Finished! A Bridge Too Far?

[Andyjr1515]

OK - to some very exciting stuff!

The pickup coils have arrived! :


Martin Herrick's done a great, great job

After a detailed phone discussion and a view of how I will position them, Martin suggested that the windings were progressively increased to balance out the volumes of each string. The poles are also adjustable from the bottom so I will be able to mount them and then fine-tune the cross-string balance :


I'll change the earth strap arrangement slightly to allow the coils to be truly separated and all connected wires to be in the bottom shallow chamber but I couldn't be more pleased .

Also arrived is John East's tiny MPM02 mixer/pre-amp. Fitting this into the control chamber should be a doddle! :


ALSO arrived is some black veneer that will be able to be used to provide a classy witness line between the fretboard and neck.

So what that means, my loyal thread followers, is that I now can:[list]
[*]Fit the truss rod
[*]Glue the witness line veneer to the back of the fretboard
[*]Carefully cut the circular chambers in the fretboard back to allow the maximum height of the pickup coils and adjustable slugs to be achieved
[*]Glue on the fretboard
[*]Carve the neck
[*]Fret the fretboard
[/list]
Watch this space

[stearstree1304]

And its bank holiday weekend too - loads of time to get that lot done!!!!

[Andyjr1515]

[quote name='stearstree1304' timestamp='1495723800' post='3306157']
And its bank holiday weekend too - loads of time to get that lot done!!!!
[/quote]
Ooooh....never crossed my mind

[Andyjr1515]

Truss rod and cap fitted

[roman_sub]

how will the coils be wired - series or parallel?

[Daz39]

All caught up now - can't wait for next week's updates!
There is an insufficiency of bees for the requisite knees for how cool this is going to end up.

[Andyjr1515]

This is the black fretboard demarcation veneer. 2m length arrived in a box 17cm square cross section all rolled up - and it's 0.6mm thick and real wood. Amazing stuff is veneer! Take off the tape holding the bundle rolled up and here you go:


and here is a length of it, between two full length cauls, being glued to the back of the fretboard. I know it's only 0.6mm thick, but remember the mantra, folks "You can never have too many clamps!!!!!" 12 heavy ones, in this case:

[Andyjr1515]

[quote name='roman_sub' timestamp='1495726306' post='3306176']
how will the coils be wired - series or parallel?
[/quote]
series with opposite magnet poles on two of them (bit like a deconstructed humbucker)

[BigRedX]

[quote name='Andyjr1515' timestamp='1495727820' post='3306190']
series with opposite magnet poles on two of them (bit like a deconstructed humbucker)
[/quote]

If all the coils are different impedances in order to balance the string volume will it be completely humbucking?

[Andyjr1515]

[quote name='BigRedX' timestamp='1495733472' post='3306251']
If all the coils are different impedances in order to balance the string volume will it be completely humbucking?
[/quote]
No - but it's only a tweak

[LukeFRC]

On the headstock: the first sketches I saw of this I was getting the vibes of the many basses that influenced it, steinberger, the Greek's ACG harlot, Ritter, and a few others. Having been on basschat long enough to see a few of the basses he's bought and sold it's quite cool to see all the best bits of the basses he's raved about over the years come into one instrument. I think the headstock fits the design, and for a one off bass it makes way more sense to go for the headstock that fits the body best over worrying toomuch about slight similarities to other builders

[stoo]

[quote name='BigRedX' timestamp='1495733472' post='3306251']
If all the coils are different impedances in order to balance the string volume will it be completely humbucking?
[/quote]

If the difference between the impedance of each adjacent coil is the same across all of them, wouldn't you still get full humbucking if the centre two were polarised one way and the outer two polarised the other?

[Andyjr1515]

[quote name='stoo' timestamp='1495789420' post='3306555']
If the difference between the impedance of each adjacent coil is the same across all of them, wouldn't you still get full humbucking if the centre two were polarised one way and the outer two polarised the other?
[/quote]
Happily, I can trust that Martin will have done whatever necessary for the intended result. Which is another way of saying, I have absolutely no idea (but I'm sure BigRedX and Martin do)

What I do know a bit more about, though, is cutting the holes for the 'it's all magic to me' electrics.

My experiments in the very early design phase of this project - taking my fretless bass and doing VERY odd things to the height of the pickups and slugs led me to the conclusion that the slugs have to be close enough to the strings, but to be honest, the coils need to be too. As such, knowing I've got 3-4mm gap between the string and top of the fretboard here, I knew that an added 5-7mm of fretboard was going to be too much. So from the start, it was planned to do something like this:


The change from a standard pickup to the individual coils has made this op less scary....but scary it is nevertheless

I have created coil chambers in the fretboard of 3 to 4mm - and then an additional slug chamber, to allow adjustment to balance the strings, of a further 2mm:



So now I'm going to sit and think and look and think and measure and think and look again and think.....because I [i]think[/i] this is now the time to be attaching the fretboard. And all of that pause for thought is because, to paraphrase the supermarket cliche, "Once it's on... it's on!"

Edited May 26, 2017 by Andyjr1515

[Ghost_Bass]

Wouldn't it be easier to fret the FB before attaching it to the body? Better support laying on a table for you to hammer on and easier to move around.

