Jabba_the_gut Posted May 14, 2012 Share Posted May 14, 2012 (edited) I enjoyed building scratch bass #1 ([url="http://basschat.co.uk/topic/151462-first-of-many-i-hope/"]http://basschat.co.u...of-many-i-hope/[/url]) and learnt a few valuable lessons from it and now I'm finally getting round to having a bash at building a second bass from scratch. Been accumulating parts for a little while and now have finally started. This time round it is going to be a 34" scale 5 string fretted bass. I've got hold of the following odds and sods for it over the past 12 months (all hardware either little used, or bought new by folk for projects and not used so cost me a bit less than new) :[list] [*]Badass bridge [*]Hipshot Ultralites tuners [*]Nordstrand DC5 pickups [*]Audere Z mode pre-amp [*]Swamp ash body [*]Spalted beech top [*]Wenge fingerboard [/list] I've no idea what it will sound like, I'll just have to wait and see!! I made some roughish drawings for the body and have made a start on on the body by sandwiching some wenge veneer between the ash and beech. I'm not completely convinced with the headstick shape at the moment and I'm toying with the idea of LED markers on the edge of the fretboard, though I've no idea how to do this!!! Any suggestions on LED markers would be appreciated. Photos below show roughly what I'm thinking. I also got a piece of elm off here recently and an considering making a second bass with the same body shape at the same time, though that might be biting off a bit more than I can chew!! Edited November 9, 2014 by Jabba_the_gut Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SquarePlayer Posted May 15, 2012 Share Posted May 15, 2012 nice! Just wondering where did you get your ultralites and Badass Bridge? I'm building a bass from parts and scored a nice Tokai Jazz Sound neck from the 80's, which needs tuners - and I want a D-Tuner so my only real option is Hipshot. I think buying them online from america will be cheaper even after postage and VAT! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scojack Posted May 15, 2012 Share Posted May 15, 2012 Nice,.....your last one turned out really well too. Looking forward to seeing it complete :-) IanM Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jabba_the_gut Posted May 15, 2012 Author Share Posted May 15, 2012 [quote name='SquarePlayer' timestamp='1337092655' post='1655280'] nice! Just wondering where did you get your ultralites and Badass Bridge? I'm building a bass from parts and scored a nice Tokai Jazz Sound neck from the 80's, which needs tuners - and I want a D-Tuner so my only real option is Hipshot. I think buying them online from america will be cheaper even after postage and VAT! [/quote] Bought the Ultralites off here from someone that bought them for a project but didn't use them. The Badass was bought off eBay brand new - think it was £60 which I thought was a pretty good price. Sorry that's not too much help to you. Cheers Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jabba_the_gut Posted August 3, 2012 Author Share Posted August 3, 2012 (edited) Well I've finally started this! Not done too much but decided to change the head shape a bit. Made a rough template from plywood to see how everything lines up. I've made a couple of templates for the body but these aren't quite finished yet. Also thinking about fingerboard radius. This will be a 5 string bass with 19mm string spacing at the bridge so I'm considering a flat fretboard - though I've never tried one!! Anyone had a flat fretboard with a symmetrical neck or have any guidance on this? Edited July 30, 2013 by Jabba_the_gut Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tommorichards Posted August 4, 2012 Share Posted August 4, 2012 Flat fretboard seems weird. For an idea, see one of those nylon spanish guitars. Flat as a pancake they are. Kinda weird. Id probably go for at least a gentle radus. Good looking stuff here! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris Horton Posted August 4, 2012 Share Posted August 4, 2012 I am following this build with much interest. One day I will pluck up enough balls to have a go and build myself a bass. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tommorichards Posted August 5, 2012 Share Posted August 5, 2012 [quote name='Johnston' timestamp='1344115250' post='1760123'] A couple of our contributing luthiers do flat boards. Lettsbass discussed it in one of the basschat exclusive deal threads. [/quote] They do? I had only heard of them on spanish guitars. Thank you for broadening my horizons dear sir. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
