Andyjr1515

As there are generous pickup rings on both p/ups, I decided to use my new-found skills of (sharpening and) using chisels rather than router. I roughed out with a forstner bit: Note the control wire chamber routed before I put the top on. And to my great, great surprise, it's in the right place! Then a tidy up with some stubby chisels and a mallet: ...and done:

It's OK - 'bin there, done that, bar-b-q'd the result' in the past . While you are right in terms of getting to the 22nd fret (although the 21st is fairly easily reachable even with my diddy and arthritic hands) the original Jack Bruce version of the EB-3 was 20 frets. The reason I've put the extra two frets there are so that the position of the neck pickup to the end of the fretboard visually looks right while maintaining the proportionate gap between the bridge pickup and the neck pickup with that rearward bridge. In reality, it probably will make no difference to the sound, but I thought I may as well do at least one small thing per original. By no means a generalisation, but Pete rarely gets to the dizzy and dusty heights of the 22nd fret....

Well, the main overdue domestic duties are caught up a bit and we've got back from our couple of days in beautiful and very, very wet Florence and I've met @curtisa and his delightful wife for a pint in a pub in the middle of rural England. I was very touched that they would travel all the way from Tasmania just to meet little old me.... So back to business! Glued in the swifts with z-epoxy mixed with fine ebony dust and cut out the plate with (difficulty and) a fretsaw. It isn't glued on yet but I think it will do the business: It certainly makes it start looking like a bass: I'm going to re-read @Prostheta 's great info on routing pickup chambers and get those done this afternoon and should be able to verify the intended colour with Pete this evening to be able to order the appropriate red ink for starting the staining and finishing.

While MrsAndyjr1515 was busy preparing her next set of spells, I sneaked out and did a bit more... I pencilled out and jeweller's sawed out a trio of swifts: Then laid them out and pencilled round them on the ebony: Then got as far as setting the router depth before I was called to stir the cauldron... Oh well....it'll have to wait until Sunday

Actually, just playing for time...not a huge amount of progress - lots of domestic duties and away over the next few days. In between the jobs, added the headstock wings: ...and drawn the slightly familiar shape, adjusting the widths a little to keep the string runs straight: The headstock will have an ebony plate. I will be adding the swifts logo before I cut to final shape and attach...but that will be into next week

Watching with interest and excitement

Yes...but you will be....because (re-cue mystic music) I can see into the future.....

5

Sitting for the time being well and truly in the present, I've now radiused the fretboard to 12": ...and done the rough thicknessing and profiling of the neck: Once more seeing into the future ( ) I can confidently predict that I will be tidying up the neck heel and volute shortly... ...hellfire - spooky or what!

Didn't you know.... (cue mystic music) I can see into the future....

The back looks excellent. Can't wait to see the revised top I got a Proxxon disc sander and mini pillar drill earlier in the year and they are already my favourite power tools. I've kept looking longingly at the mini-drill....mmm...very tempted...

Last night I got to glue the maple veneer to the back of the fretboard and the fretboard to the neck. I used plenty of clamps and full-length marine-ply cauls top and bottom. Here's the bass: ...and here's the join. @Prostheta 's great article on clamping has triumphed again

These are from a build from a while back so no cauls, etc, but it illustrates the basic geometry: I glue the middle splice first. On this one, you can't see them but I used a couple of spool clamps on the far side of the large splice to act as spacers for the 11mm and butted the walnut up against them while I clamped I can quite easily clean up the glue when wet or even after it's fully set I then clamp the second outer splice this way round - up is the back of the neck and down is the fretboard surface side - no picture, but as I was putting the main clamps on, the bottom face was sitting on a piece of flat worktop to ensure the two outer splices were flat and square with each other. As soon as the clamps were on, I moved it out onto the patio so that Mrs Andyjr1515 didn't realise that was what I use the kitchen worktops for : Then flip the whole assembly over, exposing the truss rod channel unhindered to scrape any excess glue out:

