Chuck_Chill-Out Posted June 24, 2014 Report Share Posted June 24, 2014 Okay, I've been lurking in here off and on for a number of years. I am building my first bass, a neck-through 4-string fretless. My first bass (a rescue) is fretless and I am more comfortable playing it. This is a maple and cherry bass with a sapele fretboard. This is the rough cut. Now I need to shape the neck. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ScottR Posted June 24, 2014 Report Share Posted June 24, 2014 Carry on amigo. Looking forward to seeing this come to life. SR Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chuck_Chill-Out Posted June 24, 2014 Author Report Share Posted June 24, 2014 Thanks, Scott. I rescued an old Teisco short-scale bass years ago and this is something I've wanted to do. I will say that the work y'all post on here is amazing. Hoping to get this done by year's-end. I don't get much time to work on it, so that time is not wasted. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ScottR Posted June 24, 2014 Report Share Posted June 24, 2014 Is this one going to be a short scale as well? SR Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chuck_Chill-Out Posted June 24, 2014 Author Report Share Posted June 24, 2014 No, full size. All of the wood with the exception of the fertboard was donated by my in-laws. I'll post more pics of how I got this far. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chuck_Chill-Out Posted June 29, 2014 Author Report Share Posted June 29, 2014 Okay, hit a snag when shaping the neck. I want a trapezoidal neck since I have a bad left wrist (I am a recovering adrenaline junkie) and this feels better when playing. When I was routing for the truss rod, I had a yip with the router. I didn't think it was a problem until... I am planning on squaring up the gap and gluing in a piece of the maple. UGH! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chuck_Chill-Out Posted July 3, 2014 Author Report Share Posted July 3, 2014 Patched the hole and letting it dry before reshaping. Sorry, no pic. As it is drying, I started on some body work. A question for y'all. How thick do you make the control cavity cover? I'm using an extra piece of cherry for it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
curtisa Posted July 4, 2014 Report Share Posted July 4, 2014 No hard and fast rule. As thick as you want as long as you leave sufficient clearance inside for the electrickery bits, and the screws you have to hold the cover are long enough. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chuck_Chill-Out Posted July 21, 2014 Author Report Share Posted July 21, 2014 Well, I had time to work on this over the weekend (sorry, no pics yet). I repaired the hole on the neck and continued to shape the neck. Just my luck, I ran into ANOTHER issue. The truss rod started to be uncovered near the headstock and i could feel the wood bow under the truss rod. Routed too deep. Well, from reading the posts on here from demonx, RestorationAD, and others, I decided to take a few breaths and reassess. Using a small saw, I cut out the section of thin wood and measured a replacement piece. This is a bit frustrating, but a learning experience. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
curtisa Posted July 21, 2014 Report Share Posted July 21, 2014 I find stepping away for a while with beer in hand helps calm the nerves Is making a decorative stripe the full length of the neck (think Fender skunk stripe) out of the question? Would probably look neater and more deliberate than a small patchup job in one region of the neck. However, if the trussrod channel is routed too deep the full length of the neck it may continue to reveal issues as you carve more... Alternatively, sometimes you just need to cut your losses and start over. I'm having to do the same for a neck on one of my previous builds. I just made a poor choice on the timber for the neck and now it warps and twists around like crazy in colder weather. It happens sometimes, but it can be cathartic to start afresh. The body wings in your bass can undoubtedly be saved by cutting out the neck-thru section, and you can start over with a fresh neck blank and the extra knowledge gained by experience. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chuck_Chill-Out Posted July 23, 2014 Author Report Share Posted July 23, 2014 I find stepping away for a while with beer in hand helps calm the nerves Is making a decorative stripe the full length of the neck (think Fender skunk stripe) out of the question? Would probably look neater and more deliberate than a small patchup job in one region of the neck. However, if the trussrod channel is routed too deep the full length of the neck it may continue to reveal issues as you carve more... Alternatively, sometimes you just need to cut your losses and start over. I'm having to do the same for a neck on one of my previous builds. I just made a poor choice on the timber for the neck and now it warps and twists around like crazy in colder weather. It happens sometimes, but it can be cathartic to start afresh. The body wings in your bass can undoubtedly be saved by cutting out the neck-thru section, and you can start over with a fresh neck blank and the extra knowledge gained by experience. Curtis, thanks for the info. The truss rod is a 3/4" square aluminum bar, so the upper end of the neck was thin. I do have extra cherry and walnut for a new neck, but I'll need to get some maple, which is not too expensive around here. Lucky for me (maybe?) the wings are not attached to the neck yet. For me, it was easier to shape the neck and fretboard. I cut the top 1/4" off of the cherry for the wings and hollowed it out to try and lighten it. The tops were then reglued. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