charic Posted August 5, 2012 Share Posted August 5, 2012 ACG do flat boards too Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jabba_the_gut Posted August 16, 2012 Author Share Posted August 16, 2012 (edited) Starting to make a bit of progress with this build but it's been slow going so far. Pickup routing complete and bridge holes drilled. Next task is to get the neck pocket sorted. Edited August 29, 2013 by Jabba_the_gut Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scojack Posted August 16, 2012 Share Posted August 16, 2012 Coming along nicely.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jabba_the_gut Posted August 22, 2012 Author Share Posted August 22, 2012 (edited) As I know folk on here like a bit more details, here we go. The truss rod and swamp ash came from Tonetech supplies, the wenge veneer from Nantwich veneers (comes in very long sheets), the maple neck, blank wenge fingerboard and spalted beech came from eBay. It's been stuck together using Cascamite wood glue. I'm still undecided about fitting LED edge markers on the neck - might be too much faff with more to go wrong but still tempeted to try it!! I've now fitted the truss rod and veneered the headstock to match the body. Anyway, here's a few more photos of progress. Edited August 9, 2014 by Jabba_the_gut Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nugget Posted August 23, 2012 Share Posted August 23, 2012 I really like that shape! this is gonna look nice. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jabba_the_gut Posted September 1, 2012 Author Share Posted September 1, 2012 I've now shaped the outline of the neck and headstock. I've also drilled the holes for the tuners. Just need to shape the heel the I'll look at cutting the neck pocket on the body. I'm going to try to fit blue LEDs to the fretboard - not sure how that will turn out, we'll see!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nugget Posted September 3, 2012 Share Posted September 3, 2012 I fancy trying these [url="http://www.fiberopticproducts.com/Guitar_frets.htm"]http://www.fiberopticproducts.com/Guitar_frets.htm[/url] simple to install and cheap as chips Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jabba_the_gut Posted September 16, 2012 Author Share Posted September 16, 2012 (edited) Still plodding along with this!! I installed blue LEDs on the fretboard - no other reason than to see if I could. Seems to have worked out ok. I've used threaded inserts in the neck the allow it to be attached by bolts rather than screws. The inserts can be a pain in the backside to fit as they are made from a relatively soft alloy; the allen key can round off the socket before it is completely seated so you can't get it all the way in and struggle to get it out again. I've cut the template for cutting the neck pocket, just need to get on and do it now. I've also cut the control cavity out and made a cover out of spalted beech from a leftover. I think it looks quite nice. Edited August 9, 2014 by Jabba_the_gut Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jabba_the_gut Posted September 19, 2012 Author Share Posted September 19, 2012 Finally cut the neck pocket - turned out quite well. Time for the fun bit shaping it now! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tonyf Posted September 19, 2012 Share Posted September 19, 2012 [quote name='Jabba_the_gut' timestamp='1348068385' post='1808829'] Finally cut the neck pocket - turned out quite well. Time for the fun bit shaping it now! [/quote] That looks absolutely fantastic. Seriously impressed! Even more worrying, I'm starting to get a bit of a hankering for clearing the shed out and having a go myself. As well as the build diaries on here, I've been looking at loads of build vids on YouTube. I've built a bitsa but obviously starting from the ground up is a total different story. From your own experience, what's the minimum kit you need (ie hand router, drill, jigsaw etc). T Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rubis Posted September 19, 2012 Share Posted September 19, 2012 That's bang tidy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jabba_the_gut Posted September 19, 2012 Author Share Posted September 19, 2012 [quote name='tonyf' timestamp='1348069060' post='1808838'] That looks absolutely fantastic. Seriously impressed! Even more worrying, I'm starting to get a bit of a hankering for clearing the shed out and having a go myself. As well as the build diaries on here, I've been looking at loads of build vids on YouTube. I've built a bitsa but obviously starting from the ground up is a total different story. From your own experience, what's the minimum kit you need (ie hand router, drill, jigsaw etc). T [/quote] There's definitely something satisfying about building your own bass from the ground up - I think there's a few folk on here who have that bug!! From my own experience in terms of kit I don't have masses of kit but will buy odd and sods as I go along. I have a Black and Decker