Mr Natural Posted April 8, 2017 Report Share Posted April 8, 2017 the flu sucks. Its all over the place here in the states- especially the Southeast where I am. hope/glad you are feeling better. I got two words for you CJ- MT FUJI! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
charisjapan Posted April 8, 2017 Author Report Share Posted April 8, 2017 7 hours ago, Mr Natural said: ... two words ... MT FUJI! Yup! Looking forward to how it will work with the tuners ... it's a bit cramped. And I'm looking at tweaking the headstock for a 6-string. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
charisjapan Posted April 15, 2017 Author Report Share Posted April 15, 2017 Finally got time to drill for the neck bolts. The weird pattern is because of the carbon fiber rods ... something I should have thought about beforehand, yeah? I forgot to install the 6 mm flange nuts before gluing the fretboard on (sigh ... again, forgot to think) so went with screw in inserts. It went well, but I was really worried about splitting the wood at the base of the heel. Clamped before installing, 1/4 turn in, 1/8 out ... repeat 20 times ... and they went in just fine. Next routed around the bolt holes to sink them flush. Three of the bolts screwed right in, but one must have got a tad cocked, so is a bit "squeaky" ... but has loosened up after a few times. Now to check alignment and height. [ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
charisjapan Posted April 15, 2017 Author Report Share Posted April 15, 2017 Did some measuring, and looking good. (Phew!) The neck has a slight back bow, maybe 1 mm with no tension on the truss rod. I expect adding strings will bring that straight, or maybe even a bit more, but hoping the truss rod will get me where I want to be. As it is, the bridge location is spot on for length, needs to be about 0.9 mm left from my original centerline (pretty happy about that!) and smack dab in the middle of the height adjustment. I was surprised to find that this Hipshot bridge allows about 2 mm of side-to-side saddle adjustment, which allows me to fine tune the string spacing ... cool! Overall, happy camper! Oh, yeah ... I "sharpened" the end of the soft-V neck a bit, after confirming I wouldn't expose the carbon fiber rods. It feels great so far, and looking forward to my first "tailor-made-for-me" guitar!! Last picture is the brass nut coming along. The marks are 1st fret height and approximate string bottom ... which I will probably go below after confirming location and playability. After slotting, will sand it down and polish. Do you clearcoat the brass, or just let it age? My first brass nut, so a learning experience. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
charisjapan Posted April 15, 2017 Author Report Share Posted April 15, 2017 On 4/8/2017 at 1:23 PM, Mr Natural said: I got two words for you CJ- MT FUJI! Picture worth more than two words! Mrs. Charisjapan and I took Beaujolais to an outlet mall the other day ... in the shadow of ________. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andyjr1515 Posted April 15, 2017 Report Share Posted April 15, 2017 The build looks great.... and Mount Fuji ALWAYS looks great Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
charisjapan Posted April 18, 2017 Author Report Share Posted April 18, 2017 The pickup routing template I got worked nice. I may have to go a bit deeper, but won't know until the foam "springs" arrive later today. Bridge position is set, and started cutting the brass nut slots. Now that I know the neck angle works, I have to deepen some of the fret slots ... well, most of them. The fretboard was way too thick. And this is what the Q-tuner pickups with locust wood covers looks like. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
charisjapan Posted April 18, 2017 Author Report Share Posted April 18, 2017 Not really a poll, but really would like to get your thoughts on knobs. This is a passive circuit, so just unified tone, bridge and neck volumes. This body is so compact, there's not a lot of room ... but I don't mind, as I don't fiddle with controls a lot. I'm concerned about aesthetics more than ergonomics, so ... what looks best? Or something else entirely? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
curtisa Posted April 18, 2017 Report Share Posted April 18, 2017 3rd pic does it for me, although whatever feels most comfortable/logical to the player is ultimately what should win out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ScottR Posted April 18, 2017 Report Share Posted April 18, 2017 6 hours ago, curtisa said: 3rd pic does it for me, although whatever feels most comfortable/logical to the player is ultimately what should win out. Likewise. And did you turn your fret board into a piano keyboard, or is that just me? Looks cool either way. SR Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mattharris75 Posted April 18, 2017 Report Share Posted April 18, 2017 Yep, three for me as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr Natural Posted April 18, 2017 Report Share Posted April 18, 2017 +1 on pic 3. MT FUJI! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
charisjapan Posted May 1, 2017 Author Report Share Posted May 1, 2017 Thanks for the replies. all ... probably going for number 3, and Volume-Tone-Volume. A little progress with the neck, Yay! Frets in, leveled, crowned and polished. Will do final polishing after oil finish is done ... on the third application today. I chose Watco Oil Finish (which apparently is different from Watco Danish Oil ... but who knows?), the best info I can find says "vegetable based" oil. Watco Japan sells a wax that is made to be applied as a final coat(s) for their oil. I looks nice so far, but not yet enough to see if it will build up. Oh, well ... the cherry looks nice! (a little bit darker than the pictures show ... iPhone camera) Also, drilled the tuner holes, and checked to make sure they fit. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
charisjapan Posted May 3, 2017 Author Report Share Posted May 3, 2017 Had to deepen the pickup routs to 27mm ... the pickup height foam from Montreux was a lot more than foam! (think these are the same as the Scud HAJ-J part) They have three springs molded into two densities of foam, and a brass plate with a ground lead molded to the base. My neodymium pickups are supposed to be noiseless, so don't need this feature, but it does make a lot of sense for a normal single coil! So one more small step toward a guitar. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr Natural Posted May 3, 2017 Report Share Posted May 3, 2017 Mt Fuji! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
