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5 String Jazz Build Thread - Giveaway Bass @ VA,DC,&MD 2011 GTG

#41
Nice Work....

My brother and I just started building 5-strings. But we have to buy the bodies and necks in a pre-cut unfinished condition. I'd love to have the machinery tables and tools to make our own bodies and necks from planks. Unfortunately, my wife won't stand for that much fun in our basement. But we still get to do the rest. And all in all it's still loads of fun. Here's our very first 5-er.

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#43
Made some progress this weekend past. Some advice on the fingerboard radius was offered from one of TB's 5 string jazz bass experts to take the radius to 12 (vs. the 16 that was planned). I felt like I was putting a radius on a rock but finally got the ebony to a 12. Still need to work my way up the grits before I fret but at least the shape is there.

Body mostly shaped and threaded inserts for the pickguard and control cavity are in. I need to weigh & post the body weight….feels light to me. It was a fun weekend!

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#45
I'm digging the enormous volume of threaded inserts. :)

For neck inserts, you might look into some of the expanding threaded inserts from Spirol. You can insert them from the too before gluing on the fingerboard, and they're rock solid. The ones I use have a lip that gets countersunk under the fingerboard, preventing them from being pulled out of the neck, and I feel that it lets me apply more torque to the machine screws at the neck/body joint. I also find them easier to install than the screw-in type threaded inserts.
 
#46
Thanks Aaron! You are welcome to swing by and give it a test drive before I send it off to paint. Should have it fretted this weekend.

It was pointed out to me that the truss rod isn't centered. In real life everything lines up. At the time the neck was attached with double stick tape and must have shifted in my haste to snap some quick pics.

I'll look into the Spirol inserts Shawn, thanks for the tip!
 
#49
Morfman6 said:
Hi Jazzyitalian,

that is a cool looking bass. the paint looks very well applied and buffed. Did you get the body from that rash of necks and bodies on ebay about 6 months ago? Looks great.
Click to expand...

I don't know if it was a rash of them being sold. But I did get a couple necks and a few bodies off the bay maybe 3 months ago. There were some good feedback reports registered and the necks turned out to be a high quality product. The truss rods are huge. We didn't paint the body. We did a clear stain and a mahogany stain and then we did our favorite Formby poly finish.

Thanks....I like your work too....

Jeff
 
#51
Good News! Hipshot has graciously donated hardware for the giveaway bass! Jason U. and crew seriously are awesome. As a newcomer and small output builder Hipshot has been amazing to work with. Looks like clover UL's and vintage bent bridge in chrome will be the hardware :)

a bit slow on the pic posting but last week was wacky busy. Got to the shop and messed with the neck over the weekend. the figure is really coming out on the roasted maple. Polished up the ebony board a bit (crap pic) and test fit the pick guard & control plate and cavity cover. Slowly but surely making progress.

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#56
hey gang,

sorry for the non-posts.…this is the first time I have worked with ebony as a fingerboard and it has been fighting me the whole time. Think I won the battle though and and finally ready to fret after another coat of dye. Just last week I was swearing that I would never again do an ebony board……but this week it is looking sooo good that it has got me thinking again.

ready for last application of dye:

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back of headstock checking donated hardware fit (Courtesy of Jason and the crew @ Hipshot):

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