Finished Pics! Andyjr1515 meets his Nemesis?

[Andyjr1515]

Hi All

OK - while I've gained a bit of a reputation for being mad enough to take on stuff that any sane builder wouldn't touch in a million years - well, this one could indeed be my Nemesis 

 

There's a bit of well-founded and quite logical conventional wisdom that says that you can't use a stock P-bass type of bolt-on neck in a single cut bass re-body.

Why not?

Well, I can't find who's this beautiful example is, but here is a typical bolt-on single cut:

 

 

And here is (actually, this is an electric 6-string) a typical big F type of neck carve:

And the basic problem is that the neck carve carries on to about the 16th fret - and the neck tapers too

 

But a single cut top horn extends down to around the 12th fret:

And that means that the body needs to be carved to the same shape, but mirrored, so that it wraps around the neck between the 12th and 16th frets.

And no one would be crazy enough to try that, would they?

 

Hmmmm…..                        

 

 

 

 

Well, after all, it is our very own @fleabag who's asking

 

 

 

And, let's face it, what could POSSIBLY go wrong?

 

 

 

Edited April 4, 2019 by Andyjr1515

[SpondonBassed]

Allo, allo, allo!

[Stylon Pilson]

I'm expecting this thread to have a fair few followers by the time the day is out.

S.P.

[KiOgon]

Go Andy Go 😎

[SpondonBassed]

Just be sure to have some fat pillows at the bottom of your cellar stairs, you know, in case of accidental falls.

[SpondonBassed]

Oh... and hide the meat pies.

[fleabag]

Go for it, you crazy  mutha 

 

[Andyjr1515]

So this is the neck @fleabag is sending me:

 

And this (again, can't credit anyone because it's just a stock picture) kind of shape:

 

But with a few tweaks, some aesthetic and some to fit front and back onto this piece of lovely English Walnut:

 

...cut down by @scrumpymike 's late great mate, Merv, and also used on Mike's Rascal conversion:

 

And this is as far as I've got design-wise:

 

Who said precise technical drawing was dead? 

[fleabag]

Not me sir - your pencil work is monumental

[Stylon Pilson]

18 minutes ago, Andyjr1515 said:

Haven't seen this bass before, it is gorgeous in (nearly) every conceivable way. The colour, the figuring, the hardware... the only gripe I'd have would be the controls being all bunched up there, but I imagine that that was done for a reason.

S.P.

Edited January 16, 2019 by Stylon Pilson

[fleabag]

Andy - found it 

http://nextbigthingguitars.com/inventory/ziegenfuss-single-cut-4-string-bass

[Andyjr1515]

1 minute ago, Stylon Pilson said:

Haven't seen this bass before, it is gorgeous in (nearly) every conceivable way. The colour, the figuring, the hardware... the only gripe I'd have would be the controls being all bunched up there, but I imagine that that was done for a reason.

S.P.

Thanks

That was also a fun project.  Mike had one of these:

….and he loved the sounds, but didn't like the look and wanted more like a Precision Lyte.  We agreed that I'd try a totally reversible conversion - even the headstock - so, if he ever wanted to sell, he could revert to original.

Here were the two together:

The headstock is just a plate held on with 2 sided tape - you can see the green underneath in the logos

 

And the walnut ( @scrumpymike 's mate Merv was a professional axeman/woodcutter all his life) worked beautifully:

An hour's work and it would be back into a Rascal and ready for sale at no loss in value

 

I certainly see what you mean about the controls and, for the life of me, can't remember why they are so close together.  Maybe Andyjr1515 actually already met his Nemesis back then.  Don't tell Mike, though, in case he hasn't noticed

[Andyjr1515]

4 minutes ago, fleabag said:

Andy - found it 

http://nextbigthingguitars.com/inventory/ziegenfuss-single-cut-4-string-bass

Ah!  Full acknowledgement, therefore, to ziegenfuss for a beautiful bass that we will use as our...er hum ... inspiration! 

[Jimothey]

I'll be very interested in how you get over this because I tried to figure it out a few months ago! So I could use my single cut body after I made a big mistake with the neck

The only/easiest way I could come up with was to do a blind half-lapped joint by routing a flat portion on half of the neck and routing a flat portion the other way in the body but I haven't got a spare neck to try it out with??.............. 

I'm sure that you'll come up with a much more refined and more sophisticated solution 😀

[Andyjr1515]

10 minutes ago, Jimothey said:

I'll be very interested in how you get over this because I tried to figure it out a few months ago! So I could use my single cut body after I made a big mistake with the neck

The only/easiest way I could come up with was to do a blind half-lapped joint by routing a flat portion on half of the neck and routing a flat portion the other way in the body but I haven't got a spare neck to try it out with??.............. 

