Andyjr1515

It's a double battery chamber. I think there were originally quite fancy electronics planned that never happened. There are some very high standard features on the bass but one or two surprises too...

Hi I've got two more projects on the go. Our old-gits-band's bassist has asked me to build him an EB3-style bass for November time - I'll start a new thread on that soon - but I've also been sent this little (BIG) beauty by a contact (Stuart) to see if I can make something of a bass that has sat in a case for 25 years into something that can be played and loved once more / at last. It is a custom built semi acoustic 4 string bass: It has some notable features: The body is fully carved imbuya - top and bottom The neck (34") and centre block are one continuous piece of timber, tip to toe It has a double battery compartment in the back although is wired for standard passive at the moment It's quite weighty - 10lbs + However, there are some real challenges that make it presently pretty unplayable: The bridge, when the strings are fitted, sits high and at a steep angle The sit on the strap is very uncomfortable, neck heavy and makes it extremely difficult to reach the first couple of frets Added to this, the tonal palette is limited I have agreed with Stuart that we will tackle the issues in a logical sequence, tackling basic playability and functionality first and then, as we deem each stage successful and worth the cost / risk to continue, then move further up the wish list. So, first thing to tackle is that positioning on the strap! The first job has been to fully understand how the bass has been constructed and take copious measurements. There are some really skillful features in the construction - the carve of the top and bottom solid imbuya body panels is stunning, inside and out. However, the long-scale and forward positioning of the bridge is problematic, putting the farthest end of the fretboard literally out of reach for shorta***s like me Mrs Andyjr1515 wasn't in this morning so you'll have to use your imagination with some bad small mirror shots. Here it is hanging on the strap on its present strap pins. ...and here's where my fully outstretched arm gets me (I'm 5'7" so not crazily off the median scale): Clearly, moving the bridge back is impossible because then the neck would need to be shortened. Actually, not impossible but highly, highly risky (removal of fretboard; cut, shorten and scarf neck; rejoin; replace truss rod; reglue fretboard). But what about strap pin positions? Here's where the pin is at the moment: I've always found that strap pins in this position can be problematic and this one certainly is. I un-hitched the front strap lock and tried a number of positions - practical and impractical - to feel what happened to the CofG, the pull and the settling position of the body. I concluded that a position that might work was like where a number of acoustics have theirs - at the bottom side of the neck heel But before I drilled a hole in this beautiful piece of wood, could I be a bit more sure? Enter a heavily modified high-tech strap simulation rig (otherwise known as a piece of string): The swing of the body to my right (left in the mirror image above) and the slightly neck up attitude made a massive difference: Would it work in practice? I drilled the hole and moved the strap pin. Luckily MrsAndyjr1515 was back to take the photo. Here it is, hanging free on the strap: Even little old (both utterly descriptive terms) me can play in this position. It feels at least 30% lighter. But does the strap get in the way? No Here is the position: ...and no obstacle at all for playing up at the dusty end Stuart reckons that this already has cured the reason it got put away all those years ago. I'm well chuffed. We are both happy for me to go to stage two...sorting the bridge problem.

Thanks folks Just finished in time for the next two projects to see the light of day

That is really very nice indeed

Yup....that looks really nice

These are wise words. And we've all been there. Walk away from it mentally for a while and when you come back to it, you will see what it actually is - a fantastic looking instrument with just one or two issues to sort And I really mean that - this is one of the nicest designs I've seen in a long time.

And it's finished! Here are some 'before and after' shots. Before: ...and - for better or for worse depending on your personal preferences - here it is after:

Great, great result I hope you are very proud of your achievement- you certainly should be. It's an immensely satisfying pastime, isn't it!

I assume therefore two-way bolt on like on this cross-section? I can huge difficulties and very few advantages of trying to do that with a dovetail...