Good job I didn't reply 'well how the hell do you THINK I did it???' to my last answer, then Ref the laminates, I learned the hard way about floaty splices in the first necks I did so I now do them in two stages. Based on that the outer splices are both squared on the 'topside' (the face that will have the fretboard ), I do it in these stages: I glue the middle splice, with the offset held in place by a couple of clamped spacers, to the first outer splice. I do this sideways up, with the splice on top. This allows me access to run along the join with a steel rule to scrape off all of the squeeze-out When that's dry, I pop the assembly top face down on a flat surface, glue and position the second outer splice, using the flat surface as the datum while I put the clamps on. Then, when they are properly tight, I lift the whole lot and put it the other way up, giving me full access to the slot to run the rule (or old 5mm chisel) along the slot to scrape out the new squeeze-out A picture or two would clarify....I'll see if I've got a couple....

Nothing special. The channel is around 1.5mm deeper than the truss rod and is, of course, exactly the same width as the fill strip. All I do is lay the strip in the slot, resting it lightly on the top bar of the truss rod, adjusted to be completely flat, then wick some cyano at either end and in the middle while holding it in place. Once that's grabbed, I just run down the cyano along the full length each side.

I like the design, Catch22kid. Looks a nice bit of Alder peeping out there too

There was a bit of a lull while I waited for the trussrod (waited because I forgot to order it... ) Here is the basic top carve: and here's the back: With the trussrod, here I go again with my slightly unconventional approach. Not saying anyone should do it like this, just saying this is how I do it.... Do you remember that I offset the middle neck splice to act as the trussrod channel (6mm splice & 6mm wide trussrod )? Well - I cut the walnut overhang off and keep it for this stage. First I cut a small piece of the walnut strip to act as the trussrod backstop: I also like the trussrod to be - at least in theory - replaceable. So I loosely wrap in in plumbers PTFE tape (also stops the rattle): Then I tack the leftover strip in two or three places to use as a cover strip by wicking thin cyano. I then wick a bead of cyano all the way down while pulling the trussrod a couple of mm each way with a pair of needle-nosed pliers to make sure it isn't inadvertently caught by the cyano: Then I plane the excess to have a fitted, capped and replaceable trussrod and the neck ready for the fretboard Anyone else do it at all vaguely like this?

Liked it before, but REALLY like that headstock design now I can see it in situ

A fair bit more progress on this. With the wings on, I checked the flatness, then routed the cable runs, lightening chambers and control chamber. I didn't add the upper rear weight relief chamber because I thing the overall weight will be OK and I want to make sure the thing isn't neck heavy: The control chamber sides will be smoothed out! Then cauls - but not enough clamps. I was sort of forgetting that I normally do it the other way round so only usually clamp one half at a time Must get some more and some bigger clamps! That said, the cauls worked! Thanks for pressing the point @Prostheta Trust me - these are best joints I've ever achieved! : ...and the carve has started. This is VERY early stages, but couldn't resist a sneak preview with a damp cloth :

That's made me feel better. That's basically how I do it. I find that the uncontrolability caused by running in the same direction as the bit is much more difficult to manage than running against the grain, even when that is going uphill, Crucial, though is what you say - minimising the amount to trim by first using a guide bush.

Just a quick question ref the earlier post of the body routing, @Prostheta. I rout blanks like you have here - starting with a template and top bearing trimmer bit, then flip it over and use a bottom bearing bit. But either side there is the conundrum ref tearout - the router is supposed to always cut into the direction of rotation. But also you are always supposed to rout 'downhill' to the grain. With these two recommendations being mutually exclusive for 50% of the curves on a guitar, which one gets compromised....or am I missing something?

This is coming together very nicely indeed . I think the combination of the top and that lovely figured fretboard coordinates perfectly. The opening stages of the edge carve bode well.

I like that VERY much @Norris

Having said that, I suspect they all feel the same to the cat.....