Thanks Jon, I was about ready to buy the 1/4" but, read some reviews about people breaking them, but maybe they beat on them. "I used it to hog out ebony and it broke! It's crap!"
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Balance K Tribute repair & major MOD
- Thread starter Rôckhewer
- Start date
I've been using it on purpleheart and maple; no issues. I looked at some guidance from Amana about using the min speed on the router etc. I suspect a lot of the negative reviews come from misuse.
I use the Amana 3/8" diameter (so, 3/16" radius) pattern bit for all my pickup routes. I switched to this maybe two years ago. It's probably routed three or four dozen cavities and still going strong. I often use this bit for neck cavities, headstocks, and all kinds of other routing and I would not consider it fragile. I agree that most of the bad reviews are probably from misuse. I get most of the cavity out with forstner bits and then take pretty shallow cuts with the amana bit to finish it off. 3/16" radius corners are perfect for nearly all pickups except those blasted sharp corner EMGs and some other sharp corner stuff.
Those pickup covers are pretty amazing!
Those pickup covers are pretty amazing!
Ok... get this board coated so we can move on to the other fun mods this bass is getting.
But first...
Time to geek out (again) about my favorite materials for this process.
I like CA. Have no aversion to the odor at all. It's just a little spicy... turn on a fan... problem solved. The odor of any epoxy however literally makes me wanna hurl. So there ya go.
Q: What kind of tape do you use with CA to isolate the board & mask off the neck so you don't have spoogey dripping crusty hell everywhere?
Well... any kind will "work"... but good luck getting it off!.
CA kinda soaks in to masking tape and when you try to peel it off... it breaks into shards of torture.
(Think bamboo shoots under the fingernails).
Also... masking tape doesn't leave a crisp line at the edges.
This stuff though?... High temp polyethylene terephthalate (PET) w/silicon adhesive. Typically used for powder coat masking. ...works a treat.
CA does not soak in... it barely sticks to it at all.
Pulls off clean ... crisp lines... so good.
View attachment 4237508
Here's a link.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07HCMDVXD/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_glt_fabc_B4J0XVJT8CEY5QKCZJ46
I'm also geeking out on these fantastic towels for application.
I used to use blue shop towels (roll). They work well. These work way better. No lint whatsoever. And there's something about their composition that doesn't immediately smoke the CA ...like kitchen paper towel does.
View attachment 4237539
Can't have enough light for this... the patient is ready.
View attachment 4237543
Seriously though... these rags!!!And this CA!
View attachment 4237557They allow an application almost like wipe on poly.
....you don't have to be as quick with the wipe before flashing... more control.
I used up about 3 oz on this board. A lot of that soaked into the rags... but I got a very healthy build on the board too.
.... level, level.... polish, polish... cut & rub...
Done.
View attachment 4237568
This piece of ebony has a couple of natural gray "ashy" streaks ... at first I thought they were deep scratches that I buried... but no... there's also some reddish brown in there. It's all good.
...Actually one of the better coating jobs I've done... if I do say.
How do you level sand and polish the fingerboard after CA application?
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- Feb 28, 2015
- 2,922
- 9,029
- Disclosures
- Owner/Builder- RockHewer Custom Guitars LLC
I use sandpaper stuck to a leveling beam with spray adhesive.
Starting at 320g to flatten... working up to 800 (still on the beam)... dry.
Need to frequently clean sandpaper with rubber "eraser" to prevent CA from loading.
Then 1000- 3000 wet with a semi stiff rubber backer.
Then buff with Maguires compound & swirl remover.
- Feb 28, 2015
- 2,922
- 9,029
- Disclosures
- Owner/Builder- RockHewer Custom Guitars LLC
Ok... let's wrap this mod up, and move on to bigger things. 
Firstly... I am very happy to report...
...As Bruce foretold...
The new truss rod actually has very little work to do in keeping this neck where it wants to be.
It's damn near (but not quite) ...neutral.
This axe... if I do say.... is an absolutely bitchin fretless now.
I bought a new gallon of my go-to...
Sherwood Water Clear Conversion Varnish (gloss) & catalyst.
Broke out the gun.... and did the squirt.
