Blood Brothers Custom Guitars Dueling SingleCuts

[Harry Cahyadi]

Hey Thanks Harry! I got this set on Ebay a few years ago. You can still find some Ebay deals on Buckeye burl sets if you can find an auction. It appears to me the Buy It Now selection of BEB on there seems a bit overpriced.

Oh ok. I think I might know the seller you bought it from

There are not many people selling buckeye burl on eBay.

This person that I found is doing a lot of auction items.
You are absolutely right about the buy it now items. They are overpriced.

Thanks for the info. Looking forward to see more updates...

 

[SaintMez]

I don't recall the sellers name,but remember it was from Morro Bay, CA. Ill have to look it up. I think I got this set for around a third of what they are going for now. I've been drawn to the look of Buckeye...to me its a unique looking wood with the yellow and grey hues and kind of a Rorschach quality about it. I may be coming late to the Buckeye party though...it's pretty much everywhere now. Updates will be coming soon! Routing the pickups today and electronics cavity cover recess.
I'm considering going with a flat fingerboard (no radius) and an asymmetrical neck profile.

 

[SaintMez]

Pickup placement was first calculated and marked.

I hogged out much of the areas with a couple of Forstner bits.

Attached my template and routed the cavities. I used a larger bit for most of the work. For the corners I used a 3/16 pattern bit.

Also I marked and drilled 4 of the pilot holes for the neck bolts. Ill come back to this a little later. Want to carve the heel before drilling any further, and may add more to the bolt pattern.

Routed the cavity cover recess as well.

I have a few more voids to fill as well.

I'm hoping to get the neck fretted and carved shortly. Also I still need to add the side markers. I'm still undecided if I will use face markers on this.

Until next time, thanks for watching.

 

[SaintMez]

I have filled the voids in the top and done a little contouring. Also the belly cut on the rear and heel contour. Then sanded to 320 and put a coat of sealer on. The neck is carved and tuner holes drilled. I'm working on filling the voids in the headstock veneer. I will get pics of that up soon.

Thanks for following along.

 

[SaintMez]

I've been a bit busy with a couple other builds but I'm still working on these when I have the time. I'm in the finishing stages for the BEB 5er. I've filled the voids and grain with Zpoxy, and begun clear coating. I'm using gloss poly and will be knocking back the sheen lightly with steel wool. The test pieces I used came out nicely so I'm looking forward to getting this one done and get more one on the flamed maple 6 string.

I'm applying the headstock decal in the same manner as my last few builds.

Logo printed on decal paper and filled in with enamel paint. Then lightly clear coated and cut out with an hobby knife.

The decal is soaked briefly in water and I use these two solutions to apply the decal and smooth out any air bubbles.

I put it in place and smooth out any bubbles. Then let the solutions evaporate.

After its dry I mist on a couple light clear coats. Over the next couple days ill build up enough top coat to cover the decal so when it's block sanded flat there will be no ridge at the edges.

I anticipate being done with the finish this coming week. Until next time...thanks for lookin.

 

[SaintMez]

Hey there...I'm still at it with these two when I have some time. I'm having to redo the headstock decal with a smaller logo decal that will fit the smaller headstock. The buckeye is nearly finished after having spent a few weeks battling with the gloss poly finish. The original plan was to go gloss but as I went through the finishing stages it seemed satin would suit it better. I'm using General Finishes Satin Polyacrylic. It's been quite easy to use.

I've put it all together for a test fit before refinishing the headstock. I have to say that I'm pleased with the tone and overall playability of this bass. But for one or two slightly high frets, the leveling and dressing shouldn't take much. I will put it in my neck jig for a proper dressing. The fingerboard is flat and is comfortable paired with an asymmetrical neck profile.

I went with an Aguilar OBP-3 preamp for this bass and really like its aggressive sound. I'm using Bartolini pickups for the test fit. They sound good paired with the preamp so I might keep them in there.

I'm working on the cavity cover now as well. I'm using scrap Wenge that I planed down to a suitable thickness. It's still a tiny bit proud of the recess so I have to remove a little built up finish that is causing it to stick out further than it should. I'm undecided on the use of magnets or screws for mounting.

Ill be returning to work on the Flamed Maple soon and will post better progress pics of that one and final pics of the Buckeye 5 string. Until then, thanks for watching.

 

[Jonny5bass]

That bass looks great! Couple of questions,

1. Did you do anything to stabilize the BEB before you glued it to the body and started working it to its final shape?

2. What made you go with the OBP-3 over the Audere?

Thanks,
Grizz

 

[SaintMez]

That bass looks great! Couple of questions,

1. Did you do anything to stabilize the BEB before you glued it to the body and started working it to its final shape?

2. What made you go with the OBP-3 over the Audere?

Thanks,
Grizz

Thanks Grizz, I'm happy with how this design is turning out. It's a little more comfortable to play than my others probably due to its 34in scale and the bridge is as far back on the body as I could place it. Makes it more compact feeling (no reaching way out to your left to hit that low C note).

The only thing I did before gluing the body down was soak voids in the center with some thin CA. I glued it down, squared up and joined the body then used epoxy as a stabilizer. This piece was fairly dense and wasn't really falling apart on me like some BEB is known to do. As for the preamp, the Aguilar is a little more aggressive sounding IMO. The bass boost is ridiculous (barely needing a slight turn to add more boost than you need). I've not done a side by side test of the two. The Audere is also a great pre so I'd recommend them both.

 

[SaintMez]

Just a couple slightly better pics to post. I've leveled/dressed the frets now and it plays beautifully. No buzzes and low action. I'm now a fan of flat fingerboards. I wasn't sure exactly how it would feel but its not all that hard to adjust to and it really is comfortable, even for chords.

The Aguilar pre is vol/vol with separate Treb, Mid, and Bass pots with Mid Frequency switch and Active/Passive switch.

 

[SaintMez]

Hi folks, I'm transferring with my job at UPS from Lancaster California to Meridian Idaho. So I'm packing up my family and everything that comes with them and heading north. I'm hoping to have my new shop set up in short order but I know it may take a month or two. I'll update things as soon as I get a chance.

 

[Geoff St. Germaine]

Great looking bass, Mez! The build quality looks top notch.

 

[SaintMez]

Thanks Geoff! I am happy with how this bass has turned out. It is the best playing bass I've made so far. I'll be happy to take what I've learned with this bass and use it on its flamed maple brother.

 

[SaintMez]

It would be an understatement to say it's been a while since I've updated this thread. For the sake finishing what I started I will try to wrap this build up and put a bow on it. The Buckeye 5 was finished and sold off well over a year ago...guess we can say that bass won the duel. The 6 string has been on the back burner for a long time and I'm happy to be finally near completing it.


Some progress pics.

The pickups (Delano) will be arriving this week. I'll get going on the assembly when they do and post the completed bass pics then.

 

[SaintMez]

Good timing. Pickups and some other materials showed up in the mail today.
Time to chop wood.

 

[SaintMez]

It's nearly complete... Except I have to order a new knob set for the hi mid/low mid stacked pot. I took the photos before I put the strap buttons on.

I'm very pleased with how it plays. The action comfortably low. The B string is tight with a full sound, not floppy. I'm really happy with the Delano SBC6 HE/S pickups. They pair great with the Audere Pro Z preamp. I've wired two mini switches for the pickups (on either side of the balance pot). They are both wired for rear coil/series/front coil. With each pickup having its own switch there are a lot of options on the table. The outer coils have a great slap tone. It's very versatile. After I tweak a couple things, I'll get some better pictures up here and a few sound clips and I'll call this one done. As always, thanks for watching. These two were fun builds, even if they took longer than I expected.