First build complete! 32" scale 5 string

[TheGreek]

Remember to use magnets for the control cavity - sooo much easier than having to use(lose??) screws whenever you need to change a battery.

[benh]

17 minutes ago, TheGreek said:

Remember to use magnets for the control cavity - sooo much easier than having to use(lose??) screws whenever you need to change a battery.

That's the plan 🙂

[benh]

Quick question - what do you guys use for demarcation veneers? I've got a roll of dyed black poplar 0.6mm veneer, I'm wondering if it will be thick enough for a decent line.

[Jabba_the_gut]

7 minutes ago, benh said:

Quick question - what do you guys use for demarcation veneers? I've got a roll of dyed black poplar 0.6mm veneer, I'm wondering if it will be thick enough for a decent line.

That will be absolutely fine. Most veneers come as 0.6mm thick (you can get constructional veneers that tend to be more like 1.5 to 3mm thick). I think I've only ever used 0.6mm veneers and I've always been happy with the result. These were done with 0.6mm veneers:

Don't forget that when you round the corner you will be cutting across the veneer at an angle and the line will be more than 0.6mm thck.

[benh]

That's great, thanks @Jabba_the_gut. 

[benh]

I've had a rummage through a few bits I sequestered away under the stairs from non-bass related projects. Forgot I had some 1.5mm walnut veneer, thinking of laminating them into the neck wood - similar enough in colour to the wenge fretboard to look OK I think. Should have some sawdust made and progress pics to post in the next few weeks. 

[benh]

Also after much deliberation I'm too tight to drop 200 quid on a pickup, so going for a single EMG MM5TW as mentioned earlier in the thread

[benh]

Not much of an update, but template making today!

[Matt P]

love the headstock shape, nice to see all the detail behind a build (i'm a design engineer by trade so this is how i would tackle a build myself)

 

Matt

[stereoplayer]

On 12/03/2021 at 15:35, benh said:

Another thought re: fretboard material... could look rather splendid, although maybe a bit much

This is my babinga neck ready for a build I’m doing.

Edited April 15, 2021 by stereoplayer

[benh]

[benh]

Templates MK2. Wanted to finalise a few curves and see how it looks/feels before cutting actual wood!

[Hellzero]

It looks really good, Ben.

[benh]

Not much happening in the world of bass building for me, as my no 6 plane decided to give up when I was getting ready to joint some boards 😡 good excuse to look for another though. Haven't got the time/patience for fettling a knackered old plane, so ordered from Tooltique who apparently do it for you. Will update when it arrives!

[benh]

Well, NPD (new plane day) today! Tooltique did a good job with restoration. Pretty much ready to go, just a quick sharpen/hone and away. Was going to start with the neck but the ash body blank was too tempting, so jointed and glued. 

[benh]

Pickup arrived - single EMG 40TW rather than MM5TW. Lots to do before it gets fitted but getting close to having everything I need here now.

[durhamboy]

Great looking build, I've just caught up with it from first post to now in one reading. Really like the way you took the time to develop the design, it's looking really good. As mentioned earlier, every shape owes something to another previous instrument, sometimes we have taken a bit here and a bit there from quite a few. There's only so much that can be done within the perimeters of ballance, comfort, fret access, etcetera.

Looking forward to your project developing.

[benh]

Well, not much has been happening between work and naff weather on my days off. Putting off the neck as it's the bit I'm most likely to f*** up! But got the body blank flattened and the top jointed and glued. Slow progress is still progress as they say.

[benh]

Treating this as a learning experience, so as I had a pretty straight grained ash offcut and some thin strips of walnut veneer, thought I might as well have a bash at a multi laminate neck! Not jointed yet, just a mock up with the cut pieces.

[Hellzero]

Nice right shoe. 😉

[benh]

On 29/05/2021 at 18:32, Hellzero said:

Nice right shoe. 😉

You should see the left one...

 

All jointed and glued... fingers crossed!

 

[benh]

Finally plucked up the courage to remove clamps... and it didn't fall apart (phew). Still needs cleaning up/flattening, but very happy with how this is turning out!

[benh]

Decided on an angled headstock - the neck blank isn't thick enough to cut the angle out of it, plus as I'm working without a bandsaw it could have been tricky. So spent pretty much the entire day in the garden measuring, cutting, flattening and gluing a scarf joint for the angled headstock.

[benh]

Well, one learning experience (schoolboy error) out of the way - check things still line up when applying clamps. Not that it matters too much, as it'll be covered with a spalted top, but irritating non the less.

Ah well, onto the fretboard - another job to pink torpedo up! This is the fretboard blank stuck to a flat bit of melamine faced chipboard, after flattening with the hand plane.

 

[Andyjr1515]

10 hours ago, benh said:

Well, one learning experience (schoolboy error) out of the way - check things still line up when applying clamps

It's actually an ongoing challenge, @benh . 

I would say that my hit rate of joints not moving is now 4 out of 5, but at least 1 in 5 will still have shifted.  For the important ones I have to put in specific mechanical steps.  The pieces of wood are still floating until all squeeze out is squeezed out...and that only happens when the clamps are fully tight...but any variation of angle or force direction will try to move the timbers while it is in the process of squeezing out!