I'm sure that you'll come up with a much more refined and more sophisticated solution 😀

I'm sure I won't..... 

[Jimothey]

I'm sure that it will look awesome like all your work (that makes me sound a bit fanboy doesn't it? 😳) 

I just thought that would be alot easier than trying to scribe the body to the neck.......... 

[Daz39]

Exciting!

[fleabag]

1 hour ago, Andyjr1515 said:

I'm sure I won't..... 

Oh dear cliff ..

[HazBeen]

Subscribed! Interesting concept.

[3below]

4 hours ago, Andyjr1515 said:

Hi All

OK - while I've gained a bit of a reputation for being mad enough to take on stuff that any sane builder wouldn't touch in a million years - well, this one could indeed be my Nemesis 

 

There's a bit of well-founded and quite logical conventional wisdom that says that you can't use a stock P-bass type of bolt-on neck in a single cut bass re-body.

Why not?

Well, I can't find who's this beautiful example is, but here is a typical bolt-on single cut:

 

 

And here is (actually, this is an electric 6-string) a typical big F type of neck carve:

And the basic problem is that the neck carve carries on to about the 16th fret - and the neck tapers too

 

But a single cut top horn extends down to around the 12th fret:

And that means that the body needs to be carved to the same shape, but mirrored, so that it wraps around the neck between the 12th and 16th frets.

And no one would be crazy enough to try that, would they?

 

Hmmmm…..                        

 

 

 

 

Well, after all, it is our very own @fleabag who's asking

 

 

 

And, let's face it, what could POSSIBLY go wrong?

 

 

 

I might go about this in  a different way.  Plane the neck down at the heel,  glue on a suitable length of maple (or whatever).  Re-shape heel to fit the singlecut neck pocket.  Downsides: refinish neck, where is the truss rod?

In reality  this would be a 'neck too far' for me.

[scrumpymike]

3 hours ago, Andyjr1515 said:

I certainly see what you mean about the controls and, for the life of me, can't remember why they are so close together.  Maybe Andyjr1515 actually already met his Nemesis back then.  Don't tell Mike, though, in case he hasn't noticed

Relax Andy, they're exactly as I told you I wanted them!  Although it was mainly to maximise the continuous area of that lovely wood figuring, the ergo's of the switch arrangement are perfect for me.

Glad that you've found a use for the remaining walnut and look forward to seeing the result.

[Happy Jack]

3 hours ago, Andyjr1515 said:

The headstock is just a plate held on with 2 sided tape - you can see the green underneath in the logos

 

 

Genius. Sheer genius. 

[eude]

15 hours ago, Andyjr1515 said:

Well, I can't find who's this beautiful example is, but here is a typical bolt-on single cut:

Well hello there!
That bass used to be mine, and that's my photo! Small world @Andyjr1515!
It's a Shuker Single Cut 6er, my first foray into the world of custom basses. I sold it, about 8 years ago I think to another member on here who doesn't seem to be around any more. It was a lovely lovely bass, but I hadn't quite figured out what I needed in a custom bass at that point, and things like nut width aren't exactly easy to change.

Anyway, that would be a fine way to put together a bolt-on single cut, but I can appreciate how tricksy it will be to have the body follow the taper of the neck beyond the fender block.

You could however try something like this super sexy ACG >>

Just use the neck bolt pattern as it is, and then the rest of the single cut shape beyond that point is purely visual, rather than part of the joint itself?

Just throwing it in there
If anyone can figure this out it's you thought mate!

Eude

[Bigwan]

Are you allowed to cheat and modify the neck? My initial thought would be to glue more meat around the bass side of the butt end of the neck to get you closer to the bolt on arrangement of your first picture. Don't know what that would do to your truss rod operation though....

Although looking at the ACG pic above you could get to that and make your job easier in the long run...

Edited January 17, 2019 by Bigwan

[Andyjr1515]

14 minutes ago, eude said:

Well hello there!
That bass used to be mine, and that's my photo! Small world @Andyjr1515!
It's a Shuker Single Cut 6er, my first foray into the world of custom basses. I sold it, about 8 years ago I think to another member on here who doesn't seem to be around any more. It was a lovely lovely bass, but I hadn't quite figured out what I needed in a custom bass at that point, and things like nut width aren't exactly easy to change.

Eude

Well that's crazy! 

I literally bing'd 'single cut bass rear view' to find a picture to show people what I was talking about!

The really wierd thing was that three of the other photos were of Kert's camphor single cut - one of my own builds