[Andyjr1515]

[quote name='Ghost_Bass' timestamp='1495805683' post='3306765']
Wouldn't it be easier to fret the FB before attaching it to the body? Better support laying on a table for you to hammer on and easier to move around.
[/quote]
I've tried it both ways.

The trouble is, that if the frets are in - due to the HUGE forces you end up putting onto the fretboard to clamp it to the neck, it is very easy to distort and loosen the fitted frets. On balance, my preference is to fret last. With a profiled and padded neck support (Crimson do a decent one) it is fairly straightforward. The other change I'm thinking about is pressing the frets in this time. I'll have a ponder on that.

Anyway - a bit academic on this one, because, having thought, etc, etc, there was nothing left to do except glue and clamp the fretboard:


I have 3/4" marine ply cauls at the back and am using radius blocks as cauls on the top all the way down. Where the neck will be fretted, the radius blocks are tighter radius (10" to 14") than the fretboard which should apply more pressure to the edges, where I need a completely gap-free result. There are literally tonnes of pressure on this clamping, hence my reservation about fretting first....

This glue-job is critical - the clamps will stay there until the morning

Edited May 26, 2017 by Andyjr1515

[Andyjr1515]

Great - everything appears to be in the right place:


LOADS of shaping still to do on the body - especially some of the edges that Mick wants softer radii on. But the key thing is that neck carving can commence very soon.

I got Mick to send me some profile impressions from his favourite playing bass so that I can at least replicate the 'type' of feel to it. The contrasting veneer (I think Jabba_the_gut does this one some of his) between the neck and the fretboard should add a little extra quality to the look of the finished neck:


It's going to start looking like a proper bass soon

[TheGreek]

Wow...seeing the progress is making me even more anxious...

Keep up the good work, sir...

[paul h]

It's looking amazing so far....can't wait to see it finished

[Andyjr1515]

This is probably where Mick has to look away....



And before you ask - yes, spokeshaving rock maple and ebony is VERY hard work! I normally knock off a neck carve in a day, but this will take longer. Single-cuts also have some especially interesting foibles....

[Andyjr1515]

I've been keeping a tab on the weight, by the way. Presently, including the fretboard and trussrod, it's sitting at 6lb 1oz. The headless tuner block is 1 lb 1oz and the magnetic coils are 3 oz.

With there being still a fair bit of neck to shave off, but the headstock to be added to, I reckon it will finish at touch under 7 1/2lbs Not bad for a solid-body....

Edited May 27, 2017 by Andyjr1515

[Andyjr1515]

That's enough hard work for today. The width and depth is to finished dimensions and some of the bulk from the haunches removed. Time to sharpen the tools and cut out some profile templates from Mick's measurements and have a beer before the footer.




For this build, it will be simply what Mick prefers, but for my future reference - to all you experienced single cut players....I will be putting to Mick that, instead of merging the neck into the full body thickness here:


...that I increase the top horn concavity a touch and do a semi-neck profile as far as the lower neck/body join point. Bit like this:




Does any other single-cut manufacturer do that? I can't say I've ever seen anyone do it... Also, do you reckon it would enhance the playing experience?

Edited May 27, 2017 by Andyjr1515

[Andyjr1515]

I think I've confused everyone, but Mick has given me the go ahead to do what I wanted to do

Now - I'm going at this very, very slowly so that I can see clearly when it's just right. The profiles, taken form Mick's favourite playing bass will eventually be this:



BUT single cuts have an issue. That is, what do you do for the stretch from where the top horn joins the body to where the bottom cutaway joins the body.

If we take this shot:


10th fret is easy. From the left hand side:[list]
[*]Profile curves from the left hand fretboard edge towards the highest (mid) point then curves back down the other side towards the righthand fretboard edge
[/list]
But at, say the 18th...pretty much ALL single cut basses I've seen go:[list]
[*]Profile curves from the left hand side towards the highest (mid) point, then stay flat until it smacks into the body. Some builders then just have a ridge. Others curve the transition to the full body depth
[/list]
Mine (and in this shot you can JUST see the curve starting to form) goes:[list]
[*]Profile curves from the left hand fretboard edge towards the highest (mid) point then curves back down the other side enough to feel like a normal neck and then the body carve gently takes over back the other way
[/list]

Now, I may be completely wrong, but I think that is 100% Andyjr1515. I'm sure someone will tell me if it isn't

[MoonBassAlpha]

I've got a vague recollection of seeing an ACG like that, but could be mistaken. It can be hard to discern 3d carves from only 2d images.

[Andyjr1515]

[quote name='MoonBassAlpha' timestamp='1496015201' post='3308148']
I've got a vague recollection of seeing an ACG like that, but could be mistaken. It can be hard to discern 3d carves from only 2d images.
[/quote]
I'll see if I can find some more pics. Mick has sent me photos of the backs of a variety of single cut basses (including an ACG) and, as you say, it's quite difficult to see exactly what's going on... but they all looked flat to me on the bass side of the neck itself. But maybe not. Dunno. Anyway, it's of no great consequence....it would be nice, though, to have a 'new' feature - at least for a while before everyone copies it

I'm very pleased with how the carve is coming along. Probably no point in posting many shots now until it's all done and properly rounded but it's starting to look like the image I had in my head

I'm out of action building-wise next week, but am hoping for all the main body and neck carve to be completed this week.

[Saved]

You are ages forward.Well done