Andyjr1515 Posted July 22, 2014 Share Posted July 22, 2014 Bummer about the veneer, JPJ. Sorry it didn't work out. Great that you're back on with the project again, though. Intrigued by the bending of a thick maple cap - let us know how it goes Andy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JPJ Posted July 27, 2014 Author Share Posted July 27, 2014 Ok, so I've now glued on both halves of the maple cap and successfully bent the maple over the forearm chamfer. As I said in my last update, I decided to do this as a three step process, glueing one half of the maple in place, allowing that to fully dry, before glueing the second half of the cap in place and allowing that to fully dry before bending the top over the forearm chamfer. Here's a phone photo of the first half of the cap in clamps [IMG]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v208/JPJ/IMG_1100_zps674d56a3.jpg[/IMG] And here's a phone photo of the bending of the cap over the forearm chamfer [IMG]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v208/JPJ/IMG_1110_zps73825d73.jpg[/IMG] I used a slightly different technique to last time, and instead of using wedges I simply used a large G clamp to gently apply pressure and bend the cap to shape. Before bending, I had placed a sponge on the top side of the cap and soaked this with boiling water. After a few minutes I started applying pressure with the G clamp and the maple bent nicely to shape. I then released the pressure on the clamp, flooded the void between body blank and cap with Titebond III adhesive and reapplied the clamping force. Then, working around the edge I applied more clamps in sequence to achieve an even 'glue' line, which I then scraped off to leave a lovely clean join. Over the first fifteen to twenty minutes I kept increasing the tension on each clamp to ensure that as the glue began to cure, any shrinkage didn't result in a loss of clamping force. Next step will be to trim the excess top material away using a combination of a jigsaw to rough cut to shape leaving about 3-4 mm to remove with the router. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JPJ Posted July 29, 2014 Author Share Posted July 29, 2014 Quick update: Managed a couple of hours in the work shed tonight. The bend of the maple worked perfectly, so I've completed the rough machining of the 'gut tuck' and also rounded over the edges of both the top and bottom. Next task is to rout out the neck pocket, pickup, and control cavity, drill for the edge mounted jack socket and drill for the volume and tone controls. I still have to radius the edge of the forearm chamfer and refine the 'gut tuck' before I get on with the finish sanding. [IMG]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v208/JPJ/IMG_1116_zps0b1a6a80.jpg[/IMG] [IMG]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v208/JPJ/IMG_1117_zps37d2a414.jpg[/IMG] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rubis Posted July 29, 2014 Share Posted July 29, 2014 This is looking fantastic Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JPJ Posted July 29, 2014 Author Share Posted July 29, 2014 Thanks, but there is a touch of de ja vu, as I've been here before with this particular build. Happy to say that so far, the one or two 'errors' this time have been very minor and easy to rectify :-) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andyjr1515 Posted July 29, 2014 Share Posted July 29, 2014 Oh my ...... That looks fabulous ... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JPJ Posted July 30, 2014 Author Share Posted July 30, 2014 As progress advances, I'm thinking about that pesky three-way switch that was the downfall of mk1 version of this bass. Decision to be made, do I go with the three-way, do I change up for one of those mini toggles, or do I omit the switch all together as I hardly ever used anything other than the 'neck' series position on a previous Stingray V? I'm guessing the mini-toggle option would be series or parallel only, but that would be no hardship as I never used the single coil option. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JPJ Posted July 30, 2014 Author Share Posted July 30, 2014 Decision made, Allparts DPDT mini-switch on-on-on in black ordered Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JPJ Posted July 31, 2014 Author Share Posted July 31, 2014 Tonights progress and in truth I got a lot more done than I thought I would. Firstly, I worked on finishing the 'gut cut' on the back before moving on to round over the edge of the 'gut cut' and the forearm chamfer. I do these by hand with sandpaper as the router tends to make a bit of a mess of them due to the sloped surfaces. Then as the night was still young, I moved on to rout out both the neck pocket and the pickup. This was made a lot easier as I'd kept the template from the first time around but, because I'd already glued the maple top on, it was a bit of a heart-in-mouth operation as the business end of the template was only held with double-sided tape. [IMG]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v208/JPJ/IMG_1119_zps05d92ebd.jpg[/IMG] [IMG]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v208/JPJ/IMG_1120_zpsd71b4f54.jpg[/IMG] [IMG]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v208/JPJ/IMG_1118_zps15a6b91f.jpg[/IMG] I was going to move on to rout out the control cavity, but Mrs JPJ objected to the router noise because 'its ten o'bloody clock!' Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ezbass Posted July 31, 2014 Share Posted July 31, 2014 That looks amazing; you are a very talented chap sir. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JPJ Posted August 4, 2014 Author Share Posted August 4, 2014 (edited) Little update - managed a few hours in the shed tonight. Earlier today I sat down and wrote a list of the things I have left to do to complete this project and I was a little shocked when I realised just how much is left to do! Anyway, after spending yesterday with my old drawing instruments working out the control layout and the control cavity dimensions, tonight I set about the body with a combination of drills and the trusty router. First step was to pre drill holes for the four knobs and one switch. Having done that, I then removed material where the four pots will sit using a 25mm drill bit from the rear. Then using the router in 4mm steps, I removed the rest of the material necessary to create the control cavity and battery box. [url="http://smg.photobucket.com/user/JPJ/media/IMG_1125_zps6a6658e1.jpg.html"][/url] And a final shot showing the battery box in situ. I've also drilled for the Neutrik locking jack socket but as thats still a work in progress I'll save the pictures for the next update. Good news is thats three of the fifteen remaining tasks complete Edited August 4, 2014 by JPJ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JPJ Posted August 5, 2014 Author Share Posted August 5, 2014 Today's update: Wood Butchery Complete. So today I've made a template and routed out a shallow recess for the Badass bridge. Why? Well the Badass was 'hanging' over the forearm chamfer a bit more than I felt comfortable with so, out with the trusty router. [IMG]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v208/JPJ/IMG_1128_zpsda94a8aa.jpg[/IMG] Once I was happy with that I moved on to completing the opening for the jack socket. I'm going with a Neutrik locking socket so I created a little cutout to recess the socket baseplate into and finished off the inside of the opening in the control cavity. [IMG]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v208/JPJ/IMG_1131_zps9477b1dd.jpg[/IMG] I then marked out and drilled and countersunk for the neck bolts and ferrules, which was a bit of a chew on as I didn't have a 12mm drill bit. [IMG]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v208/JPJ/IMG_1129_zps17c801fd.jpg[/IMG] Finally, I drilled the hole from the pickup rout to the control cavity, and the battery box to the control cavity and also made a control cavity cover from some BWB plastic I bought for this purpose back in 2011. [IMG]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v208/JPJ/IMG_1130_zps97ee1579.jpg[/IMG] Then I gave the whole body the first finish sanding to 240 grit, making sure that all the curves and edge radius's were free from any flat spots or edges. That is all the woodwork complete. Next up will be sanding through the grades, grain filling the tulip wood, staining the maple, and then painting the tulip wood and lacquering the maple. None of those steps are very photogenic, so I guess the next update will either be once the finish is on, or when I cock the finish up and throw the whole thing in the scrap bin Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jabba_the_gut Posted August 6, 2014 Share Posted August 6, 2014 Looks very nice! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JPJ Posted August 31, 2014 Author Share Posted August 31, 2014 So, we are into the finishing stage. After lots of sanding I discovered that the join between the two halves of the maple cap wasn't as tight as it might have been. This presented a bit of a quandary as to what to do, so in the end, I decided to open the gap up to a consistent 1mm along its length and then fill it with black grain filler like this. [URL=http://smg.photobucket.com/user/JPJ/media/IMG_1161_zpsa040b94c.jpg.html][IMG]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v208/JPJ/IMG_1161_zpsa040b94c.jpg[/IMG][/URL] picture taken mid sanding :-) Then, progress was halted by a combination of the day job and painting two telecaster bodies for a friend, until today, when I masked the front up and sprayed the primer onto the back and sides. Learning from previous, I intend having the black finish of the back and sides wrap over the radius of the top, and then I will (hopefully) be staining the top black, before sanding back and finally finishing with a translucent british racing green nitro. [URL=http://smg.photobucket.com/user/JPJ/media/IMG_1173_zps82ac28df.jpg.html][IMG]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v208/JPJ/IMG_1173_zps82ac28df.jpg[/IMG][/URL] [URL=http://smg.photobucket.com/user/JPJ/media/IMG_1174_zpse7a54733.jpg.html][IMG]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v208/JPJ/IMG_1174_zpse7a54733.jpg[/IMG][/URL] Next step will be to flat the primer and apply the black paint. As I think I said before, I'm in no hurry to finish this and will be taking my time to get the finish as good as I possibly can within the limitations of my facilities (shed) and application method (rattle cans). