I'll tell them I'm a famous bass builder on TB.
Maybe I'll get some for free
Maybe I'll get some for free
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Build thread: walnut, maple, buckeye burl, pickups, bridge
- Thread starter dwizum
- Start date
Rôckhewer
Commercial User
- Feb 28, 2015
- 2,922
- 9,028
- Disclosures
- Owner/Builder- RockHewer Custom Guitars LLC
IMHO...
Gotoh GB350 Res-o-lites are far and away the best lightweight bass tuner.
Hipshot USA are fine and dandy.
...& yeah, "licensed" are $h*t
But I don't understand why you guys are squabbling about the price? Said before... I'll say it again.
I get dealer pricing ...just because I emailed them and told them I was a Luthier.
... um... that's roughly 50% off retail.
And frankly... out of several other vendors I have similar accounts with (Delano, Graphtech Sperzel, etc... EMG is the ONLY one that requested "proof"!
...(My Rockhewer federal TIN# & business license )
... soooo....
Last edited:
Rôckhewer
Commercial User
- Feb 28, 2015
- 2,922
- 9,028
- Disclosures
- Owner/Builder- RockHewer Custom Guitars LLC
Why not?Let me know if that works!
Something like that kinda worked for me with Jeff Carano of Babicz.
I sent him a link to my portfolio along with my request for direct pricing. He thought my stuff was cool...granted the request, sent a dealer price list... and a free bridge!
That might work.
I'm downloading a buncha pics of your basses.
Please hold......
I'm downloading a buncha pics of your basses.
Please hold......
I love the Hipshot USA Ultralights. Plus, they're reversible.
Much more progress in the last few days. Finish went on, fretboard is finished, frets are in.
I don't know what that dust-like stuff on the fretboard is...
Anyways, then I masked the fretboard off and leveled/crowned polished.
Then I finished the pickup shells and the control cavity cover.
Tape on the cover to hold it in place while the glue on the magnets cures.
Then I glued up a block for the wood knobs. It matches the body - burl cap on walnut. I used strips of ebony for the directional markers. I had enough of the thin burl left over that I laminated a small piece to a scrap of walnut to make the truss rod cover.
The knobs and truss rod cover got soaked in thin CA to give the burl some structure and also act as a hard-wearing finish.
I need to clean up the truss rod cover a bit and give it more CA. Then finish the knobs, install the electronics, and so on...
I don't know what that dust-like stuff on the fretboard is...
Anyways, then I masked the fretboard off and leveled/crowned polished.
Then I finished the pickup shells and the control cavity cover.
Tape on the cover to hold it in place while the glue on the magnets cures.
Then I glued up a block for the wood knobs. It matches the body - burl cap on walnut. I used strips of ebony for the directional markers. I had enough of the thin burl left over that I laminated a small piece to a scrap of walnut to make the truss rod cover.
The knobs and truss rod cover got soaked in thin CA to give the burl some structure and also act as a hard-wearing finish.
I need to clean up the truss rod cover a bit and give it more CA. Then finish the knobs, install the electronics, and so on...
Do have a lathe or a drill press for knobs?
And do you have some type of hand jig for sanding the curved tops consistently? How do you go about that?
And do you have some type of hand jig for sanding the curved tops consistently? How do you go about that?
I just finished the knobs, in fact! I use a drill press. I tried to take photos of the process but I didn't do a good job.
I start by drilling a 5/8" counterbore into the bottom with a forstner bit, to provide clearance for the pot nut (so the bottom of the knob can sit tight to the bass).
Then I use a hole saw with a 1/4" pilot bit to drill out the center. I set the pilot bit such that when it's at the right depth, the hole saw cuts 1/8" or so into the stock, to mark the perimeter of the knob concentric to the center. Test fitting a pot:
Then I take the pilot bit out of the hole saw and use that groove as a guide to cut almost all the way through - I leave just a paper thin sliver of wood to keep the knob attached to the stock - which prevents the knob from getting jammed in the hole saw once it's cut out.
Then, I just whip around the knobs on the bandsaw to cut away the paper thin bit of wood holding them in.
At that point they're pretty rough. I didn't take any photos. I put them on a piece of 1/4" steel rod in the drill press, one at a time, and clean them up with sandpaper. Then I drip thin CA on them and run the drill press while I wipe the CA with a piece of 800 grit wet/dry sandpaper to finish them. After that I drill and tap a hole for a tiny grub screw, rub some wax on them, and they're done!