curtisa Posted July 23, 2014 Report Share Posted July 23, 2014 3/4" square trussrod is pretty large, and doesn't leave an awful lot of wood in the neck to carve without risking hitting the channel or ending up with a structurally unsound neck. I'd be tempted to scrap the neck outright and restart from scratch with a lower-profile trussrod. The typical dual action rods that get used a lot by guys here are only 1/4" square and are more than adequate to withstand the tension of a 4 string bass neck. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chuck_Chill-Out Posted August 25, 2014 Author Report Share Posted August 25, 2014 (edited) Okay, sorry I haven't been in here (and building) lately, I've been out of my local area due to work. Well, it's one way to make the money for this, and the other things in my life. I was able to get to the wood shop today to reassess the bass. I've decided to take curtisa's advice and scrap the neck. I will continue to use it as a learning experience and a template on what I want it to look like, but remember to step back and drink a cold beverage when I begin to get nervy. One other thing I am doing, my friend who has the wood shop is a decoy carver. He is working with me to carve an American Goldfinch for my daughter. She loves sitting quietly and still (almost impossible for an 8 year-old) to watch them come to our porch. I appreciate this site for the expertise of the posters and the amazing work y'all have done. Oh, I have maple left over for the neck, but I am thinking of black walnut with it instead of cherry. Any thoughts? Edited August 25, 2014 by Chuck_Chill-Out Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ScottR Posted August 25, 2014 Report Share Posted August 25, 2014 Black walnut and maple ought to be a fine combination. I do a little carving now and then, I'd love to see the goldfinch when it's ready. SR Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chuck_Chill-Out Posted November 8, 2014 Author Report Share Posted November 8, 2014 Okay, life has been a bit crazy. Cleaning out MIL's house and traveling for work. Now, I am able to get back in to work on building this thing again. I am hoping to build THIS one correctly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chuck_Chill-Out Posted November 19, 2014 Author Report Share Posted November 19, 2014 Well, in cleaning out my in-law's house, we realized my father-in-law was a hoarder: I took some pieces that I think I can use in the future and contacted the PA Guild of Craftsmen and someone is coming this week to take it all. Back to building. Unclamped the wood and started to place it level: The fretboard I was able to salvage from the destroyed neck. Burning will be this Saturday evening. Marshmallows and hotdogs included. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ScottR Posted November 19, 2014 Report Share Posted November 19, 2014 A lot of us find it hard to throw away off-cuts of high end wood.......we just know we'll have a use for it in the future. SR Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chuck_Chill-Out Posted November 25, 2014 Author Report Share Posted November 25, 2014 A lot of us find it hard to throw away off-cuts of high end wood.......we just know we'll have a use for it in the future. SR A local cabinetmaker was over this weekend. We spent two hours going though the wood and picking out what he wanted. Filled hid van and didn't make a dent in the wood piles. I learned a lot on what to look for and what types of wood were there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chuck_Chill-Out Posted December 2, 2014 Author Report Share Posted December 2, 2014 SO grateful for friends who know how to properly use a router. Pics of the truss rod to follow. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chuck_Chill-Out Posted December 3, 2014 Author Report Share Posted December 3, 2014 Nice and snug. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ScottR Posted December 3, 2014 Report Share Posted December 3, 2014 Yup, looks tight. How wide is that truss rod? SR Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chuck_Chill-Out Posted December 3, 2014 Author Report Share Posted December 3, 2014 (edited) Yup, looks tight. How wide is that truss rod? SR 3/4" square aluminum. I know, it's a bit wide, but it's what I have on hand. I marked the side of the neck the depth of the truss rod so I don't have the same mistake happen again. I also decided to stop there and end on a good note. Back in the shop on Friday to begin shaping the neck. Edited December 3, 2014 by Chuck_Chill-Out Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Muzz Posted December 3, 2014 Report Share Posted December 3, 2014 Non adjustable rods are rare these days because there are so many advantages to having the ability to adjust the tension, but if they are used they are usually steel. Aluminium can bend under pressure and it remains deformed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chuck_Chill-Out Posted December 6, 2014 Author Report Share Posted December 6, 2014 Muzz, I'm following the design of Rick Toone's Orchid bass with a trapezoidal neck. We'll see how it works. I will take your advice when I build the next one, though. I appreciate all of the knowledge here. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Muzz Posted December 6, 2014 Report Share Posted December 6, 2014 There's nothing wrong with experimenting and having fun, hey I even heard a story that someone checked Brian May's guitar and the truss rod hadn't been tensioned, don't know if that is true or not, but it's a great myth. So yes, I will be interested to see how it goes Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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