a2k Posted October 23, 2016 Author Report Share Posted October 23, 2016 On 10/21/2016 at 8:14 PM, Norris said: I did some test samples for my guitar, to see if there was much of a difference between doing the grain filling before or after dyeing. They both looked about the same to me. Therefore when I come to do the guitar I'll grain fill first to reduce the risk of over-sanding through my dye. Good idea, thanks for the top. I should probably do more thorough work with test samples, taking the sample to completion instead of just through the "next step". On the plus side, all of the dying/sanding/re-dying has accented the grain nicely. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
a2k Posted November 9, 2016 Author Report Share Posted November 9, 2016 I've got a working bass! Plays great, looks great, sounds great. Besides a problem with the tone pot and a busted screw (that I will fix when replacing the pot), it's just about there. I'm really happy with how the bass plays and sounds - the fingerboard radiusing and neck carve turned out really well and the instrument feels great. And I'm happy with how the finish came out. I spent just about a month fretting over the finish. I just couldn't get the brown stain right. It literally affected my mood for days at a time. I think it's because I'd drifted from what I originally wanted and in my gut, I still wanted the original plan. So I sanded back the brown, put a light honey wash on the bass, and then blue. The resulting depth of color is hard to photograph - imagine an old copper penny that has turned blue-green. It fits the pick guard, flamed maple neck, and birdseye fingerboard much better than the brown did. Anyway, some pics: I've contacted EMG about the bad tone pot - it just didn't work out of the box (if you pull on it, it engages, which leads me to believe that there's something not connected properly internally). Hopefully they will replace it without too much hassle. And one of the pick guard screws broke when putting it in (note to self: next don't skimp on the screws!) - I'll pull it and replace it when I replace the pot. I'm not calling this done quite yet, but it's time to start working on the next project. The plan is to make a set of guitars for the guys in my band. They keep joking about when I'll be done with their new guitars, so I figured I'd go ahead and build them (shhh!!! don't tell them - it's a surprise). I know fairly little about guitars (they're just small basses, right?) so expect lots of basic questions. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Norris Posted November 9, 2016 Report Share Posted November 9, 2016 Beautiful! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ScottR Posted November 9, 2016 Report Share Posted November 9, 2016 You are correct, that finish turned out very nice indeed! SR Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Prostheta Posted November 9, 2016 Report Share Posted November 9, 2016 Holy crap Aaron. You've hit your stride already! I'd pick this one up. That's always been my qualifier; if it were in a lineup of instruments, I would have to check it out. In many ways it reminds of the Ibanez BSB ("burnt stained blue") that they did on some RG/JEMs many years back. The hues match each other really nicely, each one subdued enough not to clash or take precedence. Guitars? Pshaw. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
a2k Posted November 10, 2016 Author Report Share Posted November 10, 2016 Thanks guys! I'm not sure I've hit my stride yet, but I definitely have gained a deeper understanding now that I'm two builds in. I hadn't seen the Ibanez BSB before, but after a Google search, yes, that is definitely similar. I'm starting the planning on the two guitars - I'm going for a theme/variation using the same general shape but one with a single-cut and very different edges (one rounded over, the other carved) so they feel like different designs. I'll create a new thread for that in a bit. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Prostheta Posted November 10, 2016 Report Share Posted November 10, 2016 Well in my opinion, getting the basic workflow of making an instrument from stage to stage is one of the most important parts. It's very easy to drive yourself into a corner that it's difficult to work your way out of....especially when using somebody else's workshop and/or toolset. The last two builds progressed logically and relatively smoothly, so I'm sure that your thought process is aligned enough by now for a couple of guitars. How do they play? That's the thing few people feed back on. Do they have the liveliness you expect, the ability to be dialled in to tight playing tolerances, etc? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andyjr1515 Posted November 10, 2016 Report Share Posted November 10, 2016 I like that colour very much indeed . Very classy! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
a2k Posted November 14, 2016 Author Report Share Posted November 14, 2016 On 11/10/2016 at 11:29 PM, Prostheta said: Well in my opinion, getting the basic workflow of making an instrument from stage to stage is one of the most important parts. It's very easy to drive yourself into a corner that it's difficult to work your way out of....especially when using somebody else's workshop and/or toolset. The last two builds progressed logically and relatively smoothly, so I'm sure that your thought process is aligned enough by now for a couple of guitars. How do they play? That's the thing few people feed back on. Do they have the liveliness you expect, the ability to be dialled in to tight playing tolerances, etc? Yeah, I think I have a pretty good handle on the basic workflow. Considering my thinking-time to working-time ratio (about 10:1), you could say that I'm taking a "very strategic" approach. My #1 goal of this build was to improve my skills on the basic woodworking and dialing in the overall quality and in that I think I was successful. The Koi was a pretty ambitious first bass, and while it plays well and sounds good, there are some rough edges