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Twin Short-Scale 6 String Piccolo Basses


a2k

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1 hour ago, curtisa said:

What you need is someone with a CNC ;)

What would I need to do to bribe such a person into making a couple of "ten/eleven" switch plate covers for me? I can offer some pretty crazy Japanese kit kats. Or cash. But seriously, the kit kats are better than cash. 

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Almost there! This is the most heads-down focused I've been on a build. Amazing what a deadline will do. Necks and bodies are shaped, frets installed, bodies stained, necks set, and now I'm going to spend the next few days applying coats of truoil. I actually might finish these in time!

-- BEGIN PROGRESS PHOTOS ---

Neck pre-carved. I used the facets approach which seems to work well. I'm learning - the initial facet can be used to determine the shape ranging from a "D" with the line closer to the edge, then a "C" a little closer to the center. Move a little closer to the center and it's a "soft V", and then a hard "V". 

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A little too "D" shaped, so I worked it down after this.

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The single-cut as a cool heel.

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Working on the bodies. I did a hard bevel on the single cut and a rounded bevel on the double cut. 

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Filing away...

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Starting to look like guitars.

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I did a black stain and sand back on the double cut, and a brown stain and sand back on the single cut. The black looked really cool - I almost kept it that way.

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Necks glueing in. At this point, I wasn't very happy with either color. I woke up this morning determined to cover the yellow with black and just go "stealth guitar".

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But after I saw what a coat of oil did to the blue, I changed my mind with the yellow. The truoil adds a little yellow to the blue to darken it and make it richer, plus the way it brings out the wood is just ridiculous. Here's the blue after one coat of oil:

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And the yellow. I tried to do a faux binding on it, but the coloring difference between the top and sides of the maple isn't very apparent. 

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Now they are quietly drying. I'll be putting on two thin coats of oil a day until Sunday morning, when I leave for a few weeks while they sit. When I get back, I'll have a day to install the electronics, get the hardware on, and get them setup before the big "reveal". 

Edited by a2k
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On 3/31/2017 at 9:50 PM, Mr Natural said:

Now that is a rasp- my kinda tool!

The only tools I really use are a rasp and a set of cabinet scrapers. All of those routers and saws are just to speed up the rasping and scraping. 

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Here's where things stand...

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Tru Oil is magical stuff. Now the lil' piccolo basses are hanging to cure for 12 days while I head back to the states for work. When I get back, I'll have a day to level the frets, install the hardware and electronics, and get everything set up before the big "reveal". 

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  • 3 weeks later...
On 4/24/2017 at 2:52 PM, charisjapan said:

Hey a2k,

Just WoW!  :thumb: :thumb: 

Great looking pair of (ahem) guitars, and you made it on time.  Sean is very talented, makes that sound like no bass I've ever heard. ;) Singing and camera work are fine, too!

Very happy for you to pull this project off.

:D

 

On 4/25/2017 at 0:36 AM, Mr Natural said:

very cool A2K. great job on both axes. 

bonus points for the video. 

 

20 hours ago, Andyjr1515 said:

Great job, @a2k   They both look fantastic :)

Thanks for the kind words! I'm still riding the high of pulling this off. Now I just need to get Joe on video playing his single cut ax. 

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  • 1 month later...

Was really happy to go up and visit a2k today.  Got to show off the Chinaberry Two bass ... though it's just a body and neck bolted together ... and play around a bit with resawing and (big) belt sanding.  Really sad that my newfound builder friend will be leaving Japan soon ... :(

Will go to see (and hear) a2k and his band's last gig on Saturday ... hope to experience all three of his builds playing at the same time!! :D

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