Richard R Posted July 10 Share Posted July 10 I thought about buying this bass when it was up for sale, I'm glad I didn't as you're creating something unique here. Excellent work, really good indeed! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigRedX Posted July 10 Share Posted July 10 You may come to regret putting the higher markers on the other side of the fretboard. I have a bass where the front position markers do this and everything above the 12th fret is a bit hit or miss. I certainly won't have another bass with fret markers like that. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JPJ Posted July 10 Author Share Posted July 10 59 minutes ago, BigRedX said: You may come to regret putting the higher markers on the other side of the fretboard. I have a bass where the front position markers do this and everything above the 12th fret is a bit hit or miss. I certainly won't have another bass with fret markers like that. Fair point, but this is an acoustic bass so my journey’s above the 12th fret will be infrequent 😂 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JPJ Posted July 11 Author Share Posted July 11 A small update. The fingerboard has now had four coats of Tru-oil and finally looks like it’s sealed. Tomorrow, I’ll start on the slurry and buff technique until I reach a finish I am happy with. I’m really trying to take my time with this process as I have a propensity to rush jobs like this and then regret it later. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JPJ Posted July 13 Author Share Posted July 13 So, slow progress, as I said I’m taking my time and trying not to rush this. The fingerboard has been slurry sanded 3 times now to 400 grit. It’s a messy but very satisfying process. On this mornings third sanding I added some of the sanding dust from sanding the board and it looks like this has filled the last little voids around the fret slots and the open grain of the fingerboard wood, which according to Warwick is Wenge. I’ll leave this to dry overnight before deciding whether to move up to 800 grit. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rushbo Posted July 13 Share Posted July 13 On 09/07/2024 at 20:00, MoonBassAlpha said: Anyone tried filling the slots with CA glue? My wife suggested something with glitter added, which maybe isn't as ridiculous as it sounds! I've done a few fretted-fretless conversions and while I've never used CA glue, my favourite method is to use two-part epoxy putty. I moisten the area around the fretwire, heat the fret with a soldering iron and tease up the bottom of the fret with a craft knife. Then, I carefully remove the fret with pliers. If I had one those snazzy fret-pull dealios. I'd use that, though. On the last one I did, I used black putty to make the lines stand out. It's not a difficult job - the most labour-intensive part is masking off the slots so you don't end up spending ages sanding off rock-sold epoxy from your bass neck. When the epoxy in the slots has cured, I coat the fingerboard with 8-9 thin coats of clear epoxy, after first making a wall of masking tape on both sides of the neck to avoid drips. It's fun and actually rather therapeutic. The same cannot be said for my actual fretless playing, however... 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JPJ Posted July 16 Author Share Posted July 16 So, a small update. I’ve been building up the coats of Tru-oil but made a bit of a mistake in that when wiping one coat off, I left a series of transverse peaks in the finish. So today I have had to sand back with 240 grit to remove the worst of these, but then I have wiped on a coat of Tru-oil and its starting to get the finish I am after. Word of warning. I realised I was out of 800 & 1200 grit sandpaper. My usual supplier is Axminster and as they have a store near me I visited yesterday for the first time (I normally order online). The store is an Aladdin’s cave of everything the amateur (and professional) wood butcher could ever wish for, all in one place. Mrs JPJ was not impressed that my five minute visit to pick up sandpaper lasted nearer half an hour. 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andyjr1515 Posted July 16 Share Posted July 16 30 minutes ago, JPJ said: My usual supplier is Axminster and as they have a store near me I visited yesterday for the first time (I normally order online). The store is an Aladdin’s cave of everything the amateur (and professional) wood butcher could ever wish for, all in one place. Mrs JPJ was not impressed that my five minute visit to pick up sandpaper lasted nearer half an hour. I've lost days in there in the past... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richard R Posted July 16 Share Posted July 16 4 hours ago, Andyjr1515 said: I've lost days in there in the past... I bet when you were a kid you had your nose pressed against the window, wishing you had the money to buy that spokeshave. Then one Christmas your dad bought it for you, but you traded it in part exchange for a chisel a few years later. 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JPJ Posted July 16 Author Share Posted July 16 So this is sanded to 800 grit, with a coat of Tru-oil wiped on after sanding. The gloss is really starting to build now, and it’s becoming more difficult to photograph but hopefully this gives a reasonable idea of the finish. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JPJ Posted July 17 Author Share Posted July 17 Ok, so she’s getting close to where I want to be. It’s also becoming more difficult to photograph due to reflections. In the Superyacht paint world we talk about distinction of image, in other words how good the reflected image is, and this is where I’m at, wet sanded to 1200 grit then wiped over with Tru-oil from a cotton rag. I’m planning on 1500 grit tomorrow, then 2000 on Friday at which point I’ll stop, leave it to harden for a week or two, before a final polish with a polishing compound. Got to say I’m pretty happy with how this turning out for my first attempt at a Tru-oil finish. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JPJ Posted July 19 Author Share Posted July 19 Right, I think I’m done with the finishing. For those who are interested, the process has been: Coat #1 of neat Tru-oil Coat #2 of neat Tru-oil Coat #3 of neat Tru-oil Coat #4 of neat Tru-oil Coat #5 slurry sand with 400 grit, wipe down excess Coat #6 slurry sand with 400 grit, wipe down excess Coat #7 slurry sand with 400 grit with added sawdust, wipe down excess Dry sand 240 grit to get rid of transverse ridges left by incompetent finisher Coat #8 slurry sand with 400 grit, wipe down excess Coat #9 slurry sand with 800 grit, wipe down with cotton rag dipped in Tru-oil Coat #10 slurry sand with 1200 grit, wipe down with cotton rag dipped in Tru-oil Coat #11 slurry sand with 1500 grit, wipe down with cotton rag dipped in Tru-oil Coat #12 slurry sand with 2000 grit, wipe down with cotton rag dipped in Tru-oil I’m now going to let it fully cure for a week or two before a final polish and reassembly. I’m also going to change out the tuners for some Hipshot Ultralites that I had in my spares box that will be an easy fit and improve the tuning stability over the Warwick fitted no-name tuners that always felt a little vague. My take on Tru-oil. Certainly an easier product to work with than nitrocellulose but more time consuming. Good news is you can do the process anywhere without stinking the house out with potentially carcinogenic fumes. If you take your time, the finish is every bit as good if not better than rattle can nitro, with the added benefit of easy repairs. I’m very pleased with the results I’ve achieved and I’m looking forward to seeing how well this finish holds up. