Edges are sanded and the control cavity cover drilled 7/64" and countersunk for the #4 by 1/2" stainless steel oval head screws.
The mounting holes are drilled using a 5/32" bit and the bridge attached with two #10 by 1-1/4" stainless steel oval head screws through the plate and 1-1/2" screws through the rear string bar.
A couple of simple wood knobs are positioned on the pot shafts. The details for the knobs are on the construction print. I had the olive wood left over from a project to replace all the split and cracked walnut handles on our Chicago Cutlery knives. It has some nice figure and I thought it would be nice to add a bit of contrast to the walnut body. (Details for making the knobs has already been posted a bit earlier in this topic starting at post #53.)
The nut is prepared by marking the string height with the half-pencil placed so it rides on the first and second fret. I glue the pencil to a small scrap of wood so it's easier to sand off the lower half, but it also makes the half pencil easier to hold.
The tuners are added at some point when the body and neck have been assembled so the angle can be checked visually and the small screw added to the rear so the tuners can be properly positioned again after final disassembly for finish application.
The top edge of the nut is sanded at an angle matching the headstock angle 1/8" above the string depth line drawn on the nut face. The string locations are marked on the top surface. I angle them so the string slot runs directly to the string post of the tuner. I use a small saw initially and enlarge and refine the string slot with a small round file. Any excess height of the nut is removed with the angled disc sander after the strings go through their final fitting during assembly.
The slots are filed until the string is just above the pencil line. The slot depth will be tweaked when the bass is assembled to do an initial setup in case any changes need to be made before applying the finish.
The mounting holes are drilled using a 5/32" bit and the bridge attached with two #10 by 1-1/4" stainless steel oval head screws through the plate and 1-1/2" screws through the rear string bar.
A couple of simple wood knobs are positioned on the pot shafts. The details for the knobs are on the construction print. I had the olive wood left over from a project to replace all the split and cracked walnut handles on our Chicago Cutlery knives. It has some nice figure and I thought it would be nice to add a bit of contrast to the walnut body. (Details for making the knobs has already been posted a bit earlier in this topic starting at post #53.)
The nut is prepared by marking the string height with the half-pencil placed so it rides on the first and second fret. I glue the pencil to a small scrap of wood so it's easier to sand off the lower half, but it also makes the half pencil easier to hold.
The tuners are added at some point when the body and neck have been assembled so the angle can be checked visually and the small screw added to the rear so the tuners can be properly positioned again after final disassembly for finish application.
The top edge of the nut is sanded at an angle matching the headstock angle 1/8" above the string depth line drawn on the nut face. The string locations are marked on the top surface. I angle them so the string slot runs directly to the string post of the tuner. I use a small saw initially and enlarge and refine the string slot with a small round file. Any excess height of the nut is removed with the angled disc sander after the strings go through their final fitting during assembly.
The slots are filed until the string is just above the pencil line. The slot depth will be tweaked when the bass is assembled to do an initial setup in case any changes need to be made before applying the finish.
. I'm a pretty happy person but that's just the way my face hangs
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