Andyjr1515

Yes - it might do....but doesn't a plastic one do so also?

So...unless I've missed something, how did you do the bevel on that stunning bass?

The top's stripped and a tru-oil slurry has been applied. I'll see what it's like in the morning. On another topic, on one of the other forums I dip in and out of, a question has been raised about the lacewood pickguard. The pickguard will be the last thing I fit and won't fit it until I can see how the whole thing looks fully assembled and strung. But in terms of, at first glance above, whether it enhances or detracts, what's the consensus here? Bear in mind I'll do what I like anyway , but I am interested in everyone's views in any case!

I've had a really really close look under bright light and subdued light and I think you are right - it's definitely a grain direction issue rather than an adhesion issue. From the top or across the grain, however close you look, there is no discernible issue. In fact it shimmers like a great tight piece of proper vertically grained lacquered spruce does. However, if you look obliquely from either end along the grain, the areas of difference are as plain as the stripes on a freshly lawn-mowered and rolled lawn. Clearly, I have sanded differently or to a different level or finished in a different direction in those areas somewhere in the grain levelling process. Whether the egg white has caused or exacerbated the issue, I can't tell. The back and sides look OK, so I will continue with those as normal. (the Lacewood is a very smooth tight grained, almost formica-like, wood so no grain issues there). The top will be sanded down to the wood, maybe this evening, and re-done.

I know what you mean - and it does look like sanding marks. The odd thing though is those areas are not consistent with where I did the most flattening. On the positive side, I found a link to a guy who does an egg white slurry approach on his acoustics with rosewood ( I think I remember) back and sides and it looks very good indeed. I'll post the link when I get a mo'.

Yes - this is where the schoolboy error came in. I dry sanded for the initial grain flattening and surfacing. I'd forgotten, though, how thin a coat of varnish I'd put on before the flattening sand on that and just went into mental auto-mode. That other discolouration is something else though. The weird thing is that from all other angles it is completely undetectable. In fact, from all other angles it looks absolutely great! But there's something not right and I can't be sure it isn't highlighting a faulty bond that will give me problems in the future...

OK - I might have a bit of an issue with the egg-white. First is a bit of a schoolboy error. Egg white is remarkable tough and rigid when it's set. But it is instantly water soluble. So on early coats of the finishing varnish, the usual wet n dry used wet is NOT an option!!! Any breakthrough allows the water to get to the eggwhite which immediately disappears! The result is a series of 'snail trails' wherever that has happened: That is fixable. Just sand back down to the eggwhite and start again, remembering to sand dry. The second is a much more serious concern and may well lead to me abandoning the technique on this project. Here's what it looks like from the top: ...and from most angles, it looks the same. Very pleased But I caught a glimpse of it from THIS angle and wow! : That's really not good. These areas had not got down through the varnish with the wet sanding so I don't think it's the same issue, but it maybe a moisture issue of some nature. This particular project is too important to risk it, so I'm going to strip it all back to the wood and start again with more modern methods. I'll carry on trialling egg white in other contexts, but on something a little more disposable. On the other hand, I tried thinning down Z-poxy with acetone for the first time to get it to be able to wipe-on to the pickguard. That appears to be a bit more successful!. I think denatured alcohol is the recommended (and probably healthier) way of thinning but I had acetone and didn't have any alcohol. I made sure the windows were open and let the cloth dry outside to avoid any spontaneous combustion stuff!!! :

+1 That is scrumptious....

That's some interesting ponderings, @Prostheta When I did my tribute, I did it by eye and used rasps and scrapers but, at the time, realised that trying to machine such a thing was far from straightforward: I couldn't actually work out how you would in fact do it. I think your diagram probably nails it. But, as you say, doing that kind of stuff with general and small-scale guitar making machinery is surely challenge! You've got me thinking again about the angle base on my little Bosch. Maybe there IS a use for it....because I certainly haven't found one up to now

The problem is that, 9 times out of 10 it goes fine. But the bit only needs to catch on something - catching a sidewall a little too deep, or maybe catching a piece of wood in the chamber the router has missed (and that's very easy to unwittingly do) and it will kick. When it kicks, it is absolutely uncontrollable and there are only two results: serious damage to the guitar or serious damage to soft tissue. It can even happen when you are using a template if the bit goes in a little too deep or a little too fast. I know...I've definitely been there and definitely done that

Excellent progress, @Norris. I've never tried a compound radius, but presumably it's just a case of setting your two end positions and then joining them up? ( He says, making it sound easy....the reality is that I've never done one because I'm sure it isn't easy!!!)

