New Fairlane - Rare in progress shots

Hambone · #1 08-14-2005, 08:45 PM

I don't usually do this but I'm getting pretty excited over the completion of this one. This represents the best I can do right now. Here's the specs:
Carved Fairlane body style in 35"+ scale
Chambered with thru body laminations
Claro burl walnut top
Bookmatched Claro quilt walnut back with flame maple accent
3 piece walnut neck with HCB trussrod - rear adustment
Ebony fretboard - zero fret
No bridge - the carved tracks act to align individual string saddles. The strings anchor at the end of the body.
John East U-retro Preamp.
All black hardware

There's still lots to do here. The neck just has some oil to help with seeing during the final sandings. Then come all of the real time consuming things. The body is just TruOil right now but will get a full poly when it's done. There are more shots here: http://www.talkbass.com/photopost/sh...500&ppuser=842

i like tictacs · #2 08-14-2005, 09:44 PM

I like it alot, however my only gripe is that it seems the upper horn should be elongated a bit.

superbassman2000 · #3 08-14-2005, 10:01 PM

wow!!!

JSPguitars · #4 08-14-2005, 10:59 PM

progress pics, ? quite rare indeed.

Muy elegante, Hambone! I like the upper horn......I think it flows with the body just fine.

I really like the headstock design along with the flame maple accent.

I'm curious to see the bridge/saddles design when it finished.
Great job on the pickup covers too!

PaulSimonon · #5 08-14-2005, 11:46 PM

WOW....

What else can I say man?

Tim__x · #6 08-15-2005, 12:10 AM

I like the acoustic style maple accent on the back, very classy.

Hambone · #7 08-15-2005, 06:12 AM

Thanx guys.

Aside from what's missing in the pics like hardware, the one thing that might change is the length of the fiingerboard extension. As luck would have it, my blank fell right at the edge of the front pup cavity so I left it that way for yucks to see what it did visually. In practice what it does is cover a small, magnetically attached filler section between the cavity and neck pocket that is removable to insert the TR wrench. That's not good like that but the extra length on the fingerboard is OK. That leaves me in a quandry as to which I like more - a long, sleek fingerboard or the ability to easily adjust it!

Tim, that wasn't where I was going to stop. I wanted to carry that line up about 2/3 of the way up that back of the neck and terminate it in a flourish of some sort. After I got the neck to that stage of completion, I chickened out for fear of ruining the piece. I haven't had much success with my necks and this one must work so I passed until next time.

Dave Siff · #8 08-15-2005, 06:44 AM

Beautiful work, Allan. I've enjoyed watching the progress of that bass.
Folks, having seen the body of this bass up close and actually held it in my hands, I can tell you it is a really exquisite piece of work, carved top and all. Hambone is going to be a force to be reckoned with in bass-building very soon!

teej · #9 08-15-2005, 08:58 AM

Now THATS the burl top I'm looking for. The only stuff I seem to find has a lot of "light meat" mixed in with the dark. I've been experimenting with a "bridge" (string anchoring system, etc.) like that. Actually, it's more like a two-piece bridge, but without the tailpiece.

By the by, I don't think I've ever actually seen any of your work. This is like seeing a Monet or Reniot for the first time.

**Rodent** · #10 08-15-2005, 09:58 AM

Beautiful work - thanks for sharing!

R

Hambone · #11 08-15-2005, 10:17 AM

Teej, thank you for the comparison but maybe Matt Groenig or Binky the oil painting chimp are more appropriate benchmark standards

I understand what you are saying though.

Both of these pieces came from ebay as "second rate" boards. Neither was even listed as having any figure though I sort of guessed that the top wood had some from the photos supplied by the seller. The back was a total surprise when I got it split open and saw the grain. I was just hoping to get a nice match so it wasn't too distracting.

I get the majority of my woods online with about 20% acquired locally. We have so few native tonewoods here in Georgia that what I can find here has usually been shipped in anyway.

bassmonkeee · #12 08-15-2005, 10:22 AM

Lookin' good, Hammy! I can't wait to get my mitts on a finished fretless Fairlane. Definitely going to have to meet up again, soon.

What's the plan for strap buttons? I think it'd look great with recessed straplocks on the back of the upper horn, as opposed to the tip, but that's just me....

teej · #13 08-16-2005, 09:29 AM

How about a full frontal shot?

Hambone · #14 08-16-2005, 10:45 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by teej

How about a full frontal shot?

There's one in the Gallery - check out the link.

Hambone · #15 08-16-2005, 10:49 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bassmonkeee

Lookin' good, Hammy! I can't wait to get my mitts on a finished fretless Fairlane. Definitely going to have to meet up again, soon.

What's the plan for strap buttons? I think it'd look great with recessed straplocks on the back of the upper horn, as opposed to the tip, but that's just me....

The chambering could have a say in the success of that idea. Between the narrow rim left on the inside for gluing the top and the radius on the back, I really don't know how much material is available for that. One would want the insert to sit in an area that was flat on the back and that's at least 1" in from the edge. I believe that would put me straddling the rim and chamber with the insert. I'll have to go into the files and check to make sure.

Suburban · #16 08-17-2005, 01:58 AM

Really good bridge solution. I'm curious on detail re. the saddles...

tjclem · #17 08-17-2005, 05:08 AM

very smooth, sleek and soft looking. Nice!

Hambone · #18 08-17-2005, 05:59 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Suburban

Really good bridge solution. I'm curious on detail re. the saddles...

Burb, nuthin' too fancy there:

http://guitarpartsdepot.com/Merchant...ode=bassbparts

This approach is has been a natural progression towards less complication in my designs. When the idea popped into my head, it seemed so perfect and "right" that I didn't ponder it much at all and simply incorporated it immediately. I didn't even care how I was going to make it work - just that I knew it was the right way to go. At first, I made ebony "mini-bridges" with adjustable saddles but the precision level I wanted was lacking. Fortunately, these turned up and I had my answer in hand. The real silly thing is that the bass was originally designed to be my personal instrument and fretted. However, I've since sold it, and the client preferred a long scale fretless (it was originally a 34" - now it's 35+) and the adjustable intonation isn't really needed. That's OK though because I had already decided that this design needed to be built again and a new one in ash is waiting to be begun.

rusty · #19 08-17-2005, 11:17 AM

I'm a little late in saying this, but... Whoa!

Very nice work Hambone - it's a treat to watch how you incorporate all your insightfulness/thoughtfulness into your designs

Hambone · #20 08-17-2005, 11:28 AM

Thanx Rusty, noticing my method means more to me than you can imagine...

Sort of an update - Once the neck was completed to this point, I offered the owner the opportunity to have a piece of inlay done. We've decided a nice 12th fret image is needed and that will be a small bonsai tree in faux ivory. After doing some research last night, I intend to render the image in the same style as it would have been done by the Japanese artists using bamboo calligraphic quills. The effect should be right on.