Chuck_Chill-Out

This is the maple binding being bent. The red is saran wrap to protect the fretboard.

This is the finished product.

I finally got to paint the body. I need to add another coat to the back.

This is another shot of the body.

If the Powers That Be would like to delete this posting, I have found the bushings I was looking for.

Thanks,

Chuck

Doug,

My jaw hurts from dropping every time I see your guitars...STOP IT!

Very nice firebird. 'Nuff said!

Daniel,

My family are praying for you and yours at this time of loss.

kp,

I was thinking about using good ol' Testors rattlecan metallic green for my bass rebuild. As long as I am using a good clear coat, I should be ok? BTW, I have a can of poly that I have used for other wood projects, It dries pretty hard.

EDIT: I forgot to ask...do you use a primer prior to painting?

So what are the differences between bass and guitar pickups anyway?

At this point, about $80!

I am looking for 3, yes three, old Japanese bass tuner bushings. Diameters are: I.D. 13/32" and O.D. 15/32".

Thanks,

Chuck

I am rebuilding a 1960's Japanese short-scale bass. The neck and bridge looks like the strings are a bit close together. My question is:

I have a couple of six-string humbuckers laying around from another build. Would it be a good idea to use these for the bass rebuild? I think that a J-bass or a bass humbucker pup's magnets spacing would be too far apart for the strings. I was thinking of even purchasing some rail humbucker pups.

Comments/concerns/suggestions are GREATLY appreciated.

Cheers!

Chuck

Good luck chuck!!! (had to)

are you going to slot, radius, and fret the fretboard yourself? thats where most things can go wrong..

I sweated while I slotted. Wow, say that three times fast...

I was thinking of a slight radius, maybe 1 16 or 16 1/2.

Doug, great looking build. I worked in radiation safety years ago and this would have bneen very appropriate. I can't wait to see the finished build.

Paint it green

I like that shape and those are nice woods so I'd go a tint or clear, but that's a ways away anyhow.

Good luck!

Thanks for the encouragement. I planned on just a tung oil finish. The woods were given to me, and I liked the look of them, so I did not want to color it.

Just to introduce myself, I am Chuck piper in Lancaster, PA. I have been a vocalist for 30 years and do NOT know how to play the guitar. This is my story into the deep, dark pit of dispair known as guitar building .

Last year, an Almirez dreadnought was left in the dumpster where I live. It was strung for left handed play, but the saddle was never flipped, therefore the bridge plate cracked and the neck was lifting off of the body (this I know from the luthier I took it to). The said luthier estinated it would cost sround $450 to get it in playable condition or, for $300 I could have this brand new Martin he had hanging on his wall.

I did not have $30, let alone 300 so I asked him to show me how to repair it, since it was in the dumpster, what have I got to lose. He told me the bare-bones repairs to get it playing so I got to work.

$6 poorer and a couple of weeks (more like months) during lunch hours at work, and the thing keeps decent tune. Now I am hooked on building/rebuilding guitars.

Xanthus,

Maybe you could help me design the headstock. I have inline tuners and not a clue on how I want it to look to compliment the body shape.

GUMBY!!

Sorry, couldn't resist. Good luck!

Sorry Xanthus, I don't get the reference. And yes, I am old enough to remember Gumby.

EDIT: Duh...I get it. I didn't think anything about the shape. It was supposed to be like a Campbell American Transitone, but looks more like an Explorer. Oh well, it's at least my own design.

I have repaired an acoustic guitar that was a dumpster find, so someone told me I should build an electric. Lousy addiction!

Here it is so far:

Maple/walnut/maple neck through

Cherry wings

Two humbuckers

http://i438.photobucket.com/albums/qq101/C...5/Photo0082.jpg

http://i438.photobucket.com/albums/qq101/C...5/Photo0089.jpg

http://i438.photobucket.com/albums/qq101/C...5/Photo0090.jpg

I am going to slice off 3/8" off of the top of the cherry and rout them out to lighten it up a bit. Then glue the tops back on.

Well...Nothing like a case of the flu to bring production to a screeching hault. The last 3 full days have been nothing but: Bed...bathroom...bed...bathroom...ect. I hope to get back on track soon.

I am right there with ya, brother! It's how I got on this site in the first place. Bed-ridden and nothing to do...

I really like those position markers. Forgive my ignorance, but I've never seen them done that way before. Was that your own idea?

I wish I could say that they were my own design, but no. After some research (posting pics on another board and asking what it is) I found out it is a Teisco bass. Teisco was a Japanese company in the 60's.

If y'all noticed, they, whoever had this, sliced the headstock. I think it looked like a Fender headstock before, but they must not have liked it.

I had some oak sitting around doing nothing, so I used it to flesh out the headstock.

http://i438.photobucket.com/albums/qq101/C...oto0114_001.jpg

The frets were in BAD shape so, what the heck, let's make it a fretless. I inlaid maple strips:

http://i438.photobucket.com/albums/qq101/C...5/Photo0117.jpg

http://i438.photobucket.com/albums/qq101/C...5/Photo0118.jpg

I also replaced the plastic position markers with maple, since they came off when I stripped the paint off.

http://i438.photobucket.com/albums/qq101/C...oto0121_001.jpg

http://i438.photobucket.com/albums/qq101/C...oto0122_001.jpg

Here is the body stripped of the paint.

http://i438.photobucket.com/albums/qq101/C...oto0115_001.jpg

http://i438.photobucket.com/albums/qq101/C...oto0116_001.jpg

I purchasaed this bass fo $10 at a buy and sell shop. The previous owner liked the color black...fretboard and headstock was painted black. I thought I'd give it a shot to rebuild this thing.

http://i438.photobucket.com/albums/qq101/C...5/Photo0109.jpg

http://i438.photobucket.com/albums/qq101/C...5/Photo0108.jpg

Since the top has gouges taken out of it, I am planning on painting this thing a solid color, probably green or blue.