I assume you're watching Driftwood? I know he just did a video or two on that.
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Building an OM Bass
- Thread starter Dave Higham
- Start date
That’s one. Rosa String Works also, although Jerry’s last guitar build was last year or the beginning of this year. He’s done a couple like that.
I was shocked at -
1) how big the forearm carve on the Driftwood guitar was.
and
B) how much he struggled with it.
I was shocked at -
1) how big the forearm carve on the Driftwood guitar was.
and
B) how much he struggled with it.
I’ve never tried so I can’t say what the correct amount of struggling with it is.
Probably less struggle then it would take me… 
Meanwhile, back to @Dave Higham building gorgeous basses…
The construction of this instrument owes a lot to Rick Turner’s Renaissance basses and I decided to attach the strings through the body as Rick did.
I drilled holes more appropriate to the diameter of the strings rather than ‘one-size-fits-all’ although I later had to open them up a bit as I found that the silk winding wouldn’t go through the holes. I drilled the first and fifth holes all the way through and the others stopped short about 5mm before breaking through. Small drills like this one can wander quite a lot and the holes on the other side can be badly misaligned.
I printed out a pattern of the counter bores and aligned it with the two outer holes on the back.
Then bored them . . .
. . .and spot faced them. . .
. . .so they looked like this.
I drilled holes more appropriate to the diameter of the strings rather than ‘one-size-fits-all’ although I later had to open them up a bit as I found that the silk winding wouldn’t go through the holes. I drilled the first and fifth holes all the way through and the others stopped short about 5mm before breaking through. Small drills like this one can wander quite a lot and the holes on the other side can be badly misaligned.
I printed out a pattern of the counter bores and aligned it with the two outer holes on the back.
Then bored them . . .
. . .and spot faced them. . .
. . .so they looked like this.
Now I need a neck. I had a piece of mahogany long enough to chop a bit off the end and glue it back on again. I know I should do a scarf joint really but this is easier and I don’t intend to drop it on its head. (That’s me tempting fate).
Cutting the surplus off the headstock.
So it looks like this.
Planing the front surface.
And sanding the back to the required thickness.
Cutting the surplus off the headstock.
So it looks like this.
Planing the front surface.
And sanding the back to the required thickness.
Interesting headstock joint. It is simpler than scarf joint, what about its strenght? There will be plate over?
I just realized that both your hands are visible in many of the pics.
Is someone else taking the pics for you?
Using a timer?
Or are these just images being uploaded directly from your mind?
Is someone else taking the pics for you?
Using a timer?
Or are these just images being uploaded directly from your mind?
The OP having two hands, is an assumption on your part.
I considered that he may have 3.
Just didn't want to mention it in case it was a sensitive subject.
Yes, I have three.
No, of course I don't, but wouldn't it be 'handy' sometimes?Photos taken on an old Lumix FZ5 on a tripod with 2 second delay, or 10 seconds if I want to get in the photo.
Routing channels for carbon fibre rods on a makeshift router table. The 2 bits of MDF are stops, one on the neck blank and the other on the fence, although you can’t really see that it’s a fence.
It’s a bit clearer in this photo. The CF channels routed.
It’s even clearer in this one. The fence is a piece of melamine faced particle board with a dowel pinning it to the ‘table’ at one end and a clamp at the other. The truss rod channel has also been routed.
I got the truss rod from a French supplier. It looks identical to Stewmac’s Low-profile rod for which they sell a (very expensive) router bit and piloted reamer. I have a small model makers milling machine so I milled the end of the channel to suit the rod.
It’s a bit clearer in this photo. The CF channels routed.
It’s even clearer in this one. The fence is a piece of melamine faced particle board with a dowel pinning it to the ‘table’ at one end and a clamp at the other. The truss rod channel has also been routed.
I got the truss rod from a French supplier. It looks identical to Stewmac’s Low-profile rod for which they sell a (very expensive) router bit and piloted reamer. I have a small model makers milling machine so I milled the end of the channel to suit the rod.
For some reason I decided it was a good idea to shape the back of the neck for the volute at this point and I can’t remember why. It turned out to be a bit of a nuisance later on.
I cut the CF rods to length and glued them in (and didn’t take photos). I install truss rods 2 or 3 millimetres below the surface and glue a filet of wood on top of them. I think it was Allied Lutherie who recommended doing it this way to avoid the possibility of ‘rattle’.
The filet is made thicker than the depth of the channel and planed down flush with the surface once the glue has dried.
I also had to shape a piece of wood to fill the space over the end of the rod.
I cut the CF rods to length and glued them in (and didn’t take photos). I install truss rods 2 or 3 millimetres below the surface and glue a filet of wood on top of them. I think it was Allied Lutherie who recommended doing it this way to avoid the possibility of ‘rattle’.
The filet is made thicker than the depth of the channel and planed down flush with the surface once the glue has dried.
I also had to shape a piece of wood to fill the space over the end of the rod.
I made a template for the headstock. The 5mm diameter holes will be pilot holes for the tuners and dowel holes for positioning the template. I also managed to book-match another piece of maple I used for the rosette to make a headstock veneer.
Fixing the template to the headstock.
Headstock veneer glued on.
I suppose I ought to say something about that abalone inlay. I inlay my little logo using a home-made pantograph, my version of the one demonstrated by Keith MacKenzie on You Tube
I usually use a 1/32” downcut bit in the Dremel but I’d broken it. I thought it should be OK using a 1/16” bit so I changed the stylus and routed the cavity. I must have made a cock-up of the stylus because the cavity was too big. I didn’t want to waste this maple and I hadn’t any more, big enough to make another one, so I mixed up some maple dust and white chalk with epoxy and glued it in. You can definitely see the join but perhaps it won’t show up so much with finish. Maple is very unforgiving where inlay is concerned but, just to show it can be done, this is the instrument the off-cuts came from.
I should have waited until I got the backstrap veneer glued on before cutting the volute radius but it worked out OK.
Fixing the template to the headstock.
Headstock veneer glued on.
I suppose I ought to say something about that abalone inlay. I inlay my little logo using a home-made pantograph, my version of the one demonstrated by Keith MacKenzie on You Tube
I usually use a 1/32” downcut bit in the Dremel but I’d broken it. I thought it should be OK using a 1/16” bit so I changed the stylus and routed the cavity. I must have made a cock-up of the stylus because the cavity was too big. I didn’t want to waste this maple and I hadn’t any more, big enough to make another one, so I mixed up some maple dust and white chalk with epoxy and glued it in. You can definitely see the join but perhaps it won’t show up so much with finish. Maple is very unforgiving where inlay is concerned but, just to show it can be done, this is the instrument the off-cuts came from.
I should have waited until I got the backstrap veneer glued on before cutting the volute radius but it worked out OK.
Fixed the template on the headstock, traced round it, added 2 or 3 millimeters and cut out the shape.
Fixed the template on again and routed the final shape.
Fixed the template on again and routed the final shape.
Thank you, but it's not finished yet.That headstock looks great! I love the the thin black and white veneers under the front and back veneer