Thanks, @ScottR I'm waiting some genuine Gibson pickup rings as these don't quite fit, but this is what it broadly looks like with cream accoutrements: It changes from amber-ish to orange-ish depending on the way the light catches it: It feels nice to the touch....just like wood

Neat job @103801061982 Having said that, I can see why you are thinking dovetail @Prostheta. My OM was also bolt on mortise and tenon but to me the challenge in my head was always breaking through the fear factor of a 'one chance to get it right' dovetail. I'm pleased I did. It took me a lot of reading and thinking and sketching and definitely a requirement for a decent template jig design, but it worked...and the next one will be even better

Wow - stunning.

Almost certainly, Scott. I am inspired in two directions. I would like to build a mandolin for my sister who gave me a splendid book a few years ago that contains a number of plans. I would probably go for one of the designs that is constructed more like a flat-topped acoustic and try for eking out as much tone and resonance as I can. Their compromise is that the looks are a somewhat plainer than the style that you have built, although it would also mean I wouldn't have to tackle that utterly spellbinding scroll! The other thing that I'm inspired by is the look of your mandolins top and finish. It has reminded me that the archtop I have had in my head for sometime simply MUST be built. It's one of the reasons I got the Veritas pullshave. Another reason to get on with it

Very nicely finished. Is the back finished with an auto wrap?

Wonderful, Scott. Simply wonderful.

Very nicely done ! Great work

Today I made some progress with staining the sides, back and neck. I used a red mahogany spirit stain that came out like this: Quite pleased with the evenness of the colour because the body is a light mahogany, but the neck is something the colour of maple! This has had a couple of coats of Birchwood Casey sealer/filler to seal it and then a light slurry and buff with tru-oil. With one more slurry and buff, it should be fully sealed and silky smooth. The contrast of the back and top can be seen here: Still got to scrape the binding which looks a bit whiter here than in real life due to the white-balance tweak. The owner is VERY pleased with it so far. The final cream bits should arrive next week so should be finished before next weekend

Yes - like that very much - works well!

Excellent

Took the LP to show the owner last night and to pick up some of the amber & cream plastic bits he'd got for it. He's very happy with the top (phew!) but wants the back and sides to be darkened, and the light-wooded neck to be stained to match. He's also going for no pickguard. I've ordered the final bits for it and should be able to redo the back and sides and finish the neck over the next few days. Should be all complete and ready to return by middle of next week

. I'm all for derailments....I do it all the time

I love the look of Arias. @Norris has a scrumptious one.... But I had no idea that the electrics could be this unique! Fascinating read so far

Actually, there is one more shot I want to show you all - the sheer power of a supernova. We haven't had one in our galaxy since around 1055 AD, but they can be seen in other galaxies if you happen to be looking at the right time. Now - bear in mind that here in Andromeda, which is around 2.5 million light years away, there is NO POSSIBILITY that you can see individual stars. Any light you see is the combined light of millions of stars: All the stars you see around it are in our galaxy and you are seeing through those to see Andromeda. Now take the Whirlpool. That is around 31 million light years away. Light takes around 8 minutes to reach us from the sun. It takes 25,000 years to get from one side of our galaxy to the other. The picture below has taken 31,000,000 years to get to my camera: Again, any star you see is in OUR galaxy. Except this one: See the star in the left hand picture at about 5 o'clock from the RHS galaxy core? Notice that isn't there on the (normal) right hand picture? That is a photo - of an individual star going supernova in a galaxy 31,000,000 light years away! It therefore happened 31,000,000 years ago and was bright enough for about a week to be able to photograph it, even in my back garden with light pollution. That's a hell of a big bang!

It also demonstrates how fast the earth is turning - I'm assuming that the camera is static and therefore the moon's apparent movement across the screen is the earth's rotation?

Great video! The Canon DSLR's are very popular - they even do one with a built in infra-red filter to tame some of the colour issues, particularly for the gas spectra of gaseous nebulae. The chips are so good that you don't even really need cooling!