Thanks for info, guys!
Friday I pulled the neck out of clamps, trimmed the neck down to the fretboard, and then rounded over the sharp neck corners so that they will fit in a nice neck pocket:
I then marked out where I wanted the neck bolts, drilled for ferrules, and then drilled for threaded inserts in the neck:
And installed:
I'm using zinc plated steel hex drive inserts with knife edges, #10-24 thread. I drilled 23/64" for the inserts, as anything smaller would crack the neck heel. That is where I left the neck, but I also used it for routing the neck pocket. This was an operation that was done in conjunction with locating the bridges, since I wanted them located near the back of the body, but not so much that full adjustment would cause them to impinge on the roundover. No pictures, as I was very in the zone. Once I got that figured out, I started mounting the bridges. To make sure that they were located correctly, I did a couple of things:
1. Locate the low B bridge first. This is to make sure that the fat string doesn't fall off the edge of the fretboard.
2. Make sure the bridge is running parallel to the center line
3. Make a jig that has holes for marking the screw locations and a larger center hole for sighting in the actual saddle location
4. Locate the G string saddle and use a spacer to make sure it is parallel to the B string saddle
5. Take the thickness of spacer from 4, and divide it into four parts for the remaining string spacing
6. Use a shim to ensure consistent bridge-to-bridge spacing. I ended up using a 1/32" shim, for a final string spacing of .656", or just shy of 17mm. Narrow by bass standards, but for a guitarist, it will still be plenty wide
Here is a photo of the jig and spacer in action:
With the stressful/critical operations completed, I moved on to the contouring of the body. I used a flap disc on an angle grinder to rough in the main bevel, so as not to use a coarse rasp through the aluminum. I did it in stages so as not to overheat the aluminum or the epoxy. I used my rasps and Iwasaki files to refine, and then sandpaper and sanding blocks (and a bunch of time!) to get it dialed in. I have to say, for all the problems the aluminum gave me, this is where the payoff kicks in:
It's subtle, but super classy. It will also tie in super well with the aluminum bridges, aluminum knobs that I will make, and the satin chrome ultra lites. I'm super stoked. The body is all sanded to at least 100 grit, with some surfaces higher than that. Now I have two parallel paths that need to be worked on. First is the neck. I need to thin it down and carve it (thing is a heavy beast right now!), inlay it, fret it, etc.
Second path is the pickups. I'm winding my own. I'm going to do jazz bass style pickups with A5 magnets, but on a 15 degree slant. This necessitates wider pole spacing, so I will make bobbins. I've already drawn up what the pole spacing needs to be for both neck and bridge pickups. I will also make birdseye maple covers that will mount like P90 pickups with two screws located between pole pieces. It will be a little bit of a tight squeeze, but a longer pickup cover with screws at the end will look out of proportion to the body. I've ordered my magnets and eyelets, I've got wire, I'll make bobbins and covers, and I'll wax pot them into the covers. I need to get them all made before I route for pickups.
I suppose I can also drill and route for my control cavity. I'm going to go passive on this guy, with a volume, blend, and tone. Pretty simple, as any tone shaping will be done elsewhere. Cavity cover will be aluminum, to keep with the theme and to provide some shielding.
With all this progress, it's a legit BSO (bass-shaped object)! Onward and upward!
