motel_asimov

Jose Luis, The Strangle switch is a 4th switch that was added to the fender vi after 1962... so all the fender vis made in 1962 come with a 3 switch plate and the later models come with 4. Once you turn on the "strangle switch" the pickup signal will go through a resistor that will cut the low frequencies and make the fender vi sound more like a guitar... Robert Smith from the cure always plays with this switch enabled and that's how he gets his signature sound... well he also plays the fender vi through a delay and a chorus pedal. Salu2 MAsimov

Today I got some sun… Costa Rica is going through the rainy season. I also managed to complete some detail on the finishing and the bridge. My attempt to replicate a 62’ Fender Bass VI with some design modifications is complete now. So here are my some pictures that I want to share with you all: http://i285.photobucket.com/albums/ll76/mo...ov/PICT0218.jpg http://i285.photobucket.com/albums/ll76/mo...ov/PICT0219.jpg http://i285.photobucket.com/albums/ll76/mo...ov/PICT0222.jpg The next step (this is something that I’ll do in a couple of months) is to add some modifications to the wiring so I can have the “strangle switch” option by adding a push pull pot that will replace the tone pot I’m using now. This will be completed by my brother… Thank you for checking this project. All the best, Motel Asimov

Nice wood selection! I love it! Do you have pictures of the wood gluing process?

Here's an update... I strung my bass last week end and I took a picture but unfortunately is not a good one... I still need to drill some holes for the volume and tone knobs... Then I need to complete the wiring. This is how my project looks so far:

Here's a photo of the front side after the first coat of danish oil...

here's a picture of the back of the Fender VI body after one coat of Danish Oil... unfortunately I ran out of batteries before I could take another picture of the front side... I'll take another picture tomorrow as soon as I come back from work.

Geo, Thank you for your comments. Yes the body had just one clamp and no I wasn't wearing eye protection. Actually my wife took the picture after I unplugged the router and adjusted the bit... I adjusted the height of the bit and I was checking with the router if the height was right. Thank you for your concern! And you're right routing without eye protection and without clamping is just looking for a serious accident... As you said some people say the sound is not as punchy or firm because of the short scale. The low E string is 0.095. I play bass and since I never managed to play guitar (I feel frustrated about that), I'm building this instrument to play some simple riffs as Robert Smith (the cure) did on the disintegration album. I've read that longer scales also help with to have more sustain. This weekend I'll try sanding the body and get it 100% smooth. Then I'll start the finishing which is going to be OILD and WAX. If I manage to get it done I'll post more pictures.

Bydge Thank you for your comments… The idea to use a short scale bass neck came from the fact I wasn’t sure to have enough woodworking skills to complete my project, also the fact it takes too long to get a Fender VI neck done at US Custom Guitars. At some point I thought that building a neck was the hardest part to build… The neck is wide enough at the nut but at the heel I’m missing some millimeters… I guess the option will be to set the strings closer… I think I may end up getting a guider neck from Rondo Music… they sell SX Short scale bass necks to a very competitive price… I can do again the modifications I did on this one… The SX necks are wider. Mexknob, Muchas gracias port us comentarios! A short scale bass can sound like a bass… As far as know longer scales allow using thicker stings. I received few day ago a Fender VI string set form Musiciansfriend.com and I realized the string gauges are the same I use for my Fender Precision Lyte Bass. You can play bass lines with a Fender VI however people say it’s hard to play this instrument since the strings are too close and playing with a pick is almost mandatory… If I’m building this bass is because I want to play it through a Boss Delay and Chorus and then spend days and days playing the Fender VI riffs of the Disintegration album. Stereordinary, Yes nice to see here!!! I checked your website and I loved your VI prototype! If I were skilled enough I would quit my job an start a Custom shop as you did. A bientot!

dpm99 and pukko, thank you for your kind comments! As soon as get more pictures I'll post them.

Body and neck… I can’t help it… at every step I put together the body and the neck just to image how this is going to look like when completed… http://i285.photobucket.com/albums/ll76/mo...ov/PICT0006.jpg http://i285.photobucket.com/albums/ll76/mo...ov/PICT0007.jpg Wiring test… I checked the internal cavities I routed over the core… I was concerned about the glue obstructing the wires… everything seems to be ok! http://i285.photobucket.com/albums/ll76/mo...ov/PICT0144.jpg http://i285.photobucket.com/albums/ll76/mo...ov/PICT0007.jpg Shaping the body http://i285.photobucket.com/albums/ll76/mo...ov/PICT0002.jpg http://i285.photobucket.com/albums/ll76/mo...ov/PICT0005.jpg I still have to sand the body and as soon as I’m done I’ll start the finish which in this case is going to be an Oil and wax finish… I’ll post more pictures later.

Hi to all, Some time ago I discovered this site when I was doing some research for my “fender VI replica” project… I found some quite interesting builds like the single cut baritone guitar by Pukko. He also encouraged me to make a post about this build… I always wanted to get a Fender VI, however the vintage versions, the reissues and NOS versions are too expensive… About two months ago I did some translations and got paid by Paypal so I decided to use that money to get all the materials and parts for this project and build myself the Fender VI replica. First I got a 30” short scale bass neck on Ebay and then I got a picture of a Fender VI body from USA Custom guitars and I stretched the picture until the neck heel matched the neck pocket on the body… Here some pictures of the building process: The woods I used for this project: Purpleheart (nazareno) Rum-rum and “almendro” http://i285.photobucket.com/albums/ll76/mo...ov/PICT0105.jpg Drawing the body… http://i285.photobucket.com/albums/ll76/mo...ov/PICT0103.jpg When I shaped/cut the top of the Fender VI http://i285.photobucket.com/albums/ll76/mo...ov/PICT0108.jpg Gluing the whole thing… http://i285.photobucket.com/albums/ll76/mo...ov/PICT0146.jpg More glue… http://i285.photobucket.com/albums/ll76/mo...ov/PICT0147.jpg http://i285.photobucket.com/albums/ll76/mo...ov/PICT0148.jpg http://i285.photobucket.com/albums/ll76/mo...ov/PICT0149.jpg http://i285.photobucket.com/albums/ll76/mo...ov/PICT0151.jpg http://i285.photobucket.com/albums/ll76/mo...ov/PICT0152.jpg After 24 hours… the body was altogether… and did some routing on the edges… http://i285.photobucket.com/albums/ll76/mo...ov/PICT0166.jpg

I really like the cristobal. The carve looks really nice too. Good vid by the way! The only thing I don't like is the pair of chrome pickup covers-- I think all black would look better cause you've got all black hardware and a black mounting ring. Other than that, looks awesome. Excellent work! Nice guitar! Did you build the neck too? I was wondering if you could provide me with the contact information of your wood supplier. Did the guy in Sarchi have other types of wood as Nazareno or Cenizaro? Thank you. M.Asimov