Build diary - 33” 4-String Scale PJ

It’s been a while since I posted a build here, pesky guitars have been getting in the way (sometimes you have to give the people what they want). This build diary is one of my Type V models, for the first time as a 33” scale variant. Let the fun begin!


Let’s start with the fun part.. wood! This build will feature an East Indian Rosewood fretboard on a maple neck, with a 2-piece chambered Alder body for weight reduction.

Fretboard and Neck:


Milling the body and top:



After milling it is blank glue up time

 

Now that we have woods established, let’s look at the design:




This will be a Daphne Blue finish with a Tort pickguard.

 

Now on to chambering and final blank glue-up. I chamber on the CNC with indexing pins so that after I glue the top on I assure myself of perfect alignment when cutting the rest of the body. I then use a vacuum bag for the top glue up and I’m ready for the full body.


Now let’s check out the body being cut:







Once I have the body ready it’s off to the spindle sander to clean up the outer edge before roundovers.

I also do any drilling at this stage:
-Neck ferrules
-Cable routes
-Bridge ground
-Strap buttons
-Pickup screw threaded inserts

 

After sanding the body to 320, I have been using Solarez UV sealer to grain fill and seal. I’m very happy with this products performance right now for from a grain filling perspective (no shrinking) as well as cure time.


I block sand the sealer with 400 grit, and usually apply 2 coats to Alder. The product sands beautifully when cured for 2-3 minutes in direct sunlight (plenty here in Florida).

After sealing I did a quick test fit of electronics. One time I got bit by bad drawings on pickup dimensions, so I’m a bit wary.


You can see the socket cap screws I use along with the threaded inserts.

 

Now it’s time for finishing the body. I’ve been using PPG base and clear coats lately with great results.

My finishing schedule looks like this for a solid painted body:
-Spray Primer, let dry for 30 mins -1hour
-Inspect Primer for any surface flaws, sand to 600

-Next day, spray 2-3 coats of Base (color) coat, 8 mins apart
-Let base sit for 45 minutes
-Spray 4-5 coats of clear (slow hardener) 8 minutes apart. First coat light/medium, remaining coats medium/full


After 6 hours I’m ready to buff/polish:

 

Now for the neck/fretboard:

This board will have a 10-14” radius with block inlays and Luminlay side dots.
Here is the board on the CNC after radius:


Here are the neck and fretboard ready for CF rod install and sanding:


I had to custom order a 22” truss rod for this one, as a standard 24” was too long and 18” (guitar size) was too short. It was a little pricey but immaculate quality. I may build my own one day, but I am content to buy it for now.

Here is the side dot install. I use a fence in combination with a flat milled board to get the dots aligned perfectly. I used to do this by hand but I don’t trust it


I then glue the fretboard/neck with my vacuum bag and a caul, and we are ready for fretting.

After the frets are leveled and polished, we are hitting the home stretch!

Here is a look at the polished frets and luminlay:

 

Now we are really getting close. Time for shielding and final setup. I use copper foil for shielding, and run a ground lead from each pickup cavity to the control cavity.


Another cool finishing touch I have been doing is an anodized aluminum “Certificate of Authenticity” laser engraved with the specific model and owners name:

 

Finally, some finished product shots! This bass sounds amazing to me, one of my favorite combos. The P pickup nails the P vibe, while the bridge soap bar compliments it well with a bit of refinement and high mids. These pickups are Aguilar DCBs.



And last but not least, a picture of the bass ready to ship! I have been trying new packaging lately, and I am really happy with the Firm Foam I have been using from Foam Factory. I am working with them now to get some water-jet cut foam based on my supplied drawings, hopefully the final price is do-able.

 

Yeah this time I saved the pictures and posted them all in one fell swoop.