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100 year old Pine P bass build

#201
GrooveWarrior, no, I don't use any glue in the frets. If the fret slots are the right size, and the frets are hammered in properly, there's no need of any. I know some builders use thin super glue and flood the fret slots with it(PRS comes to mind), but I don't think it's really necessary. I've not had a problem with the last two I built, and don't anticipate any with this one.
SurferJoe, will do. Since I will be documenting the wetsanding and buffing process I use here in this thread we can all see how it turns out. I used Duplicolor clear lacquer.
BassmanDk, thanks for the compliment! And your interest in this build. Much appreciated.
 
#206
GrooveWarrior said:
Is it common to shape and carve the neck after you do the fretboard, truss rod, and frets?
Click to expand...
I think it just depends on how the builder wants to do it. I know of builders who carve the neck before fretting. It works for them.
I carve after fretting because I like to have that huge, thick neck blank when I hammer the frets in. Firstly, the back of the neck is flat, so the neck doesn't wobble around, and I don't need a rest. Secondly, if I dent the back of the neck hammering the frets in, it's gonna get carved away. And thirdly, when you hammer a bunch of frets into a fretboard, you can sometimes get what's known as compression, where the frets being driven in compress the wood, causing a backbow. I don't have any proof of this belief, but I believe having the full thickness of the neck blank behind that fretboard helps avoid this. I also tend to wait a day or two after hammering in the frets before I do any carving.
But, again, it all depends on what works and what is comfortable for the individual builder. There really are very few hard and fast rules, and different builders approach things from different points of view. It's all good.
 
#207
O.K., so the body is in finish. But there are other things that need to get done. Starting with the pickguard. Whether it is the pickguard that doesn't fit, or the pickup covers that don't, I'm not sure. But the covers for the pickup have ears on them(where the mounting screws go), and these ears are too wide to fit through the pickup cutout on the pickguard.
Now, I don't know a lot about P pickups, so it might be common that, depending on brand, the covers would be slightly different. I'd be willing to bet on that.
So I don't see this as a defect, either in the pickup covers or the pickguard. In fact, it's a good thing, because it lets me get as close to an exact fit as possible.
So what I will do is this: Placing some tape on the back side of the guard where the ears are, I'll place the pickup cover through as far as I can.....

100_0062.jpg


And draw on the tape around the tabs. This will let me see how far I need to go. After this, I'll remove the pickup covers, toss a 1/2" bit in my router, and rout the little bit away that I need to make the covers fit. Like so.
100_0064.jpg
 
#208
Also, since the neck was shot with clear a lot longer ago, it is cured. Now it's time to flat sand and buff it out.
I start with a little water, to which I've added a drop of dish detergent. This will help keep the paper from loading up.

100_0066.jpg


For a sanding block, i use the top off of the plastic container a Seymour Duncan humbucker came in. It's reasonably flat, and I can grab onto it well. It also has the added advantage of not really being affected by water, like a wooden block might be.
I use water to wet sand. Some people use other things, like kerosene, turpentine, or mineral spirits. To each his own. I like water because I'm messy. If I get any on me (and I will), it just smells like water.
I'll start with the headstock face.

100_0067.jpg


I'll sand with 400 grit until the surface is flat. The way to tell is that, as you sand, the surface will get dull. There will be little shiney spots. These are low spots in the finish. I'll sand until there are none of those left, and the face of the headstock is a uniform matte. Like so.

100_0068.jpg

This will be repeated on the back of the headstock....

100_0069.jpg


and everywhere else, until the entire surface of the neck is a uniform matte, with no shiney spots.

100_0070.jpg
 
#209
Then I'll break out the polishing compound.

100_0071.jpg


I have used everything from Meguiers to StewMac compounds. They all work pretty much the same.
Using a 6" random orbit buffer I bought at the auto parts store, I start buffing.

100_0073.jpg


Here's the headstock face.

100_0075.jpg
 

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