Flea market Funk machine

[songofthewind]

Lovely job!

[Bastav]

[quote name='stearstree1304' timestamp='1494963828' post='3300071']
That's a super clean neck/body transition. Really impressed with this build. I keep looking at the bits of wood in my garage - probably best if they just remain bits of wood in my garage!!!
[/quote]

Thanks! I'd say you should attack the bits of wood with various tools, but be aware it might lead to an addiction.

[Bastav]

[quote name='songofthewind' timestamp='1495003518' post='3300271']
Lovely job!
[/quote]
Thank you

[Norris]

That's coming together beautifully. Splendid job!

[Bastav]

[quote name='Norris' timestamp='1495046660' post='3300882']
That's coming together beautifully. Splendid job!
[/quote]
Thanks Norris

[MoonBassAlpha]

Looking nice.
I have 2 questions:
Is it heavy? I know it's a short scale, but it looks quite thick.
Will you have to take the strings off to change the battery?

[Andyjr1515]

Properly caught up with this one now I'm back in range of an internet signal

There are some really innovative features on this build - love it!

[TheGreek]

Great progress - some very nice similarities to the build Andy is doing for me.

[Bastav]

[quote name='MoonBassAlpha' timestamp='1497112155' post='3315962']
Looking nice.
I have 2 questions:
Is it heavy? I know it's a short scale, but it looks quite thick.
Will you have to take the strings off to change the battery?
[/quote]

Thanks all for the comments! It´s not really that heavy and it´s around 35 mm thick. And yes, I´ll have to take the strings off to change the battery... here´s hoping it doesn't need changing too often

[Bastav]

So I strung it up to do some final intonation testing before installing the bridge. It's a little strange but I've got it intonating decently at around a cm longer than the anticipated scale length, anyone know why that would be? There's some neck-dive, we'll see if I can counter that with some weight-thing at the butt end.

For string anchoring I'm using some drill stops

[Andyjr1515]

[quote name='Bastav' timestamp='1499580576' post='3332258']
So I strung it up to do some final intonation testing before installing the bridge. It's a little strange but I've got it intonating decently at around a cm longer than the anticipated scale length, anyone know why that would be? There's some neck-dive, we'll see if I can counter that with some weight-thing at the butt end.

For string anchoring I'm using some drill stops



[/quote]
My ipads playing up and I couldn't see the pictures, but in terms of the intonation, I would generally be expecting the upper strings to be 1-2mm back and the lower strings 3-5mm back.

10mm doesn't sound quite right and you probably need to track down the issue before you fix the bridge. It will usually be that either the:
- action is too high. The string is therefore bending excessively as you press it down to the fretboard and thus raising the pitch as it would if you were doing a conventional string bend.
- the strings are very, very, very old

To intonate, everything needs to be pretty much set up as you will have when it's ready to play - truss rod set, nut height there or thereabouts, action at playing height, strings in reasonable condition and of the same gauge as intended for playing.

Hope this helps

[Andyjr1515]

Just got the pictures - it looks GREAT by the way - and the action doesn't look so high...

Other thoughts
- I can't remember the scale length of your build (my guideline measurements above are what I use for a 34" scale bass) but could it be that the strings need to be different gauge? String tension will impact on the bending effect of fretting down
- on a fretless, you need to make absolutely sure the string is contacting the fretboard at exactly the 12th fret position. Just placing your finger on the fretmarker isn't accurate enough. I use my fingernail, and double check the gap between the fretboard and the string to make sure it is exactly right.

[Bastav]

Thanks Andy Yes the action is pretty much where I want it and I've triple checked the measurements (using the stewmac fret calculator). I used my fingernail to check the "frets".
The scale is 28'', so 71.12 cm. I'm using long scale strings at the moment... when I made my 25'' scale bass I used regular short scale strings and had no intonation issues. Strings are brand new also...

[Bastav]

I went ahead and fixed the bridge... sort of. The way I did it gives me room for intonation adjustment should I need it.

[Bastav]

Then it was on to the sanding, but that's no fun to look at so straight to the pics of what came after, the first coat of oil. Oh yeah, and I made a truss rod cover. Classy

[FuNkShUi]

Looks amazing!Great Work

[TheGreek]

Far too many great basses being built at the moment...hard to keep up with all of them.

