Headless 5-string build (warning - pictures) - Page 4

MX21 · #61 08-31-2008, 06:18 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Arx

yep, I think a brass nut would be a good way to go. Perhaps you could just widen the fret slot and use a fairly thin piece, so it's somewhere between a nut and a normal fret.

-Nick

That's what I'm working on today. I'm going to widen the slot and cut it down to the maple. I'll make a metal piece that's .085" thick and put it in the slot.

MX21 · #62 08-31-2008, 11:30 PM

Drilled the holes for the bridge, tuner, and knobs. One pot/knob installed to check fit:

From the control cavity side. You can also see the holes to run the pickup wires. Haven't drilled the jack hole yet. I need to pickup a 1/2" forstner:

Got the cavity cover cut and drilled:

Drilled and test installed the head piece. Still need to shape the back of the neck. Also you can see the metal piece I cut to make a special zero fret. I'll cut the zero fret slot all the way down to the maple and widen it to accept the new metal piece. The metal piece is cut from a nickel door hinge.

Herrlster · #63 09-01-2008, 12:38 AM

Its looking great so far, good job.

PilbaraBass · #64 09-01-2008, 04:05 AM

nice work...very innovative on the door hinge zero fret...I think it'll work

pilotjones · #65 09-01-2008, 07:58 AM

Another choice would be to make that accidental cut nice and even, and prepare a piece of scrap to rebuild it.

Either a FB matching piece, or if you use a contrasting wood, you could claim it was intentional and give it a marketing name. "Tone wedge."

MX21 · #66 09-01-2008, 08:34 AM

Thanks for all the comments.

You can see in the photo where I put marks down on the maple where the slot should be, since I was thinking of cutting a section out and replacing with a piece of scrap fingerboard, then reslotting. But I'm not sure I would be so good at matching up the wood close enough to make it look right. I think the metal will be easiest for me to get right.

Any suggestions on the best way to cut that slot precisely? I'll probably clamp a flexible steel ruler to the FB next to the slot then use it as a guide for the cut. Then move it over to cut it wider for the thicker metal. I've got a very fine hand pull saw that ought to work.

MX

MX21 · #67 09-01-2008, 11:02 PM

Got my custom zero fret piece made and slot cut. Pressed in the piece. When I'm sure it's good, I'll put a drop of super glue in to keep it from slipping. I'll file to match the radius and fine-tune the height. Also will round the top like it's a fret.

Jack drilled and test installed:

Almost forgot I need to route a battery pocket. The only place I have enough meat left is between the pickups. The battery is for my onboard headphone amp.

SGD Lutherie · #68 09-01-2008, 11:19 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Arx

I'd also mount the tuners flat. Angled so that they point at the saddles would probably make some sense, but seems like a lot of extra work

They have to be recessed into the body anyway, so making that recess on an angle is not a lot of extra work. The easiest way to recess them flat or on an angle is with a router template. Same template, just angled.

Building an instrument is a lot of work, and it's important to think things though on how they are going to work. It's art, and it's also engineering.

That's why we make full scale drawings on everything before we ever cut any wood. It's like the old adage... measure twice, cut once.

MX21 · #69 09-02-2008, 12:00 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SGD Lutherie

They have to be recessed into the body anyway, so making that recess on an angle is not a lot of extra work. The easiest way to recess them flat or on an angle is with a router template. Same template, just angled....

Do they HAVE to be recessed? The ABM set comes with no instructions at all, so I was just going to mount it on the surface.

sixway · #70 09-02-2008, 04:10 AM

Subscribed - great build so far, and thanks for all of the pictures....

MPU · #71 09-02-2008, 07:02 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MX21

Do they HAVE to be recessed? The ABM set comes with no instructions at all, so I was just going to mount it on the surface.

If you can get proper string angle from the bridge saddles to the tuners you don't need to recess the tuners. Personally I'd recess the tuners in an agle to get straight pull to the tuners.
Marko

SGD Lutherie · #72 09-02-2008, 07:04 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MX21

Do they HAVE to be recessed? The ABM set comes with no instructions at all, so I was just going to mount it on the surface.

I think they usually are recessed. They would look kind of goody surface mounted. The main thing is you want the tailpiece lower than the bridge to get a good break angle over the bridge saddles, or you will get a lot of buzzing. If you think you can get a good downward pressure over the bridge with it surface mounted, they go with that.

