Finished! A Very Special Save

[Andyjr1515]

30 minutes ago, Richard R said:

Not that you need luck.

Oh, I so do...

1 hour ago, SpondonBassed said:

...and it only took nine asterisks!

Yes - I took the cup of tea as an optional, rather than a full, step in the 8 point plan

[Matt P]

i am really loving this build, i think it's time i commissioned one for myself!

@Andyjr1515 I've sent you a PM. sorry it's a bit long-winded!

 

Matt

[TrevorR]

On 05/01/2021 at 17:54, Fishman said:

Currently we're looking at natural, with tru-oil – which, now I've seen it for the first time, I really like

But… I may change my mind!

That will go nicely with the Pro Bass ethos, given the originals were ash bodied and natural was one of the standard options. 

[TrevorR]

Only just found this build thread so late to the party - and redundant now - but the original brochure refers to 3 carbon fibre strips in the neck...

Hi res scans here...

http://walbassarchive.blogspot.com/2013/04/1970s-wal-pro-series-brochure.html
 

Watching the rest of the (re)build with great interest...!

 

 

 

[LeftyJ]

"No less than 100.000 carbon fibres Jim!"

"Wow Mike, isn't it amazing?" 

"But wait, there's more!"

 

[Andyjr1515]

1 hour ago, TrevorR said:

Only just found this build thread so late to the party - and redundant now - but the original brochure refers to 3 carbon fibre strips in the neck...

Hi res scans here...

http://walbassarchive.blogspot.com/2013/04/1970s-wal-pro-series-brochure.html
 

Watching the rest of the (re)build with great interest...!

 

 

 

That's great - thanks for posting.

[Fishman]

2 hours ago, TrevorR said:

Hi res scans here...

Thanks @TrevorR – I love the pic of the Pro in the field at sunset on the opening page of the brochure – so 'of it's time' !

Edited January 7, 2021 by Fishman

[TrevorR]

Ha! Ironically this query post just popped up on the Wal Facebook group...

Quote

Pro 1e neck insert thread size
Can anyone give me any info on this. I'm trying to source new bolts – my builder suspects this might be correct:
10-24 (3/16") UNC

@Andyjr1515 I don't suppose you've confirmed the spec or sourced where you plan to get the neck bolts from yet? Or @Fishman have an original spare set of bolts?

[Fishman]

25 minutes ago, TrevorR said:

Ha! Ironically this query post just popped up on the Wal Facebook group...

Hi @TrevorR – I'm posting my queries there as the group has a lot more members, with a specific interest in Wal stuff

Here's the link to the FB Wal page if anyone is interested:

https://www.facebook.com/groups/2413094311

[Andyjr1515]

21 minutes ago, TrevorR said:

Ha! Ironically this query post just popped up on the Wal Facebook group...

@Andyjr1515 I don't suppose you've confirmed the spec or sourced where you plan to get the neck bolts from yet? Or @Fishman have an original spare set of bolts?

Well...there's a funny story here

As the saying goes (well, it does now), "The best laid 8-Point-for-not-c**king-up-the-neck-pocket Plan's of mice and men..."

Because in checking the machine screws I have in my bits box I realised - and should have thought - that the inserts in the neck are imperial.  This is an old bass.

They are definitely 10- (3/16") but it has been so long since I used imperial machine screws, I can't be sure that my guess at UNC is right - they might be UNF.

Yes - I can source them in the right sizes and in black ( @Fishman 's preference) from Accu.co.uk - a supplier of good quality Stainless fastenings - but, as they are made to order in this size and spec they will take a couple of weeks to come through so I thought I'd better check I'd got the right thread first

In the meantime, these beautiful Schaller lightweight machine heads have come through - drop in fit, including the rear pegs:

 

[BassBod]

Light tuners are a very good idea.  One thing I can remember about that neck (on Wal ash body) was the weight of the headstock and big old Schallers.  I used to play long barn dance gigs, and after four hours I could feel the strain on my shoulder 😳.  These days, I’d just sit down...

[TrevorR]

19 hours ago, Andyjr1515 said:

 

In the meantime, these beautiful Schaller lightweight machine heads have come through - drop in fit, including the rear pegs:

 

It was such a shame when Schaller canned the MB4s but so good that the light versions they replaced them with are direct replacements. And so easy to fit. Simple enough that even I trusted my cack handed bodge-it skills to fit Hipshot D-Tuners to my two Wals! Great tuning heads (old and new!).

Edited January 8, 2021 by TrevorR

[Tony Tabasco]

On 07/01/2021 at 10:30, Andyjr1515 said:

That's great - thanks for posting.

I must have those originals in paper somewhere...

[Andyjr1515]

Well, bolt-world on ebay did me a cracking job and the UNC bolts to check the sizes and put the cunning plan into action arrived this morning! 

And they are the right size...but the wrong thread 

But that means we now know they must be size 10 UNF and so tomorrow morning, a set of those should now be arriving in the post 

And then, assuming they fit OK, I can not only put my 8-Point-for-not-c**king-up-the-neck-pocket Plan into action but will be also able to place a Made-to-order for the black ones that will be used on the finished bass.

