Top load into string through ...Easy ?????

[mike 110]

I have a project Bass on the go , I'd like to make it string through . The bridge is an Epiphone / Gibson 3 point . How far from the bridge would I drill the holes ? Any and all advice welcome

[Mr. Foxen]

About that far. Not a critical thing to be exact.

[mike 110]

Thanks Mr Foxen , shouldn't be too complicated , maybe an inch or so behind the bridge , drill straight through , with the hole at the back a little wider for the string ends and bingo ! ....I hope !

[DarkHeart]

you will need some ferrules in the back

[Ian Savage]

Apparently it's a bit of a mission to get the holes to go through EXACTLY parallel to the body and come out the back nice and evenly-spaced. There IS a way of doing it, read it on the MusicRadar forums a while back - shall see if I can find it!

[Mr. Foxen]

A drill press, start with a small hole and a sharp drill, then make them bigger from the back, that way you can line them up from the front so they are right, and have some wiggle room when you reo from the back, plus usually finish flaking from going through from the back if covered by the bridge, not so in this case, so just take care.

[mike 110]

[quote name='DarkHeart' timestamp='1373318063' post='2136190']
you will need some ferrules in the back
[/quote]
[quote name='Ian Savage' timestamp='1373318200' post='2136193']
Apparently it's a bit of a mission to get the holes to go through EXACTLY parallel to the body and come out the back nice and evenly-spaced. There IS a way of doing it, read it on the MusicRadar forums a while back - shall see if I can find it!
[/quote]
[quote name='Mr. Foxen' timestamp='1373392838' post='2137088']
A drill press, start with a small hole and a sharp drill, then make them bigger from the back, that way you can line them up from the front so they are right, and have some wiggle room when you reo from the back, plus usually finish flaking from going through from the back if covered by the bridge, not so in this case, so just take care.
[/quote]

Woo , a tad more complicated than I thought ! But I'm going to do it , I can get hold of a drill press and I'm about to order some ferrules for the back . Looking at those photos of the Gibsons it looks like ferrules at the top as well , are they available anywhere ? I've checked my US P Bass and the holes are directly below the holes in the bridge and I can't see any ferrules . You'll have to pardon my ignorance as I'm more or less a beginner at this kind of thing . Thanks everybody , any help you give will be gratefully received !

[Mr. Foxen]

On the P the bridge covers the job of ferrule, need something of the string will eat through the wood.

[mike 110]

[quote name='Mr. Foxen' timestamp='1373399261' post='2137200']
On the P the bridge covers the job of ferrule, need something of the string will eat through the wood.
[/quote]

Mmm... How about guitar ferrules , Telecaster maybe ? Are they slightly narrower in diameter ?

[Mr. Foxen]

Tiny holes in them. Probably best looking outside of instrument stuff.

[Mr. Foxen]

A shaped metal plate on top of body would do.

[mike 110]

[quote name='Mr. Foxen' timestamp='1373404269' post='2137299']
A shaped metal plate on top of body would do.
[/quote]

Ah ! Never thought of that ...

[JapanAxe]

Try [url="http://www.wdmusic.co.uk/"]WD[/url] for hardware.

[apa]

I used one side of eyelets. Unfortunately I'm in Portugal at the mo but when I'm back I'll post a pic

A

[apa]

Even better here's a link to my build with them in. Scroll down to the bridge pic and you'll see the top ferrells which are the eye letters

http://basschat.co.uk/topic/189935-lucie-uber-deluxe-jazz-v/page__fromsearch__1

A

[mike 110]

I've gotten hold of 2 sets of ferrules , they're both meant for the back of the Bass . 1 set is short barrelled whilst the other is longer , both are the same diameter and narrow in at the bottom . My plan is to put the short barrel at the bottom and the long barrel at the top of the body . Should I drill a hole for the exact diameter ( and glue them into place should they be loose ) or drill a slightly narrower hole for a tight fit ?

[apa]

You drill a hole slightly smaller. To be exact it should be the dia of the solid shaft so that the serrated sections bite into the wood and keep them there. In practice (unless you can measure them) I would drill 1mm or 0.5mm too small from the O/A dia. They don't have to be too tight a fit since the strings will keep them in place anyway. If you have a pillar drill you can start with 1mm and see if it fits then you can always drill it bigger if needs be.

A

[mike 110]

Thanks apa , I'm going to have a go this week , hopefully

[apa]

[quote name='mike 110' timestamp='1375191347' post='2157896']
Thanks apa , I'm going to have a go this week , hopefully
[/quote]

Try it out on a scrap piece first

A