1st Build - YELO Bass, Case and matching Electric

[TheJoshinator]

You could look around the internet for 1/16" (or 1.5-2mm) yellow acrylic or Plexiglass. I know I've seen it in vivid opaque colors like that.

Loving the build, by the way! I need to make myself a new case...

[RedMoses]

Looking GOod! 8lbs is very light, the lightest bass i could find is 7.6lbs, so your def on the lighter end of the electric Bass spectrtum.

Great job man! Cant wait to see how you finish it.

[bassingeorge]

subbed!

[Yelo]

Thanks for the comments!

This weekend was all about prepping for paint. Sanding, sanding some more and then some more even.

I applied the sanding sealer and got that smoothed out. Masked the Fretboard off and finally got my first coat of primer on. This revealed some imperfections and scratches that I had not seen before... So I got those filled out and finally ended the weekend with my bass all primered up.

This is going to be a rattle can spray job in all its glory hehe!!!

Here you get to see the Cavities properly for the first time as well as the battery box at the back. I was very worried about weight from early on so took out a much meat as possible.



Next up... White layers!

[Yelo]

A quick pic of which way I'm going with the colours on the bass.



If this is too extreme I'm tempted to dial it back to the previous option of a white bass with a yellow stripe across the pickup and bridge...

I was also just messing around with the 'Yelo' name on the headstock...

[Stealth]

Extreme? Not one bit! Looks perfect!

[Ironfingers]

Not too extreme. Keep the Yelo on the headstock! I like it.

[autodidact]

I am LOVING this bass man, awesome work especially for a first build. Looking forward to seeing it all painted up and assembled. And then of course the sound clips

[Dean N]

First build? Zero woodworking skills?

You're dropping some bombs with this killer build regardless of experience level. Very nice!

If this is you with no skills, just raw talent, you might want to consider quitting your day job...

My only comment on color: I'd prefer to see the neck-through paint style ditched for all black/yellow on the body. But that's just taste/preference. What brand/type of paint are you using?

[Yelo]

Yeah, the last time I worked with wood was Grade 8 and I think I made a little toy aeroplane in the woodworking class. I never enjoyed working with wood, but I think that I was always exposed to the cheap and nasty side of wood...

Building this bass has exposed me to the 'fancy' and 'classier' woods and has really opened my eyes to the emotion behind creating something.

I studied graphic design and work in television, so designing for me is a daily luxury and it's great to be able to apply such things away from work.


Look, the bass is not perfect, one reason I'm super glad I decided on the painted bass from day 1. I think I get away with a lot. For me color and design add a lot to an instrument... personal preference. I've also learned that as much as you may research and plan and take you time, you can only learn the hard way.

But for me, this first bass is about it being mine... from my brain to my hands it became a reality and its the one or two small things, that only I know that aren't quite as right as I would have liked, that make this bass 'hand-made' and mine.



Paint wise I'm very limited on selection. For the Primer I used a local brand called 'Spray Mate' and for the white under coat I've used 'Rustoleum' satin white. For the yellow then I'm back onto the 'Spray Mate' with the ONLY yellow on the market... its ridiculous really. I'll post some pics of the test spray. It's a slightly deeper yellow than I've used in my pics to date. And then over the yellow I'm back to the 'Rustoleum' Satin Clear Lacquer.

I have ZERO idea how one would polish a satin finish after wet sanding... wouldn't that make it gloss? Will talk to you guys about that one when I get there hehe.

[JIO]

Originally Posted by Yelo

Yeah, the last time I worked with wood was Grade 8 and I think I made a little toy aeroplane in the woodworking class. I never enjoyed working with wood, but I think that I was always exposed to the cheap and nasty side of wood...

Building this bass has exposed me to the 'fancy' and 'classier' woods and has really opened my eyes to the emotion behind creating something.

I studied graphic design and work in television, so designing for me is a daily luxury and it's great to be able to apply such things away from work.


Look, the bass is not perfect, one reason I'm super glad I decided on the painted bass from day 1. I think I get away with a lot. For me color and design add a lot to an instrument... personal preference. I've also learned that as much as you may research and plan and take you time, you can only learn the hard way.

But for me, this first bass is about it being mine... from my brain to my hands it became a reality and its the one or two small things, that only I know that aren't quite as right as I would have liked, that make this bass 'hand-made' and mine.



Paint wise I'm very limited on selection. For the Primer I used a local brand called 'Spray Mate' and for the white under coat I've used 'Rustoleum' satin white. For the yellow then I'm back onto the 'Spray Mate' with the ONLY yellow on the market... its ridiculous really. I'll post some pics of the test spray. It's a slightly deeper yellow than I've used in my pics to date. And then over the yellow I'm back to the 'Rustoleum' Satin Clear Lacquer.

I have ZERO idea how one would polish a satin finish after wet sanding... wouldn't that make it gloss? Will talk to you guys about that one when I get there hehe.

Regardless of the sheen you have after your finish buffing (not polishing) done after wet-sanding - once you have it where you want it (blemish free/smooth/even/consistent) - then by using a broken-in 3M (purple) abrasive foam pad (in a high number like 320) you can dial it back to satin/matte by hand. I use these pads on a gloss neck to achieve a satin-touch feel.

[Yelo]

Excellent, thank you. That makes perfect sense on how to achieve the satin finish!

My next bass will have a bolt on neck, that's for sure. Working a neck through bass means working on the entire bass every time you do anything. I'd love to have been able to work on the neck and body separately.

[Yelo]

Originally Posted by Dean N

First build? Zero woodworking skills?

You're dropping some bombs with this killer build regardless of experience level. Very nice!

If this is you with no skills, just raw talent, you might want to consider quitting your day job...

My only comment on color: I'd prefer to see the neck-through paint style ditched for all black/yellow on the body. But that's just taste/preference. What brand/type of paint are you using?

As per your suggestion...



I like this as it would simplify the paint significantly for me and I feel it still has the same impact as before... although now the white on the headstock doesn't tie together.

[Nomad98]

I like that color scheme much better than the white down the middle of the body. The white logo also pops more, as a logo should!

[Yelo]

Excellent!!!! That is good news!

[SolarMan]

Yes, that last rendition is it!

[Dean N]

Big visual upgrade.

Also, If using rattle can stuff, I'd very much advise waiting weeks (unfortunately) before even thinking of finishing the finish. If you can stick your nose on the paint and still smell paint at all, it's not ready for finishing. The rattlecan stuff can work, but (particularly anything described as enamel) takes forever to cure.

[Yelo]

Ah ok, thanks for the tip...

I must say that I don't really like how the paint goes on, its going to be very labour intensive with regard to smoothing it out and then curing like you say.

It's the only real option for now though, so going to take my time and make the best of it!!!

[Dean N]

Follow can directions. It's probably something like "do successive coats 15 minutes apart, or wait 24 hours between coats". Whatever that window is (there's a technical term for it I don't recall), don't violate it! Or you'll be repainting and cursing. A lot.

[bassteban]

Incredibly nice work, man. On finishing- pro-level painting is no more difficult than the woodworking side of building(I dabble in both, no where near what you're doing here- yet ). I'd suggest auto paint next time around, assuming/hoping you'll be doing this again.