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JPJ Posted August 2 Author Share Posted August 2 So she’s finished, sort of. Tonight I’ve put the Hipshot Ultralites on that I’ve been hoarding ready to do the next time I restrung her. I’ve put the old strings on for now as I love them (La Bella Low Tension flats) and oh boy does she growl. She needs a good setup and probably about 1mm taken off the bottom of the bridge saddle, and I may need to tweak the plastic just-a-nut because I probably need to loose about 0.5mm here too to get the action to where I like it on my fretless’s. Good news is I haven’t turned her into a pile of firewood 😎 8 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MoonBassAlpha Posted August 6 Share Posted August 6 That looks great work. I went in a different direction with mine. I've filled the slots with CA glue and covered the fingerboard with it as well. It needs flattening back down then polishing back up again. Wondering how that will work out? 🙃 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JPJ Posted August 17 Author Share Posted August 17 A final update. I found a little bit of time this morning to complete the setup on the Warwick. In the end I had to spend quite a bit of the little bit of time I had filing 1mm off the bottom of the bridge saddle, and cleaning an amalgamation of tru-oil from the baseplate of the just’a’nut. Restrung, added a bit of relief to the neck (I had it flat when the strings were sitting higher) and boom, she plays like butter (not that I’ve ever tried to play butter). To say I’m very happy with the end result is an understatement and I think the conversion has changed this bass from a case queen to a daily noodler 😎. 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andyjr1515 Posted August 17 Share Posted August 17 12 minutes ago, JPJ said: A final update. I found a little bit of time this morning to complete the setup on the Warwick. In the end I had to spend quite a bit of the little bit of time I had filing 1mm off the bottom of the bridge saddle, and cleaning an amalgamation of tru-oil from the baseplate of the just’a’nut. Restrung, added a bit of relief to the neck (I had it flat when the strings were sitting higher) and boom, she plays like butter (not that I’ve ever tried to play butter). To say I’m very happy with the end result is an understatement and I think the conversion has changed this bass from a case queen to a daily noodler 😎. Splendid! Well done Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MoonBassAlpha Posted August 21 Share Posted August 21 On 06/08/2024 at 19:07, MoonBassAlpha said: That looks great work. I went in a different direction with mine. I've filled the slots with CA glue and covered the fingerboard with it as well. It needs flattening back down then polishing back up again. Wondering how that will work out? 🙃 Little bit of glitter in the slots before the ca glue then decided to ca the whole board a couple of times then flatten back through the grades to 1000 grit for a satin shine Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JPJ Posted August 22 Author Share Posted August 22 13 hours ago, MoonBassAlpha said: Nice work, like mine, it will be interesting to see how long the fingerboard finishes stand up 👍😎 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peter Popovic Posted August 22 Share Posted August 22 What I have used for fretboard after defretting, filling with maple venier and sanding was superglue. Dropped like 8-10 coats, sand it down and polished. Works great. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rmorris Posted August 22 Share Posted August 22 My take: If you want a fretless then buy a fretless bass or a fretless neck to substitute. I'll get my coat...😳 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Geek99 Posted August 22 Share Posted August 22 (edited) 14 hours ago, rmorris said: My take: If you want a fretless then buy a fretless bass or a fretless neck to substitute. I'll get my coat...😳 This having trodden this path, I predict that you will one day regret this. get a replacement neck, get the fret less thing out of your system and tread once more the path of the righteous man with a four bolt reinstatement of the original neck Edited August 23 by Geek99 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JPJ Posted August 23 Author Share Posted August 23 13 hours ago, rmorris said: My take: If you want a fretless then buy a fretless bass or a fretless neck to substitute. I'll get my coat...😳 I hear you. I actually tried to sell the Warwick for a long time but as many have found, acoustic bass guitars are very difficult to sell secondhand. Defretting has made it more useful to me so has added ‘value’. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rmorris Posted August 23 Share Posted August 23 1 hour ago, JPJ said: I hear you. I actually tried to sell the Warwick for a long time but as many have found, acoustic bass guitars are very difficult to sell secondhand. Defretting has made it more useful to me so has added ‘value’. I didn't realise it was an acoustic tbh makes more sense to me now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Geek99 Posted August 23 Share Posted August 23 1 hour ago, JPJ said: I hear you. I actually tried to sell the Warwick for a long time but as many have found, acoustic bass guitars are very difficult to sell secondhand. Defretting has made it more useful to me so has added ‘value’. I’m actually looking for one Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peter Popovic Posted August 23 Share Posted August 23 (edited) 16 hours ago, rmorris said: My take: If you want a fretless then buy a fretless bass or a fretless neck to substitute. I'll get my coat...😳 Got too many basses(21), wanted to try fretless, practising wood working…and many other reasons anybody can have. So no point (for me) to buy a fretless bass if I can make one. Edited August 23 by Peter Popovic 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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