ACG Build Progress

Skelf · #1 01-02-2009, 02:55 PM

Hi
From now on I will be documenting the build progress of all the basses I am currently working on in the Builders Showcase. Please feel free to ask any questions concerning the builds or anything at all regarding ACG.

Many thanks for taking a look at my work.

Alan

A few posts from the threads in the Luthiers Corner to bring this thread up to speed.

Left hand Recurve single cut.
Currently being sprayed.

Spec
Blackheart Sassafras top with a white limba body.
Purpleheart/wenge /flame sycamore neck with acrylic impregnated Zebrano finger board.
SB and FB narrow format passive electronics.

Harlot S Type single cut also in spraying.
The last pic of it before it hit the booth.

This will be the first 4 string single cut.

Amboyna top mahogany core with a flame sycamore back. 5 piece maple/mac ebony neck with an Ebony finger board. 2 RFB with the ACG EQ01 pre-amp.

9 string Recurve single cut in spraying.

Swamp ash body with a Mahogany top. Maple/Wenge 7 piece set neck with a book-matched acrylic impregnated spalted maple finger board once again supplied by Larry at Gallery Hardwoods.
ACG FB pickups with the ACG EQ01 pre-amp.
Pezo bridge and the bridge pickup will be switchable and will feed one of the filters in the pre-amp with the other filter being fed from the neck pickup. This will make the bass a 3 pickup bass with pickups 1 & 2 being switchable. So you can have a standard 2 magnetic pickup bass or a piezo plus magnetic bass with full EQ over piezo and magnetics.

Skelf · #2 01-02-2009, 03:08 PM

5 String Skelf.
Just completed the neck carve and the body contouring so net up will be the pickups and the ramp.

Spec
White Limba body with a Native Walnut top usual black veneer.
Wenge/Maple 5 string neck with a Mac Ebony board 33" scale tuned E to C.
ACG FB pickups with a matching ramp in between.
ACG EQ02 pre-amp.

Headless Finn 4.

Just sorting out the neck pocket on this one.

Based on the Finn shape but will be modified to accommodate headless hardware.

Wenge body with a Mac Ebony top and a 4 mm Bloodwood accent.
Wenge/Bloodwood 5 piece neck.
Change of plan the finger board will now be an acrylic impregnated Bubinga board.

Pickups still to be decided.

Harlot 4 fretless.

Flame sycamore top with a butternut body.
Maple/mac ebony 5 piece neck with an acrylic impregnated ziracote finger board with partial fretlines.
Piezo bridge plus 1 RFB pickup.
ACG EQ01 pre-amp. The piezo will feed into one of the lowpass filters with the magnetic pickup going to the other. This will allow full EQ on the piezo and magnetic and the ability to blend between them.

Finn 4

Quilt maple back and front with a bubinga core. 5 piece wenge/maple neck with a mac ebony fingerboard.
Green burst on back and front.
2 ACG RFB pickups with coil switching.
ACG EQ01 pre-amp.

Skelf · #3 01-02-2009, 03:16 PM

Headless Harlot 5

Just about to do the cavities for the pre-amp and the cut out for the tuners.

Spec on this one.
Camphor Burl top and back Flame Sycamore core.
7 piece Bubinga/Flame Maple thru neck.
Book matchde acrylic spalted maple finger board.
ETS bridge 15 mm spacing with a ABM string anchor.
ACG FB and FB in SB format.
ACG EQ01 pre-amp.
Oil finish.

Another Finn 4.

Spec
Okoume top with 4 mm wenge accent on to a swamp ash body.
3 piece flame maple neck with an acrylic impregnated figured bubinga finger board.
Red LEDS on the side of the neck.
ACG RFB pickup and a Hipshot piezo bridge.
Pickup feeding one of the filters in the ACH EQ01 pre-amp with the piezo feeding the other filter.

Finn Singlecut 4

Spec
First of a new model.
4 string 34" scale
5 piece body stripy ebony/sycamore/wenge/sycamore/ stripy ebony
7 piece neck mac ebony/sycamore/wenge/sycamore
Acryilc impregnated flame sycamore board with mac ebony binding.
2 ACG RFB pickups with coil switching and the ACG EQ01 pre-amp.

Skelf · #4 01-02-2009, 03:26 PM

The next batch are all in the very early stages most are still just a pile of wood.

Harlot 5
Mahogany core with a burl Myrtle top and a figured myrtle back.
Birdseye maple/mac ebony 5 piece neck with an acrylic impregnated Mac Ebony board.
ACG EQ01 pre-amp and two RFB pickups.

Recurve 5 single cut fretless.

Redwood flame/quilt top with 4 mm sycamore accent and Mahogany body.
7 piece maple/bubinga/maple/wenge neck and an Acrylic Impregnated Mac Ebony board with Maple fretlines.
SB in the bridge and an FB in the neck both in 40 x 100 mm casings.
Piezo bridge switchable with the bridge pickup.
ACG EQ01 pre-amp.

Recurve single cut 5.

Cocobolo top with a Black Walnut body with 4 mm sycamore accent.
Wenge/purpleheart/maple 5 piece neck with an acrylic impregnated Mac Ebony finger board.
ACG EQ01 pre-amp and SB pickups.
Satin chrome hardware.

