gpcustomguitars Posted July 24, 2017 Report Share Posted July 24, 2017 (edited) After a pause, a new project, hopefully a quick one! I saw a nice bass shape on my daily dose of Pinterest and decided to use 2 offcuts that were to small for most uses. I do not know who to credit for the shape, but it's really nice. Adding a few twists of my own, but here goes. I got a small Japanese saw and it got me to using hand tools more, fun and quiet. fb01 by Goran P, on Flickr fb02 by Goran P, on Flickr fb03 by Goran P, on Flickr IMG_20170721_222942 by Goran P, on Flickr IMG_20170721_224547 by Goran P, on Flickr IMG_20170721_232253 by Goran P, on Flickr A few hairline cracks on the bottom side, will get to it later, IMG_20170722_151808 by Goran P, on Flickr Bottom piece was 10mm thicker, sawn off, and got a nice piece of cherry to perhaps use later IMG_20170722_160026 by Goran P, on Flickr The center piece, upper layer (it's 20mm thick), and my idea - I've had this piezzo unit forever, perhaps I could use it here? Has anyone tried this before? I would probably omit the standard pickups and go with the cleaner look. It opens on a hinge for the battery, and I would probably make a black plastic riser for it, angled towards the player. IMG_20170723_100316 by Goran P, on Flickr It might not turn out fanned, and for the fretboard I have a few options/dilemmas - more cherry, whitish walnut (which could be darkened) and black acrylic, sanded with some steel wool. I would really like to try this, but I've never used it that way - I would have to epoxy it on, does it shrink over time, or crack? Center piece laminated, scarf joint to follow, 2-way truss rod on the way. I could perhaps make 2 rods instead with some 5mm steel. IMG_20170723_144455 by Goran P, on Flickr Edited July 24, 2017 by gpcustomguitars Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gpcustomguitars Posted July 24, 2017 Author Report Share Posted July 24, 2017 I'm thinking of adding a thinner piece to the back, also cherry, perhaps carved, so I got a neighbor, carpenter, to help me with this piece. It went trough thicknesser and circular saw as deep as it was possible, I'll have to finish the cut by hand. I'll probably cut out the shape first to make the job a bit smaller. fb20 by Goran P, on Flickr fb21 by Goran P, on Flickr Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gpcustomguitars Posted July 26, 2017 Author Report Share Posted July 26, 2017 Some small progress, roughly cut the butt end of the neck-trough and routed close to thickness, removing the stripes. It's now at 40mm thick. Sawed the scarf angle, 12.5 angle, headstock still to go. Cherry smells nice when worked, coffee-like, but this other stuff I always forget the name of doesn't exactly smell but it's not pleasant... Nut will be 41.5mm. Starting to look like a bass. fb22 by Goran P, on Flickr fb23 by Goran P, on Flickr fb24 by Goran P, on Flickr Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ScottR Posted July 26, 2017 Report Share Posted July 26, 2017 You've got a tongue and groove neck! Are using a piece of flooring or are you doing yourself to make glue up alignment simpler? SR Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andyjr1515 Posted July 27, 2017 Report Share Posted July 27, 2017 Watching with interest Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gpcustomguitars Posted July 27, 2017 Author Report Share Posted July 27, 2017 Hello! It's a piece of hardwood flooring. I got a few leftover packages some years ago when my uncle was decorating his place, works great for necks. Tongue and groove routed off, it still has 90mm x 20mm of clean material, and I have two sizes ~70cm and ~90cm long. I'll look up the exact species on the packaging. I made 2 tele necks form it so far, 1 bass neck, 1 LP Jr and the 335 recently. As a bonus, I got some free exotic flooring samples that were an option. No pics, but I did manage to scarf the neck, with some help from my 8 year old helper It took a while, and he did leave me to go to dinner at some point, and I did have to realign the whole thing when he left, but we had fun! He usually just wants something made or fixed, but yesterday he took part 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gpcustomguitars Posted July 28, 2017 Author Report Share Posted July 28, 2017 Some more progress! Prepared a headstock plate, scarf seems OK :). I have to decide on the fretboard, and since I'm actually scared of the unknown properties of acrylic sheets regarding glue durability under stress, shrinkage, cracking, especially in relation to truss rod, I think I'll go with cherry. I could try to darken it somehow, to provide some contrast to the wings. Could someone give me some thoughts on lengthening the pole pieces on a pickup - meaning would the adding of some mild steel stock on to each individually change anything tone-vise? I'd like to perhaps hide a pickup under the fretboard, leaving just pole pieces visable? I hope I explained correctly, can provide a drawing if needed? fb25 by Goran P, on Flickr fb26 by Goran P, on Flickr fb27 by Goran P, on Flickr fb28 by Goran P, on Flickr fb29 by Goran P, on Flickr fb30 by Goran P, on Flickr fb31 by Goran P, on Flickr Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gpcustomguitars Posted July 28, 2017 Author Report Share Posted July 28, 2017 Here's what I meant: pickup idea by Goran P, on Flickr The extension slugs could be superglued to the fretboard piece that comes off, and by simple magnetism of the pole pieces under it be both held in place, and providing closeness to the strings. Would it work? