curtisa Posted March 24, 2016 Report Share Posted March 24, 2016 1 hour ago, a2k said: Right now, the truss rod is totally loose. If I hold down the 1st and 18th fret, there's some relief in the neck. Without a gauge, I'm eyeballing that it "looks about right". When I hold down the 12th and 24th fret, the strings are almost touching - too close? Will the string tension add more bend to the neck over time? 1st to 18th should show some gap in the middle under the strings - that's ideally indicating that there is some curvature in the neck to allow for the strings to vibrate freely without bottoming out on the frets. 12 to 24th as near-flat sounds about right, although that's not a common measurement to make or compare against. You'd expect the neck to be nearly flat in this area as it will have less bend-ability here due to it getting thicker and starting to form part of the more rigid mass of the body. It also needs less curvature at this point as the fretted strings will form a steeper angle with respect to the bridge, naturally allowing more clearance underneath to vibrate. If the truss rod is loose make sure any buzzing you're hearing is not the truss rod itself. Tighten the slack out of it first and check for buzzing again. 2 hours ago, a2k said: It really seems like there are just a few frets that need to be hammered in better (or maybe even glued in if they are popping up a little). Is that appropriate at this point? Or is it better to do a proper leveling? Other recommended next steps & fixes? Try re-seating the suspect frets first, but yes, I would have expected any guitar to need a fret level in order to play buzz-free, however little material needs removing from the crowns. Visually checking with a straightedge won't be sufficient by itself. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
curtisa Posted March 24, 2016 Report Share Posted March 24, 2016 A cheap check for identifying high frets is to use a single-sided razor blade or Stanley knife blade as a fret rocker. Straddle the blade across three frets and wiggle it side to side. It will be easy to detect a high fret in between two adjacent ones as you will feel the slight 'click' as the blade rocks over the high point and makes contact with the frets either side. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Prostheta Posted March 24, 2016 Report Share Posted March 24, 2016 A fret rocker is still useful....they're the ideal size, shape and weight (presuming aluminium or steel) for tapping frets, checking for bad seating. Which reminds me....the last one I had disappeared and I need to replace it. Which will of course summon the original. You how that works. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
a2k Posted March 24, 2016 Author Report Share Posted March 24, 2016 Thanks guys. I rocked the frets. Found some little clicks and some big clicks. Gave'm all a few taps until the clicking stopped. Strung it back up and 90% of the buzz is gone now. Overall, it plays pretty well and honestly I've played plenty of gigs with basses that have more buzz than this one. I want every note to be crystal clear though - I'm sure you know how it is. Guess I'd better order some fret leveling and crowning tools... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Prostheta Posted March 24, 2016 Report Share Posted March 24, 2016 Excellent work! I'm gratified to hear that it was more or less a simple journey to get the fretwork up and running. I hate diagnosing fret issues, especially low frets. Like, ONE low fret. They're just the worst, man. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
a2k Posted March 30, 2016 Author Report Share Posted March 30, 2016 I've ordered a leveling beam, crowning file, and some fret polishing supplies. Probably should have picked these up long ago... In the meantime, I've got just a few more things to complete (besides a proper setup) before I can call this build "done". The first is getting a logo on the headstock. I turns out there's a laser cutter/engraver sitting unused upstairs from the wood shop just waiting patiently for me to find it! Couldn't get the bass into the laser engraver. So instead I'm going to have it cut the logo out of a small piece of wood. I'm going to get two cut out and try applying urushi to one to see if I can get a clean, level finish. Then I'll glue it on. I'm assuming CA glue is the way to go because it's less messy, though wood glue is probably more secure. Thoughts on the best way to glue a wooden logo cutout onto an otherwise finished headstock? The second is the B string - this might improve once the frets are level and the setup is finished, but right now I'm a little underwhelmed by the tone and articulation. Notes on the string (even higher up) are more overtone than root tone. It might be the string (I've gotten bad strings before) or the gauge, but I worry it might be something else. Could the nut slot be causing this somehow? Perhaps it isn't tight enough, though it seems snug. Thoughts here? Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
curtisa Posted March 30, 2016 Report Share Posted March 30, 2016 2 hours ago, a2k said: Thoughts on the best way to glue a wooden logo cutout onto an otherwise finished headstock? Clear epoxy or CA would have been my suggestion. Just be careful not to let it spread too far. Perhaps mask off the surrounding area with tape first. 2 hours ago, a2k said: Could the nut slot be causing this somehow? Perhaps it isn't tight enough, though it seems snug. Thoughts here? Acoustically or plugged in? Nut should only affect the open string tone. Maybe check the bridge-end for any problems - poorly coupled components that need tightening, saddle breakpoint is pinching or rubbing the string. bridge plate not making solid contact with the body under the B-string Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
a2k Posted March 31, 2016 Author Report Share Posted March 31, 2016 On March 30, 2016 at 0:25 PM, curtisa said: Acoustically or plugged in? Nut should only affect the open string tone. Maybe check the bridge-end for any problems - poorly coupled components that need tightening, saddle breakpoint is pinching or rubbing the string. bridge plate not making solid contact with the body under the B-string Bingo! After dreaming up who-knows-what kind of crazy potential problems that could be causing this, the simplest solution prevailed. The b string was in fact not seated right in the bridge. The ball at the end was wedged in the slot on the top of where the string drops in instead of being pulled all the way in. The result was instead of breaking at the saddle, the string just went across it. This is what was causing all of those false harmonics. Literally a 5-second solution. Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
curtisa Posted March 31, 2016 Report Share Posted March 31, 2016 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Prostheta Posted March 31, 2016 Report Share Posted March 31, 2016 Well, there you go. Drama over! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
