Finished Pics! Single Cut 5-string Short Scale

[TheGreek]

Shouldn't be surprised really but it's amazing how a coat of finish brings the grain to life. 

@Matt P is going to be a very happy man.

[Andyjr1515]

24 minutes ago, TheGreek said:

Shouldn't be surprised really but it's amazing how a coat of finish brings the grain to life. 

@Matt P is going to be a very happy man.

Just a wipe with a damp cloth.  It's a very quick and easy way of seeing what colour it will be when the actual finish goes on

 

[Andyjr1515]

I fitted the trussrod, checked the flatness of the neck face, including the run off to the body and worked out my positioning datum points for the fretboard:

 

I kept the offcut when I cut the curve of the heel on the neck blank- exceptionally useful when it comes to clamping because G clamps really only work when the faces are parallel... :

 

And, using fretboard radius blocks as my clamping cauls, it is gluing as I type:

 

And yes - that blue one is bending!  They are useful because they are longer reach...but bendy clamps aren't a good thing to have.  Looks like I know what's going to be on this year's birthday list

 

 

 

 

[Andyjr1515]

And the fretboard's on - and no gaps 

The next job is filing the neck overhang flush with the board, and in the background, preparations are afoot to start on the neck profile

 

 

[Andyjr1515]

Yes - that'll do nicely

 

Using the binding to create the demarcation stripe has its own challenges, but it does mean that you only have to worry about one gap-free joint and not three, as you would if you were creating the effect with full width veneers:

 

So in terms of the actual timber part of the build, we are heading towards the final stages.  In broad sequence, it will be :

- design headstock shape, adding wings if necessary

- add a couple of swifts to the ebony headstock plate and attach

- temp fix the tuners to align and drill the bridge fixing holes

- complete the body carve

- carve the neck profile, being able to 'feel' it towards final shape with plenty of air-bass

And then the finishing can start

 

[TheGreek]

Nice touch..

[Andyjr1515]

Not at all sure what could possibly be in that box that's just arrived:

 

Well - you could blow me down with a feather!  :

 

[TheGreek]

...and the internal packing for the pick ups make excellent mutes.

[Andyjr1515]

4 minutes ago, TheGreek said:

...and the internal packing for the pick ups make excellent mutes.

Not this one - just wrapped in jiffy foam sheet   Good for packing bits, though 

 

[eude]

That is one MASSIVE Pickup!

[Matt P]

34 minutes ago, eude said:

That is one MASSIVE Pickup!

hence the decision to only have one!

 

 

[TheGreek]

39 minutes ago, eude said:

That is one MASSIVE Pickup!

Actually there are 3 in there...

[Hellzero]

3 hours ago, Andyjr1515 said:

Not at all sure what could possibly be in that box that's just arrived:

 

It SimS to be a pickup. 😎 

 

 

 

 

 

I'll get my coat.

[Si600]

2 hours ago, Matt P said:

hence the decision to only have one!

 

 

I thought you were going for one-upmanship and having 4...

[Matt P]

17 hours ago, Si600 said:

I thought you were going for one-upmanship and having 4...

I'd have to lose a few frets to make space and probably sell a kidney to fund the pickup bill!

 

 

[HazBeen]

On 23/05/2021 at 13:28, Matt P said:

I'd have to lose a few frets to make space and probably sell a kidney to fund the pickup bill!

 

 

Just ask them to send you empty pickup covers, faux pickups is all the rage.

[Matt P]

2 hours ago, HazBeen said:

Just ask them to send you empty pickup covers, faux pickups is all the rage.

but they would cover up that lovely grain!

 

[Si600]

9 minutes ago, Matt P said:

but they would cover up that lovely grain!

 

Carve it out from the back like the Psilios bass...

[Andyjr1515]

11 minutes ago, Si600 said:

Carve it out from the back like the Psilios bass...

 

[RichardH]

On 29/05/2021 at 17:16, Si600 said:

Carve it out from the back like the Psilios bass...

....so faux pickups that can't be seen - genius!  🤣

[Andyjr1515]

With some of the family stuff done, the rest of this week will be devoted to trying to finish the build and start the finish, if that makes sense 

Where possible, I try to achieve a 'familiarity of feel' of the necks.  While every bass has its own feel, I try to get at least into the general spectrum of the shape of the future owner's favourite bass.  So I got @Matt P to send me some measurements of the thickness at the 1st and 12th of his favourite bass and, using a profile gauge, the shape at the 1st, 7th and 12th of his favourite player.

Armed with that, the first job is getting the thickness right at the neck spine - and then if I carve towards the spine and not into it, the thickness will end up where it should.  To do that accurately meant getting the dreaded router out again, and my home-made thickness jig:

 

 

These are my datum cuts with around 0.5mm oversize for scraping and final sand:

 

The neck will be carved in full length sweeps of spokeshave, micro-plane and cabinet scraper and so it is helpful if the volute edges are carved out of the way.  Then a scrape with the cabinet scrapers to get rid of the router levels and get it down to around 0.2mm oversize at the spine:

 

And then, finally, the templates cut from Matt's profile drawings:

 

And neck carve can commence! 

 

 

[Andyjr1515]

My favourite tools for neck carving starts with a spokeshave to take some of the bulk away.  Always satisfying when you get a shaving the length of the neck  :

 

I then move onto a micro-plane.  I draw it along the neck with both hands (when I'm not holding the camera!) like a spokeshave.  Because the cut is lighter, it is a safer option once you are getting closer to the shape:

 

Then my favourite - and sometimes this is the only tool I use - the trusty cabinet scraper.  Again, when I'm not holding a camera, I draw this down the length of the neck with both hands:

 

For the trough, I will rough out with a mini plane and then use a gooseneck scraper:

 

The whole process is one of do a bit, walk away, come back, measure, do a bit more.  But it is at least starting to look like a neck now   :

 

There will be a bit of iteration - the neck carve affects what looks good with the body carve and vice versa - another reason why it's best to do it in stages

 

 

 

 

[Andyjr1515]

With the neck profile just about there, it's now about adding a few more soft curves while also taking out weight.  Note the essential cup of tea:

 

Multiple checks of the thicknesses and references to the cavity reference essential at this stage! :

While I do find the Crimson videos a bit...er...'long-winded',  they nevertheless do do some decent and useful stuff that not many others do.  This thickness gauge is a godsend for this kind of thing.

Then a bit of smoothing out with the goose-neck scraper.  I have FINALLY sussed how to re-burnish these wonderful bits of steel.  Burnished properly, they should work like simple planes producing shavings, not dust :

 

The back is getting close.  Weight at the moment is around 7lbs 4oz with the major components included so around 7 1/2lbs still looks achievable.

 

 

[Andyjr1515]

And it's got to the 'reveal coat' stage.

I find that popping a quick coat of Tru-oil is a great way of finding all of the rough areas (visible as dark blotches), chisel marks and lumps and bumps.  But, while all of this will be sanded off, this is also a decent approximation of what the colours will end up as.  It's still at the post-carve and pre-sanding stage but I think it's broadly the shape it will be:

The darkening at the volute and heel area will clean up with the sanding process.  Here you see some glue overspill that will sand off and the bandsaw lumps and bumps that will be all removed with the final sanding:

 

I think it's going to look quite nice when the sanding is done and the proper finish is on it 

 

This afternoon's job will be cutting the ebony headstock plate

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Simon.]

"quite nice" he says! 🙄 Deary me.

Once again proving that you are a master of both your craft and the understatement!

I'm not a huge fan of the single-cut style, but this is looking lovely. 👍