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JPJ Posted September 4, 2014 Author Share Posted September 4, 2014 So the primer has gone off enough to allow it to be flatted back so today I flatted it and removed the masking to allow me to feather the edge of the primer on to the front. [URL=http://smg.photobucket.com/user/JPJ/media/IMG_1175_zps86a7e503.jpg.html][IMG]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v208/JPJ/IMG_1175_zps86a7e503.jpg[/IMG][/URL] I then masked the front again, with the line of the masking tape being about 4mm inside the line of the primer. I did this because when I flat the edge of the black paint I don't want to sand through and show grey primer, so hopefully by very carefully sanding the black I'll be able to loose the edge without showing through to the primer (fingers crossed). I then got on and sprayed three good coats of gloss ebony black nitro to the edges, back and sides. [URL=http://smg.photobucket.com/user/JPJ/media/IMG_1177_zps762057a9.jpg.html][IMG]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v208/JPJ/IMG_1177_zps762057a9.jpg[/IMG][/URL] Thats not a great photo but I'm really pleased with the depth of image in the black and the relative smoothness of the top surface of the paint which will hopefully mean only a light sand with 1500 to flat it back. Now its a waiting game. I intend leaving the black at least a week before I flat it out and get on with staining the front. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ezbass Posted September 4, 2014 Share Posted September 4, 2014 [quote name='JPJ' timestamp='1409844503' post='2543886'] Now its a waiting game. I intend leaving the black at least a week before I flat it out and get on with staining the front. [/quote]Doh! I so want to see this in its finished glory. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JPJ Posted September 4, 2014 Author Share Posted September 4, 2014 [quote name='ezbass' timestamp='1409849636' post='2543962'] Doh! I so want to see this in its finished glory. [/quote] So do I But, between the day job, other peoples guitars and a desire not to mess it up this time, I'm prepared to take my time and get it right first time'ish Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ezbass Posted September 5, 2014 Share Posted September 5, 2014 Quite right, it'll be worth the wait. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dazed Posted September 7, 2014 Share Posted September 7, 2014 Wow. You have soo much patience !! I'm really impressed by the thread and your perseverance. I truly hope it works out and you are happy when its finished. Top banana ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JPJ Posted September 11, 2014 Author Share Posted September 11, 2014 So one week on from applying the black cellulose so its time to take the masking off to make sure that the edge of the black paint fully cures before I flat it and get on with the staining process. Not much to see but here's an update photo anyway [URL=http://smg.photobucket.com/user/JPJ/media/IMG_1188_zps6b7e16ef.jpg.html][IMG]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v208/JPJ/IMG_1188_zps6b7e16ef.jpg[/IMG][/URL] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Merton Posted September 17, 2014 Share Posted September 17, 2014 Very impressed with your patience on this! It's going to look great to boot Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JPJ Posted September 17, 2014 Author Share Posted September 17, 2014 [quote name='Merton' timestamp='1410934336' post='2554719'] Very impressed with your patience on this! It's going to look great to boot [/quote] Cheers for your kind words. I'm actually enjoying the gestation period, slowing down allows you to think through every step thoroughly which hopefully results in fewer mistakes Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bikenbass Posted December 8, 2014 Share Posted December 8, 2014 Fascinating project. Any more news JPJ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JPJ Posted December 9, 2014 Author Share Posted December 9, 2014 [quote name='Bikenbass' timestamp='1418078088' post='2626751'] Fascinating project. Any more news JPJ? [/quote] Not much news. My 'workshop' time has mainly gone on completing these two for a mate of mine. One is in aged surf green nitro (lovely when finished, horrible to work with) and the other in classic black nitro. [URL=http://smg.photobucket.com/user/JPJ/media/IMG_1271_zps13ddde8e.jpg.html][IMG]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v208/JPJ/IMG_1271_zps13ddde8e.jpg[/IMG][/URL] All I've managed to do on my bass project is apply numerous coats of black stain. The next step, if and when I have time, will be to sand back the stain progressively from the centre to create a black-burst type effect before I spray the green nitro over the top. [URL=http://smg.photobucket.com/user/JPJ/media/IMG_1272_zpsbed5630a.jpg.html][IMG]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v208/JPJ/IMG_1272_zpsbed5630a.jpg[/IMG][/URL] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JPJ Posted December 9, 2014 Author Share Posted December 9, 2014 [quote name='Meddle' timestamp='1418080793' post='2626780'] JPJ? John Paul Jones? Jazz Precision Jazz? I'm confuzzled! [/quote] Well back in the mists of time, when he who shall not be mentioned created a proboards forum called 'Bassworld' I needed to come up with a 'nickname' and I decided to use the initials of my all time favourite bass player, Mr John Paul Jones. The JPJ moniker has survived the death of Bassworld, its upstart follower 'Bass Talk' and on to this current marvellous incarnation of BassChat. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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