a2k Posted April 7, 2016 Author Report Share Posted April 7, 2016 So so so close to calling this "done". I got my fancy-pants leveling beam and crowning tools this week so yesterday I went in and leveled the frets. Had to take quite a bit of material off a few of the frets (especially around the inlay, where I was too scared about cracking the inlay to knock'm in properly). I got some 2x magnifying goggles to use for the crowning - I felt like I had a super power. Anyway, after sanding, crowning, and polishing, I brought the nut slots down a little more and dropped the saddles. This is an awesome bass! Plays great, feels great, sounds great. I'm really happy with it. Action shots! Here's the worst offender: I was hoping to use some of the wood to make a matching truss rod cover, but the strings are pretty close and there isn't much space to fit it - I'd guess it'd need to be about as thick as two credit cards and I worry that it won't be very durable. I need to play around with this. And I'm not sure about the logo. Now that I have thought about it, what I was planning for is too thin to work well as a cutout. If I can get a truss rod cover into the space, I could get it etched onto it. But I'm also thinking about skipping it and letting the inlay be the sole marking on the bass. Here's the logo for reference (it's a play on the double-A from my name and mountains because I like'm). So that's where things stand right now. In the meantime, I'm having a blast playing this thing and starting to dream up my next project. Too many ideas... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Prostheta Posted April 7, 2016 Report Share Posted April 7, 2016 Wow, all positive stuff. I'm really pleased that you took so much from this one project. No turning back now, eh? Nice concept on the logo. Simple and internally meaningful. You've been in Japan too long, man! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ScottR Posted April 8, 2016 Report Share Posted April 8, 2016 On 4/7/2016 at 10:44 PM, a2k said: This is an awesome bass! Plays great, feels great, sounds great. I'm really happy with it. It looks mighty fine too! Your shot of fret leveling shows a bunch of metal dust on unprotected fretboard wood. As you probably know by now, that stuff is nearly impossible to completely clean out of pores, and can leave your fretboard looking dirty. It's a good idea to mask off your board before leveling and crowning the frets. When my truss rod access is as neat and tidy as yours......which is always my goal, I don't bother making a cover. What with the strings passing over and the glint of the tuning machines, it is pretty much background noise anyway. SR 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
a2k Posted April 8, 2016 Author Report Share Posted April 8, 2016 8 hours ago, ScottR said: It looks mighty fine too! Your shot of fret leveling shows a bunch of metal dust on unprotected fretboard wood. As you probably know by now, that stuff is nearly impossible to completely clean out of pores, and can leave your fretboard looking dirty. It's a good idea to mask off your board before leveling and crowning the frets. When my truss rod access is as neat and tidy as yours......which is always my goal, I don't bother making a cover. What with the strings passing over and the glint of the tuning machines, it is pretty much background noise anyway. SR Thanks! I learned the hard way about metal dust on unprotected wood. I was able to get it out, but it wasn't easy. I will never make that mistake again. Maybe no truss rod cover isn't so bad... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Prostheta Posted April 9, 2016 Report Share Posted April 9, 2016 I'm going to purchase a YUGE neodymium magnet and put it in a ziploc to pick stray metal up. Not just fret grit but bits of wire wheel from my feet..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
a2k Posted April 9, 2016 Author Report Share Posted April 9, 2016 13 hours ago, Prostheta said: I'm going to purchase a YUGE neodymium magnet and put it in a ziploc to pick stray metal up. Not just fret grit but bits of wire wheel from my feet..... Maybe you can use it to quickly pull all the frets out of a neck too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Prostheta Posted April 10, 2016 Report Share Posted April 10, 2016 I don't think the wire is all that magnetic, but enough that a magnet can capture dust before it spreads and dirtys up the locale. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
psikoT Posted April 10, 2016 Report Share Posted April 10, 2016 Congratulations, you've got a very nice instrument! Hope you get addicted and never stop building. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
a2k Posted April 12, 2016 Author Report Share Posted April 12, 2016 A final recap is coming - gotta get down my thoughts and wrap up some loose ends in the story of this build. In the meantime, I've been having a blast playing the new bass. The parts for the next build are ordered. I hope to go visit my friends in Shinkiba next week for some wood shopping. The HUGE in Japan v2 build thread is coming soon. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Prostheta Posted April 13, 2016 Report Share Posted April 13, 2016 Wow, well there you go! That should be a very different shopping trip now you've cut your teeth both in the project work and the purchasing itself. I presume you'll be GOTMing the build? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
a2k Posted April 14, 2016 Author Report Share Posted April 14, 2016 20 hours ago, Prostheta said: I presume you'll be GOTMing the build? It has been GOTM-ified. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KnightroExpress Posted April 14, 2016 Report Share Posted April 14, 2016 Nice! This is going to be another good month. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
a2k Posted April 15, 2016 Author Report Share Posted April 15, 2016 10 hours ago, KnightroExpress said: Nice! This is going to be another good month. Yes it is. I'd suggest we split out a "bass of the month" contest, but the competition there would still be pretty steep. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Prostheta Posted April 15, 2016 Report Share Posted April 15, 2016 Multiscale acoustic bass of the month? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Norris Posted April 15, 2016 Report Share Posted April 15, 2016 Unfinished project of the month? That's all I'm likely to enter! Fabulous bass btw - I don't think I've commented on your build thread yet, but it's providing lots of inspiration for my next build (if I ever get there!) ... which will be a bass, being a bass player and all that Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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