I need to clean them up a bit, they still have wax residue on them. I made 5 even though I only need 4, so there can be an extra kept with the bass in case anything happens to one of them.
I start by drilling a 5/8" counterbore into the bottom with a forstner bit, to provide clearance for the pot nut (so the bottom of the knob can sit tight to the bass).
Then I use a hole saw with a 1/4" pilot bit to drill out the center. I set the pilot bit such that when it's at the right depth, the hole saw cuts 1/8" or so into the stock, to mark the perimeter of the knob concentric to the center. Test fitting a pot:
Then I take the pilot bit out of the hole saw and use that groove as a guide to cut almost all the way through - I leave just a paper thin sliver of wood to keep the knob attached to the stock - which prevents the knob from getting jammed in the hole saw once it's cut out.
Then, I just whip around the knobs on the bandsaw to cut away the paper thin bit of wood holding them in.
At that point they're pretty rough. I didn't take any photos. I put them on a piece of 1/4" steel rod in the drill press, one at a time, and clean them up with sandpaper. Then I drip thin CA on them and run the drill press while I wipe the CA with a piece of 800 grit wet/dry sandpaper to finish them. After that I drill and tap a hole for a tiny grub screw, rub some wax on them, and they're done!
I need to clean them up a bit, they still have wax residue on them. I made 5 even though I only need 4, so there can be an extra kept with the bass in case anything happens to one of them.
For the marker are you cutting into the blank with a saw (which saw?) and gluing veneer in?
Yeah, I cut into the edge of the stock with the bandsaw. I run a piece of ebony through the drum sander until it's a tight fit in the slot then glue it in with wood glue. I think the blade I have on there right now is .025" thick so the slot is probably close to .030", a little thicker than normal veneer.
@dwizum Great write-up! 
You could easily post that as a stand-alone thread for people without a lathe to turn knobs! Well done and thank you. 
Also, beautiful knobs for a beautiful bass. Man, the bar here in the LC is no joke.
You could easily post that as a stand-alone thread for people without a lathe to turn knobs! Well done and thank you. Also, beautiful knobs for a beautiful bass. Man, the bar here in the LC is no joke.
Unfortunately, that will probably be a markdown when reviews come around.
You should see if I one of these guys will agree to make a bass out of you
I rough cut a brass nut this morning then went to final fit it, only to realize I don't have any strings for this bass. Hopefully I can get the rest of the hardware and electronics wrapped up while I wait for them to show up.
This morning's project was to start wiring. I'm trying to be more thoughtful about "nice" wiring on active basses to avoid a rat's nest. I wish it was a little more crisp but it's better than I've done in the past so it's a step in the right direction.
I meant to do a writeup of putting the preamp together but I just sort of put it together (a few weeks ago) and didn't take photos or do any writing. It's based on the popular MM 3 band schematic that's floating around the forums, but with a bunch of component values changed to make it a little less MM and a little more modern-generic in terms of of overall tone.
I have to wire in the pickups. And I'm going to add a passive tone control to the input side of the preamp on a tiny trimpot and leave it inside the cavity, I like to do that as a way to set a baseline tone.
And speaking of the cavity, I made it about 1/2" wider on this bass compared to prior examples of this design. It's so nice to have actual room to work in there, although I try to do as much outside the bass as possible.
Hopefully by the time the wiring is all done, the strings are here. I just put in notice at my day job last week and I'm starting at a new place on Monday so it's a bit of a hectic time for me, on the one hand not much time for bass building but on the other hand I really like having the escape!
I meant to do a writeup of putting the preamp together but I just sort of put it together (a few weeks ago) and didn't take photos or do any writing. It's based on the popular MM 3 band schematic that's floating around the forums, but with a bunch of component values changed to make it a little less MM and a little more modern-generic in terms of of overall tone.
I have to wire in the pickups. And I'm going to add a passive tone control to the input side of the preamp on a tiny trimpot and leave it inside the cavity, I like to do that as a way to set a baseline tone.
And speaking of the cavity, I made it about 1/2" wider on this bass compared to prior examples of this design. It's so nice to have actual room to work in there, although I try to do as much outside the bass as possible.
Hopefully by the time the wiring is all done, the strings are here. I just put in notice at my day job last week and I'm starting at a new place on Monday so it's a bit of a hectic time for me, on the one hand not much time for bass building but on the other hand I really like having the escape!