I Googled around for some pictures.. I don't make any headless basses. But you can see the need to get the angle behind the bridge.

Here's a Hohner with the tuners somewhat recessed

Here's a Kubicki:

A David King Kingbass:

Your project is looking really good though.

Here's a web site with scans of the Axstar catalogs.

http://extinguishedscholar.com/axstar.html

SGD Lutherie · #73 09-02-2008, 07:05 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MPU

If you can get proper string angle from the bridge saddles to the tuners you don't need to recess the tuners. Personally I'd recess the tuners in an agle to get straight pull to the tuners.
Marko

You beat me to it!

Brim · #74 09-02-2008, 07:58 PM

Subscribed. Can't wait to see the final product. What are you using to draft out the control knobs - AutoCAD?

MX21 · #75 09-02-2008, 08:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Brim

Subscribed. Can't wait to see the final product. What are you using to draft out the control knobs - AutoCAD?

I have a copy of Visio. Works well for drawing something to scale, then picking up the objects and moving them around.

cosmicevan · #76 09-02-2008, 09:48 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MX21

Almost forgot I need to route a battery pocket. The only place I have enough meat left is between the pickups. The battery is for my onboard headphone amp.

what are you using for this? i'd really like to see some innovation in the bass world so that all input jacks double as a high quality headphone amp (or perhaps more realistically has a 2nd input jack). onboard tuners are also super cool (especially the robot guitar style that tunes it for you!!!).

MX21 · #77 09-02-2008, 09:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by cosmicevan

what are you using for this? i'd really like to see some innovation in the bass world so that all input jacks double as a high quality headphone amp (or perhaps more realistically has a 2nd input jack). onboard tuners are also super cool (especially the robot guitar style that tunes it for you!!!).

I'm putting one of these into it:

http://store.guitarfetish.com/on25waguamdr.html

I'm still trying to decide if I want it to drive the regular output jack or if I use a separate 1/8" stereo jack for headphones. If I only use one jack, then I may have to add a toggle switch.

I have it assembled on the bench and it works fine. Note that I have it wired to use the headphone output, not the 2.5W speaker output.

MX

Arx · #78 09-02-2008, 10:59 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by cosmicevan

what are you using for this? i'd really like to see some innovation in the bass world so that all input jacks double as a high quality headphone amp (or perhaps more realistically has a 2nd input jack). onboard tuners are also super cool (especially the robot guitar style that tunes it for you!!!).

That's actually pretty easy, believe it or not. The big issue is battery life. I was thinking of building a bass that took a bunch of AA batteries, because 9V is expensive, and very high capacity AA NiMH are very common these days.

Looking at that board above, it claims 2.5W, but if you're running anywhere near that (on a speaker of course) your battery will be flat within a couple hours.

for headphones it won't be quite so bad, but even so, it'll suck them up tons faster than standard active pickups do.

If you have some really efficient headphones, or don't listen very loud, a simple op-amp circuit will do the trick nicely, but it's always best to design for the worst case. If your headphones are really inefficient, the 2500mAh you can get in a set of AAs will kick the crap out of the 300-400 that is typical for a 9v

BTW. I hate to nitpick, but it's an output jack

asad137 · #79 09-02-2008, 11:07 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Arx

BTW. I hate to nitpick, but it's an output jack

Hehehe...I thought the same thing

Asad

Curtybob · #80 09-02-2008, 11:23 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Arx

That's actually pretty easy, believe it or not. The big issue is battery life. I was thinking of building a bass that took a bunch of AA batteries, because 9V is expensive, and very high capacity AA NiMH are very common these days.

Looking at that board above, it claims 2.5W, but if you're running anywhere near that (on a speaker of course) your battery will be flat within a couple hours.

for headphones it won't be quite so bad, but even so, it'll suck them up tons faster than standard active pickups do.

If you have some really efficient headphones, or don't listen very loud, a simple op-amp circuit will do the trick nicely, but it's always best to design for the worst case. If your headphones are really inefficient, the 2500mAh you can get in a set of AAs will kick the crap out of the 300-400 that is typical for a 9v

BTW. I hate to nitpick, but it's an output jack

Up until recently, I had some rechargable 9V batteries that were awesome. I believe they were Energizer rechargables... I had everything in a plastic sack after practice and lost them between there and my house.

They lasted every bit as much as an alkaline, and they recharged super fast. Seems like 30 minutes was all it took (maybe less.... been a few months) to fully recharge. Very handy.