if you look too closely. This second build is a big step up in quality. Still some rough edges, but the overall detail work feels more high end. Playing tolerances are pretty dialed - low action, clean tone, very good feel. There are three very specific issues I've got with the bass: It's heavy. I haven't weighed it so I can't tell you how heavy, and it's still totally playable, but it is heavy. This is 100% a factor of the wood - I used white ash because I couldn't get swamp ash. I've got some nice light walnut for the next build, and I'm planning on trying my hand at chambering. The E string doesn't break straight across the nut. It's got a slight angle. I don't know if the problem was in the template or in mis-drilling. Gotta sort that out, and come up with some quality control in the future. I might even pencil in the string lines onto the neck while working just to make sure I'm aware of string placement through the build. The transition from fingerboard to headstock is a little uneven. I ended up doing it with a round file by hand and the process didn't create an even transition. I don't know if anyone else would ever notice, but it really really bugs me. I don't have a better solution (besides adding a headstock angle, which I prefer anyway because string trees also bother me). Still no reply from EMG on getting the bad tone pot replaced... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
curtisa Posted November 15, 2016 Report Share Posted November 15, 2016 Is the tone pot for the bass EMGs the same as the tone pot for the guitar EMGs? I've got a stack here that will never get used. I can send you one if you're desperate? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
a2k Posted November 15, 2016 Author Report Share Posted November 15, 2016 1 hour ago, curtisa said: Is the tone pot for the bass EMGs the same as the tone pot for the guitar EMGs? I've got a stack here that will never get used. I can send you one if you're desperate? Thanks Curtisa - I appreciate the offer. EMG actually got back to me yesterday with a very nice email - they're sending a replacement pot my way. I probably would have gotten a faster response from them if I called. I'm traveling until 12/1 and hopefully the pot will be waiting for me when I get back. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
a2k Posted January 3, 2017 Author Report Share Posted January 3, 2017 The week before Christmas, I played in a house band for an open jam. These are fun gigs - you never know who or what is going to show up. A few bassists dropped by without instruments and I ended up in the audience watching other musicians play the two basses I'd built. Honestly, I was a little nervous handing over the instruments because it opens me up to other players' opinions. We all think our babies are beautiful, but the truth can be painful. Standing back in the audience, listening to other people play the instruments I'd built, I quickly felt my nervousness disappear . It was magical to see and hear music being created, by other people, on instruments I'd made. Playing my own instruments is fantastic, but seeing someone else play my instruments was next level fantastic. Hard to explain... I think it's because it made me aware that I'd made something real and separate to myself. I imagine many of you know what I'm talking about. Of course, it didn't hurt that people only had kind words to say about the basses... Action shot (key detail - that's not me playing the bass!): Now, it's time to wrap up this build thread (I'm ready to get going on the next!) EMG sent me the replacement pot, I got it installed, and everything is pretty much dialed. I'm really happy with how the bass plays and sounds. I like the feel of the smaller, more vintage frets combined with a 16" radius fretboard. Tone wise, the bass sounds very "natural" with good articulation and a full, but not boomy, sound. One pickup and one tone knob is a nice change from my previous build with fancy pants modern electronics. I'm developing my building skills and while this build isn't perfect (see my three issues above), it's more representative of where I want to be as a builder. I read every build thread on this forum and the ones that generally impress me the most are the deceptively simple ones where the little details and overall quality really shine through and doesn't hide behind fancy materials or design. Following a traditional design (P-bass) was the right second build for me - it got me focusing on the basics that I had a hard time paying attention to the first time around. Here are a few more pics of the finished product: I'll see if I can get a video recorded of the instrument in the next few days. In the meantime, onto the next build! Thanks to everyone who followed along and participated in this build thread. I really appreciate your support! Aaron Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Prostheta Posted January 3, 2017 Report Share Posted January 3, 2017 Fantastic summation, Aaron! You're right on the money with those thoughts. Making an instrument accepted as a standard design sets a nice comparison to put your skills and abilities against, and if you're genuinely happy with the match.... The music stores in Japan have some amazing stuff. If you're happy that your instrument is comfortable in such a demanding place, that says a lot. How are the guitars? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
meatloaf Posted January 3, 2017 Report Share Posted January 3, 2017 Like you I read every build thread on this forum and while there are really awesome guitars here, some of the ones that really impress me are the ones built by non professional's like yourself, good job looking forward to your next build. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Prostheta Posted January 7, 2017 Report Share Posted January 7, 2017 Agreed. Aaron has done this 0-60 in very short amount of time, producing very admirable builds. That they also provide an example and inspiration to others is fantastic too. 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.