Harlot 5 fretless
Redwood top and back with a Black Limba core. Maple/Bloodwood 5 piece neck with an acrylic impregnate Birdseye Maple finger board which will have Pearwood fretlines.
Piezo bridge and ACG SB in the bridge with a RFB in the neck. SB will be switchable with the piezo.
ACG EQ01 pre-amp.
Finish lacquer.

Finn 4 fretless.
5 piece body Black Walnut core with Claro Walnut front and back with a 4 mm Sycamore accent.
Bubinga/Wenge 5 piece neck Indian Ebony finger board.
Hipshot piezo bridge and an ACG RFB.
ACG EQ01 pre-amp.

Finn 4.

Quilt/birdseye Redwood front and back with a Spanish Cedar core.
5 piece wenge/bubinga/maple neck with an acrylic flamed Redwood finger board.
Hipshot piezo bridge and ACG RFB pickup.
ACG EQ01 pre-amp.

jshilgebass · #5 01-02-2009, 07:10 PM

*** sigh! ***

Someday I hope to have an ACG. May as well subscribe to see what I can dream about.

Joe Hilgeman

incognito89x · #6 01-04-2009, 07:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Skelf

Finn 4.

Quilt/birdseye Redwood front and back with a Spanish Cedar core.
5 piece wenge/bubinga/maple neck with an acrylic flamed Redwood finger board.
Hipshot piezo bridge and ACG RFB pickup.
ACG EQ01 pre-amp.

That is going to be a fantastic looking bass. I love the top wood!

-Charlie

Skelf · #7 01-05-2009, 11:46 AM

Hi Joe
Hopefully sooner rather than later

.

Charlie
The pic does not really do it justice loads more going on in that board.
Alan

mikezimmerman · #8 01-05-2009, 09:25 PM

This is exactly the kind of thread that got me in trouble in the first place...even with one ACG on order, I keep getting ideas for others!

Mike

LedBelli Bass · #9 01-05-2009, 11:04 PM

Really nice work! Really . . . just awesome . . .

Skelf · #10 01-07-2009, 04:02 AM

Steady Mike.

Many thanks Led.

Skelf · #11 01-16-2009, 02:21 PM

Spec
White Limba body with a Native Walnut top usual black veneer.
Wenge/Maple 5 string neck with a Mac Ebony board 33" scale tuned E to C.
ACG FB pickups with a matching ramp in between.
ACG EQ02 pre-amp.

Cavity for the ramp and pickups now done all the holes drilled and the control cavity cover done. This one is now ready to start the finishing.

Skelf · #12 01-19-2009, 10:43 AM

The cut out for the tuning unit now done. The unit will also be at an angle in relation to the top which is hard to see on the pic.

Skelf · #13 01-26-2009, 12:10 PM

Some more done on the Harlot. Just the pickup cavities to do then on with the sanding.

Skelf · #14 01-27-2009, 10:34 AM

A few more shots.
Increased the upper bout arm contour.

You can see where the front contour and the rear contour come together in the upper bout.

The angled section for the tuning unit.

Back of the bass with some spirit sprayed on it,you can see the flame in the neck and in the body core. Cavity cover in place but still to be fitted.

mikezimmerman · #15 01-27-2009, 12:34 PM

Wow! Unfinished, you can't really see the figure in the facings at all, but it really pops out with the spirit on there. I imagine it will look spectacular with the finish!

Mike

Skelf · #16 01-27-2009, 12:43 PM

Oil finish on this one so the grain will come out really well.

Skelf · #17 01-29-2009, 03:06 PM

A few more basses started recently.

First up A Recurve 5 the fist one I have been asked to build this one is for Bassbunny.
Amboyna burl top.

A killer piece of Black Limba for the body.

Next up the neck for Mike's Harlot 5.
Birdseye maple and mac ebony.

Next the Black Limba body for Duncan's Harlot 5 fretless.

Next the body top/bak and neck woods for Mike's fretless Finn 4.

Black walnut body.

Claro Walnut for the top.

The back.

And the Bubinga/Wenge neck.

A Recurve S Type 6 for Jan
Flamed Bubinga top and back with a Black Limba body.
7 piece Mac Ebony/Back Limba neck with a Mac Ebony acrylic impregnated board.

Skelf · #18 01-30-2009, 12:12 PM

Been concentrating on woodwork today so I have managed to move a few basses a bit further down the line.
Mike's Finn has the body core sorted out the neck laminates cut and the back and top book matched, he now has to decide which is the top and which is the back.

The Black Limba neck laminates for the Recurve 6 and the body core.

Scoops spanish ceder body core.

7 piece neck for Adam's Finn single cut.

Bass Viking · #19 02-01-2009, 07:43 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Skelf

Spec
White Limba body with a Native Walnut top usual black veneer.
Wenge/Maple 5 string neck with a Mac Ebony board 33" scale tuned E to C.
ACG FB pickups with a matching ramp in between.
ACG EQ02 pre-amp.

Cavity for the ramp and pickups now done all the holes drilled and the control cavity cover done. This one is now ready to start the finishing.

Dang those are some nice basses!! This one is especially interesting to me since I have a bass with a limba body and wenge neck that I really like.

Skelf · #20 02-02-2009, 01:45 AM

It is a good combination which I have used quiet a few times.
Alan