Have you thought about a Builders/Luthiers Bash? Bring along all the BC builds...I'd bring both of mine.

[Andyjr1515]

Thats looking really good, Bastav

[Si600]

[quote name='TheGreek' timestamp='1499874749' post='3334249']
Far too many great basses being built at the moment...hard to keep up with all of them.

Have you thought about a Builders/Luthiers Bash? Bring along all the BC builds...I'd bring both of mine.
[/quote]

We do already, it seems to have settled at the Midlands Bash, or at least, home-made outnumbered shop-bought this year

[SpondonBassed]

[quote name='Bastav' timestamp='1499580576' post='3332258']
So I strung it up to do some final intonation testing before installing the bridge. It's a little strange but I've got it intonating decently at around a cm longer than the anticipated scale length, anyone know why that would be?...
[/quote]

I've been wondering about that phenomenon too. I hope we can get some more enlightened person to confirm or deny but I think of it this way;

The strings bend as they go over the nut and bridge saddles. The thicker strings have larger bend radii. The vibration of the strings is partially damped where the strings are bent because they are stiffer in the bend itself. On the thicker strings the larger bend radius means that at both the nut and the saddle there is a longer piece of bent string extending into the vibrating portion of the string than on the thin strings.

What surprised me was that in the images in this post your one-piece saddle seemed to sit square to the centreline of the instrument where I'd have expected to see a slight deviation from the right angle. I can't believe that all of your strings would true to the 12th with it like that. On later images I see you have made a floating bridge which is adjustable so I have no concerns about it now. I just hope that the wing nuts are grippy enough.

When you look at independent saddle arrangements they compensate for the thicker strings by adding a little more to the nominal scale length and thereby restoring the free string length, that is the portion of string that is in a straight line, nearer to scale length. Even the thinnest string will have a small amount added to the nominal scale length when adjusted to align your harmonic with your 12th fret position.

This is just a theory I have going at the moment. Would anyone care to challenge it with a definitive answer please? I am sure lots of people reading have pondered on it. It might be why fanned frets exist. Who knows?

I like your build. Aesthetically it was stunning before you applied the first coat of oil. Now it is exceptional. You have got me thinking about fret markers for my custom neck. It is to be a 35inch fretless. I haven't seriously thought beyond the neck to a body for it at this stage but I will do at the point I begin the 35inch neck project.

[SpondonBassed]

[quote name='TheGreek' timestamp='1499874749' post='3334249']
Far too many great basses being built at the moment...hard to keep up with all of them.

Have you thought about a Builders/Luthiers Bash? Bring along all the BC builds...I'd bring both of mine.
[/quote]

[quote name='Si600' timestamp='1500021083' post='3335129']
We do already, it seems to have settled at the Midlands Bash, or at least, home-made outnumbered shop-bought this year
[/quote]

Having attended, I have to say that it was additional encouragement for me to go back into the workshop, albeit with a kit, and start building for the first time. As it is the Midlands, I'd like to support Mick's idea and suggest that the Midlands Bash is the ideal placement for a national get together.

[BassTool]

Looks great, really unusual too

[TheGreek]

Any more progress since late October?

Looking forward to seeing the finished article.

[Bastav]

I put this together a few days ago. I'm pretty pleased even if it's not perfect. The finishing took ages, I think it was the rosewood that presented the trouble... but it's finished and it looks pretty cool/sounds pretty good. I had some trouble with the preamp buzzing, I ended up grounding it to the strings so now it's pretty much under control but I didn't think I'd have to do that with a piezo only...? Anyway on to the too many pics portion of the post!

 

 

[SpondonBassed]

43 minutes ago, Bastav said:

I put this together a few days ago. I'm pretty pleased even if it's not perfect. The finishing took ages, I think it was the rosewood that presented the trouble... but it's finished and it looks pretty cool/sounds pretty good. I had some trouble with the preamp buzzing, I ended up grounding it to the strings so now it's pretty much under control but I didn't think I'd have to do that with a piezo only...?

The signal from piezo is still an electrical one.  Because it is such a low output any induced noise is likely to be more noticeable than conventional pick-ups.  Grounding the hardware is a must.  Even if you use non metallic strings I think you'd have the problem.

The bass is a beauty.  I am gob-smacked!  It would sit well amongst older and more traditional stringed instruments yet it is very much of this era.