4001 Mashup

[Gilmourisgod]

How is it done with toothpicks? Wax them so they don't get glued in?

 

[joselorellano]

Be careful not to knock down the one at the zero fret too much. You don't want to find it when shaping the neck from the other side...

 

[mapleglo]

You should not have admitted this.

My build threads show the entire build, warts and all. I can read through them and remember what not to do. I hope others can learn from my mistakes as well, as I have learned from them.

Oh my! Not going to interfere with your fretting, I hope? I suppose you could remove a portion of the fret tang in the center if you needed to...

I was able to use a punch to knock them in deeper, so they shouldn't interfere with fretting.

Or use one of these to knock it deeper. Pretty cheap tool and I've used mine for a ton of different stuff.

Dasco Pro Nail Setter Kit (3-Piece)-77-2 - The Home Depot

See above, but thanks, I had forgotten that I had one, and your post reminded me.

How is it done with toothpicks? Wax them so they don't get glued in?

If one uses toothpicks, and they break off, no problem, because you can use the fret saw to recut the fret slot. Not so much with a hardened metal drill bit.

Be careful not to knock down the one at the zero fret too much. You don't want to find it when shaping the neck from the other side...

Good point, thanks.

That said, I radiused the board to 80 grit. Those high dollar aluminum radius bars from StewMac are pricey, but well worth the money in my opinion. I'm really glad I got one. It cut the radius time in half compared to the smaller wooden block, and I used less sand paper.

 

[mellowinman]

You should not have admitted this.

My build threads show the entire build, warts and all. I can read through them and remember what not to do. I hope others can learn from my mistakes as well, as I have learned from them.

Yes, but my dream is that someday I am going to commission you build me a bass, so I'm not just a fan; I'm a future customer. It will be a Rick build, and there will be something really unique and cool about it, like no pickguard; whitewash or walnut or some other such thing that sets it apart from the pack. I will need to make more money, but I'm working on that even as we speak.

 

[mapleglo]

So I sanded the radius on the fretboard to 320 grit. I realized one disadvantage of gluing up the body wings so early, will be when I re-cut the fret slots to depth. It did allow me to sand smooth the wings and body, especially in the area that the fretboard came to sit, but I don't think it's worth the trouble to having to protect the body during the re-fret-slotting process. I guess I'm just fine tuning the process.

In other news, I got the pedal steel tuner head, and started gluing up the body.

I guess it's getting time to start that build thread.

 

[mapleglo]

Tried the fret press I made today.

It worked ok for the first 12 frets or so, but I think it's just too light duty for my use, so I did the remainder of the frets with the hammer.

Next step will be dressing the ends, and then I can start shaping the neck. Next build, I'm definitely putting the body wings on after I do the fretting.

 

[Gilmourisgod]

I think this looking like your best bass yet, really clean and elegant, exponential growth in your skills! I have a Jet mortiser, wondering if I could put one of those fret cauls in the chuck?

 

[mapleglo]

I think this looking like your best bass yet, really clean and elegant, exponential growth in your skills! I have a Jet mortiser, wondering if I could put one of those fret cauls in the chuck?

Thanks! The caul is made for use with a drill press, so it should work. It definitely was easier than using the hammer, and you could hold the fret in place while the super glue set. Oh, yeah, I should probably put in the side dots before I shape the neck. Somehow, your post reminded me of that. Funny how my mind works...

 

[Gilmourisgod]

Do you always glue frets in? I keep reading the pros and cons, seems more pro than con, except for the inevitable patch of skin glued to the bass. Is that the Stewmac caul with brass insert.?

 

[mapleglo]

Do you always glue frets in? I keep reading the pros and cons, seems more pro than con, except for the inevitable patch of skin glued to the bass. Is that the Stewmac caul with brass insert.?

Yes, though the glue is more to seal the slots in the wood, than to hold the frets in place. And yes, that's the StewMac caul with brass insert. I don't remember it being too expensive - maybe $40 for both?

 

[mellowinman]

I think this looking like your best bass yet, really clean and elegant, exponential growth in your skills! I have a Jet mortiser, wondering if I could put one of those fret cauls in the chuck?

I'm not going to get into "best bass yet," considering she made the legendary Leafenbacker, but it IS a very nice bass. I'm really starting to jones for some sort of Rick with no pickguard, and walnut is a very nice choice for such an instrument.

 

[randyripoff]

I think she's going to blow away the Leafenbacker soon.

 

[sissy kathy]

I dunno, that Leafenbacker, I think, is her masterwork. Like the old masters, the first work that demonstrates the range of talent.

masterwork - Wiktionary

 

[Gilmourisgod]

The Leafenbacker was at least partially a Lemmy tribute build (and and damned fine one at that), though nicer looking IMO. The Mashup is an entirely new creation, with a nod to Ric styling, but way nicer. It's really hard to get the proportions right on an original body style (first hand experience). We have so many images encoded into our brains, we immediately know when something looks "right", it has a lyrical flow. This looks "right" to me.

 

[mapleglo]

Thank you all for your kind words

In other news, I have good news and bad news. My house was broken into today. The good news, no instruments were stolen. The Leaf and Rics are still here. Crazy. The stole my husband's laptop, and some change we had about, but it doesn't seem like anything else was taken. Of course, now they know I have some instruments and tools here, so that's a bit concerning. Time to get a security system I guess.

 

[Dadagoboi]

Time to get a security system I guess.

Or window stickers and a yard sign that SAY you have one. How did they get in?

 

[Jonny5bass]

Thank you all for your kind words

In other news, I have good news and bad news. My house was broken into today. The good news, no instruments were stolen. The Leaf and Rics are still here. Crazy. The stole my husband's laptop, and some change we had about, but it doesn't seem like anything else was taken. Of course, now they know I have some instruments and tools here, so that's a bit concerning. Time to get a security system I guess.

Really sorry to hear this. At least they didn't get much but that is still one of the worst feelings ever.

 

[Jon Clegg]

Yeah, had a break in years ago. Fortunately, all that was taken was a camera and a bucket of change; easily replaced. Thank god they didn't look hard enough to find my 64 Rick 12 string. But it's a terrible feeling of violation.

 

[mapleglo]

Or window stickers and a yard sign that SAY you have one. How did they get in?

Thanks again everyone. I don't mind sleeping with "protection", it's just when I leave the house. They broke a side window, and reached in and unlocked it. We screwed the window shut, and put a piece of MDF over it for now. I'm thinking I'll get a piece of 3/4" plywood tomorrow, and bolt that in with like 20 bolts. The window frame seems like it's made out of titanium. I wore through 2 metal drill bits. Crazy stuff. This house was built in the 50's. I don't even know if it's worth fixing the glass at this point.

 

[sissy kathy]

Thanks again everyone. I don't mind sleeping with "protection", it's just when I leave the house. They broke a side window, and reached in and unlocked it. We screwed the window shut, and put a piece of MDF over it for now. I'm thinking I'll get a piece of 3/4" plywood tomorrow, and bolt that in with like 20 bolts. The window frame seems like it's made out of titanium. I wore through 2 metal drill bits. Crazy stuff. This house was built in the 50's. I don't even know if it's worth fixing the glass at this point.

If the window frame is that tough, think about a larger piece of wood attached to the trim around the window.