first build (pics) & walnut advice please ?

[bassedsouth]

Well all I can say is I've finally got pretty far with my 1st build , what a learning curve !!
I'ts taken longer than I expected and it's not over yet .
I'm about to route pickup cavities / do tuner holes / and do a little more neck shaping . Then I'll be at the final sanding phase and that is where some advice would be great .
I've used walnut for the top and see that it is quite a grainy wood that does not seem to sand to a really smooth finish ( perhaps it's just my lack of experience ) , does anyone have any advice on how to prep the walnut to smoothe it out for finishing ?
I'm thinking of perhaps using tung oil !

[cricketfever32]

really fine sandpaper? or steel wool
amazing grain on the back by the way, would you mind listing the woods you used?

[wilser]

walnut is a very porous wood that will not be smooth unless you fill the grain. You will not get a flat surface if you don't do this. You can use any of the grain fillers available. Epoxy worked well for me, thickened because it's easier to sand that way.

[Greenman]

Originally Posted by wilser

walnut is a very porous wood that will not be smooth unless you fill the grain.

+1

[eleonn]

It looks really really nice. The wood in the back looks just soooo sweet. Do you have a pic of the whole bass?

[JSPguitars]

Hey, you have a tiny hole in the end of your fretboard!
Really nice looking for a first build! That ash (I'm assuming it's ash) looks superb.

[Yellow]

yea man, looks great I am on my first project myself, it is a big curve I am with you there, but looks like you are doing awesome.

if you go with tung oil, make a sealer coat full strenght and sand it down almost to wood, it will fill the pores and then you can build smooth finish from there.

[bassedsouth]

Originally Posted by cricketfever32

really fine sandpaper? or steel wool
amazing grain on the back by the way, would you mind listing the woods you used?

neck=maple with walnut lam and cocobolo board
body=ash w walnut top ( I regret not leaving it ash ) / I also used some African rosewood ( bubinga I think ?) strips , nice wood I plan to use it in future builds .

[bassedsouth]

Originally Posted by eleonn

It looks really really nice. The wood in the back looks just soooo sweet. Do you have a pic of the whole bass?

Thanks !! I'll put a full pic in a couple of days .

[bassedsouth]

Originally Posted by JSPguitars

Hey, you have a tiny hole in the end of your fretboard!
Really nice looking for a first build! That ash (I'm assuming it's ash) looks superb.

Ash it is !!

I drilled that hole by the way in order to stop the fretboard 'slipping' while glueing / I stuck a jewellers screwdriver in to hold the board while the glue set ( the cocobolo board was sliding around like a car on an oil patch ) . I'll fill it w epoxy mixed w wood dust .

[JSPguitars]

Originally Posted by bassedsouth

Ash it is !!

I drilled that hole by the way in order to stop the fretboard 'slipping' while glueing / I stuck a jewellers screwdriver in to hold the board while the glue set ( the cocobolo board was sliding around like a car on an oil patch ) . I'll fill it w epoxy mixed w wood dust .

Roger that, I was just being a smartass...