Practice build: 5-string multi-scale, HD woods

[roberthabraken]

Wow and thanks! Your thread easily qualifies as the most informative, instructional and entertaining thread of TB.

The knobs looks stunning, especially because they match the neck. Great to see the construction methods, tips and jigs.

[tZer]

I love coming back into this thread cold, seeing a current process out of context and wondering, "What the hell is he doing now?" - then seeing the result and thinking, "Oh! Now it's so obvious and brilliant!"

Exactly how much brilliance can you cram into a single build?

[pilotjones]

Shaped the last five knobs.

Went back and reshaped a few of the first four, based on what I learned. The next knobs I make will be even better.

Here are the nine.


These knobs have a good amount of darker heartwood maple in them, which I had forgotten was going to appear. I managed to keep it out of the bass except for a bit visible in a lamination when you look at the bottom edge - but the wood for these was from the neck cutoff, so it is present here. If I were in business and this were for a customer I would have gone all the way and cut off the maple, saved the padauk, and re-laminated. But I'm allowed to let something by on a first instrument for myself, I think. This is the Home Depot wood bass! Besides, it resembles the poplar on the back, so it's kind of coherent that way, giving a hint of what you'll see when turning it around.

Next is figuring what taphole I want to use, and making a jig for it.



My beer cooler was too full, golden monkeys flying out whenever I opened the door, so I had to have this to make some space.

This was a really good imperial stout. All kinds of flavor, thick and grainy, rich, a bit of heat (10.85 ABV). The kind where at the end of the glass you drink half the last swig...and then a quarter...et cetera, not wanting to end it.

[bigalila]

Been following this build for a while now, and I must say... Those knobs are amazing!!!

[joeyl]

Originally Posted by bigalila

Those knobs are amazing!!!

that's what he said! BTW this thread makes me want to go to my garage and drink some beer!

[pilotjones]

- Made a list of remaining tasks. There are still about a dozen of them, one of which is "sand and finish," which is obviously an enormous multi-multi-item. So those who feared this thread being over, fear not.
- Did some figuring on setscrews for the knobs. I rejected going with M3, which I already own the tap for, and will use M4 since these will use a 2 mm wrench, in common with both the saddles and the pup screws.
- Set up the bass better to be sure the saddles were appropriate in height. I had been playing the bass with high action, since I had really thrown the strings on and gone to a gig.

Pic time--here are the feeler gages I cleaned up, and used to set the relief. They were unused for the past thirty years, but were in use for probably forty years before that.


Even with a decently low setup, it did not buzz on random frets. Hooray!

-Started disassembling to work on the bass. Recorded the intonated saddle positions first, as this info will be needed for magnet installation.

[roberthabraken]

This truly is a piece of art, great work Pete!

[whodom]

Very cool- can't wait to see the final steps in the process.

BTW- very cool set of feeler gauges too. What's the history on those?

[pilotjones]

Originally Posted by whodom

Very cool- can't wait to see the final steps in the process.

BTW- very cool set of feeler gauges too. What's the history on those?

I inherited my great uncle's toolbox. He was a machinist - a lathe operator.

I've also got some tools from my grandfather, who was a machinist and then an engineer.

[StoutFellow]

A bit like this entire thread. Don't want it to end.

Originally Posted by pilotjones

My beer cooler was too full, golden monkeys flying out whenever I opened the door, so I had to have this to make some space.This was a really good imperial stout. All kinds of flavor, thick and grainy, rich, a bit of heat (10.85 ABV).

The kind where at the end of the glass you drink half the last swig...and then a quarter...et cetera, not wanting to end it.

[Thumpin_P]

Speechless....just....wow.

[Beauchene Implements]

Such a great thread, Pilot. I'm dying for the sound samples.

[pilotjones]

Thanks.


There's a YouTube of me playing it in a bar a few weeks ago. I'm told the bass sounds good in it. I'll try and search it up, and if it's not too horrendous I'll post a link.

[calmb4tehpwn]

Wow, just jumped into this thread... 52 pages too late. I read the first and last 5, and I'm excited to go back and read the rest.

Any plan for the rest of those knobs you don't plan to use?
Cause I'd be interested in buying 4 of them, even if they're your "scrap" 4.

[pilotjones]

Originally Posted by calmb4tehpwn

Wow, just jumped into this thread... 52 pages too late. I read the first and last 5, and I'm excited to go back and read the rest.

Any plan for the rest of those knobs you don't plan to use?
Cause I'd be interested in buying 4 of them, even if they're your "scrap" 4.

Hmmm... let's see what happens. If it's like the saddles and the string anchors, the number of usable pieces will decrease as I develop the process (fail, learn, revise) and adjust or re-make the jigs and such.

[calmb4tehpwn]

I have to add, I can't express how much I love the name Storm King. Until I came across the post of it's inspiration, I had assumed it was George R.R. Martin related, in his most famous series (A Song of Ice and Fire, now Game of Thrones on HBO) one of the Storm Lords becomes king.

In either case, I love the name.

[nolezmaj]

Cool, that't what I thought also, until I read all of the thread.

Great build, keep up the good work!

[pilotjones]

The jig for the string anchor drilling now has an additional port for drilling the pilots for the knob tapholes.

Tap was an M4, with a D2 thread tolerance to produce a tighter-than-normal threaded hole.

Nine drilled and tapped knobs.

I don't think I'm going to CA reinforce the threads, as I did on the saddles. I haven't been able to do it on the test knob without getting some CA on the outside surface, and I don't want to create more CA stains like I have on the body.


This was really good! Not what I expect from a can.

Seems to be an Ohio company, operating a plant in PA.

[Musiclogic]

Pete, this whole thing is looking great, the knobs are just Awesome....and Little Kings....Awesome...been too many years since I have seen that beer....too cool

[Triad]

Love those knobs, mate!