Raykenbird 35" 5 Strings P/MM <First Build>

[LowGrowl]

Hi everyone!

First of all I'm just a bass player, no luthier, no workshop, no fancy tools, just the average bass modifier (destructor). I'm making this thread to share, and to learn.

So, after a lot of years of trying different basses, woods, bridges, pickups, scales, strings, pre-amps etc... I decided to ask a question to myself: What do I want? And the answer came from my favorite things:

I want a 5 strings bass that feels and plays like my 35" Laklands, can switch from my two favorite rock sounds P-Bass/Musicman and looks like a Gibson thunderbird.

So! I happen to have a Skyline 55-02 heavily modified (screwed up) by ME with no resale value at all... (BELLS RINGING). Maybe for my next build I'll try the laminated neck through body designs but for this rocker i decided to use this very comfortable and perfectly crafted neck. That would save me alot of trouble.

I'll go grab a sandwich, will be back with some pics!!

Ray

[LowGrowl]

For this built I'm planning to make use of most of the things i have laying arround including the neck of my Lakland 5502 and an old mahogany timber...

For the neck pocket routing I used a tecnique I saw in the FAQ's a while ago.

First I made a template of the back of the neck with my router. This is going to be used to position the holes in the neck pocket later...

[LowGrowl]

Then I positioned the neck in line with the center of a plywood and used two pieces more with straight edges against it.


and screwed a little block to keep the router away of the curved edge

[LowGrowl]

Here I ran out of battery in my phone so i have no pics... sorry!!

So, after routing that to my template, i used anothe template that i made before to make a custom pickguard for the 55-02 to complete the form of the neck pocket...

[LowGrowl]

This is the finished template



Nice Fit !

[LowGrowl]

Time to make the routing into the mahogany!!! I think it turned out very good I also used the first template to drill the holes.

[LowGrowl]

I was afraid of the depth of the pocket to be correct to the hight of the bridge, so I mounted everything and strung her up...



After an hour of bridge adjustments Trussrod needed no adjustment, action is very good

AND

IT SOUNDS GOOD!!!
I compared to other basses (unplugged of course) and It sounds a little more middey than my swamp ash Jazz Bass, Not as tight as my warwick streamer stage II (necktrhoug bubinga, ovangkol, afzelia) but PUNCHY enaugh and with A LOT of harmonic content.... the thing really sings!!!

I'm really eager to keep this going. Next saturday I'll route the pickups cavities.
Any comment are more than welcome
Ray

[ctmullins]

Great job so far! You could stop there and do the Bo Diddley thing....

[FatStrings]

Nice work! Keep it going!!

[LowGrowl]

Originally Posted by ctmullins

Great job so far! You could stop there and do the Bo Diddley thing....

JAJA it calls for the Michael Anthony's Jack Daniels also

[LowGrowl]

Time to use the transparent film print that i did earlier, this sheet shows the exact position of the pickups in relation to the center line of the bass core and the 12nd fret and 35" scale end. Nothing too fancy, just powerpoint and some basic math to go from 34" to 35".

Pickups will be a Delano PC5 AL/M2 and a Nordstrand MM5.4 located in their classic swetspots. (P bass coils position is reversed but the BEA side is still in the correct place for a regular p bass). The space between the centers was also corrected for this new position.

[LowGrowl]

Then i used an old template to route the cavity for the MM pickup

looks like a mess

[LowGrowl]

NOT SO PERFECT!!! damn! something happened with the router bit that the hole thing jumped and one side of the cavity was damaged... I'll try to fix that later...

For the P cavity i used a pickguard as a template

[LowGrowl]

And here it is. I don't have little router bit to exactly copy the squared shape. I will have to use a chisel or something...

[LowGrowl]

Time to get the core to the exact size. I used a large ruler as a gide to make a perfect cut with the router...



a few more passes on both sides and its done...



The core in a thunderbird bass is 4" wide, this is going to be 5" to acomodate the 5 strings bridge and pickups...

[LowGrowl]

I still can't belive this



Maybe if i fill it with a mix of sawdust and epoxy and route it again??


Well, that's all for today... Still a lot of work ahead.
Ray

[ctmullins]

Bummer, but it happens, and it's not the end of the world! What are your plans for finish? If opaque, then it's less critical. If translucent, or especially natural, then you might want to chisel or route it out square and glue in a block from the same wood, trying to match the grain.

[MPU]

I'd route a straight edged shallow route that would follow the grain and go beneath bridge footprint. Then glue a matching piece on the routed cavity and level it with the top. If done well it would be an invisible fix.

[LowGrowl]

Originally Posted by ctmullins

Bummer, but it happens, and it's not the end of the world! What are your plans for finish? If opaque, then it's less critical. If translucent, or especially natural, then you might want to chisel or route it out square and glue in a block from the same wood, trying to match the grain.

Originally Posted by MPU

I'd route a straight edged shallow route that would follow the grain and go beneath bridge footprint. Then glue a matching piece on the routed cavity and level it with the top. If done well it would be an invisible fix.

Thanks you for your advice, i will see what i can do, Im planning to stain it a little red and maybe oil and wax or Tru-Oil. I havent decided yet. I live in an apartment and for me to spray poly or something like that is imposible. And with the tools i have... well. I don't know, maybe i have no chance to be a perfectionist...

BUT I will have my workshop in the future... you bet!

*learning mode*

Ray

[JohnnyLiBass]

LOOOOOVE this setup. I am in the process of doing a MM/P bass myself. Lookin' good so far!