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gpcustomguitars Posted July 30, 2017 Author Report Share Posted July 30, 2017 Lots of small things done! Shaped the headstock halfway roughly, trimmed one side to the line, routed the tr channel and glued the faceplate. IMG_20170728_224333 by Goran P, on Flickr IMG_20170729_181917 by Goran P, on Flickr IMG_20170729_183032 by Goran P, on Flickr I figured this in one off, so no templates - routed to the line shallowly with the dremel, then used that edge to guide the router. IMG_20170730_120034 by Goran P, on Flickr IMG_20170730_131050 by Goran P, on Flickr IMG_20170730_131056 by Goran P, on Flickr IMG_20170730_131105 by Goran P, on Flickr IMG_20170730_134327 by Goran P, on Flickr IMG_20170730_144101 by Goran P, on Flickr IMG_20170730_160501 by Goran P, on Flickr IMG_20170730_162710 by Goran P, on Flickr Now I can trim the other side and start on the fretboard, shape the heel etc. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andyjr1515 Posted July 30, 2017 Report Share Posted July 30, 2017 On 7/28/2017 at 9:21 AM, gpcustomguitars said: Here's what I meant: pickup idea by Goran P, on Flickr The extension slugs could be superglued to the fretboard piece that comes off, and by simple magnetism of the pole pieces under it be both held in place, and providing closeness to the strings. Would it work? I did quite a few experiments on this for my fully hidden pickups on the recently finished ultra-modern bass. The answer is broadly yes, but with some provisos. First of all, if you are going to add longer slugs, it would be better to get hold of some longer slug screws and simply replace the stock grub screws with some longer ones for the maximum magnetic flux. However, variations in the distance that the coil is from the string has more impact than variations in the distance that the slug is away from the strings. So, yes - there will be a better volume with every mm closer to the strings you get with the slugs, but there will be disproportionately better volume improvement (and tone) for every mm closer the coil itself can get. Hope this helps makes sense and that it helps Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gpcustomguitars Posted July 31, 2017 Author Report Share Posted July 31, 2017 Thanks a lot! Yes it helps, very much, as I now know what to aim for. I was thinking mostly of MM pickup, which has largish slugs, so replacement is probably not an option. On the other hand, this is a fretless, and I'm planing the fretboard to be 6mm at it's thickest, so the overall distance is not that big. Inserts would just help out a bit, and perhaps look nice embedded in the fretboard. I'll have to rethink if I want to go trough with this on this bass, perhaps the piezzo would be enough. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gpcustomguitars Posted August 1, 2017 Author Report Share Posted August 1, 2017 Not much done yesterday, but I did squeeze in a few minutes in the shop to rough out the other side of the headstock, and to sureform-plane the surface to about 4mm. I'll reduce the thickness from the other side to about 15mm, and probably leave a few mm's for a hint of a volute. IMG_20170731_224810 by Goran P, on Flickr Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gpcustomguitars Posted August 2, 2017 Author Report Share Posted August 2, 2017 No pics, packing for vacation I got the truss rod today, and it just slipped in the channel tightly! Great! I just had to run a sandpaper-wrapped piece of 4mm plywood down the channel about 3 times, as it's slightly wider that my 6mm router bit. Well, cutting, gluing and shaping the fretboard will have to wait a while... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gpcustomguitars Posted August 21, 2017 Author Report Share Posted August 21, 2017 Back from vacation, and back to work ..... Anyway, had 2 days to settle, and some new toys for the shop which came in really handy. Note to self: buying tools on vacation is easier, as She will probably buy something not completely necessary too Result - 2 Japanese saws, 1 handsaw and 3 scrapers! IMG_20170819_200049 by Goran P, on Flickr Put to use the same evening - I had the plank sawed form both sides on the table saw previously. IMG_20170819_204205 by Goran P, on Flickr Made a small filler piece to hold the nut down firmly: IMG_20170820_150303 by Goran P, on Flickr IMG_20170820_164811 by Goran P, on Flickr My logo in MOP - cracked once, but I was able to save it. IMG_20170820_194529 by Goran P, on Flickr Penciled in and lines scored with my little jigsaw knife, then routed by Dremel, and tweaked with small chisels. Glued with CA and some packed cherry powder. IMG_20170820_195138 by Goran P, on Flickr Some initial filing followed by orbital. I'll probably round over the top edge after trimming and can glue the fretboard on. IMG_20170820_204421 by Goran P, on Flickr Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gpcustomguitars Posted August 22, 2017 Author Report Share Posted August 22, 2017 Glued the fretboard last night! Some trimming to follow. IMG_20170821_210902 by Goran P, on Flickr Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ScottR Posted August 22, 2017 Report Share Posted August 22, 2017 Do I set fret slots? Are you going to inlay some veneer to indicate fret positions? SR Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gpcustomguitars Posted August 22, 2017 Author Report Share Posted August 22, 2017 No slots yet, but I do want to mark the fret positions somehow, at least partially, if not across full width. Probably not veneer though, perhaps copper wire, or black abs to go with the black tuners (to be ordered), some MOP details. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andyjr1515 Posted August 23, 2017 Report Share Posted August 23, 2017 Seems to be progressing well Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gpcustomguitars Posted August 25, 2017 Author Report Share Posted August 25, 2017 (edited) Thanks! Not too much time after vacation, but I'd like to see this finished soon. New toys are a joy to use, scraper cam in really handy last night. Started the shaping, roughed in the heel and the volute. Headstock is still 20mm, I'll extend the volute to the edge of the headstock for added strength. IMG_20170824_215536 by Goran P, on Flickr IMG_20170824_221029 by Goran P, on Flickr IMG_20170824_221446 by Goran P, on Flickr IMG_20170824_221710 by Goran P, on Flickr IMG_20170824_222606 by Goran P, on Flickr IMG_20170824_222609 by Goran P, on Flickr IMG_20170824_223536 by Goran P, on Flickr IMG_20170824_225216 by Goran P, on Flickr IMG_20170824_225220 by Goran P, on Flickr Edited August 25, 2017 by gpcustomguitars Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ScottR Posted August 25, 2017 Report Share Posted August 25, 2017 It's interesting to see how you get from the rough stage to the pretty finished stage. SR Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gpcustomguitars Posted August 27, 2017 Author Report Share Posted August 27, 2017 (edited) For necktroughs I've built so far I do it like this. This one might be a bit different as I have to finish shaping it before glueing due to limited access under the upper horn. Had a good day yesterday, found some time for the shop: Rounded over the edges and shaped some more. Also, routed the neck to thickness (21mm at 1st, 23.5 at 12th). Last shot is shaving the edges to width, it's now 41.5mm at the nut. 1-IMG_20170826_120953 by Goran P, on Flickr 2-IMG_20170826_122133 by Goran P, on Flickr 3-IMG_20170826_122620 by Goran P, on Flickr 4-IMG_20170826_123752 by Goran P, on Flickr 5-IMG_20170826_130916 by Goran P, on Flickr 6-IMG_20170826_140608 by Goran P, on Flickr Edited August 27, 2017 by gpcustomguitars Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andyjr1515 Posted August 27, 2017 Report Share Posted August 27, 2017 Ah - the bottom pic is presumable the humble scraper. By far the most used and cherished of all my carving tools Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gpcustomguitars Posted August 28, 2017 Author Report Share Posted August 28, 2017 Yes I can't tell how I ever got along without it! It's not in the pics, but after every round of coarser tools like rasps or spoke shave, I scrape it clean just for the fun of it I still haven't started to use the curved one... First 2 facets from each of the sides are done, refined the heel and the volute area some more too. I started with Fender P profile as I have one in the shop now and it feels nice, we'll see if it goes in other direction. Also not in the pics, marked the partial fret markers, about 1cm deep from the edge. 1 to 15th upper side, 16 to 28th lower (treble) side. 2mm black binding, just have to locate the small inlay bits......they could be in one of the piles in the southeast area.... 1-IMG_20170827_111140 by Goran P, on Flickr 2-IMG_20170827_120807 by Goran P, on Flickr 3-IMG_20170827_122026 by Goran P, on Flickr 4-IMG_20170827_122206 by Goran P, on Flickr Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gpcustomguitars Posted August 30, 2017 Author Report Share Posted August 30, 2017 Back of the headstock got some attention - I wanted to prolong the volute to the top. Starting thickness was 20mm, rough routed with router, then to closer thickness with dremel (too little surface) and finished to depth with scrapers. 1-IMG_20170829_183622 by Goran P, on Flickr 2-IMG_20170829_185829 by Goran P, on Flickr 3-IMG_20170829_193209 by Goran P, on Flickr 4-IMG_20170829_193730 by Goran P, on Flickr 5-IMG_20170829_195820 by Goran P, on Flickr A quick jig for slotting the marker slots (once I find the bits......): 6-IMG_20170829_200446 by Goran P, on Flickr 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gpcustomguitars Posted August 31, 2017 Author Report Share Posted August 31, 2017 My little jig worked great, should make an adjustible one, and nicer looking Anyway, routed the slots and cut and glued about half of the fretboard markers. Used the 3mm black acrylic offcuts. They will get polished with the fretboard polishing too. 1-IMG_20170830_195249 by Goran P, on Flickr 2-IMG_20170830_201235 by Goran P, on Flickr 3-IMG_20170830_213504 by Goran P, on Flickr 4-IMG_20170830_222744 by Goran P, on Flickr 5-IMG_20170830_223539 by Goran P, on Flickr Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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