I didn't really have any voids big enough to warrant trying a slurry with it, but I will try it with some scrap. I suspect that it would work well as it seems to be non-reactive but dries hard. I'll let you know how it goes. Colour-wise, it seems to do no more than the change when you wet wood, What's nice is that it seems to hold that depth of colour from pretty much the first coat.

Looking good, @bassplr19

Blast! Now the surprise has gone

Couldn't resist a couple of mockups:

The final varnishing of the body is ongoing (wipe-on thinned polyurethane varnish as normal) so while the various coats are drying, it's time to make some more progress with the other bits. As I have said, this is a surprise birthday present so I don't have the opportunity to take the neck profile shapes from his own present acoustic. However, he's played my OM and was pretty complimentary about the feel, so I'll start off with a similar size and shape. I prefer to do the final tweaks when it's fully strung up (and probably once it's been passed to it's new owner) but I'll get it close enough to just need a bit of scraping / sanding to his ideal later. I therefore used a profile gauge to take the profiles of my OM: Because I go by feel as much as by measurement, I temporarily stuck the fretboard on with 2-sided tape: Then started off with a medium fine rasp to rough shape at the 1st and 9th fret positions: ....and joined the two up with a spokeshave: As I neared the target, I switched to the safer cabinet scrapers. To be honest, with a neck as small as this, and in the relatively soft mahogany, I could have just used scrapers and skipped the spokeshave: Then chisels and the ridiculously good but tiny Ibis plane to start getting the headstock and heel transitions: Also cut out the teardrop scratchplate and gave it an initial Z-poxy coat - our vocalist gets very enthusiastic with his guitar-pick strumming :

I'm not sure how, but I'd completely missed this thread. Just read every word and pored over every picture. I just LOVE this build. It makes my African Fretless look positively conventional. Fantastic job with huge demonstration of skills all over the place!

I think this approach is what triggers inspired creativity. Some years ago I did a fair bit of writing (never huge amounts published but I did get start to get a much better class of rejection) and not only practised writing but read widely about the process. The truly inspirational writers maybe had a broad plan, but often let the characters take over events. WHAM! Out of nowhere a character does something that no one - especially the writer - expected! The kind of event that could never be planned, but is so, so RIGHT. It even happened to me once or twice (which is why I can, with only half a tongue in cheek, say that I wrote a cameo scene that James Caan played in a 1980's film). I really believe that the most creative design features come from this 'flexible' mental approach - allowing the subconscious to now and again pop in a suggestion of 'what if I put the pickup there......???? Because....because....wow...well.....heck...actually, why not????' And usually it becomes the defining 'wow' factor within a great guitar build.

In biological terms: I use the thin albumen (or spelt albumin above) and the thick albumen mixed together, but I steer clear of the chalaza strands...

I've re-read your post...hang on, I'll look up the biology terms...

Yes - it's the thinner runny stuff. You don't want the stringy bits that hold the yolk in place inside the egg (can't remember my biology classes to what they are called...) You basically want the stuff you would make meringue out of.

Interesting to witness the thought process, @Prostheta. I agree with your pondering in terms of head plate. Personally, I've never got on with fibreboard. I find it difficult to get a neat sharp sided rout for inlays and no advantage for finishing. For a junior, I always think the 'less is more' examples shine. An understated but elegant feature such as small inlay, or pickguard shape or similar can often raise the desire to pick it up and take it home with you much more than the more fancy stuff more usually seen on the double humbucker designs. Mind you, this is from a guy who has just built an outrageously bling single cut bass.....

Great news

Try C. It will take 10 minutes to do and you can take it out again if you don't like it. I have three bolt ons at home at the moment. Two have shims and one doesn't. I would give anyone a $1000 if they could tell me - other than pure luck - by sight or by sound, which ones have the shims.