And, in the meantime, @Fishman has just sent me a nice Hipshot bridge to fit onto it 

 

 

[Fishman]

Seeing the wrench in your photo @TrevorR , it reminded me of this – slight thread derailment, but hey, it's my bass! 😉

 

[Rich]

15 hours ago, TrevorR said:

It was such a shame when Schaller canned the MB4s but so good that the light versions they replaced them with are direct replacements. And so easy to fit. Simple enough that even I trusted my cack handed bodge-it skills to fit Hipshot D-Tuners to my two Wals! Great tuning heads (old and new!).

 

Oh sweet. I had a D-tuner on my Pro II-E for many years, looked just like this... I took it off and sold it when I stopped gigging the bass. Rather wish I'd kept it on now.  Brilliant thing, totally reversible and the single best mod you can make to a 4 string bass IMHO. 

[BassBod]

Thinking about it Rich, I think I was playing this very neck, when I first met you briefly - The Prom, Gloucester Rd many years ago.  You introduced yourself as a fellow Wal player...always a good thing 😎

[Andyjr1515]

56 minutes ago, Rich said:

I had a D-tuner on my Pro II-E for many years, looked just like this... I took it off and sold it when I stopped gigging the bass. Rather wish I'd kept it on now.  Brilliant thing, totally reversible and the single best mod you can make to a 4 string bass IMHO.

I've always been stunned by just how good those detuners are and how easy they are to set up and adjust.  One's fitted on 'Kert's' Camphor Singlecut.  It works a treat.

[TheGreek]

I have one BNIB ordered for a project I didn't follow through on...let me know if you're interested.

[Andyjr1515]

1 hour ago, TheGreek said:

I have one BNIB ordered for a project I didn't follow through on...let me know if you're interested.

Probably not on this one, Mick, but always useful knowing what parts of potential interest are around

[Rich]

1 hour ago, BassBod said:

Thinking about it Rich, I think I was playing this very neck, when I first met you briefly - The Prom, Gloucester Rd many years ago.  You introduced yourself as a fellow Wal player...always a good thing 😎

Oh my god, that is FAR more years ago than I care to remember.  I seem to recall that being a very splendid evening. Would be really nice to have another Bristol posse get-together... I think there are quite a few of us now!

[TrevorR]

4 hours ago, Fishman said:

Seeing the wrench in your photo @TrevorR , it reminded me of this – slight thread derailment, but hey, it's my bass! 😉

 

Aaah, but I fooled ya! My wrench ISN'T rusted! It's came in that matt brown/grey colour and has always looked like that! Mwah ha ha ha ha! Gets 'em every time!

 

 

[Andyjr1515]

While @Jus Lukin 's lower back wing is drying, and since receiving the No 10 UNF bolts and confirming they fit  - it's time to bite the bullet and start on the neck pocket

This really is - of all of the tasks - a 'measure multiple times and drill once'.  There is so little room for error - positionally or in terms of angle - with machine screws, it basically has to be right.

I started with a paper template, pressing down with my thumb to find the insert depressions and then using a taper punch to find the exact centre of the insert itself:

After drawing the centre line on the body back, I used a template of the pickguard to make sure that the neck pocket template was going to be in the correct position. Then I used a sharp ended punch to transfer the pattern on the back of the neck pocket with a teeny dint, where I would subsequently drill using a good quality brad-point drill.  You can't see them in this photo because they are tiny, but they are there.  I checked all of the dimensions, including the diagonals to ensure that the dots were in exactly the right positions (the Wal's inserts are 0.25mm out of square  ) :

I started with a 12mm Forstner to drill the recesses at the back that the screw inserts will go into:

I then used a 5mm bradpoint, using the forstner spike hole as my bullseye and drilled two holes right through - a diagonal. 

Then turned the body over and used the template to put the drill dots in the other two positions - again checking the diagonal dimensions to make sure I was replicating the 0.25mm out of square of the original and also that I had marked it out of square the right way round (ask me why I know that checking THIS is important  )!!  

I then did the through-body trick of drilling 1/2way through, then turning the body round to drill from the other side and meet in the middle - this should mean that the exit holes are accurate for getting the machine screws in the inserts and the entry hole are accurate for the aesthetics of the screw heads and inserts.

Testing time.  Would the temporary machine screws fit?:

    ...and none more surprised than me!

So now I could bolt the neck fully against the top of the body and first check that it still lined up with the pickguard within the 'wiggle-room' oversize:

...and then draw round the neck heel for the next step, cutting the pocket itself...which will be tomorrow

Time for a cup of tea

As always, thanks for looking.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Maude]

Why am I on edge reading this? I'm not drilling it. 😬 😁

Great work as always Andy. 👍

[BassBod]

That’s a very methodical way of approaching it.  I’d always just assumed that they used a Fender style neck plate, as it was available  and did the job...and that could be used to locate matching holes. 
 

When I visited Pete to collect my renovated Pro bass, he showed me around their corner of the old furniture factory. I remember asking him about the V neck profile, as my two Wals had noticeably different shapes.  He said it was really down to who set the machine for the rough carve, and then who did the final hand shape.