router (nothing flash), a cordless drill and an electric drill. I got a drill stand and a woodwork vice off Freecycle both of which are very useful (there was a bandsaw on there once but I missed out on that one). For the router I have a few straight bits of varying sizes for cutting truss rod channels, but one of the most useful bits if a template cutter (this has a bearing on it that you guide round a template so you can get accurate cuts). I also have about a dozen g-clamps and a couple of sash cramps for joining two halves of bodies. If I buy some wood that needs thicknessing or when I want the rough outline of a body cutting, I go to one of the local handyman centres or joiners. For those tasks I think you do need specialist kit like a bandsaw or a thicknesser, the local guys are great and only cost me a couple of quid. This bass is only my second ground up build so I'm very much still learning - I'm sure any of folk in this forum would quite happily give you any advice if you are thinking of having a go. I did buy a couple of books, that were quite handy, as well as looking at stuff on the web. I bought 'Electric Guitar Construction' by Tom Hirst which I found quite useful and 'Electric Guitar & Bass Design' by Leonardo Lospennato' which I thought was really interesting. Hope this helps! Cheers Jez Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tonyf Posted September 19, 2012 Share Posted September 19, 2012 Cheers Jez, that's a great summary of the basics of "required" kit. Just what I needed. [quote][color=#282828][font=helvetica, arial, sans-serif]If I buy some wood that needs thicknessing or when I want the rough outline of a body cutting, I go to one of the local handyman centres or joiners. For those tasks I think you do need specialist kit like a bandsaw or a thicknesser, the local guys are great and only cost me a couple of quid.[/font][/color][/quote] That's a great idea. TBH, it's the whole part of the job that i'd worry about, the expense of buying and actually using those big powerful potentially dangerous power tools. if you can use a local joiner to do the bigger work "properly" for a few quid, it's a no brainer. in terms of routing, guess i'd be a little nervous about making mistakes as i've not used one before but i guess that's where a few hours of practice routing pickup cavities and neck sockets in scrap wood comes in handy. in terms of the bitsa i built, i had loads of fun and it gave me a massive sense of achievement. with a scratch build, i guess if i'm prepared to have a go and accept i'll probably make mistakes but soon learn from them, there's ultimately nothing stopping me. T Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jabba_the_gut Posted September 19, 2012 Author Share Posted September 19, 2012 [quote name='tonyf' timestamp='1348084156' post='1809147'] in terms of routing, guess i'd be a little nervous about making mistakes as i've not used one before but i guess that's where a few hours of practice routing pickup cavities and neck sockets in scrap wood comes in handy. [/quote] That's where these template cutter bits come in. Make a template out of ply about 6mm+ thickness then try routing it on a scrap of wood. You can then try fitting a pickup or whatever into the cutout to see if you have it right. It's a bit of trial and error and needs some patience to get a decent result. I often use bits of wood veneer stuck to the edges of my template to correct where I've got it a little wrong!! The thing with routing is not to try to cut too much in one go - if you do the router might snatch at the wood and chip a chunk out (found that out being impatient once...). The other good thing about using a local joiner is that if you are making a body out of 2 pieces of wood, the joiners will have the machine tools to get a nice, square edge on each piece to join together. They guys I've used round here have been really friendly and helpful - there is also a cabinet maker I have spoken to about different woods and finishes, who gave me some good advice; I hadn't heard of a cabinet scraper until then and that has also been a useful tool. Cheers Jez Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jabba_the_gut Posted September 24, 2012 Author Share Posted September 24, 2012 Started shaping the body a bit more......getting there, but slowly!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tonyf Posted September 24, 2012 Share Posted September 24, 2012 Do I have to say this again? WOW. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LukeFRC Posted September 24, 2012 Share Posted September 24, 2012 nice. What do you use to cut the frets? that's the one bit I know I would struggle to do with accuracy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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