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Thanks. Some searches of that forum have answered my questions. Plus answered questions I didn't even know to ask lol. Some knowledgeable folks. Thanks. Last night, as we were laying everything out and the body shape began to emerge, my brother began drooling a little, I think. Caught him...

With the neck mostly complete, I begin to turn to the body. Last night, my brother and I worked on the shape and got it mostly sussed out. It's a slightly enlarged ES-339 shape with an extended upper horn. 15" total width. Yes, I know the F holes don't match. We were trying different designs...

The nyc pickups. Anyone use them before? Can you answer some questions?

I work on projects as time permits and my limited shop space means many operations normally done with power tools are done with hand powered versions. That slows things down a lot. Wait til you see how I make the body for this. It won't be a quick thing but should be worth it. The camera adds...

The final headstock shape. And the neck tenon getting sorted out. Anyone have experience with Duncan NYC pickups?

We have a 9 1/2" fretboard now with complete inlays. This is my first go round with ebony. Man, it's like cutting steel and the dust makes a horrible mess. Looks great, though. I hope I can pull off the finish idea I have for the neck. I plan to lacquer only the inlays. This could...

The headstock shape is pretty much there. A little cleanup and it'll be ready for the binding. But right now, Kevin and I are working on the other end.

Working on the headstock.

We're back! Been busy finishing this project up. That's my new "tele." The body was originally cut by Gretsch in 66 to be an Astro Jet but was never completed. A whole stash of these bodies have been sitting in a warehouse for 50 years and I got one. It's some really light old Honduran...

Thanks. A few more shots of the carving. At 1" even at the first fret. And at .91". The goal is around .85" or so. The volute is beginning to take shape. The maple is working easily. It's hard but predictable. It's not bad about ripping or chunking out like some more brittle woods.

Alright, with the fretboard on, I can get busy shaping the neck. Man, these bass necks are long! A lot of carving to be done. My brother likes the shape of Fender necks, so I'm basing the profile on his 73 Jazz Bass neck. One tricky part is that most necks with a glued on fretboard...

It worked. Looks like we have a neck with a board now.

Hey all. We are back with an update. It's been cold, mom's been sick, I've been busy, etc. etc. etc....... At any rate, today is the Gluing Of The Fretboard so I though I'd post the affair live, as it were. Working at my brother's house, so the tailgate becomes a workbench. I've spent the...

I did that to a six string neck once. Made for a very stiff neck. Some liked it and some didn't. On a bass, though, it seems like stiff is good. A long piece hanging out there.

Shellac is the bomb. Buy flakes and mix it as you need it. The stuff brings wood to life like nothing else and it makes a perfect barrier coat between dissimilar finishes. It'll stick to anything and it dries thin and fast.

And trimmed for width and length. It still sits just a little proud but I'll fix that later. I'm not gluing this one in yet or the 12th fret marker. I will use those slots for registry pins to keep the fretboard aligned as I glue.

Thanks! I told myself I'd take some pics of how I made the inlays, so here goes. I caught myself part way into the last one but I got all the steps. I started with this block of burl. I've already cut away some of the plain bits but I have to excise just the pieces I want from it. Step one...

Thanks. I'm really happy with it, too. The last ones clamped up. I'm leaving 12 out and I won't glue 1 in, either. I'll put my registry pins in those slots, then remove and glue in the last two blocks. Up next, I have to cut the slot and block for the first fret inlay, then do some...

Up to four of em now. I could only get to 3 before the epoxy started setting. Looking good, though.

Very clean! Nicely done.

First inlay is glued up and I'm very pleased with it. Good tight fit with no visible gaps.

These are going to look killer!

Alright, we have an almost complete set of inlays that fit. I say almost because my brother decided he wants a first fret marker as well, so I will work on that tonight. Next, I will trim them, epoxy in place then level them with the fretboard. In other news, we picked up some lumber with...

Third time's a charm, I believe. I like this one.

Thanks! I'm a complete newb to fine inlay. It's tedious. Right now I'm on version 3 of the 12th fret marker. I broke one and made the second one a little too small. Like .01" off and it's noticeable. My slot is .51" and the block is presently at .57". I have to keep shaving off a sliver at a...

I did a little ebony detail for the 12th fret.

Continuing and with a little finish to show the color.

And the first slice is done! Looks good but I can see this is going to take some time. There's a lot of hand fitting to get it tight.

Check out the burl block. It'll take some sawing to make inlays but I see some good stuff in there.

Experiments in scale length. My brother wanted to see how much difference it made with different scales so I put some notches in. They're off to the side and will get clipped when I trim the board to the neck. He ultimately went with 34". As usual, just about the time I get a good marking...

Number three is finished. Gonna have to look for a smaller router bit. The next slot is under 1/2" wide. The ebony cuts beautifully with the router by taking small bites.

The first inlay cut is made. Whew. I'm going to need to buy a smaller router bit, though, to do the higher frets.

I've decided to do the inlays before I glue up the board. My inlay experience is limited but my brother wanted something different for the fretboard besides dots. After searching around, we became inspired by some of the Hofner bar designs. We are making some changes to the design, however...

I believe so. More work in the fretboard. I have the back side all nice and flat now and ready to glue. Because of how the neck goes together, it's going to be difficult to get to the end of the fretboard when it's glued up so I'm polishing the end now. I took one shot of the fretboard...

It's wild looking stuff, alright. Boiling caramel.

I am going to put some lacquer over the veneer now to help protect it during the rest of construction. There is much rough handling yet to come.

Alright, we have a headstock plate which will be the substrate for the veneer. This headstock is quite the sammich. Next up is the veneer. I need to get this in now so the fretboard sits properly. I'd honestly rather wait to put it on but in this case, I cannot delay it. More clamps! Not...

Work continues on the neck. I've done a little shaping to the back side but mainly I'm prepping it to install the headstock cover plate. It will be a thin piece of birch ply topped with the maple burl. The back, still pretty rough. The front, with a rough cut on the arrowhead shape...

I'm using a flush trim bit and the template I made to cut the side profiles. A few little wobbles but not too bad.

I make my own "Danish oil" all the time. Super easy. You're just mixing linseed oil, varnish and thinner together. This article spells it out way better than I can here. Invalid Link Removed