3150373'] Tightening the truss rod nut removes relief, so don't do that! To induce some relief you have a few options. Heavier gauge strings would work fine and after being on for a few weeks you could most likely go back down to regular gauge and the relief will hold. Alternatively you could tune up a note or two and leave it for a few weeks. Or remove the neck, loosen truss nut fully (if it isn't already) clamp into a slight forward bow and tighten the nut. All three should work, but as you're selling it I'd probably just put some heavier gauge strings on it and sell it like that. [/quote] Or the more 'direct' method, loosen truss rod, hold neck in left and right hand with middle of fretboard resting on or against knee. Give the neck [b]slight gentle pressure [/b] to aid the forward bow, no need to remove the neck. If this terrifies you (no reason why, I have used this method on many basses with no ill effect) you can achieve the same by placing the bass strings down on a flat surface (table) and putting a thin paperback book in the middle of the neck. Apply [b]gentle[/b] downwards pressure at both ends of neck.

On the home straight to the first non neck diving EB3 Time someone formulated an effortless finish that you can brush on, one coat and as if by magic it emerges as a perfect smooth high gloss finish, no further work needed. Not likely to happen though.

What I have found strange in this build is my obvious mistakes. All have been foreseeable but have still happened. I am working on getting it right 2nd time as I regain long lost skills.

Pictures show various divots infilled with mahogany and epoxy. Somehow very satisfying about shaping them to fit nicely. The small yellow blemish shown in earlier pictures developed into a substantial sized lump of well dried resin when it was exposed in a further router pass. Jack socket hole and wiring channel also sorted. Body is now ready to have the oak top glued on. The bridge, hmmm, I am not impressed with my workmanship here (as presented it is a long way from finished). The string holes do not align, I should have bolted a stop on the pillar drill table (and worn my reading glasses). The 3mm bridge saddle channel has a couple of router divots (the lighter grey parts in photo). I will attempt to sort these with ebony dust and epoxy. I may well have another go at a bridge, the ebony works out at about £2.50 for the bridge so no great loss. I now understand how I can make a better mk2 jig for this job.

Photos tomorrow, and agree on small steps forward. Am operating on the Zen principle, this is a thing of pleasure so have to be in the right frame of mind Hence slow progress at the moment.

Other than the headstock is the wrong way round, and it has a set neck it reminds me of some Peavey basses (of which I own a few) . Given that the Peavey basses are made with 'quality' wood and fetch as little as £100 used I think I will pass on this Gibson bass. In the interests of being non-partisan, I have owned two Gibson basses and currently my SG bass is my 'get to go' implement.

Slow progress, the day job uses time up. Tidied up the 'bad router day' issues. Sliced up various bits of mahogany into 2 / 3mm slices, bandsaw and file to fit the divots. Epoxied in and then routed flat. Started on the bridge, ebony slab planed and chamfered. String holes carefully measured and subsequently drilled. Today's lesson is - if you need reading glasses for close work, you should wear them. I got the measurements and hole locations spot on, not quite that good using the pillar drill making the holes. I should be able to 'lose' the slight misalignment issue. Next up, routing the 3mm bridge slot, have had several trials on this, still not really happy with the quality of what I can attain.

Very interesting, particularly the order of operations, gives me thought about my next build. I am surprised how much was freehand work. The other part of me was taken aback at the amount of high speed cutting tools without guards and the methods used. Wonder what the attrition rate on fingers, hands (and arms) is at the factory.

[quote name='Norris' timestamp='1475488740' post='3146235'] Cool - can you come round and find the two centre punches that are somewhere in my garage? I've spent hours looking [/quote] Centre punches, £2.50 for a set of 3, time to find them 2? hrs at £???? Somehow it does not seem right to view tools with the cost benefit analysis method.

[quote name='Andyjr1515' timestamp='1475428247' post='3145836'] Brilliant! Thank you so much, 3below. That does indeed look right to me [/quote] And thank you, I will be seeking advice later about finishing when I get that far. Shed is now somewhat clearer and my 'long lost' no5 plane re-appeared.

After some pencil, paper and brain effort I think I have the solution. In the Gibson circuit, at switch position 4, the neck output signal (lower pickup in Gibson diagram, 0.05uf capacitor) is routed through through the RC combo then to the jack tip. At the same time the neck output signal is also routed through the inductor to ground. (Gibson circuit has the bridge pickup on as well as neck position 4). In the modified Andyjr Mk1 circuit above , the neck signal is fed into the RC combo for positions 4 , 5 and 6. These then provide a connection to jack tip' and the various inductor tap connections then to ground.

Random thoughts removed, goes to get pencil, paper and brain

What you have drawn was what was in my mind. In the cold light of morning I am not sure this is correct either. I need to get pencil, paper and brain in the job. I also need to help swmbo who wants to clear my workshop

After a couple of months with the lessons you have under your belt I would say get yourself into a band. At the same time use Scott's (and others') lessons if the price is right (do not spend big bucks). In many ways progress is much faster these days, Youtube is your friend. Then again I spent a lot of time listening to singles and LPs to figure out what I was hearing (no internet then) which I now think was invaluable experience - automaticity between ears and hands (and even correctly some of the time....)

Yes is the short answer. Longer answer is, put the parallel CR combination in front of the '4' connection on switch, neck pickup. This gives CR into switch into L then ground. Your circuit is easier to follow than the Gibson one.

At a first run through that appears to match what you specify. Although being somewhat 'rusty' with my electronics I am figuring that the additional resistor and capacitor at the tail end of the Gibson circuit (0.22K, 0.02uF?) are part of a parallel CR series L notch filter. Figure 8 [url="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RLC_circuit#Other_configurations"]https://en.wikipedia..._configurations[/url] gives the circuit and relevant maths. Are these the extra 'extra resistor and capacitor' you are thinking of dispensing with? If so you may find you need to keep them. Like you I may have also missed something obvious in working through this. Any proper Electronics/Elec Engineers please confirm or correct the ageing Physicist who ironically is currently teaching active and passive filters.

In related quality control and perfection issues, whilst playing my Kramer DMZ4001 this evening what do I notice? The 12th 15th and 17th fret dots are well adrift of even spacing between the frets, probably 2 ~ 3 mm. Unlike Andyjr I do not intend to relocate the dots

Why will they not make a short scale EB2D at sane prices, or an Epiphone release of the same (Rivoli)?

Quality of pictures sets new higher bar for build accounts In other news Gibson apparently discontinue SG basses and Andyjr now steps up to meet UK demand.

Another good 'fix'. Attention to detail just seems to get sharper as the build progresses and like you minor imperfections start to bug me. It is a downhill (or uphill) slope.