Prostheta Posted July 22, 2016 Report Share Posted July 22, 2016 Relax Andy, I'm perfectly confident in your abilities to screw this up without my assistance. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Prostheta Posted July 22, 2016 Report Share Posted July 22, 2016 It's a tough choice to make, but a necessary one in order to get anywhere near 100% with this. It takes a lot of confidence to make the first cut. That's the spirit! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andyjr1515 Posted July 22, 2016 Author Report Share Posted July 22, 2016 1 hour ago, Prostheta said: Relax Andy, I'm perfectly confident in your abilities to screw this up without my assistance. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SIMpleONe89 Posted July 22, 2016 Report Share Posted July 22, 2016 Wow that was scary! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andyjr1515 Posted July 23, 2016 Author Report Share Posted July 23, 2016 I think if there ever needed to be evidence that the bridge bushings were an afterthought, it might be this: In the meantime, I have added the rebate strips to the hatch: The cover is too thick and heavy to be able to use magnets but I will be able to fully sink the screwheads in below the cover surface. While I'm waiting for the EQ to arrive, I'm going to have a good long hard think about those horrible ivoroid strips. There have to be strips of some sort because they are hiding the erroneous join...but I'm thinking maple at the moment Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andyjr1515 Posted July 23, 2016 Author Report Share Posted July 23, 2016 Best way of kicking off doing something better is by ripping the old ones off and THEN worrying about how I'm going to do it. I carefully scored round the exterior to try to minimise wood or varnish chips and then used a soldering iron on cool (200 degrees C) and a small chisel to break through to the wood: ..then ditto the other side: I will be setting in some ebony to continue the dark heel strip and then some cross-grain maple. It will still look like an infill but hopefully will look more like it's supposed to be there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Prostheta Posted July 23, 2016 Report Share Posted July 23, 2016 I don't see any other way around it either. Not without adding in complication which the bass clearly doesn't need as it stands. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andyjr1515 Posted July 23, 2016 Author Report Share Posted July 23, 2016 I have some maple veneer but need thicker stuff really rather than pack and then final veneer. Then I had a brainwave. I use cross-grain maple for the strengthener strip on the back of my acoustic builds: I've had a rummage around in my bits box and found this: Perfect Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Prostheta Posted July 23, 2016 Report Share Posted July 23, 2016 Jiminy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andyjr1515 Posted July 23, 2016 Author Report Share Posted July 23, 2016 Still have to chisel and sand this flush, stain to neck colour and varnish, but the first side is in: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zack Posted July 23, 2016 Report Share Posted July 23, 2016 Very impressive work! That cavity looks fantastic. I could have used a dremel base like that 2 days ago. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andyjr1515 Posted July 24, 2016 Author Report Share Posted July 24, 2016 18 hours ago, Zack said: Very impressive work! That cavity looks fantastic. I could have used a dremel base like that 2 days ago. Actually, @Zack that particular base is as good as useless for inlays, or much anything else. For inlays, I wouldn't be without the Stewmac (or clones) precision base: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andyjr1515 Posted July 24, 2016 Author Report Share Posted July 24, 2016 Today I spent some time sanding flush the inset maple and experimenting with stains. This is probably as good as I can get. As suspected, it is clearly an infill, but I think it is no longer the thing that first catches your eye with a 'THAT doesn't look right!': Since this pic has been taken, I've now done the other side too Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zack Posted July 24, 2016 Report Share Posted July 24, 2016 That's a massive improvement. Great work! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SIMpleONe89 Posted July 24, 2016 Report Share Posted July 24, 2016 Looks much better! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andyjr1515 Posted July 25, 2016 Author Report Share Posted July 25, 2016 Bit of tidying up to do, but this is the above side: ...and this is the other side: Neither bear super-close examination - the light catches the grain differently to the neck so in some lights they look lighter and others they look darker, and without stripping the whole neck and refinishing it is difficult to hide the join - but it is nevertheless a great improvement on the original. Waiting for the EQ to arrive but today I should be able to at least finish the other bits and pieces ready for the final re-assembly. I'm sure I've forgotten something, but today's tasks will include drilling and countersinking the back cover screw holes, checking the fret levels, polishing the frets and cleaning the fretboard. All being well, end of this week should see this on its way back to the owner 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Prostheta Posted July 25, 2016 Report Share Posted July 25, 2016 Well, even in spite of it being cross-grain with respect to the neck it's a million miles better than that pig's breakfast of ivoroid. It totally is. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ScottR Posted July 27, 2016 Report Share Posted July 27, 2016 Wow! That last bit was impressive. Like others have said that is a fine looking bass. The trapeze looks great on this and actually improves the look of it. I'm looking forward to your solution for the neck join. SR Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andyjr1515 Posted July 27, 2016 Author Report Share Posted July 27, 2016 2 hours ago, ScottR said: Wow! That last bit was impressive. Like others have said that is a fine looking bass. The trapeze looks great on this and actually improves the look of it. I'm looking forward to your solution for the neck join. SR OK - that's got me a bit confused.... that last bit WAS the solution for the neck join .... I think .... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ScottR Posted July 27, 2016 Report Share Posted July 27, 2016 1 hour ago, Andyjr1515 said: OK - that's got me a bit confused.... that last bit WAS the solution for the neck join .... I think .... My apologies. I wrote that at the end of the last page thinking I had made it to the end of your thread. I was referring to the cavity and cover....and somehow missed this entire page. My statement still fits here, except that I now know the solution for the neck join. SR 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andyjr1515 Posted July 27, 2016 Author Report Share Posted July 27, 2016 On 22 July 2016 at 5:07 PM, Prostheta said: Relax Andy, I'm perfectly confident in your abilities to screw this up without my assistance. Phew! At first I thought there was something I'd forgotten to do! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Prostheta Posted July 27, 2016 Report Share Posted July 27, 2016 Well you totally forgot to mess it up, so whatever you didn't do to do that (or not do it) keep not doing that so that doesn't happen (or not screwing up keeps happening). Not sure if this is the most direct road to success however. The manual seems to have fallen off my shelf. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andyjr1515 Posted July 28, 2016 Author Report Share Posted July 28, 2016 9 hours ago, Prostheta said: Well you totally forgot to mess it up, so whatever you didn't do to do that (or not do it) keep not doing that so that doesn't happen (or not screwing up keeps happening). Not sure if this is the most direct road to success however. The manual seems to have fallen off my shelf. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andyjr1515 Posted July 28, 2016 Author Report Share Posted July 28, 2016 That was a bit weird, actually. The quote I clicked for my 'Phew' reply was Scott's! Somehow the quote that got posted was yours from much earlier in the thread, Prostheta. Very curious. Maybe I haven't done the neck joint at all yet and the photos are just a projection of what I'd like it to be Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ScottR Posted July 28, 2016 Report Share Posted July 28, 2016 If that turns out to be the case, please post a detailed account of how you accomplished that. I want to be able to do it too! SR 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.