A little cut & rub...
...Shiny stuff:
(...reflections of an old man's magnifying light).
The p/u cover walnut is slightly darker than this top. But It did come from the same era & probably the same tree...
I'm pretty happy with the post finish match up.
This job is done.
Thank you!!... Mi bass Luthiery Familia.
For following... for your support, encouragement, validation... etc...etc... etc....
Much love !
..Cheers!
Firstly... I am very happy to report...
...As Bruce foretold...
Right? ... & Now... with the new ebony board?
The new truss rod actually has very little work to do in keeping this neck where it wants to be.
It's damn near (but not quite) ...neutral.
This axe... if I do say.... is an absolutely bitchin fretless now.
I bought a new gallon of my go-to...
Sherwood Water Clear Conversion Varnish (gloss) & catalyst.
Broke out the gun.... and did the squirt.
A little cut & rub...
...Shiny stuff:
(...reflections of an old man's magnifying light).
The p/u cover walnut is slightly darker than this top. But It did come from the same era & probably the same tree...
I'm pretty happy with the post finish match up.
This job is done.
Thank you!!... Mi bass Luthiery Familia.
For following... for your support, encouragement, validation... etc...etc... etc....
Much love !
..Cheers!
Last edited:
- Feb 28, 2015
- 2,922
- 9,029
- Disclosures
- Owner/Builder- RockHewer Custom Guitars LLC
When I got to the pic of her laying face down, I felt things that didn't feel christian.
Are you a witch?
Are you a witch?
@Rôckhewer's builds are why I can't sleep at night. The bar is pretty high! 
Amazing job Rock, you blow me away every time.
Amazing job Rock, you blow me away every time.
I have a favor to ask, full length shot of the back of the body? I am shamelessly stealing that heel carve detail for my Hossenfeffer III Fauxlembic build. I only steal from the Best.
- Feb 28, 2015
- 2,922
- 9,029
- Disclosures
- Owner/Builder- RockHewer Custom Guitars LLC
Thanks folks 
I'm shipping it to someone else.
I think this is how Alembic does it... as far as I can tell from pictures. I stole it from them.
Strangely ...this bass changed hands again during the mod process.
I'm shipping it to someone else.
I think this is how Alembic does it... as far as I can tell from pictures. I stole it from them.
His heel carves are why I spent so much time on mine -
Still a ton of sanding to do tho, long way to go yet.
Oh yesss.....this is why I love neck-through....
Do you start carving the heel and body before the wings are glued on, or after?I think this is how Alembic does it... as far as I can tell from pictures. I stole it from them.
Attachments
I did both. I carved some of it before, after a lot of measuring to know where the wings would "live", sort of a "rough carve". Then I finalized it after. I don't think you could ever do it without the wings in place for how I did mine. But @Rôckhewer's may be different.
My neck was reused, do I did half/half. I left the wings square and matched them to the existing neck carve.
I'm imagining that future builds will be similar to a Rickenbacker. The neck itself will be carved until it gets to the heel area, where I'll leave it and the wings square. And then I'll carve it all together.
This is how I'm imagining I will do it and will try my first completely from scratch neck-thru. Who knows how it will actually go.
I'm imagining that future builds will be similar to a Rickenbacker. The neck itself will be carved until it gets to the heel area, where I'll leave it and the wings square. And then I'll carve it all together.
This is how I'm imagining I will do it and will try my first completely from scratch neck-thru. Who knows how it will actually go.
- Feb 28, 2015
- 2,922
- 9,029
- Disclosures
- Owner/Builder- RockHewer Custom Guitars LLC
Yeah both... this is how it looked right after the wings were glued up...and I level sanded the back of the neck beam flush with the wings.
It just needed some minor blending and rounding from here.
It just needed some minor blending and rounding from here.
That requires some next level precision and planning. That lined up perfectly.
I'm thinking that if I leave the neck heel and wings flat, like on a Ric and then shape it all together at once,....it will be a bit more work, but less chance of me having something out of alignment before glue-up.
This is just a theory based on caution based on inexperience.
Do you think that's a good approach for a first attempt? I would get it to looking like this before glue-up,