djobson101 Posted May 4, 2017 Report Share Posted May 4, 2017 Very nice details from end to end on this build just to jump back a little, how did you go about working with the brass nut in terms of tools? I have never played anything with a brass nut but I have heard they are a joy and can increase the sustain of the instrument. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
charisjapan Posted May 4, 2017 Author Report Share Posted May 4, 2017 12 hours ago, djobson101 said: Very nice details from end to end on this build just to jump back a little, how did you go about working with the brass nut in terms of tools? I have never played anything with a brass nut but I have heard they are a joy and can increase the sustain of the instrument. Hey Dalton, This is my first try at a brass nut, but it was not unpleasant. It IS harder than bone, no doubt, but one of the few power tools I do have is a Ryobi belt sander, so getting basic shape was easy. In fact, easier than bone, because it shapes slower, and using #240, the shininess helped to get just what I wanted. The slots were another matter, as I don't have bass-sized files. I just used a rat file, putting tape on the taper at the desired gauge and went to it. Smalles string was about the same as my largest guitar file, and cut pretty quickly. If I were to make more bass guitars, I will definitely invest in some proper files. Final shaping and polishing was just #1000, #2000, then two grades of compound. I don't know what I'll do now ... let it tarnish and just polish top and side for an antique look, or coat it with polyurethane or something to keep it shiny. I'm open to ideas about that! As to tone and sustain, I'm really not expecting a huge improvement ... but would like to think it makes my playing sound better! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
charisjapan Posted May 12, 2017 Author Report Share Posted May 12, 2017 Knob layout, and therefore control cavity decided. Volume/Master Tone/Volume. Amazing what light can do to the image sensor and software in an iPhone ... same day, same time, just different direction. I decided to go with the "sunken cavity" again, as well as neodymium magnets on that center "plateau." 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
charisjapan Posted May 12, 2017 Author Report Share Posted May 12, 2017 Seven applications of the Watco Wood Oil (apparently different from Watco Danish) and finally getting some depth and shine. Not to mention it needs 2-3 days between applications. I tried a test piece of cherry with this, and put two coats of their recommended Watco Wax, and it looks good and is slippery ... like dropped the test piece several times while buffing slippery! (will try to be more careful with the neck) ... little by little ... 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ScottR Posted May 12, 2017 Report Share Posted May 12, 2017 I wonder if it has a higher linseed oil content to require that long of dry time between applications. It do make it shine though. SR Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
charisjapan Posted May 12, 2017 Author Report Share Posted May 12, 2017 39 minutes ago, ScottR said: I wonder if it has a higher linseed oil content to require that long of dry time between applications. It do make it shine though. SR Hmmm ... could well be. Watco Japan only says "vegetable-base" oil, and I can't find any independent information. Except for the wait, I'll take it, though ... when it does finally dry between coats, it has a nice feel. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
charisjapan Posted May 27, 2017 Author Report Share Posted May 27, 2017 Two weeks and Page 2 ... My wife brought back from Hawaii something that was holding up finishing the body ... TransTint! I wanted to color the grain, so used a brush on 2-part urethane sanding sealer with a few drops of bright red. (I actually tried about 10 other colors on scraps) While this stuff has wicked fumes, it fills the deep pores better than anything else I've tried that is transparent. It cures real quick, and scrapes back and sands very nicely in about an hour. This is the first coat, and one more might do the trick. I will (rattlecan) spray a clear light amber urethane made by the same company, so the body may actually be done soon! The neck is still very slightly tacky from the Watco Oil Finish ... don't think I'll use that again. I hope a few coats of wax will fix that, but will give it another week while finishing the body. Everything else is done, ready to put together. I'm excited! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr Natural Posted May 28, 2017 Report Share Posted May 28, 2017 that bites about the Watco Japan product CJ. The Watco Danish and Teak Oil products in the states dry over night (or quicker) and are so easy to use and give really good results. hopefully it dries sufficiently and works out. its coming along nicely otherwise. Mt Fuji! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
charisjapan Posted June 1, 2017 Author Report Share Posted June 1, 2017 On 5/28/2017 at 10:15 AM, Mr Natural said: that bites about the Watco Japan product CJ. The Watco Danish and Teak Oil products in the states dry over night (or quicker) and are so easy to use and give really good results. hopefully it dries sufficiently and works out. its coming along nicely otherwise. Mt Fuji! Yeah, I should have experimented with 8-10 coats to see how it would work only did 4 coats. Indeed, this is a different product from Watco Danish Oil. But, it seems to be good enough now for some wax, so please send some good thoughts this way. I put a first rattle can coat of clear on the body, and hope to go show the results to a2k today! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
charisjapan Posted June 1, 2017 Author Report Share Posted June 1, 2017 Was about to give it a shot of cleat urethane, when I realized that I forgot the jack! (sigh) Went well, so no problem. A few shots while still wet, then next morning checking the neck fit. This might just turn out to be a useable bass guitar! Oh, and the cherry control cavity cover. One thing I just found was that some pots will fit, but the Bourns pots will not. Guess it's time for the Dremel ... again. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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