5 string Ricken-Musicman Bass.

[Gilmourisgod]

Are you going to have the control cover plated, or just laquer it? I suppose it would rust pretty quick otherwise. There is some cool video on chemical cold chroming process that looks pretty cool, but I don’t know how durable it is.

 

[Videojunkie]

The plan is to get the plate finished, with all the components fitted. Then polished and sent off to a local chrome shop for plating.

 

[Gilmourisgod]

If you dont mind saying, What does it cost to get something like that plated?

 

[Videojunkie]

If you dont mind saying, What does it cost to get something like that plated?

The original quote was $100. I am hoping that there's some room for negotiation based on it being polished and ready. Expensive, but not too bad for a one off custom plate.

I think that's their minimum job cost.

I'm also looking for other shops that do chrome work...

 

[Videojunkie]

More metalworking. Was able to drill all of the holes and begin the polishing process. I'm really happy with everything except the one booger where I gouged the metal in one spot.

 

[Videojunkie]

In case you're wondering why I am not doing more woodworking on the bass at the moment, I promised my daughter and wife that I'd finally finish up a hammock stand that I started almost 7 years ago before I built another bass.

I am also waiting for the inlay material to show up.

So, I am busy applying spar urethane to a hammock stand, and trying to get it out of my shop...

 

[Videojunkie]

@Gilmourisgod I've checked with a few places for chrome plating and they all have minimum job costs around $100 or more. I don't know how many of these plates (or other items) I can get done as a single "job", but my guess is that the main cost is all the paperwork and overhead instead of the actual part chroming. (But I'm not an expert on this in any way...)

 

[Gilmourisgod]

Yeah, I think the place I checked wanted $150 to do a boat cleat/running light assembly, which is chromed bronze. Including shipping, it was gonna be around $200 and take months while they waited for enough jobs to accumulate to do a batch. Thats when I started looking at the DIY "cold chroming" process.

 

[Videojunkie]

Had some inspiration today for the headstock. I think this is a pretty cool mashup of the Rickenbacker and Musicman headstocks. Shown with GB-11 tuners. Yes the posts go through the bindings. But the binding in that area will be at most 1/8" (3mm) tall.

The outlines show anticipated binding layers. The triple lines outline the birds-eye maple top plate, with the remaining area exposing the multi-laminate neck. Yellow lines are string paths.

 

[ctmullins]

Oh, that's wicked cool.

 

[RichterScale]

Yep

 

[RichterScale]

 

[Videojunkie]

Upon my wife's suggestion, I now know which Alan Rickman character to use as the logo...

Mother of Pearl, Black binding, and pieces of Abalone binding for the eyes...

 

[Videojunkie]

Whatever happens with this bass, one thing is a must: send the fretboard off somewhere to have an Alan Rickman face (pick whichever character is your favorite) laser etched as the 12th fret marker.

How about a headstock inlay?

 

[Videojunkie]

I wonder... maybe as the 12th fret marker...

Maybe just a step too far.

 

[Videojunkie]

Ok. spent some time working out the inlays and I've come up with 2 slightly different inlay patterns.

The top one shows my original idea, with the bound inlays on the fretboard. (detail)

The idea for the second one is that a strip of the abalone binding would 'connect' all of the inlays. (detailed below)

It looks pretty cool when put together with the rest of the bass.

 

[RichterScale]

Obviously #2

 

[Videojunkie]

I also spent some time cleaning up the bottom and cutting plan.
The larger pieces will be maple (plain in the middle, birds-eye on the outer edges) with alternating walnut and maple "stripes" (approx 1/4" thick).

At the heel of the neck, I will make a transition like an acoustic heel, but shorter. this will transition into a flat cut around the back of the body.

As much as I like the idea of doing the fully carved back on this, I am starting to lean into making it flat, with a generous belly cut. It will make many, many things on this already complicated instrument much easier.

 

[Gilmourisgod]

#2 is pretty cool, hope you have a stead hand with an inlay router, unless you are CNC capable, or know someone who is. I'm thinking about buying one of these precision Dremel router bases:
ElmerGuitar Router Base For Dremel Tool, Freehand Precision Routing | eBay

The Stewmac looks virtually identical as far as function, just nicer fit and finish, and twice the price.
Precision Router Base - StewMac

I stupidly bought one of these Dremel branded router bases a while back, but it's kind of a POS. The accumulated slop in all the plastic parts makes it hard to adjust accurately in really fine increments, so it's hard to use for inlay. Once again, the Cheapskate (me) pays twice in the end!
https://www.amazon.com/Dremel-335-0...9999&sprefix=dremel+router+base,aps,73&sr=8-4

 

[Videojunkie]

I bought the dremel base, and I agree with your assessment. I will probably replace it with this.

Precision Router Base - Support for rotary tool. https://a.co/d/3viSFea

Just realized the one you linked is cheaper, and basically identical! Fortunately I realized this before the return date from Amazon!